Aiden (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 2)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  I’d got out of there as quick as I could, leaving a shoe, my boxers, and socks.

  I rip off my uniform, changing into jeans and a T-shirt, still thinking of Bailey’s face when I saw her across the bar. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Lily has turned pale a time or two when she’s had an episode, but that was nothing compared to how Bailey looked. It was the pain, the torment and anguish in her expression… She reminded me of a little girl in that moment.

  But it was nothing to the look she gave me when Marie announced we had hooked up. She had been devastated.

  Stepping back into the bar, my eyes catch Maddox, Liam, and Mark, and I give them a mock salute when they wave me over. Stepping up to the bar, I give Mason, who is still working, a chin lift before taking the empty seat next to Mark.

  He hands me a Corona. “You look like shit.”

  “Cheers. I feel it.”

  “Who’s got Sunday if you’re drinking?”

  “Mum and Dad. They wanted her overnight again.”

  “You mean your mum did.”

  I force a grin. “Yep. Dad texted me earlier when I was on my break to warn me I owe him one.”

  Mason chuckles as he finishes wiping the bar down. “Probably pissed he’s not getting any tonight.”

  “All right, kid hearing over here,” Mark snaps.

  “Be lucky Max isn’t here. He’d go into detail.”

  I snort, because isn’t that the truth.

  My phone beeps, then Mark’s, Maddox’s, and Liam’s. We all glance at each other. I pull mine out, seeing a text from Charlotte.

  CHARLOTTE: Please don’t be mad but the goldfish died LOL, Charlotte.

  “Did Charlotte just laugh out loud over the goldfish Landon bought her dying?” Liam asks, sounding amused.

  “I don’t think she realises it’s a group chat,” Maddox says.

  LILY: Why are you laughing over it?

  I chuckle, amused at my sister’s reply. If anyone was going to ask, it would be her.

  HAYDEN: Did you cook it?

  Liam groans at his sister’s reply.

  LIAM: You did not just say that.

  CHARLOTTE: I’m not laughing. I’m crying. I named him Nemo and now he’s gone. And how did you guys find out?

  LANDON: You sent your message to the group chat, Charlotte. You really need to get a new phone. And why did you put LOL?

  MADDOX: Bit disrespectful to the fish if you ask me. At least give it a good send off and fry it.

  CHARLOTTE: That’s so mean! And I don’t understand.

  LILY: LOL means laughing out loud, Charlotte.

  CHARLOTTE: Oh, my God. I’ve been learning how to use acronyms.

  HAYDEN: What did you think it stood for?

  CHARLOTTE: I feel terrible. Nemo’s going to think I hate him.

  MADDOX: He’s dead. I don’t think he cares.

  LANDON: Maddox, if you don’t want to shit out teeth, shut the fuck up.

  MADDOX: Yes, sir. Or will you LOL at me too?

  CHARLOTTE: I’m a horrible person.

  HAYDEN: What did you think it meant? LOL

  CHARLOTTE: Lots of love.

  LILY: LOL

  MADDOX: My girl has jokes.

  CHARLOTTE: Landon, can you come over and help me bury him, please?

  MARK: Flush it down the loo.

  CHARLOTTE: I AM NOT DOING THAT, MARK!

  MADDOX: She’s using shouty caps, guys. She means business.

  LANDON: Fuck off, guys. I’ll be there in fifteen, Charlotte.

  “He’s totally gonna want to flush it down the loo,” Liam says, chuckling down at his phone. I put mine away, allowing myself a small laugh.

  “If he doesn’t eat it. Wouldn’t be the first time,” I mutter.

  “One: that was me. Ashton bet me to eat one when we were at that house party,” he says, swallowing. “Went down a treat.”

  “Didn’t you say it wiggled?” Mark asks, straight-faced.

  I chuckle, earning a glare from Liam. “Not the point. And two: why are you sitting with us? We aren’t talking to you.”

  “Why?” I ask, wondering what I did this time.

  Maddox scoffs and I glower at him, not in the mood for his theatrics.

