A Moment Like You

by Claudia Burgoa

  “Just think about it. Your life is work and nothing else,” she says with a yawn.

  “You should go to bed Mom,” I suggest, but then I check the clock I have on my bookcase with the time in Sweden, and it’s six in the morning. “Actually, why are you awake so early? It’s Saturday.”

  Mom met Lars, her husband, seven years ago at a conference. They dated for two years, and one day, she announced that she was going to retire and move to Sweden with him. Maybe that’s what’ll happen to me in twenty or thirty years. I’ll find a woman to settle in with who already has grown children.

  One thing is for sure, I’m not going to be like my father. A man who can't love anyone but himself. I won’t bring children into this world who I'll neglect because I’m incapable of love. My father never cared about my mother or the women he screwed. He’s never cared about his sons.

  Some nights I wonder if he ever cared about us. Why wasn’t Mom enough … or us?

  “I set my alarm clock to make sure I caught you before you headed to bed,” she answers. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be at work at ten o’clock on a Friday. Shouldn’t you be out on a date or at least with your friends? You have those, right?”

  I can’t help but chuckle. “I’m not a hermit, Mom.”

  Telling her that my friends are spending their weekend with their families will give her another excuse to set me up on another not so blind date.

  “We weren’t the best example,” she continues.

  “What’s that?” I ask, confused.

  “Your dad with his string of mistresses and girlfriends, and I … well, it wasn’t that I was alone. I dated after the divorce, just no one was good enough to introduce to you and Carter,” she explains. “Still, I tried to find love, you know—it didn’t happen until Lars. He makes me happy. You should try searching for the person you can spend the rest of your life with. It’s fun.”

  “Sounds exhausting,” I say.

  “Not if you do it right. At least I hope you’re having sex, Hayes.”

  “And we’re getting too personal,” I complain.

  “Sexual activity is important for a man your age,” she insists. “You have to get out there and at least have fun with the women you meet.”

  Is she for real? I’m not sure if this is a European thing, or if she just doesn’t care about the lines she’s crossing. Mothers shouldn’t be meddling in their children dating lives—or their sexual lives either.

  “Yeah, I promise to go out more often,” I say, instead of telling her that I don’t have time to waste on dates that won’t lead to anything else than an emotionless fuck.

  She said it, I’m thirty-five. Too old to be fucking around.

  “In the meantime, why don’t you reach out to your brothers?”

  My mother asking me about my father’s bastards confuses me.

  “Look, we might share the same DNA from William’s side, but we are strangers,” I remind her. “You’re the one who tried to force us to become a family.”

  “Because you guys are brothers.”

  I don’t get why mom keeps pushing this relationship. When your partner cheats and you find out they have other offspring, you don’t try to create a family. Do you?

  It might’ve been her upbringing. She was born in Mexico City, the youngest of five. They still get together to celebrate my grandparents’ birthdays, their anniversary, and everything in between. They’re close, even when they don’t all live in the city.

  “At one time, the seven of you were close. Until…” her voice lowers.

  Until Carter, my baby brother, died. She doesn’t finish, and I don’t say it out loud either. It’s been twelve long years since we lost him. There’s a picture of him on my bookcase. His senior portrait. There are a few more of all the Aldridge brothers. Henry, the oldest, Pierce, Mills, Carter, Vance, and Beacon.

  I touch the one with Carter and his best friend, Blaire.

  My Blaire.

  My stardust.

  My best everything.

  I trace her fine features with my finger. She’s not petite, but at five foot four, she’s almost a foot shorter than me. In this picture, she looks fragile, but she’s so fucking strong. Her big ice blue eyes stare back at me with so much love. Those were the last days we spent together. It was right before I left for Baltimore.

  Before we … before it was over.

  Knives carve my insides. The loss of what we had, what we dreamt. A thousand wishes lost forever. I rub my chest, missing my heart. It’s been gone for years. Twelve years to be exact.

