“We will,” I say, and we all head back to our respective cars.
Once we get in the car, I put my seat belt on and then turn to very obviously glare at Aiden. He puts his seat belt on, starts the car, and executes a smooth U-turn, all while ignoring my heated glare, which I know he can feel.
He sighs in defeat. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because this is so unnecessary! I didn’t want you to turn all the way back just for me. I’m a big girl, I can deal with my own consequences.”
“Thea, I know why you need pills to help you sleep. I’m not going to sit back and watch you torture yourself over memories and worries when there’s something I can do about it.”
My heart pounds in my chest with the weight of his words. “But it’s still so out of the way. We’re going to be in the car for another seven hours. I feel bad.”
“Don’t,” he says, looking back at me, his steely gray eyes set with determination. “I want to do this for you. Let me.”
He wants to do this for me. For me.
“Plus,” he adds, a flirty smile spreading across his handsome face, “I get an extra four hours alone with you. I don’t think I pulled the short straw here.”
Again and again I’m reminded why it’s Aiden that I fell for. He’s not frustrated, bothered, or annoyed at all about having to turn around for me. He does things for me all the time without even being asked. Like the incident with Ethan Moore or when my car was vandalized—he just takes care of the people he cares about, no complaints or holding it over anyone’s head. And I am so, so blessed to be one of those people.
I reach out and squeeze the hand that’s on the shifter, before quickly letting go. “Thanks.”
He looks at me, his eyes dancing with unsaid emotion. “Anything for you.”
10
The neighborhood is quiet, lazy even, by the time we get back to my house around two o’clock. The drive was nice, just some quiet, uninterrupted alone time with Aiden. We got to talk about the trivial things that we’ve never really had time for before because of all the drama. Like I learned his favorite color is navy blue. Who would’ve thought? Totally thought it would’ve been black or slate or some variation of black. But I guess navy blue is kind of close.
I also learned that he sticks to a strict workout regimen and never misses a day. Like Monday is apparently international chest day or something, so he does chest and abs. Then Tuesday he does back and abs, and it continues throughout the week until all body parts are taken care of. That explains why he looks so good. Boy works hard for it.
When Aiden pulls into my driveway, I hop out of the car and promise I’ll be back real quick. As soon as I unlock and open the door, my ears are overwhelmed with superloud, romantic Spanish music. I imagine my mom singing into inanimate objects or dancing around doing some barely passable salsa moves. I really don’t want to know what she does during her alone time.
Closing the door, I freeze when I hear a distinctly male laugh. Please, no. Tell me he hasn’t found me. He’s got my mom tied up somewhere and ready to use as bait. Not today, buddy. Not on my watch.
With my heart pounding in my ears and adrenaline coursing through my veins, I carefully open the closet door. Reaching slowly and quietly for the baseball bat we keep there, I’m about to grab it when my mom laughs like a thirteen-year-old girl at her crush’s first house party.
The tension leaves my muscles as I realize how dumb I am. It’s just her new boyfriend. Geez, Amelia. Freak out much?
Not wanting to interrupt them and have an awkward meet the family moment, I quietly make my way up the stairs, careful to avoid being seen from the kitchen. I’m glad my mom has someone new to make her happy in the midst of all this drama. She’s never given me any details about him, but I can tell he makes her happy, which is all I really care about.
I’m almost up the stairs when the radio is lowered a bit, and I freeze as I make out the voices. There’s something eerily familiar about that voice. I know it from somewhere. A commercial? Maybe he’s a lawyer or real estate agent with ads on TV?
With the gnawing feeling in my stomach feeding my need to figure out who this mystery man is, I make it to the top of the stairs and hide in the dark shadows, peering down at the front foyer.
“I’m so glad we have the house to ourselves these next few days before our flight to Hawaii for the week,” my mom says giddily.
Right then, my mom and the mystery man come into view in the front foyer. No. it can’t be. I stop myself from gasping out loud and giving away my hiding spot. How can this be? Does she even know who he truly is? Even I feel betrayed in a sense.
My mom laughs and I zone back in on their conversation. Oh shit, they’re heading for the stairs! I scramble soundlessly into my room, the music from the kitchen obscuring the creaky floor.
I make it into my room and shuffle quietly into my en suite bathroom. I stand frozen in there, practically holding my breath, waiting as I hear my mother’s ecstatic giggles and some gross kissing sounds make their way through the hallway. Her bedroom door closes and I breathe again.
Before Aiden comes looking to see what’s taking so long, I grab the pills from my nightstand and quickly head back downstairs, grateful that the music is still playing and hides my steps. Locking the door again once I’m outside, I practically fly to Aiden’s car, ready to get the hell
away from here.
“Got them,” I say, buckling up, only relieved once we turn the corner and my house is out of sight.
I’m a bit shaken, but I think I’ve managed to hide it from Aiden’s intuitiveness. I always thought my mom wasn’t telling me details about her new boyfriend because she didn’t know how I’d react to her being with someone other than my dad. I thought she was trying to protect my feelings, or was possibly just embarrassed by me.