by Wade, Maddie
Now the moment was over, his mood worried her, and she wondered what caused it.
He lifted his head, and the intensity was still there but tempered now, the desperation gone. “I could have lost you last night.”
He sounded savaged, wounded, and she saw his fear mirrored as her own. She held tighter. “You won’t lose me, Aiden.”
“I love you so much, Wills. I always have. Even when I knew I shouldn’t, I loved you.”
His admission so open and honest, laying him bare made a sob escape her throat. “I love you, too. I loved Aaron. I’ll always love Aaron, but I’ve always loved you, Aiden, I can’t stop. I tried.”
He kissed her slow, languid, drugging, and she felt him harden inside her again.
“Don’t stop. Let’s agree never to stop loving each other, no matter what.”
His words ripped her heart out because she knew without any doubt that she’d always love him, but when she told him what she’d done, would he feel the same? “I can agree with that.”
“Let me get rid of this condom and then how about we make use of the shower while AJ is away?”
The darkness that had crowded his features was gone now, and he was back to being her Aiden, although she loved every single part of him and always would.
Chapter 13
Eidolon’s private plane had touched down a few hours earlier and now they were in the car headed to his parents’ house. Decker and Liam had rented a house across the street from Willow’s, under assumed names and would have a visual on the outside of the house. He’d installed a new security system as soon as he’d got there and checked out what was needed.
Waggs had, of course, been there before but had never taken a lot of notice because he was a dick, but he’d rectify that. Since that day, two days ago when he’d made love to Willow on the kitchen table and then laid his heart bare for her, things had been wonderful. They’d still not told AJ they were together and were keeping the PDA to a minimum until they’d had a conversation with his parents.
He honestly had no idea how they’d take it, and it was the one thing he wasn’t looking forward to about being back. He wanted to get it over with, so he was free to express how he felt. He was so done with hiding his feelings for her, and he loved AJ as if he were his own.
Squeezing her hand as he drove into the street where he’d grown up, he saw the easy smile she usually gave him had an edge of tension bracketing the corners. He offered her a smile of reassurance, but he was feeling much the same.
Pulling into the drive, he saw the front door of his home open and then his mother was running down the steps towards him. He was out of the car and caught his mom as she threw herself at him. Her small frame was strong as she hugged him tight. The familiar smell of her perfume and feel of her arms around him a comfort he hadn’t known he’d missed until this second.
His mom pulled away and looked at him, her eyes running over him in a way only a mother could, as if checking for herself he was real and safe. “Oh, my boy, I missed you.”
Aiden gently pulled her back into his arms, her head barely hitting his chest. “I missed you too, Mom.” He meant it, he’d missed his parents, cutting them off the way he had with only yearly visits and a few phone calls. Being around AJ had shone a light on his own behaviour.
His mom released him, and a massive smile creased her face as she bent and held her arms open for AJ. Aiden grinned as the boy ran from his own mother to be swept up in a hug from his grandmother.
“Grandma, look who we brought with us. It’s Uncle Aiden.”
His mom’s eyes were a little wet and she swiped the tears away as she wrapped an arm around Willow and kissed her cheek. “I know you did, sweetie, and this makes me so happy. Now let’s get inside and find grandpa.”
Aiden held out his hand for Willow to proceed him. His mom calling his dad from somewhere in the back, most likely his study.
“Ben, Aiden is here, and he brought Willow and AJ with him.”
Looking around, it was hard not to be swamped by memories. There were pictures of him and Aaron everywhere he looked. He remembered things that had seemed insignificant then but felt important now. The couch where Aaron, believing he was a superhero, had nosed dived over the back and scraped his chin.
The fireplace where he’d broken his toe when he and his brother were in the middle of a tussle and he’d gone to kick Aaron and missed. Even the fruit bowls they’d made when they were in fifth grade out of clay had pride of place on the dresser.
Instead of hurting though, the memories made him smile. Hearing his mother fussing over AJ reminded him of the happy childhood he’d had and how lucky he was to have such good parents.
His father walked in his smile lighting up his eyes as he saw him, his legs already carrying him forward. “Aiden.” His dad dragged him in in for a hearty hug and stood back to look at him much like his mother had.
“Hey, Dad.”
“You look good, son.”
“I am, Dad, I am.”
“Are you staying for dinner?”
Waggs looked at Willow who shrugged and then seeing the look of hope on his mother’s face nodded. “Yeah, sure. If you have enough?”
Amy Wagner waved her hand in the air. “When have I ever not had enough food for my boys?”
Waggs glanced at AJ pointedly. “We actually need to talk to you and Dad first if we can.”
Amy took her grandson by the hand. “AJ, why don’t you go set up the train track in the den and then after dinner you can show everyone how good you are?”
He scampered off happily and Aiden sat down at the dining table with his mom and dad on one side and Willow next to him. It was getting harder and harder to hide his feelings. Reaching for her had become as natural as breathing and curbing it was difficult.
They’d agreed at this meeting they’d warn his parents about the danger Willow and AJ were in and tell them a few details but leave their relationship until next time.
