“That’s fine, but I can’t promise to play nice if they say or do something hurtful to you,” I finally tell her.
She nods her head in understanding and we resume walking. When we get to the room, she knocks softly and walks in. All eyes immediately turn in my direction. Aleah tries to act cool and relaxed about it, but I can feel the stress radiating from her body.
“Hi. This is Aiden, everyone... How’s Shane doing?”
“Aiden? Would that be Aiden Pierson?” one of the two guys standing there, which I assume is Aleah’s older brother asks.
“Yes,” Aleah responds.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, man.” He turns to me, as he extends his hand to shake mine. “I’m Shervon, Aleah’s older brother.”
“Hey, Shervon,” is all I can manage to say. I don’t want to shake this guy’s hand and pretend like we’re buddies. These are the people who beat up, threatened and made Aleah’s life miserable. Just because she’s incredibly nice and forgiving doesn’t mean I am too.
I notice Aleah’s body tense up next to mine at my response to her brother, and I brace myself for an impeding fight. The air in the hospital room crackles with tension, as Shervon stands there extending his hand and I refuse to take it. Aleah narrows her eyes at me and I just shrug my shoulders. She turns her pleading eyes to Shervon then and seems to exchange an understanding between them. Shervon retreats his hand and sits down in a chair without saying another word. I hear Aleah release a loud sigh, as if she’s releasing a breath she’s been holding.
Relieved that a fight is not about to ensue, she turns her attention to her brother in the hospital bed, who seems to be sleeping peacefully. Her dad explains that the nurses gave Shane some relaxants to calm him down, but they said he needs to be transferred to a rehab, as soon as possible.
Aleah explains the options available to her family, and tells them that she needs to talk to Shane first before doing anything. Everyone agrees with her, and they begin making plans.
Shane starts stirring a few minutes later, and eventually opens his eyes. He narrows his eyes at me as soon as he sees me, and an unreadable expression crosses his face. I brace myself for what is to come, but he turns his eyes to Aleah next. As soon as they lock eyes and Aleah senses that he’s coherent enough to understand what she wants to tell him, she turns to all of us.
“I need to speak with Shane privately for a second. Will you all give us a few minutes?”
Her family starts walking towards the door, but I don’t move a muscle. If she thinks I’m leaving her alone in a confined room with that crazy man, she’s out of her mind.
“I’m not leaving you alone with him,” I tell her firmly. Even though, I have my back to them, I can feel the rest of her family stop walking, as they turn their heads towards us.
“Aiden,” she says in exasperation. The look she gives me is enough to show me the extent of her fury, but I’m not backing down.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Excuse us,” she says as she grabs my arm and forcefully drags me out of the room. Once we’re out of their earshot, she explodes at me.
“Aiden–I asked you to please not to do anything to create a scene and all you’ve done since you walked in there is to provoke them. Why can’t you at least pretend to be civil for a few minutes?”
“I don’t want to be civil to these people. They hurt you…very, very badly. You seem to have forgotten all about it, but I can’t. There is no reason for me to be nice to them.”
“Except that I’m asking you to. I want to put the past behind me, Aiden. I want to move forward. You can’t move forward when you’re stuck in the past.”
“I’m not stuck in the past. I just don’t trust them. And I can’t leave you alone with him. We don’t know what he’s capable of doing. It’s crazy and irresponsible of you to want to be alone with him.”
She grinds her teeth. “I can’t comfortably talk to him with you being there. We’re in a public hospital. You will be right outside the door. I’ll be three feet away from the door. If anything goes wrong, I will scream. You can even glue your ear to the door, if you want to. There is absolutely no reason for you to worry.... You’re being ridiculous. I am going in and if you follow me in, I swear to God, I won’t talk to you for at least a week.” Seeing the serious look in her eyes, I decide to relent just a bit.
“Five minutes,” I tell her. “If you’re not out of there in five minutes, I’m coming in.”
She walks back without saying a word. I follow closely in her footsteps, so I can stay near the door. I sense her family eyeing me closely, as I lean against the wall and close my eyes. But I don’t give a damn about what they think and I don’t even bother to glance at them. I check my watch every minute. Once five minutes has passed, I grab the door knob to go in. Thankfully, right then she opens the door and beckons us all inside. Shane still looks dazed, but there is a glimmer in his eyes that was not there a few minutes ago. I stand back and watch as Aleah makes plans with her family to transfer her brother to rehab.
We prepare to leave shortly after, so Aleah can call the rehab center and transfer the required deposit. As we start walking out, Aleah waves her hand goodbye and I don’t even bother saying anything. Right before she has a chance to step outside of the room, her dad reaches for her. He gathers her in his arms for a hug and I feel my whole body tense up. The idea that this man who was ready to throw her daughter’s life to hell gets to hug her now infuriates me. I bite my lips for Aleah’s sake and simply watch her face, ready to intervene the minute I sense she’s uncomfortable, but she appears calm and collected. Aleah doesn’t hug him in return but she doesn’t pull back either. She gives him this moment graciously and once again I admire the strength of her character. After a brief embrace, he lifts his head up from her hair and the amount of longing and regret I see in his eyes takes me by surprise.