  Every time I have to amputate a limb from one of my patients, I explain about the phantom pains they may have. Their arm might not be there, but for some unknown reason, the twinges, the hurt still happens—and it’s normal after the loss of a part of the body.

  They might not think I understand them, but I do. I feel those twinges daily, ever since I removed her from my life, and she took my heart with her. This picture isn’t the only one I have of her, but it’s the only one I allow myself to see.

  Everything I have of hers is in a box, locked, because I can’t seem to be able to forget her. In the past couple of years, I’ve been tempted to look for her. I went as far as calling her old number, but it’s no longer hers. I turn the portrait around, because, today, the reality of not having her hurts too deep to withstand.

  Walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, I stare at the dark horizon. The lights illuminate the city, even the bay. There’s not one star in the sky, but I know they are there. Just like I know my past still exists, and she is somewhere in the country or the world. At least that’s what I hope.

  Blaire Wilson stole my heart the day we met, and her memory makes it impossible to fall in love with anyone. Perhaps it is the fact that I can’t stop loving her.

  “Give Dorothy a chance,” Mom insists.

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her the name isn’t appealing. It just makes me want to ask where Toto is and whether or not she’ll be asking me to join her on the search for the Wizard? I refrain, or she’ll lecture me for not taking her seriously.

  “Mom, I like my life the way it is,” I explain, as calmly as I can. Ignoring the memories that unleash each time I see Blaire’s picture.

  Maybe that’s why I have it there, to punish myself for losing the best thing that ever happened to me. I fell to pieces after what I did to us, but when she chose him I … it still hurts like hell to think about it.

  “My work is too demanding to think about having a family,” I explain trying not to sound ungrateful. Mom doesn’t like to talk about the past, Carter’s last days, and bringing up Blaire … well that’s just opening Pandora’s box. “But if I change my mind, I’ll find the right person on my own.”

  Maybe when I learn to stop loving Blaire.

  She chuckles. “There go my hopes of having grandchildren.”

  Her statement makes my heart ache because, twelve years ago, I was scared when Blaire said, ‘I missed my period.’ Today, I yearn to have her back, to have the family we always wanted. The future we planned. What I would give to repeat the last few months we spent together.

  Now if she told me “I think I’m pregnant,” I’d hug her and twirl her around, telling her how much I love her.

  I close my eyes, pain burning me all the way to my bones. When I open them, I look again to the dark sky and touch the window, trying to reach for the stars. Wanting to make a wish, to see her one more time.

  “It’s Saturday on your side of the world,” I say, trying to move the conversation forward. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to enjoy the weekend with your husband. He has grandchildren. I’m sure he can share one or two with you.”

  “I see that I’m not getting anywhere with this,” she says, with a resigned tone. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you, too, dear.”

  After I hang up, a notification pops on my screen, indicating I have a new voicemail. I’
m tempted to leave it for tomorrow, but I don’t, since it could be an emergency.

  “Mr. Aldridge, it’s Edmund Smith. I’m calling to remind you that you are scheduled to bring in your Lykan Hypersport tomorrow for service. We’ll have a loaner car ready for you when you drop it off.”

  I sigh because I barely use that car. Maybe I should sell it and donate the money to some cause that might help make the world better, instead of having it in the garage with the rest of my cars. Mom might be onto something; my life is empty, and no amount of surgeries or hours spent in the emergency room teaching residents can help me fill the void inside me.

  Since I have nothing better to do, I check the rest of my unheard messages, deleting each one as I listen and scribbling notes if they’re important. Then there’s one that freezes my blood. I check the time stamp on the screen, indicating that they called yesterday at nine in the morning.

  How did I miss it?

  I play it again.

  “This message is for Hayes Aldridge. This is Jerome Parrish. I’m part of the legal team that handles the estate for William Tower Aldridge. Your father is requesting your presence. He has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and his doctor just recommended at home hospice care. Due to your father’s condition, your father is requesting your presence. Please call me at this number at your earliest convenience.”

  It’s been years since the last time I saw William. Hospice care. He’s dying. I can’t believe it. We weren’t close, but … I’m confused as to what or how to feel. Am I supposed to visit him and make peace with him?

