Wincing, he turned to find Lia standing almost directly behind him. Unintentionally, his gaze took her in from head to toe…slowly. Her thick, dark hair was pulled back from her face with a clip, the heavy length flowing down her back. A white, lacy, sleeveless shirt was tucked into light blue capris, both showcasing her curves. Flat, decorated sandals were on her feet, showing off pink, painted toenails. Unlike the blatantly sexy women he used to zero in on, she exemplified understated sexy. Suddenly, he found his bite of sandwich stuck in his throat.
Coughing, he gasped for air as Brogan pounded him on the back. “Shi—uh…geez, Brogan. Way to make it worse.” He glowered at his brother as he tried to catch his breath, then scanned to make sure none of the kids heard his almost-cuss word.
“Are you all right?”
The soft voice came from the side and he turned again, looking at Lia, her eyes holding obvious, and unexpected, concern.
Clearing his throat, he nodded tersely, replying, “Yeah. Thanks.”
Feeling the need to separate from her, he offered a chin lift before walking over to Jason and Callan. As he walked away, he heard his mom ask Lia about Emily and could not help but eavesdrop on her answer.
“Emily has a new friend from school and she’s having some ice cream with Judith’s family over by the picnic tables.”
“Judith is a sweet child,” Jade said, her smile wide. “I’m glad she and Emily are friends.”
“Yes. It’s kind of hard for Emily to make new friends. She’s shy and, well, sometimes other children can be a little…uh…difficult.”
Hearing Lia speak so derogatorily of other children reminded him of his first meeting with her. Without hesitation, he turned and said, “Like the kids on the ball teams?”
Lia blinked, her head cocked to the side as if she misunderstood him and was surprised at his ire. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Her mouth opened but he jumped in again. “If you’d ease up a bit, I bet Emily could find all kinds of friends that she’d find acceptable, even if you didn’t. How you can be so judgemental and put yourself before your kid is beyond me.”
He heard his friends gasp at his remark as Lia reared back as though slapped. Opening her mouth to retort, her words appeared stuck and he smirked. Someone needed to put her in her place. Moving to go he heard a strangled sob and turned back in time to see her quickly turn and hurry away.
“Aiden, you arrogant prick,” Katelyn began while the others sputtered their outrage.
Throwing his hands up in defense, he was about to tell them of the conversation he had had with her at the ball field when he heard a scream. His head immediately swung in the direction of the sound, it was so full of agony and panic.
A woman was standing with Lia, crying and waving her hands. Without thinking, he moved in their direction. “What’s going on?”
Tears running down her face, Lia turned and looked at him, unseeing. “Emily. She’s gone. I have to find her!”
Her eyes frantically searching the crowd, she started to move away from him but he gripped her upper arms, halting her. “It’ll be okay. Tell me what happened and we’ll find her.”
“Judith…Judith’s mom turned around and Emily was gone. She told Judith she wanted to find me. She’s looking for me. I need to find her.”
She tried to pull away again but he held her steady. Her strident voice, full of anguish, cut through him. Looking around, he started to form a plan when Ginny approached and asked what Emily was wearing.
“Pink shorts…uh…pink tennis shoes. Uh…a…uh…white shirt.”
Mitch assured, “We’ll get the music stopped and have an announcement made over the loudspeakers.”
“No, no,” Lia cried, tears streaming down her face. “That won’t work. She’s deaf. She can’t hear that clearly!”
Jade, obviously knowing about Emily’s special needs, rushed to Lia, pulling her in for a hug. “We’ll find her,” she said, her eyes glancing around to the group that had jumped up, ready to search.
“How does she communicate?” Colt asked.
“Uh, she has a hearing aid in her right ear but is completely deaf in her left. She can hear if you speak on her right side and she also reads lips. Loud noises are muffled and if you approach her from the left, she won’t hear you at all,” she said, her chest heaving with sobs.
“Does she know not to talk to strangers?” Mitch asked.
“Yes,” Lia replied.
“Good. That’s good,” Mitch assured her. “Is there something we can tell her so she knows she can trust us?”