  “We’ve had to feed ourselves for the past two weeks, all because you’re a major fuck-up. She won’t even bring us lemonade anymore,” he tells me, his voice going high-pitched. “And I smelled some sort of baking going on the other day.”

  “You’ve still not seen her?”

  He looks at me with disgust. “No, and thanks to you, I won’t ever see her again.”

  “When, exactly, did you sleep with Marie? That girl is nasty,” Mark says.

  I shove him in the shoulder. “We’ve all made mistakes—me obviously more than some,” I snap, then gesture to Mason.

  He walks over, leaning his elbows on the bar. “What?”

  “Bring a bottle of whiskey or tequila over,” I tell him.

  He eyes me warily before sighing and grabbing a bottle. “I’m only doing this because, one time or another, your dad and the rest of us got drunk over the girl we loved.”

  “I’m not in love with her,” I snap, snatching the bottle out of his hand.

  Maddox snorts. “Yeah, right. You’ve been a fucking mess for two weeks. You didn’t even blink when you were told you were gonna be a dad. You handled it like a pro,” he tells me, taking a swig of the whiskey straight from the bottle (classy) before continuing. “But a girl gets you tied up in knots and you lose your shit. I hate to say it, man, but you’ve looked better. When was the last time you showered?”

  Self-consciously, I smell my armpits. “I’ve been working in a fucking kitchen all day, jackass.”

  “Just admit you love her,” Liam says, taking the bottle from Maddox. He takes a swig before passing it to me. I take a hefty slug, needing to drown out their voices.

  “And soon. It’s hard working on an empty stomach,” Mark adds.

  I snarl at my brother. “Cook your own damn food.”

  He flashes his teeth. “Why, when she cooks so much better?”

  I ignore them, instead choosing to chug down more whiskey, already feeling the effects.

  With every swig I keep telling myself she’s just another girl; she doesn’t mean anything. And with each swig, the lie tastes more and more bitter.

  Because she’s not some random girl. She’s Bailey James, the girl who has somehow wormed her way under my skin.

  She’s the first thing I think about when I wake up… unless Sunday is crying, then all I think about is her.

  Bailey is who I dream of at night. Who I fantasise being with. My heart beats faster whenever I’m around her.

  “Holy fuck!” I breathe out, dropping my head onto the bar.

  “What?” Mark says, turning his attention away from the conversation he was having with Maddox and Liam.

  I lift my head, the realisation hitting me with full force, and I fight to sit up straight.

  “I think I love her.”

  The guys laugh at my expense, Mark slapping me on the back. “And you’re only just now figuring that out?”

  “What am I gonna do? She hates me.”

  “Flowers always worked with your aunt Denny,” Mason calls across the bar as he serves a beer to an old man.

  The old man turns my way, clearly having listened in to our conversation. “Chocolates always worked for my Maisy.”

  “Are there any shops open now?” I ask, glancing outside to the darkened sky.

  “Probably not,” the old man says, taking his drink from the bar. “But take my advice: don’t waste weeks to do the grovelling. You’ll only have to work harder.”

  With that, he walks off, leaving me feeling more defeated than I did before.

  “She’s never gonna forgive me,” I say, taking a large gulp of whiskey.

  “She will. She doesn’t seem like the type to hold a grudge,” Mark says.

  “I dunno. She looked fucking brok
en at the bar. Those girls must have done a number on her,” Liam adds.

  “They fucking did. I told you what she told me,” I growl at him.

  He holds his hands up. “And I told you I spoke to Dad. He asked Liam, Dad’s mate, to look into them, see what he could dig up.”

  “It’s not enough,” I snap.

  “Just go over there,” Maddox says.

  I glower at him, slamming the bottle on the bar. “I’ve tried—every goddamn day. I even tried climbing up the side of the house.”

  “How’d that go?” Mark asks, shuffling his stool away from me. Wise move with the mood I’m in.

  My shoulders slump. “It was her grandparent’s room.”

  Maddox laughs, slapping his knee. “Please tell me they were sleeping and not awake.”

  “Her gran was getting changed for bed,” I tell him, loose-lipped from the booze. I hadn’t told them how low I had sunk, not wanting them to give me grief over it.

