Aiden (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 2)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  AIDEN

  A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel

  Book Two

  ©

  Copyrights reserved

  2018

  Lisa Helen Gray

  Edited by Stephanie Farrant

  Cover Art by Cassy Roop @ Pink Ink Designs

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the publisher, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet without the publisher’s permission and is a violation of the international copyright law, which subjects the violator to severe fines and imprisonment.

  This book is licensed for your enjoyment. E-book copies may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share with a friend, please buy an extra copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places and events are all product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business or establishments is purely coincidental.

  CONTENTS PAGE

  CONTENTS PAGE

  FAMILY TREE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  EPILOGUE

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  OTHER TITLES by Lisa Helen Gray

  About the Author

  FAMILY TREE

  (AGES ARE SUBJECTED TO CHANGE THROUGHOUT BOOKS)

  Maverick & Teagan

  - Faith engaged to Beau

  -Lily

  -Mark

  -Aiden

  Mason & Denny

  -Hope

  -Ciara

  -Ashton

  Malik & Harlow

  -Maddison (Twin 1)

  -Maddox (Twin 2)

  -Trent

  Max & Lake

  -Landon (M) (Triplet 1)

  -Hayden (F) (Triplet 2)

  -Liam (M) (Triplet 3)

  Myles & Kayla

  -Charlotte

  -Jacob

  Evan (Denny’s brother) & Kennedy

  -Imogen

  -Joshua

  CHAPTER ONE

  AIDEN

  Life has a way of knocking you down and making sure you hit every branch on the way.

  A few hours ago, my biggest dilemma was getting my neighbour’s builders to stop working and give my hangover a chance to recover.

  But then one phone call changed my life forever. Nothing would ever be the same.

  Why?

  Because I’m a father.

  Something I didn’t know about until the doctor called me and told me I have a daughter, that the mother died during childbirth, and that I needed to head over to the hospital to collect her. Like he was asking me to do nothing more than pick up a parcel.

  All this led me to the present, where I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been sitting on my front lawn―well, my neighbour’s—wondering what I’m going to do with a baby.

  A baby.

  I don’t know the first thing about raising a baby. I’m way out of my depth. My sisters could help me, both babysat when they were teenagers, and Lily—she’s a school teacher.

  A throat clears, but I don’t turn my head. “Excuse me, but are you okay?”

  The voice is soft, almost angelic, and I wonder if I’m dreaming. This has to be a dream because I can’t be a father. I’ve been nineteen for barely five minutes. I had so much to do before I even thought of kids. There is no way I’m capable of looking after one, let alone raising one.

  The angelic voice whispers through my head once again. “You’re sitting in stingers.”

  I want to grunt, to snap and tell her I have bigger problems to worry about, but I can’t make myself turn around, can’t bring myself to speak.

  “Please… Are you okay? Can you look at me?”

  Tyres crunch the gravel before the sound comes to a stop. A door opening then slamming shut echoes over the garden, over the birds tweeting in their nests.

  I hadn’t wanted this. All I’d wanted when I woke up this morning was the chick in my bed to leave, followed by some peace and quiet so I could go back to sleep.

  “Aiden.” Hearing my mum’s voice, I look up. She rushes over to me, her face pinched with concern and her eyes glassy. “It’s okay, we’ve got him.”

  My neighbour must walk off because a few moments later I hear her door shut. I look up at my dad and flinch at his expression. Instead of showing the same concern my mum is feeling, his expression is murderous, and I know I’m about to get a lecture on how stupid and immature I am.

  There’s nothing he can say that could make me feel any worse.

  “Aiden, come on; we need to get to the hospital.”

  I stand on shaky legs and turn to look my mum in the eye. “I’m a dad. I can’t be a dad. What am I supposed to do?”

  Before she can open her mouth, my dad is shaking me, looking ready to land a punch to my face. I can’t blame him; I messed up. And when a Carter messes up, they mess up fucking good.

  “You’ll go to the hospital, get your daughter, and bring her home. You’ll fucking raise her, care for her, love her, and make sure she wants for nothing. You got yourself into this, boy; you’re sure as hell going to do right by her. She’s a fucking baby.”

  He shoves me back a step and I blink, noticing for the first time that I’m crying. “I know she is. I know I messed up, but I don’t know the first thing about babies. Can’t you have her?”

  Mum gasps, but my dad? Yeah, he looks pissed, and I don’t bother ducking when his fist lands on the side of my jaw. I deserve it.

  “You’re a grown-ass fucking man, Aiden. We won’t be cleaning up your mistakes anymore. You’re on your own with this one. We will help you the best we can, but you’re responsible for a tiny human now.” He runs his fingers through his hair, looking skyward as if searching for answers.

  “I know,” I whisper, rubbing my eyes. I never cry—and Landon putting chilli in my drink doesn’t count. That shit was hot.