“Willow is in trouble.”
He saw his parents grab for Willow’s hands, holding tight in a silent sign of support and realised that while he’d been hiding, they’d formed a bond made from grief. He explained the gist of the problem, leaving out the swan dive into the river but telling them about the dead girl so they realised how serious it was.
His parents’ faces were etched with concern by the time he’d finished, and he hated he’d put the worry there, but he wanted them aware so they stayed safe.
Amy patted Willow’s hand in a motherly fashion. “Well, you did the right thing. Nobody will protect you better than my Aiden. He’s a natural protector, my boy.”
Willow hugged Amy tight. “I’m sorry I ran. I should have told you.”
“Well, that’s as may be but you still brought Aiden home for a bit so I can’t be mad at that.”
After explaining what the basic plan was and how he had back up with him, his mother went about making dinner and they fell into a relaxed afternoon which was both familiar and surreal at the same time. His mother made his favourite pot roast and then he and AJ played with the train set, the same one he and his brother had played with and he missed his twin just a little less knowing that AJ was there, and he was a part of Aaron.
The pressure he’d always felt eased, and he wondered how much of it had been him.
“Hey, you look like you’re having fun.” Willow sat on the edge of the couch in the den, fiddling with the edge of her top. Aiden was lying on his side on the floor, propped up on his elbow. At her words he looked up and grinned at her, feeling a space in his heart fill with love for her. “I actually am. Being here with you makes it hurt less, and AJ makes me miss him less. It’s like a part of him is still here.”
Willow nodded but she looked pale.
He got to his feet and came to sit beside her, his arm going around her back. “Are you okay?”
Willow nodded. “Yes, just tired that’s all.”
Aiden cursed himself, he should have know
n. He was used to going without sleep, but she and AJ weren’t.
“We should get home and get settled.”
“It’s still early. I don’t want to drag you away from your mom and dad. They’ve missed you and are loving you being home with them.”
“Wills, you aren’t dragging me anywhere and I’ll be back a lot while I’m here.”
He didn’t let her argue but kissed her head and stood clapping his hands. “Let’s clear up and then go say goodbye to grandma and grandpa before we go.” His parents were washing and drying the dinner things. Something they had done as a couple since he could remember. His dad said it was the time of day he could catch up with his wife in peace because he and Aaron always disappeared after dinner.
The relationship his parents had always made him smile. Seeing them dancing in the kitchen would embarrass his teenage self but now he knew it was something to aspire to. He wanted that kind of love in his life, and with Willow, he hoped he’d found it.
Chapter 14
The wind blew across her skin as she sat in Amy and Ben Wagner’s back yard a week later. She’d been a little surprised to get the call from Amy to come over for coffee but not hugely. They had grown close after AJ was born. Amy had become the mother she didn’t have and had been there every step of the way, showing her how to be a mom to AJ and cheering her on from the side lines.
She didn’t know what she’d have done without her and the thought of losing her because of her relationship with Aiden frightened her. Willow loved Aiden deeply. Just a look from him and her heart flipped over with excitement. The last few weeks had been perfect, and she never wanted it to end but for that to happen, she knew their relationship had to come out.
Willow also didn’t want Aiden to lose his parents again. He’d already lost so much, and she wasn’t sure anyone who wasn’t a twin would be able to understand the bond the two men had. They were more than brothers; they were a unit and with one gone, the other struggled to function properly as a whole.
Aiden’s words about AJ giving him a part of Aaron he’d thought he’d lost had forced a lump to clog in her throat, so she’d had to swallow it down. How could she tell him that AJ might be his? Whatever the outcome, he’d be hurt. She knew he loved AJ as his own and seeing them together was bittersweet. If he was his father, then that piece of Aaron was gone forever, and if he wasn’t, then she realised that could hurt too because Aiden loved AJ like a son.
“Here you go.”
Whipped out of her thoughts. Willow turned and took the mug of coffee from Amy with a smile. AJ was playing on the slide in the back yard and, with Decker out front, she was safe here while Aiden and Liam carried out a job so covert, he wouldn’t share the details of it.
“Thanks, Amy.”
“My pleasure, sweetheart.”
Amy settled herself down in the chair beside her as she’d done a thousand times, both watching the little boy who had mended their hearts play. “Thank you for bringing my boy back to me.”
Willow blinked as she looked at Amy. “I don’t think that was the plan when I ran.”
Amy pinned her with eyes so very much like her sons. “I don’t mean physically. I mean giving me back the warm joy I see in his eyes.”
Willow blushed and tried to think of a way to explain without sharing the truth. “I don’t see a difference.”
“When you’re a mother you learn the differences between your children. Even as boys I could see them. Aaron was always easy to smile but he’d get moody when he was worried about something. When he met you, I saw the love he had for you in the way he’d smile when you walked in a room, so open so alive.”
Willow felt the burn of tears hit the back of her nose as Amy spoke of her son.
“Aiden was different, quieter, more in tune with people. He’d hold his feelings close, but he was the most thoughtful boy and would do anything for anyone.” Amy turned to her then with a soft sad look. “Even hide how much he was in love with his brother’s fiancée because he didn’t want to hurt people.”
