One Wild Night

"Harry's birth mother?" Lucy ask, not sure she had heard him correctly. Wasn't Harry's birth mother dead? Or perhaps someone else had given birth to him, and it was the woman who had raised him who was dead? Probably the woman who had raised Harry was the love of Aaron's life, and Sara was the one who had given birth to Harry? That didn't make sense. He had just said Sara was his wife and Harry's mother. So who then was the person who had died who was the love of his life? Lucy wondered as she looked at Aaron.

"I thought his mother was dead?" She asked, hoping that Aaron would clear her confusion by explaining the relationship between Sara and Harry's late mom.

"Can you keep whatever I tell you between us? At least for now. Until I'm able to summon the courage to tell Harry the truth myself?" Aaron asked, and Lucy's brows pulled together.

Just how bad was this revelation that he needed to summon courage to tell Harry about it? And by asking her to keep it from Harry, did he mean she had to keep it from Tom too? That was going to be impossible, "What about Tom? He knows I'm talking to you about this. He would want to know about our conversation. I can't lie to him. So maybe it's best if you don't tell me whatever you wouldn't want Tom to know about," she said, and Aaron looked at her, impressed by her honest and straightforward character.

"You are no longer curious to hear everything?" Aaron asked curiously.

"Of course, I am. But my curiosity can not be more important than what you want. I wouldn't want to break your trust merely to satisfy my curiosity. Asking you to tell me your secrets when I know that I wouldn't be able to keep it away from Tom, would be wrong. I promised to be honest with you, so I have to tell you," Lucy said easily, and warmth filled his heart as he looked at her, impressed by how she was putting her concern for him above everything else.

"You are so purehearted Lucy," Aaron said, glad that she was the one who had been in his bedroom that night and not anyone else.

"Thank you," Lucy said with a warm smile.

"Would you like to have a glass of juice? Or perhaps red wine? I read somewhere that it's good for the heart," Lucy offered, and Aaron gave her a nod as he returned her smile.

He watched as she walked over to Harry's mini bar to get them wine. She poured red wine into a glass for him, and a nonalcoholic wine into another glass for herself before returning to join him.

"Here," she said as she placed it in front of him and sat down.

"Thank you, Lucy," Aaron said quietly as he picked up the glass and took a sip.

Neither of them said a word to each other for some time, and after a while Lucy glanced at him, "I don't mean to pry, but I suggest you tell Harry about whatever it is you are hiding from him before he finds out some other way," Lucy advised.

"How would you react if you were Harry and you found out that you have been lied to all your life?" Aaron asked, and Lucy pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"It depends," she said with a shrug.

"On what?" Aaron asked curiously.

"For me it depends on the intention. Why did you lie? Why couldn't you tell me the truth. Surely I'd be hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, but if your intention was purely out of genuine love for me, no matter how angry I get, I will come around. Because you matter to me," Lucy said, thinking about how hurt she had been by Tom's lies, but also how it had been easier to forgive him when she focused more on his intention not the action.

"I lied to him about his mother. His mother is not dead. Sara walked out of our lives days after she gave birth to Harry," Aaron said after a while, and Lucy's eyes widened slightly at that piece of information.

"What?" Lucy asked, and Aaron gave a nod.

Although she had briefly suspected that, but had dismissed the thought because it didn't make sense. Hearing Aaron admit to it greatly surprised her.

"I couldn't tell Harry about it. I was abandoned by my own mother and I know best how much damage such a knowledge can do to a person's heart and self-esteem. I didn't want that for my son," Aaron explained, and this time Lucy felt her heart break for him.

"The daughter I spoke about in my sleep was Harry's twin sister. I was told she died at birth, but I never got to see her body," Aaron said, before picking up his glass again with trembling hands and raising it to his lips.

Lucy's eyes filled with tears as she watched him, "I'm so sorry," Lucy said softly as she began to put the pieces together.

She could now understand why he was asking for his daughter, and why he kept pleading with Sara in his sleep. She could understand his pain and tears. Those had been tears of a heartbroken man. Tears of a man who had just lost a daughter, been abandoned by the woman he loved and was forced to raise their baby boy alone.