  “Let’s get to the hospital. Afterwards, we can go from there,” Mum says.

  I nod, moving until I’m by her side. “I don’t even have anything for her.”

  My dad hears me and sighs. “We can hit Mother Care on the way home. I’ll call Maddox and ask him to bring his truck.”

  I groan, running a hand through my hair. “What am I supposed to tell them?”

  My dad gives me a dry look. “That you fucked up and that this is what happens when you don’t wrap it up. I’m sure after they hear this, they’ll think twice before jumping into bed with a stranger.”

  Mum gives Dad
a warning look before turning to me. Her expression softens as she rubs my shoulder. “Why don’t you go get a top on and meet us in the car?”

  I look down at my bare chest. Fuck, I’m so glad the chick from this morning already left. There would have been no way for Mum to talk Dad out of beating some sense into me.

  Nodding again, I step towards the stairs leading to my flat, when my dad’s hand stops me. He looks torn up, hurt. “I’m sorry for laying a hand on you, Aiden. I just didn’t want this for you. I wanted you all to work on getting your careers, to travel a little. I didn’t want this for you, but it’s happened.”

  I pat his shoulder, giving him a small smile. My dad has never laid a hand on any of us, not even when we got into trouble doing stupid shit that could have killed us. Yeah, we got a slap around the head a few times—Maddox more than most from his parents, which is why he doesn’t have two braincells to put together. Our dad shouting at us was enough for us to listen and obey. Most of the time.

  So, I know when he hit me, it was out of fear, not hate. Plus, I’ve seen him hit, and I know he held back. The last time he punched someone, he knocked them clean out. The guy deserved it for pinching my mum’s arse. But that’s another story.

  “It’s fine, Dad. I knew this wouldn’t be the easiest news for you to hear. I’ll be back down in a minute.”

  My words leave my mouth in a gasp at the end when he pulls me in for a hug, slapping my back. “You can do this. We will help, but she’s your daughter, not ours.”

  I nod again, still feeling numb from the revelation, and head up the stairs.

  *** *** ***

  The sound of screaming newborn babies echoes down the hallway as the doctor leads us to a private room.

  My parents stay with me, but it feels like a blur. If it wasn’t for my pounding headache and churning stomach, I would think I was in bed, at home, dreaming.

  “Take a seat.”

  We do, the chair squeaking under my weight. When I’m down, I look straight at the balding doctor and get to the point.

  “How do you know she’s mine? I never went and got a DNA done.”

  Pity fills his eyes as he clicks on his computer. “I’ve known Miss Giles since the beginning of her pregnancy. She knew there could be several complications during the delivery, so she planned ahead—to make sure her baby had a home. She informed me she took a toothbrush of yours, which is on file. In the test that followed, the DNA on that toothbrush revealed a positive match. If you would like another DNA test, we can do that today. However, you are listed as her emergency contact and as the baby’s father.”

  I scrub my face, feeling the rough hairs on my jaw from not shaving this morning. My mind tunes out the sound of my mum and dad asking questions, and travels back to when Casey showed up at my door. I remember losing my toothbrush that night and thinking I’d just misplaced it. I have a tendency to walk around while brushing my teeth if I’m in a rush, and then dropping it wherever.

  “Son?”

  I shake my head and look to my dad, tears brimming my eyes. I can’t let them fall—not now, not in front of a stranger. “Sorry, what?”

  He rests his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “He’s going to take us to the baby and have someone come in to take a DNA test. It’s just a swab.”

  I nod, getting to my feet and rubbing my sweaty hand down my leg. My mum takes my other hand as we walk out of the room.

  I know should ask what I missed, what they spoke of, but at the moment, I’m doing everything I can not to hyperventilate. I’m about to meet my kid. My baby.

  The doctor throws back a curtain, and the second he does, my eyes zero in on the screaming baby kicking her feet in a tiny bed. She’s dressed in a pink polka dot all-in-one and a pink beanie that looks far too big for her head.

  I’m taking one step in front of the other, towards her, and before I know it, I’m standing above her crib. The second I look down at her, I know she’s mine.

  She has my nose, the same colour and shape of my eyes, and even has a head of dark brown hair.

  She’s beautiful, and for a few moments I can’t breathe. She’s mine. Really mine. My heart bursts, overwhelmed with emotion. This beautiful baby girl is mine.

  It’s all too much, and I nearly collapse to my knees when they give way, but thankfully my father is there to catch me. He picks me up, resting me against his chest as tears spill down my cheeks.

  “She’s so tiny,” I croak out, looking back down at my daughter.

  My dad chuckles, patting my back. “She’s got a set of lungs on her, that’s for sure.”

  “She’s due a feed. Would you like to do it?”

  I turn to the nurse I hadn’t realised was there and nod, my throat swelling.