He pulls back reluctantly, telling her “thank you,” in a hoarse voice. I turn around to head out when I feel her dad’s hand on my back. I tense up immediately. I pray to God that he doesn’t try to hug me, because I know I will punch him if tried. Thankfully, he just pats me on the back.
“Nice to meet you, son. Thank you for coming by,” he tells me, as he pats my back once more. I grind my teeth to hold myself back from saying something nasty, and quickly head out without responding.
“Aiden, that was rude,” Aleah tells me once we’re out of her family’s earshot.
“Babe, the only reason I didn’t punch every single one of them in the face was because I knew you wouldn’t appreciate it. Don’t expect me to be nice to them when they treated you the way they did.”
“That was a long time ago, Aiden. Sometimes, you have to let go of the past.”
“I guess I’m just not as forgiving as you.”
THIRTY
ALEAH
I take a calming breath, once we’re comfortably seated in the car. My whole body was tense every second of the time we spent with my family. Every minute I expected one of them to snap and get into a fist fight. Aiden was outright rude to my dad and my brothers, and they are not the type of men to take that lightly, particularly since the guy showing them disrespect was no one other than the man dating me. A year ago, someone would have been seriously hurt in such a situation. I guess things have truly changed since then.
That change includes Shane. Even though, he had a troublesome past, I would never have imagined him to end up at the place he is today. Thinking back about his life breaks my heart. He had so much potential, but got lost somewhere along the way. And he’s never been able to fully recover. I don’t think anyone ever helped him figure out what his underlying problem was. The more I think about his life, the more an idea that crossed my mind this morning takes root in my head.
“You’re awfully quiet.” Aiden notes.
“I’m thinking about Shane.”
“What about him?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, and will probably get
mad at me for even thinking about this. But I have an idea in my head and the more I think about it the more I want to do it.”
“You’re starting to scare me, baby.”
“No, it’s nothing dangerous. I was thinking this morning about Shane and remembering what he was like as a teenager. He was never good at school, but he always loved mechanical things, and he loved cars. I think he was barely in high school when he learned on his own how to soup up cars. He worked all summer and saved up his money to fix up his own car. Once his friends saw what he did, they started bringing their cars to him. He started making some good money. Soon after, one of his friend’s dad who had a mechanic shop approached him and offered to hire him. He dropped out of school and started working there full time. I think he did well there, but Shane had always had a problem with his temper and his mood swings. I think it was a couple of years later, when he started using drugs. After that his behavior just got worse and worse. I don’t know what he’s been doing the last year, but before, he was working at a new shop. He always complained that he does all of the hard work and the owners make all of the money. His dream was to open his own shop. He was trying to save money for that, before he got into drugs.”
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”
“Aiden, people don’t get to where they are in life without a reason. Yes, personal responsibility is important and you can’t blame others for your own poor decisions, but some people just never get a break in life. I think Shane was one of those people. My parents gave him hell for quitting school. They never let him forget it and never gave him any support in what he wanted to do. I think he just started falling into the wrong crowd. Because he didn’t have love, support or guidance anywhere else, it was easy for him to get pulled in… I know it sounds like I’m making excuses for him, but I’m not. I know what he’s done and I haven’t forgotten. Believe me I still have some scars to prove it. But I think he deserves a chance at being a better person. I want to help him get there.”
“You already are. Without you, he would be still be roaming the streets. You’re paying for his rehab and helping him clean himself up.”
“Yes, but that only gets him clean from drugs. I want to help him make a life for himself. I want to help him become somebody.”
“Now you’re starting to worry me. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Aiden, I think everyone in life deserves at least one chance. Sometimes that chance sparks a ray of hope that turns a person’s life completely around. If your grandpa hadn’t given me a chance, I’d probably be somewhere in a homeless shelter right now or worse in the bottom of the ocean. I want to give Shane the kind of chance David gave me. I want to give him hope that if he wants to be somebody, he can.”
“And how would you give him that kind of hope?”
“I’m going to offer to help him open his own shop.”
Aiden immediately snaps his head around, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“This is for the same brother that hit you, threatened your life and came after you when you tried to escape?”
“Yes, and the one who’s too drugged up and addicted right now to have a coherent conversation. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m going to tell him that if he cleans up and stays clean for six months, I’ll help him. It won’t be a hand out. I’ll set a lot of conditions for it and I will make sure he understand that he will have to eventually pay me back any money I put in. But if he proves to me that he’s changed, I’m willing to look over the past and help him.”
He shakes his head, but to my surprise there is no anger in his eyes.
“You’re out of your mind crazy, baby.” He tells me “And I’m beyond crazy for you… You never seize to amaze me. I don’t know if I should yell at you right now or kiss you senseless.”
