Page 187 of Forget

“Yes,” I tell him.

“What’s wrong?”Domh asks. “Are we going to her?”

“Yeah,” Dad says. “I’ll call the clean up crew, my daughter. Aiden, just stay with her.”

“Yes, Sir,” Aiden says before putting his phone away to turn me in his arms and lift me, so that I can wrap myself around his body like a spider monkey.

“Fuck, like you could keep me away right now, Princess. You don’t even have to look if you don’t want to.”

Burying my face in his neck, I think about how lucky I am to have training and Aiden was not far away. This could have ended a lot differently.

“Do I even have to ask how they’re going to find us?” I ask, sighing.

“You know there’s a tracker in your coat pocket, Princess. Don’t pretend to be coy,” he murmurs. “Just be with me, everything else is handled.”

Relaxing as Aiden purrs for me, I let the last of the anxiety of today bleed out of me.

Chapter 35

Aisling

April

“Shit,”I hear someone mutter at the front of the house.

Nose wrinkling in confusion, I peek out the window to see a woman with long black, curly hair that appears familiar. Is that Aiden’s mother?

The guys are doing errands today, while I’ve been enjoying a weekend off. I hired someone for the managerial position at the end of March, and she’s been doing really well. I can actually trust her and the shelter manager to run things while I catch a breath here and there.

Hell, one day I even worked from home, and that was the best day ever.

Unlocking the front door, I step outside into the warmer weather. Well, warmer than it has been, and the snow is gone. I’m wearing a long-sleeved sweater, skirt, and tights, and amcomfortable enough to not have to reach for a coat to walk outside. It’s the best day ever.

“Hi,” I say, walking toward her in my boots. “Are you okay? Can I help?”

“I’m just here to plant the flower beds,” his mom murmurs as she looks down at the soil, and a variety of other things I don’t know what they are.

“I think I have a black thumb, so I won’t be much help,” I tease. “Mrs.—”

“Oh God, no,” she says, horrified. “Noreen will do just fine, thank you. I doubt you have a black thumb. Can you help me with the soil?”

“Sure,” I say, picking up a heavy bag to half drag it to where she’s pointing. “Does Aiden know you’re here? They went to do some errands.”

“It’s better for me to plant when he’s not here, dear,” Noreen says. “He knows I come over every spring to make sure the front of his home looks beautiful.”

“What are you planting?” I ask, dropping off a bag and heading back for the mulch.

“Orchids,” she grunts as she brings over a basket of supplies. “They’re Aiden’s favorite, you know.”

Remembering Caelin’s tattoo and the way Evan smells faintly of orchids, I nod.

“I do,” I murmur. “He has a habit of leaving flowers where I can find them occasionally.”

“Good, unless he’s in the dog house,” Noreen says. “You’re not chained up in the basement. Does that mean you’re no longer kidnapped?”

Snorting out a laugh, I raise my brow. “No, I suppose not. It was touch and go for a while, and they were practically my shadows. You know about that, I see.”

“Those boys can’t keep much from their mothers,” Noreen says smugly. “If you know how to read the pauses, it’s easy to tell.”

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