  “Take a seat and I’ll get her out for you.”

  My arse lands in the only chair in the tiny cubicle, and without taking my eyes off her, I watch the nurse carry her over.

  I hold my arms out like I’ve seen done in movies. I’m shaking badly, scared I’m going to hurt her, but the minute she’s in my arms, nothing matters but her. I’d do anything to protect her, to keep her safe.

  She looks lost, so small and pink against my tanned arms. She quietens down and her eyes open in wonder, her body settling against mine with a few sniffles. The love I feel for her already is overwhelming. I’ve known her for two minutes and already she owns me.

  The nurse hands me a small glass bottle, the top looking far too big for my baby. “That will choke her,” I tell her.

  The nurse laughs, but I narrow my eyes on her and she sobers. “It will be fine, I promise. Just rub the teat against her bottom lip and she’ll do the rest.”

  Not taking her word for it, I look to my mum. She’s crying silently, and when she notices I’m watching her, waiting for her approval, she nods. “It’s fine, Aiden. I promise.”

  There’s no one I trust more than my family, so I do as the nurse instructed and watch as my little girl sucks on it like she hasn’t been fed before.

  Dad laughs, standing next to me to get a better look. “She sure is hungry.”

  “Takes after her dad,” I whisper, still amazed this tiny human is mine.

  “And her granddad,” Mum adds, before giggling.

  Dad gasps. “Oh, God, I’m a granddad. I’m too young to be a granddad.”

  “Shut up.” Mum stands closer, her voice quiet so she doesn’t disturb her. “She’s so beautiful, Aiden. And you’re a natural.”

  I look back down at my girl, smiling. “I don’t know about that; she seems to be doing this all on her own.”

  “I’m going to step outside and see where Mason is on the car seat and stuff.”

  My head snaps up at that. “Can you get him to pick her up a blanket? Maybe a pink one? Her hands are a little cold.”

  “I can do that.”

  “And maybe a fresh set of clothes. She has a stain on her chest.”

  Dad chuckles, his eyes warm and no longer filled with anger like they were earlier. “I’ll do that, too. We can get the rest tomorrow. Today, we can just get essentials, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s her name?” Mum asks the nurse, who is still moving around the room.

  She looks up at Mum’s question, sadness filling her eyes. “Her mum passed away before we could get a name. She never mentioned one before, either, so we left it blank.”

  “Have her family been informed?”

  Before I can tell my mum, the nurse fills her in. “Sadly, she doesn’t have any next of kin.”

  Mum’s eyes water again as she looks down at the baby. “Can you give the morgue my name, number and address? We will arrange her funeral. She should have someone who cares what happens.”

  “I’ll go get a form for you to fill out and I’ll personally take it down myself. It broke my heart to know she had no one.”

  “She has us,” I pipe in, saddened. Casey may not have been for me, girlfriend wise, but she wasn’t a bad person—from
what I remember of that night. She just seemed a little lost, looking for a good time.

  Another nurse walks in, bringing Mum a chair, as the other one leaves. She pulls it closer to me and runs her finger down my daughter’s cheek. “She really is beautiful. What will you name her?”

  I hadn’t even thought of that. I don’t know why, but I presumed she would already have one. “Tequila?” I offer.

  Mum looks at me in horror, and I grin. “You cannot call your baby that.”

  “Relax, I’m joking.”

  “You need to wind her.”

  “Do what to her?” I ask, horrified by the sound of it.

  She laughs at my expression. “Rest her face like this,” she says, then places her hand under my daughter’s chin. I almost push Mum away when it looks like she’s grabbing her face, but I look closer and notice she’s not using pressure. “If you hold her like this as you sit her on your lap, you can rub her back and tap it.”

  I do as she says, fingers trembling through my fear of dropping her. “This okay?”

  “Yes, though maybe try tapping a little harder. You need to get her wind up, otherwise it will cause her severe pain in her belly.”

  Jesus fucking Christ. I’ll break her back if I tap her harder. She’s delicate, but I also don’t like the thought of her being in pain either, so I listen to my mum.

  “What about Sunday?”

  “What about Sunday?” Mum asks.

  I chuckle. “Her name. What about Sunday? It’s Sunday.” I shrug. Plus, the only name I would want to use is my Nan’s, Mary, but I know Faith has always wanted to name her first baby after her.

  Mum’s expression softens. “I think it’s perfect. I love it.”

  “Sunday Carter,” I murmur.

  “What about her middle name?”

  I give her a dry look. “Do I look like Google? I don’t know. What about Casey, so she has something from her mother?”

  Mum’s eyes glisten with more tears. “Perfect. Sunday Casey Carter.”

  I look down at Sunday, knowing, without a doubt, I’ll never love anyone or anything more. No matter what life throws at us from here on out, I promise to do everything to make her happy.