Mason and I must have matching panicked looks on our faces, because Brian quickly adds, “Don’t worry! It’s all been sorted out. Aiden’s been cleared of murder.”
I breathe for the first time since Brian started talking. The weight that’s been on my chest since Aiden was arrested lifts and my heart no longer feels heavy. He’s not going to jail for killing Greg!
Brian doesn’t wait for us to bombard him with questions, but just starts explaining. “His alibi checks out. He’s with Alan back there signing release papers and stuff.”
“What about the kidnapping charges?” I ask.
“Alan talked Paula into relinquishing legal custody, something about getting her charged with child endangerment for not reporting the twins missing since she said Aiden kidnapped them. I’ve agreed to be the legal guardian for all three Parker boys until Aiden turns eighteen in a few weeks and can file for guardianship over his brothers. Social workers are going to be checking up on us, though.”
Mason throws himself at his father and wraps his arms around him. “Oh my God, Dad. You’re the coolest.”
Brian pats Mason’s back before they pull away. “I wish Aiden hadn’t felt the need to shoulder all of this alone. If we had known before about the custody situation, Vince or I would’ve stepped in sooner.”
Mason and Julian’s dads are such good people. It makes me wonder what my dad would’ve done in this situation if he hadn’t died. It gives me comfort to think that before the fighting with my mom and the drinking started, he would’ve done the same thing.
“How long will the paperwork take? Is Aiden almost done?”
Brian doesn’t need to answer me, because Mason abruptly stands up, focused on the hallway ahead of us, a giant grin on his face.
I practically jump out of my chair, and am beside Mason in an instant. Aiden, in all his intense, tall, confident, broad-shouldered glory, is being led toward us by an officer, Alan the lawyer following them. Even though he’s spent a large chunk of the night in jail, Aiden looks irresistibly gorgeous, and my breath stops when his piercing gray eyes meet my hazel ones, his facial expression giving nothing away. Seeing him now, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen him, even though our kiss was only a few hours ago. They stop just behind the reception desk, where the officer says something to Aiden, who still hasn’t broken eye contact with me, and the officer gestures that he’s free to go.
Aiden takes a few steps toward us and is barely able to rub his wrists where the handcuffs must have been before I launch myself at him. A feeling deep down takes over, demanding I hold him, to make sure that he’s actually here and okay. He doesn’t hesitate and wraps his strong arms around me, pulling me close. With my head against his muscled chest, listening to the calming sound of his steady heartbeat, I assure myself that he’s actually here.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He releases me and gently tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Of course I am. Why are you guys still here? I told you all to go home and not worry.”
He and Mason do their bro hug. “We couldn’t just leave you here, man,” Mason says. “Everyone else was waiting, too, but in their defense, they were kind of forced to go home.”
“You guys didn’t need to come. No one needs to worry about me.”
This must be weird for Aiden. He’s the one who’s there for everyone else, making sure that they’re okay and taken care of. He’s the strong one, the one who holds everything together; having other people worry about him is something I’m sure he’s not used to.
“We care about you, Aiden. So we stayed.” My cheeks heat up because of the way he looks at me.
“And we never want to see you in handcuffs again,” Brian says, and then he hugs him too. A giant, comforting dad hug.
“Thanks for your help, Brian. You, too, Alan.” Aiden shakes hands with the lawyer, who tells him that it was no problem, and to call him if anything else happens.
“Come on, man.” Mason lightly slaps Aiden’s back while his dad talks to Alan. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Aiden agrees, and we leave the place that almost turned more than one life upside down. As we walk out the exit, I can tell both Mason and I want to ask Aiden about what happened, but we’re too scared to. Despite his exhaustion, Aiden notices, and he knows exactly what we’re thinking.
“I’m too tired to answer your questions right now,” he says. “I’ll tell everyone what happened tomorrow.”
Makes perfect sense. He was interrogated for hours straight; we don’t need to subject him to even more interrogation.
“Need a ride, Aiden?” Brian asks. “Your house is still a crime scene, right?”
Mason’s about to offer his house for Aiden to stay at, but before he has the chance to say anything, I blurt: “You can crash in my guest room.”
I need the chance to sort everything out with Aiden—alone. He just found out literally a few hours ago that my name is Thea and that I’m hiding my real identity from a man trying to hunt me down. We didn’t get to talk about it, even though he said he was all in, that he understood, that he didn’t hate me. But I still remember how betrayed he looked, how betrayed he must have felt. Aiden said that he accepted me, the real me, but it’s only fair to him that I tell him my story—the whole story. He deserves that.
“Plus,” I continue before anyone can object, “your car is already at my house. It’ll make things easier for you.”
“Are you sure?” Brian asks. “If it’s a problem, Amelia, Aiden can stay with us.”
“No problem at all. What time is it? One a.m.? My mom will have just gotten home and will be as