“Uh…” Lia looked to Aiden and his heart stuttered at the lost expression on her face. “You…you can tell her to hear Mommy’s heartbeat.”
“Okay. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
Mitch, Colt, Hannah, Ginny, Grant, Lance, and Hunter all grabbed their police radios and immediately spread out in the crowd.
Aiden’s feet rooted to the ground for a moment, and he stared at Lia’s ravaged face. Pain stabbed his heart at the realization he had completely misjudged her and her motives. Forcing his mind to clear of his fuck-up, he turned and raced away, determined to find Emily.
As the group dispersed, Lia moved to follow them but Jade held her back.
“What are you doing? I have to find Emily.”
“This is the last place she knew you were. If she’s moving and you’re moving, you make it harder to find one another. You need to stay put.”
Looking around at the crowd of comforting faces standing close by, she nodded. That made sense. Everyone was gone except for Tori and Katelyn, both holding their children, and Jade, whose arms were still around her. That was a lot of people looking for Emily.
“They’ll find her,” Katelyn promised, her eyes darting between her baby and Lia’s face.
“She’s never wandered off before. She’s always stayed right with me.” Tears started to choke her throat as she thought of all the possibilities. “Oh, God, she wanted to find me and now she’s lost.”
No matter what words her friends said, her heart screamed for her child. Stumbling back, she turned, saying, “I can’t just wait here and do nothing.”
“No,” Tori said, reaching out to grab her arm. “We’ve got tons of people looking for her. When they find her, they’ll bring her here to you.”
Torn between wanting to search and wanting to be here for Emily, she hesitated. Breaking down in sobs, she cried, “I want my baby…I need my baby.”
Tori and Katelyn sobbed with her, clutching their children, as Jade’s arms encircled her once more.
Aiden’s mind raced along with his feet as he searched the crowded park. His gaze landed on one of their friends, also searching, but they shook their head as he made eye contact. Stopping, he forced his mind to clear. What did Lia say? She can’t hear loud noises clearly. Looking toward the speakers near the gazebo, he headed in the opposite direction. Sure that she would go where she might be able to hear better, he raced toward the back, not too far from the ice cream truck.
Turning in a circle, he fought the desire to call out her name. Fuck! This is like searching for a needle in a haystack. The crowds were standing near the food trucks and he instinctively knew, as tiny as she was, she would want to get to where she could see better. Turning, he ran past the picnic tables and circled around the far corner of the park where more people were sitting.
A flash of pink caught his eye and he turned to see a dark headed child, her hair pulled into a ponytail with a big pink bow, moving away from him toward the edge of the crowd. Remembering her bow from the day at the ball field, he raced toward her, darting between families on blankets.
Not wanting to scare her, he slowed his pace, making sure to approach her from the right. His heart pounded an erratic staccato as he quickly moved in front of her, squatting so that he would be at eye level.
She jerked in surprise, her wide eyes full of fear.
“Hey, Emily,” he said, unsure if he should speak differently to h
er. But, then, he remembered she understood him at the ball field. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he smiled widely. “Do you remember me? From the ball game?”
She nodded, her eyes still wide. “Mama said you were a coach.”
“That’s right. I help the kids learn how to play the game. My name is Aiden. Um…I think your mom is looking for you now.”
She nodded, her pink bow bouncing up and down. “I had ice cream with my friend but wanted to find Mama.” Her chin wobbled and she continued, “But I don’t know where she is.”
“Can I take you to her? I promise I know where your mom is.”
She took a step back, unsure. “Mama said don’t go with strangers.”
“You’re mom is very smart. She told me to tell you to listen for her heartbeat, so you would know it was okay to go with me.” She mulled that over and her face relaxed. Sighing in relief, he said, “Let’s go find your mom.”
She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes now full of hope. He held out his arms and asked, “How about I carry you? We can get there quicker.”
Without hesitation, her arms shot up toward his and she allowed him to scoop her up. “I got tired,” she admitted. Laying her head on his shoulder, his heart skipped another beat, but this time not in fear. This time, his heart filled with happiness as his arms held her slight body tightly.
