Page 148 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

I press my side to his again just as Ms. Killigan returns with a paper cup of water. I reach for it and glance down at Aidan. “Are you thirsty?”

He nods. His face is red and sweaty, which makes me second-guess tucking my jacket around him, but it seems to be comforting him. Since his arms are tucked to his sides, I lift the cup to his lips and let him take several sips before I set it down.

He leans his head into my arm and closes his eyes.

I want to ask what upset him, but I suspect he won’t even know. It’s better to let him just sit here and rest. In less than a minute, I can feel his body relax and hear his soft, even breathing. He’s fallen asleep, not that I’m surprised. If he raged for that long, he has to be exhausted.

“Is it okay if we just sit here for a bit?” I quietly ask Ms. Killigan.

Her gaze drops to Aidan, and in a soft, gentle voice, she says, “Yes, of course. School is out for the day, but our after-school programs are running, and the office is open for another half hour. We’re still trying to reach his mother.”

She leaves us, and it feels strange to be sitting in the conference room of a school I’ve only been in once, comforting a child I just met two days ago. And yet it feels right too. Like I finally found a purpose.

Ms. Liu walks in a few minutes later and squats next to me, offering me a warm smile before she turns her attention to the sleeping child next to me. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” I say. “I’m not sure I really did anything. When my nephew got like this, he just had to work it out. The key is to redirect him before it gets this bad. Do you know what set him off?”

She grimaces. “We were supposed to have our art class this afternoon, but there was an assembly instead. I’ve learned that Aidan likes routine, so that unsettled him, and he was already upset that you weren’t coming. The loud noises in the gym didn’t help.” A guilty look washes over her face. “He had his headphones, but I don’t think they were enough to drown out the shouting. I should have taken him out of the gym sooner.”

“You’re just getting to know him. It’ll take some time to figure out all of the signs that point to an imminent meltdown,” I say, looking down at him. Some of his dark hair is plastered to the side of his face, and his long dark lashes are pressed tohis reddened skin. His lips are parted in repose, Aidan having completely surrendered to exhaustion. He has this peaceful look about him that twists something in my chest. How can I be getting so attached to this kid already? Maybe it’s transference, my feelings for Ben spilling over to him.

Ms. Liu’s gaze drifts to my arms and the thermal shirt stretched over my chest. She leans in, her eyes softening, and parts her lips as though she’s about to say something. Probably something that will make this uncomfortable, because while she’s very attractive, I’m not interested.

“Have we heard from Aidan’s mother yet?” I ask to distract her.

A guilty look fills her eyes, and she leans back a bit. “Not yet.”

An image of Mary smiling pops into my head, her cheeks flushed with lust and embarrassment. But it’s quickly replaced by an image of her in the parking lot yesterday, her face twisted with disgust and outrage.

I can’t imagine what she’ll do when she finds out I’m here. Will she follow through with her threat to call the police? Now that Aidan’s settled down and sleeping, I wonder if I should leave before she shows up. But that’s the chickenshit way out, and if I’m gone when he wakes up, it might set him off again.

Ms. Liu stands. “I’m sure Ms. Killigan’s told you that school’s been dismissed for the day, so Ms. O’Shea doesn’t have to worry about signing him out.”

“Thanks.”

She leaves, and it’s just me and the sleeping child for another ten minutes before I hear Mary’s frantic voice. “Where is he?”

There’s a hushed voice that sounds like Ms. Killigan, and then Mary rushes into the room, coming to an abrupt halt when she sees Aidan sleeping next to me.

Her face softens, and tears come to her eyes as she takes a tentative step forward. “How long has he been asleep?”

“About fifteen minutes,” I respond.

Aidan stirs and lifts his head. He blinks, sounding groggy when he says, “Mom?”

She closes the distance between us and squats next to him. “I’m here, baby. I’m so sorry.”

He looks confused as he sits up straighter, my jacket falling to his lap. “You lied,” he says matter-of-factly. “Jace came to see me.”

I expect her to look furious, but instead there’s only gratitude on her face. Still, there’s hesitation there too. Like while she’s glad I’m here, she doesn’t really like it.

“Yeah, well…” Her voice trails off.

“Now that you’re here, I’ll take off,” I say as I get to my feet, my legs stiff from being stretched out so long.

“No!” Aidan says, starting to get worked up again as he looks up at me. “I haven’t given Jace his dinosaur painting, and we were supposed to play Race to the Treasure. You said the new game you ordered was supposed to come today, Mom. The mail truck always shows up at 3:30. It’ll be there by the time we get back.”

He made a painting for me? It puts a lump of emotion in my throat—the only other kid who’s drawn me a picture is Ben, and I hung it in Hagan Construction’s small office—but it’s not right to let Aidan think we can go back to our original plan.

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