Willow felt the sob escape her and tears fall down her face.
“Both my sons loved you and I know you loved Aaron. I do but he’s gone, and I’d do anything in this world to change that because it breaks my heart every day I wake up and face it without him. But Aiden is alive, and he loves you. He’s always loved you and I know you love him too.”
Willow gripped Amy’s hand tight as the two women cried. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Oh, my sweet girl. I know that and I don’t blame you. How can I when they’re both wonderful men. And you’ve given me so much. My wonderful grandson, who I adore, and now my Aiden is smiling again.”
Willow felt herself pulled into Amy’s arms and held on as she let the guilt of loving two men leave her. Taking the tissue Amy handed her, she wiped her eyes and composed herself. She must look a right state with red eyes and blotchy face after that ugly cry. A laugh escaped her as she looked at the woman who had become a parent to her too. “I guess I have a type.”
Amy laughed and wrapped an arm around her. “You certainly do and what a type it is.”
“Seriously, Amy, I never meant to fall in love with them both and I know it looks like I must have loved one more than the other, but I didn’t. What I felt for Aiden never took away from what I felt for Aaron.” She shredded the tissue in her hands. “If he were alive still, I’d be with him but that doesn’t make Aiden second best. If we’d met first, I have no doubt that the situation would’ve been reversed.”
“Do you know before I met Ben, I dated his best friend.”
Willow looked at Amy in surprise. “You did?”
“Oh yes, and I cared about them both, but they were very different men, and, in the end, I knew it was Ben for me.”
“I would hate for you to think that either Aaron or Aiden would be second best because hand on heart, that’s not the case. I love Aiden with everything in me and I always have, I just loved Aaron too.”
“Oh, honey, I know that and so does he. My point is you make my son happy and that makes me happy, and you have our blessing.”
Willow reached out and took the woman’s hand. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. You brought my boy back to me.”
The rest of the visit they talked about her situation with work and what she might do now she couldn’t go back to work.
“What about graphic design? You got your degree, and you were really keen before having AJ?”
It had been a long time since Willow had considered a career in anything other than something that fit with her son. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s been so long, and I don’t even know if I could do it now. Things move so quickly in the design world.”
“You should talk to Aiden and see what he says. He might have some contacts that could be of help.”
“I don’t know, Amy. We haven’t even talked about the future after this is sorted. His life is over there, and he has some great friends. You met Liam and Decker.” Amy had demanded her son bring his friends for dinner and Deck and Liam had charmed both Amy and Ben.
“I have and as much as it pains me to say it, if you love each other, where you live isn’t a conversation that should be a problem. He either moves home or you follow him to the UK.”
“What about you and Ben and AJ?”
“If my son is what you want and you decide to live that life in the UK, then Ben and I will manage. We’ll visit and you can come here whenever you want.” Amy sipped her coffee. “My point is, we’re not part of that decision. You and Aiden are, and we’ll work around you.”
“He loves his job, Amy. You should see him with his friends. It’s like he’s alive again and has a purpose.”
“I’m glad he found that.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Now, how about we make that boy sitting in that car out front come inside where I can ogle him, and you can pretend not to notice me ogling my son’s friends?”
Willow burst out laug
hing as Ben, who’d walked out the back door, rolled his eyes, smirked, and went to get Decker.
“Now, that my girl, is how you know you have a keeper.”
Decker looked decidedly uncomfortable as he was ushered into the kitchen and given an apron.
He cocked his head at her and looked like a deer in the headlights. “What’s going on?”
Willow smirked as Amy took over.
“We’re making blondies for my son and grandson, and I thought you could help instead of being stuck outside.”
Decker started to back away hands up. “No, I really should stay put.”
Amy placed her hands on her hips and Willow saw real life in her for the first time in a long time. “Now, don’t be ridiculous. We have that new security system and surely you can watch us better inside than outside. AJ is going to help, aren’t you son, and Decker here needs to loosen up a little. Maybe lose the tie and jacket.”
Decker glared at her but did exactly as Amy wanted. It was worth his wrath to see the woman who’d lost so much smiling again, and she had a feeling Decker knew it too. They hadn’t spoken of AJ’s parentage again and she was grateful, but she knew her reprieve wouldn’t last forever. She needed to tell Aiden, and soon.
Chapter 15
“I can’t believe you let my mom rope you into baking with her.” Waggs was watching the trucking yard through a scope two days later and still smiling about the way his friend had been hen pecked in to baking.
“Fuck off, Waggs. Have you ever tried saying no to your mother?”
“Oh yeah, and it never worked out well.”
He could see the last of the office staff leaving for the night including Jerry Edwards. Bebe, and Laverne, one of the other Zenobi girls, were apparently between jobs, and had turned up the day before. Bebe was more than that though, she was a good friend, one who’d come to mean a lot to him. With them around to keep an eye on Willow, AJ, and the house, he’d taken advantage of having both Liam and Decker available to help him break into the trucking yard offices and find the proof they needed.