Looking ahead, his long legs made quick work of getting him to the other side of the park. As he approached the area, he caught Mitch’s eye and his face broke out in a huge grin. He twisted his head just long enough to see Mitch on his radio, alerting the other law enforcement personnel that Emily had been found.
Seeing Lia, her tears evident even from a distance, surrounded by Jillian, Katelyn, Tori, and Jade, he hastened his steps. Just as he was about to call out, Lia looked up, her gaze landing on him and then dropping to the precious bundle in his arms.
“Emily!” she screamed, throwing her arms into the air and racing toward him. They slowed just enough to keep from slamming into each other and squishing Emily. He was ready to hand Emily off to her, but her arms surrounded him as well as her daughter. He could feel Lia’s body sliding to the ground as her knees appeared to give out so, he knelt as well, the three of them slumping together. Feeling the sudden urge to comfort Lia, he managed to loosen one arm from Emily and throw it around her, pulling both of them into his embrace.
Lia’s body bucked with a sob as she held tightly to her daughter. “Oh, baby, baby, I didn’t know where you were.”
Emily did not respond and he was not sure if she was unable to hear her mother or just wanted to be held. He was barely aware that they were surrounded by a huge crowd of his friends and family, only the pats on the back he felt reminding him that they were not alone. Something about holding them, protecting them in this moment…changed something in him.
He settled his ass to the ground, stretching out his legs, trying to make sure Lia and Emily were comfortable as Lia fought to control her tears. Not wanting to let either of them go, he was struck with how right they both felt in his arms.
7
After a few minutes, Lia gained control of herself and leaned back, her eyes on her daughter. “Emily,” she said, making sure she was looking at her. “Never, never walk away from the adult you’re with. You should have asked them to find me.”
Emily nodded, tears still streaming down her face. “I’m sorry,” she hiccupped.
Belle squatted next to the trio and asked, “Is she all right? Should I check her?”
She remembered that Belle was a nurse and, sucking in a deep breath, realized she needed to make sure Emily was fine. She loosened her arms and peered into her face. “Baby? Are you hurt?”
“No, Mama. I just went walking to find you.”
Emily twisted around and looked back at Aiden and her lips curved into a smile. “You found my mama.”
His eyes were warm on her and he grinned widely. “Yeah, Emily. We found your mama.”
She watched as he lifted his warm gaze from her daughter to her and her breath caught in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice raspy with emotion. “If you hadn’t—”
“No,” he hushed gently, still holding her gaze. “She’s fine. There were lots of people looking for her and she would have been found very quickly.”
“But—” she began, her heart aching as fear returned.
He shook his head and said, “Lia…no. Don’t go there. She’s fine and in your arms. You can talk to her later about safety in a crowd, but don’t go there in your mind. She’s right here.”
Gulping in a harsh breath of air, she nodded. “Thank you.” Unable to look away, her eyes were mesmerized by his and the strength exuded by him. For the first time in a long time, a sense of safety swept over her.
“Mama, I’m squished.”
Jerking back, she looked down at Emily, and said, “Well, young lady, getting squished is what happens when you get lost and Mama gets scared.” A giggle slipped from Emily’s mouth and to her it was pure heaven. Suddenly aware of Aiden’s arms wrapped around her and her daughter, she blushed and struggled to move back.
He stood and offered his hand to assist her up as well. Holding Emily’s hand, she turned to see the gathering all standing close. Remembering how they immediately jumped in to help, she rushed to thank them as well.
She was hugged by more people than she could remember ever being hugged by at one time. Eric MacFarlane and his father, Finn, walked over and, after offering hugs, gave her a cold water bottle, which she drank thirstily from. For Emily, Finn handed her a tall, hand-squeezed lemonade in a frosty cup with a bright yellow straw.
Corrinne stepped forward and with tears in her eyes pulled her in for a hug, one lasting longer than the previous ones she had been receiving. Before she had a chance to ponder that, Corrine released her and stepped to Aiden, her arms circling her son for a long time.