  I think about Carter and how I ignored his illness, until it was too late. My relationship with my father is different; still, I don’t want to regret not seeing him for the last time.

  Grab a copy of Loved You Once here

  Dear Reader,

  * * *

  Thank you so much for picking up a copy of A Moment Like You. I am so grateful to have you as my reader and if you are new to me, I hope this is the beginning of our journey.

  Time flies when you are having fun. I can’t believe we are done with book two of this series. The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers are becoming one of my favorite families. With every chapter I write I am more and more in love with this family. Pierce’s book is next. I already have the draft and it is an amazing journey. Defying Our Forever is going to be a little different from these two books and I know you are going to love it.

  The book releases on October 15th and you can pre-order it today.

  Now that I’m super familiar with these characters I know the exact order in which they are going to release:

  Loved You Once #1

  Hayes & Blaire

  A Moment Like You #2

  Henry & Sophia

  Defying Our Forever #3

  Pierce

  (October 15th, 2020)

  Call You Mine #4

  Beacon

  (February 2nd, 2021)

  As We Are #5

  Mills

  (June 8th, 2021)

  Yours to Keep

  Vance

  (September 14th, 2021)

  One last thing, if you loved A Moment Like You as much as I do, please leave a review on your favorite retailer and on Bookbub. Also, please spread the word about it among your friends.

  Sending all my love,

  Claudia xoxo

  Acknowledgments

  Please forgive me if I miss mentioning anyone. My memory gets all weird when I need it. I’m sure many of you can relate.

  First and foremost, I’d like to thank God because he’s the one who allows me to be here and who gifts me the time, the creativity, and the tools to do what I love. Thank you for all the blessings in my life.

  Thank you to my readers. I’m so grateful to have you in my life.

  My husband and children who support my dreams and push me to continue this path that even though is something I love it can get lonely.

  To my beta readers, Karen, Darlene, Patricia, Yolanda, and Casie. Thank you to Casie for all your help while I’m in the cave and for giving me a hand with AMLY’s plot.

  Hang Le, for always knowing what my books need.

  As always thank you to the oldest for listening me rant about my characters and how unhelpful they can be at times.

  Thank you to Kristy for not only being my BFFL, my second brain, the person who listens to me when I’m in despair (either with my characters or my life) You’re the Blaire or Layla to my Sophia.

  My amazing ARC team, girls you are an essential part of my team. Thank you for always being there for me. My Bookstagrammers, you rock!

  To my Chicas! Thank you so much for your continuous support and for being there for me every day!

  Thank you to all the bloggers who help me spread the word about my books. Thank you never cuts it just right, but I hope it’s enough.

  To the readers, you guys are everything. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my words, spreading the word, and sending me messages about how much you love my characters or how the stories have touched your lives. It’s because of you that I can continue doing what I love.

  Thank you for everything.

  All my love,

  Claudia xoxo

  About the Author

  Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right. When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge-watch shows with her equally geeky husband.

  * * *

  To find more about Claudia:

  website

  Sign up for her newsletter: News Letter

  Also By Claudia Burgoa

  The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers Series

  * * *

  Loved You Once

  A Moment Like You

  Defying Our Forever

  Call You Mine

  As We Are

  Yours to Keep

  * * *

  Against All Odds Series

  * * *

  Wrong Text, Right Love

  Didn’t Expect You

  * * *

  Standalones

  * * *

  Us After You

  Almost Perfect

  Once Upon a Holiday

  Someday, Somehow

  Chasing Fireflies

  Something Like Hate

  Then He Happened

  Maybe Later

  My One Despair

  My One Regret

  Found

  Fervent

  Flawed

  Until I Fall

  Finding My Reason

  Christmas in Kentbury

  * * *

  Chaotic Love Duet

  Begin with You

  Back to You

  * * *

  Unexpected Series

  Uncharted

  Uncut

  Undefeated

  Unlike Any Other

  Decker the Halls