  “This is fucking gold,” Maddox says, laughing as he pulls his phone out.

  I take another swig, swaying in my chair. “You can’t tell anyone.”

  “I won’t. I promise,” he says, and somewhere inside of me, I know he’s lying. I just don’t care right now.

  “Maybe tonight isn’t the best night to see her,” Mason says, taking the bottle from me. I look at its nearly empty contents, my eyes widening.

  “Who the fuck drank all of that?” I yell, pointing at the bottle.

  “You,” Mason states dryly.

  “No!” I gasp, looking closer.

  “Fuck, guys, make sure one of you go home with him.”

  “I was gonna take a chick back to mine tonight,” Maddox replies.

  “I don’t care,” Mason argues.

  “Mark, you do it; he’s your brother,” Maddox says.

  “Fine!” Mark sighs. “Come on, bro, let’s get you home.”

  I shove him away. “I don’t wanna.”

  “You’re drunk already.”

  I look up at him, feeling my eyes water. “You know what? Fuck her. I don’t care. She can carry on not forgiving me. Why do I care, anyway?”

  “Because you love her.”

  “So?”

  He sighs, holding me up by the shoulders when I nearly tip off the chair. “Let’s just get you home. You’ll regret this tomorrow when Mum drops Sunday off and she starts crying.”

  “My baby girl. Let’s go get my baby. She loves me.”

  “Yeah, we’re not gonna do that.”

  “I know!” I yell, holding my arm up.

  Maddox leans around Mark. “We’re not in school,” he hisses. “Put your fucking arm down.”

  “Let’s go egg Marie’s house.”

  Maddox grins. “And I thought it was gonna be a boring night.”

  “Maddox,” Mark warns.

  “Don’t be a party pooper,” I tell him, smacking him on the shoulder.

  Or was it his head?

  “Fuck it, I’m in. After hearing what they did, eggs are the least they deserve.”

  Mark sighs. “I’ll get the eggs. If you lot go into the shop, they’re gonna know why you want eggs.”

  “To make an omelette?” I slur.

  “No. Last time you accidently egged their car on the way out.”

  I laugh, letting him help me off the stool and onto my feet.

  “I don’t remember where Marie lives,” I tell them.

  Mark looks at Liam, who look at Maddox. Maddox holds his hands up. “Yes, I know. But only because I fucked her neighbour.”

  “Let’s go!” I yell. “Bye, Uncle Mason.”

  “Get home safe,” he warns from the other end of the bar, shaking his head at us. Thankfully he’s been talking to another customer for the past fifteen minutes and didn’t hear our plans.

  “We’re going to—”

  Maddox slaps his hand over my mouth. “Shut it,” he hisses. “He means we’re going straight home—to watch some movies.”

  An old lady and her friend gasp. “Good heavens.”

  He turns to her, smiling. “We’ll be watching Bambi and The Lion King, maybe some Little Mermaid.”

  “She’s so hot for a redhead.” Liam grins, earning a smack around the head from Mark.

  “Bye!” I yell, waving at everyone in the bar.

  “God, please don’t let us get arrested tonight,” Mark mutters.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  BAILEY

  Clicking the button on my remote, I flick through the movie channels, trying to find something to watch. Trouble is, everything reminds me of him.

  First, Cheaper by The Dozen came up, reminding me of him and his big family. Look Who’s Talking was on the next channel, then Three Men and a Baby.

  Finally, I land on some disaster movie set in Los Angeles.

  Movement near my door catches my eye. I sit up in bed, grabbing my hearing aid. I’ve been keeping it out all week, needing the silence and relief it brings me. The few times I’ve had it in, he’s just happened to turn up at the door. After a few days, Granddad started walking out and meeting him halfway, so I didn’t have to hear him. It still didn’t help. I felt like he was everywhere—I still do.

  I’ve left my phone off, too afraid to see what he’s text me. The first two I did read were him apologising, and I couldn’t handle it.

  “Hey, Gran, are you going out?” I ask.