"She said she never wanted to have anything to do with us. She wanted to pursue her modelling career. Now she is dying and wants to see Harry," Aaron said, and this time Lucy reached across the table as she had done before and took his hand.

"Did she tell you why she wants to see him?" Lucy asked softly.

"Do I need to know why? Tell me honestly, Lucy. Am I wrong for not wanting to tell Harry about her, or not wanting her to be a part of Harry's life in any way?" Aaron asked, and Lucy shook her head.

"No. You are not wrong. Still, Harry has a right to know and to decide whether or not he wants her to be a part of his life despite what she did," she said apologetically.

"But he is never going to forgive me if he finds out I lied to him all these years," Aaron said as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Don't say that, Aaron. He will. You raised him better than that. You did a good job raising such a fine and intelligent son. I'm sure all you need to do is sit him down and explain the details to him. Harry will understand why you had to lie to him," Lucy assured him.

"What if he never understands? Am I also going to lose my son because of Sara? Losing his sister was enough. Do I have to lose Harry too?" He asked as a tear slid down his cheek, and Lucy sniffled as she went to embrace him.

"You should have some faith in him. You will never lose him to her. I won't allow it. Tom won't allow it," she promised fiercely as tears rolled down her cheeks while she tried to console him.

As Lucy held him, she thought about what Aaron had just revealed and her heart broke for both father and son. She couldn't begin to imagine how Aaron was going to be able to hold such a conversation with Harry.

How was he supposed to start? She didn't want to imagine how shocked Harry would be or how he would react. For someone like Harry who hated being lied to, it was obvious that things was going to be tough for them in the nearest future, and she could understand why Aaron felt so scared. It wasn't going to be easy in any way. Neither her nor Tom was going to be able to tell Harry about this. Harry needed to hear it directly from his father.

"Harry has to hear it from you. We can't let Harry find out about it from her or any other way. Because then it would be your word against hers," Lucy said after a while as she returned to her seat.

"What do you suggest I do? I was hoping to hold off on telling him the truth until he is in a stable relationship. Harry has always taken my words about my relationship with his mother to heart. He has high expectations when it comes to love. I fear that he might be disappointed and change his mind about it after he gets to know the truth," Aaron said, and Lucy shook her head.

"Whether he is in a committed relationship or married won't make any difference when he finds out the truth. If he chooses to walk out of such a relationship he would do so without second thoughts, and if he chooses to remain with his partner because he is too much of a gentleman to walk away, he will be resentful and unhappy. I think it's best you tell him the truth now so that he can face it before he gets involved with anyone," Lucy advised, and then she paused when she remembered her conversation with Jade a while ago.

Was it possible that it was all related? If there was one thing she had come to learn in this past weeks, nothing was mere coincidence. Everything happened for a reason, and if for some reason Jade was suddenly asking for the picture of Harry's supposed late mom, then something was up.

She looked at Aaron curiously, "Just now I heard snippets of your conversation with Jade. I suppose you were both talking about Harry's mom?" She asked, and Aaron gave her a nod.

"Yeah."

"Is she really an orphan?" Lucy asked curiously.

"That was what she told me back then, but I don't know how true it is. Although after she left I started to doubt her story but I had no desire to look into it," Aaron said, and Lucy nodded.

"Did Jade tell you why she was suddenly asking about her?" Lucy asked, and Aaron sighed.

"She said she knows someone who looks a lot like Sara," Aaron explained, and Lucy looked at him curiously.

Knows? Not saw? So she knew the person it wasn't like a random stranger who she had just run into? Lucy mused.

"Do you have a picture of her? I would like to see what she looks like if you don't mind," Lucy said, and Aaron gave her a nod as he rose from his seat.

"Although she looks completely different now, but there is an old picture of her in Harry's bedroom. Hold on while I get it," Aaron said as he walked away to get the photo frame.

As Lucy waited for him to return, she thought about Tom and how this news would affect him knowing how much he loved and cared for Harry. How would this affect Harry's blossoming relationship with Jade? She wondered, and raised her head when Aaron returned with the photo frame and handed it to her.

"That's Sara," Aaron said, and Lucy's heart skipped a beat when she looked down at the photo and saw the familiar face of Harry's mother.