That sight caused her chin to wobble once more, seeing this large, opinionated man being coddled by his mother and letting her do it in front of everyone. She battled back the tears and, with a grateful smile toward everyone, she accepted a seat on one of their blankets, pulling Emily in close by her side.
“Aiden?” Emily’s voice cried out, drawing his immediate attention.
He walked over and squatted in front of her. “Whatcha…” Hesitating, he amended, “What do you need, pretty girl?”
Emily giggled and asked, “Sit by us?”
Lia’s eyes widened, but she smiled and nodded. He might have been a jerk to her on more than one occasion, but he saved her daughter today and that meant something to her. He held her gaze for a moment and then smiled at Emily.
“Sure thing,” he replied easily, but instead of sitting on the other side of Emily, he lifted her up and plopped down on the blanket next to Lia with Emily in his lap.
Lia looked down and realized his thigh was firmly pressed against hers. He did not seem to notice or, if he did, it did not bother him. At first, it did not bother her too much either, but the longer they sat side by side the more she felt a tingle of electricity passing between them. She shifted slightly but he only resettled Emily and shifted closer again, keeping his leg next to hers.
After a few back and forths of that, he turned his head and grinned at her. “Easy, Lia,” he said, his voice soft. “You’ve been a wreck for the past half hour. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. Show Emily that you’re fine and everything’s okay.”
She opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it shut, realizing he was right. Dropping her gaze to Emily, she saw her daughter was eating up the attention. Blowing out a long, slow breath, she nodded. Offering him a slight smile, she turned her focus back to the gathering and the music. Uncertain why he was being so nice to her all of a sudden, she wondered what he would think if he knew she was the master of pretending that everything was fine. After all, she had been doing just that for years.
Aiden was aware the moment Emily fell asleep on him, her little
body slumping in his arms and her head laying on his shoulder. He looked over at Lia, whose face was now relaxed as she laughed at something someone had said.
Hearing a throat clearing, he cast his gaze to the side, seeing his mom, dad, and Finn smiling at him. Unable to explain the sudden desire to hold Emily and Lia close, he reacted by tossing them a typical, goofy grin, but their continued smiles told him they were not buying his act. Rolling his eyes, he looked down and saw Emily’s little mouth slack with sleep.
He turned his head to the other side and watched Lia as she listened to Jillian telling a story. Dark circles marred her perfect complexion and he knew she was exhausted. Her smile, while sincere, was strained. He felt her shoulder leaning against his, as though needing his body to help prop hers up.
That intimate touch, even though she probably did not realize what she was doing, felt right. He had never cared for a woman’s clinging touch in public, not wanting to claim anyone or be claimed. But, sitting in the middle of a large group of his family and friends, having Lia and Emily pressed tightly to him had his heart pounding while at the same time, strangely, settling his mind.
Leaning slightly to gain her attention, he whispered, “Let’s get you and Emily home.”
She focused on his face for a few seconds before dropping her eyes to Emily, her features relaxing as her gaze roamed over her daughter’s sleeping form. “Oh, I’m sorry. You must be tired of holding her—”
“Shhh,” he said, drawing her eyes back to his. “She weighs nothing and, anyway, this isn’t about me. You two have had an exciting and exhausting evening. We can leave now and I can get you home before the crowd breaks up when the concert ends.”
Her mouth opened as her brows drew down. “We…you?”
“I want to see you home safely,” he said. “Please.”
She sucked in her lips for a moment, eyes roaming over his face, assessing him. He waited patiently and, after a few seconds, she nodded and pushed upward to stand. He followed, shifting Emily slightly in his arms to balance her on his chest without jiggling her head too much. Ignoring the grins flying at him from all his friends and family, he offered a chin lift to his parents and waited patiently with Lia as she offered heartfelt thanks to everyone once again. Then, with Emily still asleep in his arms and Lia by his side, he weaved through the lawn chairs and blankets to the sidewalk around the park.
Hear My Heart Page 5