“Hmm…I think kissing would increase your chances of getting lucky tonight,” I say with a teasing smile.
A wicked grin crosses his face. “Kissing it is then.”
We spend the rest of the day making arrangements with the rehab and coordinating Shane’s transfer there. After I receive confirmation from my dad that Shane has been safely moved to the rehab, I finally settle in for a relaxing evening in my own little piece of heaven. Aiden wraps his arms around me, as we cuddle in front of the TV, when my phone rings again. Seeing my dad’s number on the screen immediately makes me nervous. I answer the phone prepared to hear the worst.
“Hi. What happened? Is Shane okay?”
“Yes. As far as I know he’s fine. I’m not calling about him.”
“What are you calling about then?”
After a long pause, he finally responds. “Aleah–we…we need to talk…as a family.”
“Dad–I don’t think…”
“Wait, let me finish. I know how you feel about us, and I don’t blame you. I’m not asking you for forgiveness. I’m just asking you for a chance to hear me out. There are some things I need to tell you. Just come by for dinner one night and give me an opportunity to talk. If you don’t want to ever see us or talk to us again after that, it’s fine.” Noticing my silence, he continues. “You can even bring Aiden if you want.”
I don’t know what to tell him. I take a few seconds to think before responding, but it’s not enough. “I can’t give you a response right now. I’ll have to think about that.”
“Okay,” he says, his voice laced with pain. “Take your time. Let us know when you’re ready.”
I hang up the phone and cover my face in my hands, wondering why it is that I can’t have one drama free night with the man I love.
“What’s going on, baby?” Aiden asks, concern written all over his face.
“My dad wants to talk to me. He said he has something he needs to tell me.”
Aiden pulls me onto his lap. “How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know. The side of me that hates conflict and drama wants nothing to do with. The curious side of me, on the other hand, wants to hear what he has to say.”
“Which one do you feel more strongly about?”
“As much as I hate to have to go through it, I think I need to do this. I need closure with my parents, if I want to shed my old baggage and move forward in life.”
“I don’t like the idea at all, but it seems like you need to go.”
“He invited you to come too.”
“Good. Because there was no way I was letting you go by yourself.”
I raise my eyebrow at him. “Controlling much?”
“I’d rather think of it as protective.”
I can’t do anything other than smile at him for that. We make plans to go to dinner at my parents’ house the next evening, since Aiden will still be here tomorrow night. And I call my dad to give him the news.
THIRTY-ONE
ALEAH
We walk up to my childhood home. But before we even get to the front door, nervousness overtakes my body. My muscles tense up, as my stomach clenches in anxiety. Aiden senses my unease.
“Are you okay? You look a little pale,” he asks.
“I don’t know if this was a good idea,” I tell him honestly. “This brings out too many memories.” It also doesn’t help that I’m about to face my parents, and this time it is without the distraction of Shane’s problems.
“It’s not too late to back out. We can just leave.”
I take a deep breath and count to ten in my head. I can do this. I’ve dealt with a lot worse in my life. I have to do this. I need the closure. I straighten my spine and shake my head when I look up to Aiden.
“No, I want to do this. Let’s just go and get it over with.”
He nods his head and grabs my hand to start walking. I look at our entwined fingers and back up at his face. I’m not sure if we can walk in to my parents’ house holding hands. When he notices my hesitation, Aiden stops and turns back.
“Babe, I’m not playing any games with them today. They clearly know that we’re dating. They invited us to their hou
se and begged you to come, not the other way around. I’m not going to act like we’re anything other than what we are. If they don’t like it, we’ll gladly leave.”
The tone of his voice tells me there is no point arguing with him, particularly since deep down I know he’s right. Even though I dread the possible confrontation, I know it’s time for me to stand up to my parents.
We walk in the house, and the air is so thick with tension you can slide a knife through it. My dad tries to hug me, but I just can’t bring myself to hug him back. Thankfully, he doesn’t attempt to hug or shake Aiden’s hand. Seeing my brother Shervon in the living room makes me even more uneasy. The greetings and interactions are all around awkward and tense. But a few minutes later, Aiden sees the basketball game on TV and notices Shervon’s Laker’s jersey.
“You’re a Laker’s fan?” he asks Shervon.
“Die hard. You?”
“Always.”
And they get right into a deep conversation about the season and their favorite players. That causes the tension in the room to drop a few degrees, but my body is still tense. I watch Aiden for a few minutes to make sure he’s okay talking to my brother. When I see he’s talking comfortably to Shervon, I make my way to the kitchen to chat with my mom.
Once dinner is ready and served, we take our seats at the table. We haven’t taken more than a few bites off the food, when my dad clears his throat. And I hold my breath.
“Aleah–there’s so much I need to tell you, I don’t know where to start… Words cannot describe how sorry I am about the way we treated you last year.” His voice catches on the last words and I struggle to hold my tears at bay. I have never seen my dad show any emotions, and can only imagine how difficult this must be for him.
Redeeming Love (Resilient Hearts #2) Page 21
