“Next weekend, Taylor, Reese, and I are heading down to my house in Newport. You and Juliette should come down and join us. Tiegan’s welcome as well. Reese keeps asking when she can see her again. And I promise Trent and Jake won’t be there.”
It’d been years since he’d been to Newport. A weekend down there would be nice. “Let me—” His eyes landed on a twentysomething-year-old man with light brown hair and a smug smile entering the tent, and the world around him came to a screeching halt. There was no way it could be who he thought it was. Tugging at his tie, he moved the knot down a fraction of an inch and watched the guest head toward the bar in the corner.
“Aaron, are you okay?” Trent still sat next to him. He could see Juliette’s cousin from the corner of his eye, yet Trent’s voice sounded as if he stood in another room.
“Who’s the guy standing at the bar?” Somehow Aaron got the question out.
“Which one?” Trent asked.
“The twentysomething-year-old with light brown hair and a gray suit.” No, he had to be wrong. It couldn’t be the same guy.
“Isn’t it one of Prescott Casella’s sons, Curt?” Trent asked.
Somehow Aaron remained seated as he watched the bartender hand a drink to the man in question.
Curt glanced over his shoulder and then back at the table’s occupants. “Yeah. That’s his youngest son, Bryon.” Juliette’s cousin didn’t sound all that pleased to see the man either. “The Casellas live next door. I’m surprised Bryon is here, though. The guy is… let’s just say not the type of pe
rson I’d want around my sister.”
He hadn’t noticed Juliette coming toward their table, but now she was sitting down next to him. “Who are you talking about?”
“Bryon Casella,” Curt answered. “If he’s here, I’m sure his parents are too.”
“I passed them when I went over to see Tory. They were talking to your mom and mine.”
Not only was the punk who’d killed his cousin here but the parents who helped him get off with little more than a slap on a wrist sat under the same tent as him. Perhaps even worse than being at the same event with the three of them was the fact they were guests of Juliette’s family.
With no destination in mind, Aaron pushed back his chair. Before he went over and caused a scene, he needed to get away. “Please excuse me.”
“Aaron, are you okay?” She reached for his hand, but he pulled it away before their fingers touched and stood.
“I just need some air.”
“Air? We’re outside?”
He didn’t wait to see if Juliette followed him. He passed by the table where Governor Wentworth sat talking to one of the owners of the New England Rebels football team.
Exiting the tent, he crossed the well-manicured lawn. Behind him, he heard Juliette call out to him, but he didn’t stop. He headed up the same stone walkway he’d walked down while joking with her family earlier and into the house.
Juliette grabbed his hand and tugged, forcing him to stop before he got any further. “Are you feeling okay? You look awful all of a sudden.”
“I’m not sick.” He tugged at his tie again. He needed to get away.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Then what’s the matter?”
He didn’t want to have this conversation at all and certainly didn’t want to have it where anyone might come along and overhear. Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly. “I cannot talk about it right now.” He was probably being the biggest ass in history, but he couldn’t help it. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”
He saw the confusion and concern reflected in her eyes as she nodded. “Yeah, okay. We can go. Do you want me to drive?”
Did he want her to drive? He wasn’t even sure he wanted her coming with him. Aaron shook his head rather than tell her the truth. “No, thanks.”
Chapter 17
As much as she wanted to question him, Juliette kept her mouth shut on the ride back to the hotel. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure what the problem was. She thought they’d been enjoying themselves, at least as much as anyone could at a political fundraiser. And while her cousins could be annoying—even she sometimes wanted to gag them all—they’d never do or say anything to make anyone react the way Aaron had. So that brought her back to her original question. Why had Aaron suddenly decided he needed to leave? And why couldn’t he talk about whatever the problem was while at her aunt and uncle’s house? Much of the house was off-limits to the other guests but not her. They could have found a quiet area upstairs and talked. Maybe if they had, they could’ve rejoined the party, and she would have gotten a chance to introduce Aaron to more of her relatives. Other than Jake and his wife and her parents, she’d only briefly introduced him to Aunt Judith as they passed her in the hall when they first arrived.
After opening the door to their suite, Aaron followed her inside. The moment they’d gotten in her car, he’d undone his tie and left it draped across his neck. Now, he pulled it off and tossed it on a nearby chair. His jacket followed the tie.
“You probably wanted to stay,” he said, speaking for the first time since they left. “I’m sorry. If you want to go back, you can. You don’t need to stay here with me.”