Jared’s house.
I turn and go to the living room to find Aiden. He’s relaxed, his long legs crossed at the ankles and one of Ryder’s hardback storybooks in his hands.
He lifts his head. “Hey,” he says low as if afraid he’ll wake Ryder. “Everything OK?”
“Um…yeah.” I walk to the kitchen entrance and then back to stand beside a rocking chair. Uncertainty bubbles in my belly. If today was the tryout date, I’m sure we failed—an accident, a hospital visit, Jared acting like the asshole he can be. “Sorry that took so long.”
Aiden pats the sofa cushion beside him. “Come here. I was fine. Getting in some reading.” He holds up the book. “Did you know this mouse never, ever finds his house? This is one stressful story.”
I grin at Aiden’s fake alarmed expression. He’s so cute when he tries to lighten things and make me laugh. My world has been far too serious and full of mom duties and late bills for too long.
“Let’s talk,” he says and pats the spot beside him on the sofa.
“Maybe I should check on Ryder one more time…”
“You’re stalling,” he says. He stands and steps toward me, taking his time until his body is inches from mine. “I’m not going to judge you about whatever you tell me.”
I swallow past the lump lodged in my throat. “I really like you. I just don’t want you to think I’m a bad person.”
“You couldn’t tell me anything that would do that.”
What if I told you I’m a coward? Jared knows. He called me that and more.
My daddy knew, too. If I’d been brave, he’d be alive.
“Come on, then.” Aiden slips his hand into mine. “We’ll talk about something else until you feel like you can trust me.”
“Talk about what?”
He leads me to the sofa and tugs me down to sit. “I guess we’ll talk about me some more. You seem to like the topic.”
“I do.” I snuggle in to his warm side with my cheek resting on his shoulder. “Why did you become a personal trainer?”
“Let me see.” He drops his head back on the cushion. “I was this scrawny kid in school. I could run like hell, but I was thin. Gangly…all arms and legs.”
“Ah…” I turn my head up so I can see his face. “So you bulked up so you wouldn’t get beaten up?”
He laughs, low and amused. “No. But I did play football and was tired of getting sacked on the field. Plus, I liked feeling strong. It’s good to be healthy. It’s like you have total control over your body. Everything you do or don’t do affects the end result. You have something against my body?”
I shake my head. “I think you know the answer to that.”
He places his hand on my knee. “It never hurts to feed my ego.”
“I think your ego’s thriving.”
“Not in some ways. You won’t let me get to know you.”
I lean my head back against his arm. There’s frustration in his voice and it’s my fault. I owe him honesty. “Jared and I had a thing. I told him that Ryder was his. He didn’t believe me. He’d already moved on with his life, and he assumed I’d been with someone else. I was so mad that I let him continue to think that. I thought it served him right to lose out on Ryder. I was wrong for doing that. Just because he was an idiot, didn’t mean I had to be one too. So, last year I told him again about Ryder. I told him for Ryder’s sake. He didn’t even take a blood test. When he saw Ryder, he knew.”
“You said you had a thing. Define thing. There are a lot of different levels of thing. One-night thing. Ten-year thing.” His tone is light, as if I haven’t just dropped a bombshell of drama on him.
“Somewhere between those.” I study him. “A friend introduced us. Jared was older and waiting for his break. I wrote some songs for him that he used. I fell hard for him and we slept together. I thought it was a big deal. He didn’t. Does it really matter? I don’t have to know your dating history. Actually, I don’t want to know.”
“If I had a child with
I turn and go to the living room to find Aiden. He’s relaxed, his long legs crossed at the ankles and one of Ryder’s hardback storybooks in his hands.
He lifts his head. “Hey,” he says low as if afraid he’ll wake Ryder. “Everything OK?”
“Um…yeah.” I walk to the kitchen entrance and then back to stand beside a rocking chair. Uncertainty bubbles in my belly. If today was the tryout date, I’m sure we failed—an accident, a hospital visit, Jared acting like the asshole he can be. “Sorry that took so long.”
Aiden pats the sofa cushion beside him. “Come here. I was fine. Getting in some reading.” He holds up the book. “Did you know this mouse never, ever finds his house? This is one stressful story.”
I grin at Aiden’s fake alarmed expression. He’s so cute when he tries to lighten things and make me laugh. My world has been far too serious and full of mom duties and late bills for too long.
“Let’s talk,” he says and pats the spot beside him on the sofa.
“Maybe I should check on Ryder one more time…”
“You’re stalling,” he says. He stands and steps toward me, taking his time until his body is inches from mine. “I’m not going to judge you about whatever you tell me.”
I swallow past the lump lodged in my throat. “I really like you. I just don’t want you to think I’m a bad person.”
“You couldn’t tell me anything that would do that.”
What if I told you I’m a coward? Jared knows. He called me that and more.
My daddy knew, too. If I’d been brave, he’d be alive.
“Come on, then.” Aiden slips his hand into mine. “We’ll talk about something else until you feel like you can trust me.”
“Talk about what?”
He leads me to the sofa and tugs me down to sit. “I guess we’ll talk about me some more. You seem to like the topic.”
“I do.” I snuggle in to his warm side with my cheek resting on his shoulder. “Why did you become a personal trainer?”
“Let me see.” He drops his head back on the cushion. “I was this scrawny kid in school. I could run like hell, but I was thin. Gangly…all arms and legs.”
“Ah…” I turn my head up so I can see his face. “So you bulked up so you wouldn’t get beaten up?”
He laughs, low and amused. “No. But I did play football and was tired of getting sacked on the field. Plus, I liked feeling strong. It’s good to be healthy. It’s like you have total control over your body. Everything you do or don’t do affects the end result. You have something against my body?”
I shake my head. “I think you know the answer to that.”
He places his hand on my knee. “It never hurts to feed my ego.”
“I think your ego’s thriving.”
“Not in some ways. You won’t let me get to know you.”
I lean my head back against his arm. There’s frustration in his voice and it’s my fault. I owe him honesty. “Jared and I had a thing. I told him that Ryder was his. He didn’t believe me. He’d already moved on with his life, and he assumed I’d been with someone else. I was so mad that I let him continue to think that. I thought it served him right to lose out on Ryder. I was wrong for doing that. Just because he was an idiot, didn’t mean I had to be one too. So, last year I told him again about Ryder. I told him for Ryder’s sake. He didn’t even take a blood test. When he saw Ryder, he knew.”
“You said you had a thing. Define thing. There are a lot of different levels of thing. One-night thing. Ten-year thing.” His tone is light, as if I haven’t just dropped a bombshell of drama on him.
“Somewhere between those.” I study him. “A friend introduced us. Jared was older and waiting for his break. I wrote some songs for him that he used. I fell hard for him and we slept together. I thought it was a big deal. He didn’t. Does it really matter? I don’t have to know your dating history. Actually, I don’t want to know.”
“If I had a child with
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