  She sits down on the edge of the bed, placing her hand over mine. “This isn’t good for you, Bailey. You need some fresh air. Staying in bed all day…” She shakes her head sadly. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Gran, I’m fine. I’m just hurting. I’m sure it will pass,” I lie. I don’t know whether it will pass, or if the ache in my chest will go. Right now, it feels like my world has ended.

  “I don’t know, sweetie. It’s been two weeks,” she says doubtfully.

  “Gran,” I say, sighing, “I’ll be okay.”

  “Good, because two pretty girls who said they were your friends are outside your door. They’ve brought you some cookies.”

  “Oh, God!” I moan, eyes wide.

  He’s sent his cousin to kill me.

  She pats my hand and walks over to the door. “She’s descent.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Spencer.”

  “Aw, you two are such sweet girls,” she tells them, a hand on each of their cheeks before dropping them and facing me. “Now, have fun. We’re off now and won’t be back until Monday.”

  I get out of bed when she walks over. Pulling me into her arms, she holds me tightly.

  “Everything will be okay. Have some girl time,” she whispers in my ear, before pulling away. “I’ll let your granddad know you said goodbye.”

  “Love you, Gran.”

  “Love you too,” she says, her hand on my cheek. She drops it before leaving us alone.

  I feel my cheeks heat when I realise I’m wearing my Buffy pyjamas. I had seen re-runs on the television and got hooked. Now I’ve got all the merchandise you can get. Including the pyjama set I’m wearing.

  “That show gives me the creeps,” Charlotte mutters, staring at my shirt.

  “I want to be Buffy when I grow up,” Lily says wistfully.

  My lips twitch into a smile. It feels foreign but so much better than the tears I’ve shed over the past two weeks.

  “You are grown up,” I tell her, sitting back down in bed.

  They move over, Charlotte sitting in bed with me whilst Lily walks around the other side to jump in too. I’m surprised by them staying and how comfortable they look making themselves at home.

  “Buffy is badass, though. She’s strong enough that no one can hurt her,” Lily says, and when I glance over, a dark look passes across her features.

  “You okay?”

  She shakes out of her thoughts, forcing a smile. “Yeah. I just think she’s great. No one messes with her.”

  I think about it and have to agree. If I had the strength Buffy had when I was at school, those girls
wouldn’t have messed with me.

  My family would be alive.

  “Yeah, I can see why you would want to be her,” I say softly. She squeezes my hand.

  “Personally, I’d rather be one of the Originals—but be able to have a baby.”

  “The Originals?” I ask.

  Both girls gasp. “You’ve never watched The Originals or The Vampire Diaries?”

  “Never heard of them,” I admit.

  “Do you have an Amazon account?” Lily asks, grabbing my remotes.

  “I do. Just click on the Fire Stick remote.”

  She does, and before I know it, she has The Vampire Diaries up on my screen.

  “You have to start off with this one,” she explains.

  “Here, we brought you these,” Charlotte says.

  I gulp, taking the plate of cookies with a sick feeling in my stomach. “Um—”

  “Sorry we couldn’t bake you anything. It was a spur of the moment thing,” Lily says softly, and my entire body relaxes against my pillows.

  “You said you wouldn’t say anything,” Charlotte says, sounding hurt.

  Lily giggles. “Sorry,” she tells her, before winking at me.

  I chuckle as I grab the chocolate goodness and shove one in my mouth, moaning.

  “How are you doing?” Charlotte asks suddenly. “We tried to see you, but your gran said you weren’t feeling well. We knew it was because of Aiden.”

  I force the bite of cookie down my throat. “Can we not talk about him?” I whisper.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she says softly, and instantly I feel guilty.

  “They abused me every chance they got; sometimes even going out of their way to find me,” I blurt out.

  Lily takes my hand in hers. “We’ve all been through some sort of bullying. Mostly from girls who thought they needed to be jealous of us because of our family. From what Hayden told me, ours was nothing compared to yours.”

  I let out a dry laugh. “I don’t think what they did could even be called bullying, Lily. It wasn’t just name-calling or cat fights. They tormented me—tortured me. I’ve been spat on, beaten within an inch of my life, called names, had rumours spread around school about me, and so much more. I can’t prove they killed my family, but I know, with every inch of my heart, it was them.”