Page 65 of Skylar

“Let’s take my car,” Aiden said as they walked toward the side door. “What are you in the mood for?”

As Aiden backed out of the driveway, they had a brief discussion before deciding on a nearby steakhouse. Once there, it wasn’t long before they were seated, and as usual, they garnered some female attention.

It was mainly Cole who drew the attention, but occasionally—like that day—the waitress flirted with them equally. Probably hoping that one of them would bite. Aiden didn’t know if Cole would, but he certainly wouldn’t.

He had enough going on in his life at the moment. Getting involved with a woman was nowhere near the top of his current priority list. Truth be told, it wasn’t even on it.

“You didn’t have any other plans now that basketball season is over?” Aiden asked once they’d given their orders. “I wouldn’t think Serenity would be where you’d want to go for a break.”

Cole shrugged. “I thought maybe it was time.”

“Really?” Aiden was still perplexed by his friend’s appearance.

“Yep. I figured that if Skylar could do it, so could I,” he said. “Plus, if she’s around, the attention won’t be solely on me.”

Aiden could understand why Cole felt that way. He probably didn’t want his family asking too many questions about his life.

Not that they were oblivious to what was going on with him. He made the gossip news often enough. Either because he was seen with a woman, so the dating speculations exploded, or something happened with his career.

“I think you might not be in luck with that,” Aiden said. “She’s been here for a little while now, so they’ve probably gotten all the information out of her that they’re going to.”

Cole grimaced. “Perhaps I made a mistake.”

“You haven’t. You’re here to help your niece.”

“Your daughter.”

Aiden shook his head. “I’m trying not to think of her that way.”

“Is it getting any easier?”

He didn’t answer right away, as their server had returned with their drinks and a basket of fresh rolls. When it was just the two of them again, he said, “Maybe. I correct myself all the time about Shiloh being my daughter. It helps that I don’t see her a lot, though I wish that wasn’t the case.”

They talked a bit more about Shiloh, with Aiden sharing what he knew about her current condition. She had gone home, and from what he’d heard, she was doing well. He hoped that meant that his mom and Willow could meet her soon, but he didn’t want to push.

As they ate their steaks, they talked about what had been happening with Cole and his team. He had one more year on his current contract and seemed confident that he’d be offered another one, given his performance over the past few years. He’donly gotten better and better, and his team had gone to the playoffs every year he’d been with them.

Aiden hadn’t realized how much he’d missed hanging out with Cole. Though Devon was a good friend, Cole was more than that. More like a brother than a friend. They knew everything about each other. Well, almost everything. He’d never shared with Cole that Skylar had told him she was pregnant.

It dawned on him then that there might be things Cole hadn’t told him since they’d gone in different directions in their lives. However, even if Cole did keep some things to himself, it didn’t seem to affect the ease Aiden felt when they were together, and their conversation flowed like it always had.

It was too bad that he probably wouldn’t get to hang out with him much if he was only going to be there for a few days, during which Aiden had to work.

When they finally left the restaurant, it was close to nine. The sun had set, casting the evening in shadows.

“So you plan to head out to Serenity tonight?”

Cole shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“If you want to crash at my place, you’re welcome to,” Aiden said. “As long as you don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”

“How big is the couch?” Cole asked, then waved his hand. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll sleep on it.”

Aiden wondered why Cole had even come to Idaho if he didn’t really want to go to Serenity. But rather than ask him, Aiden said, “It’s a pretty good size, and I’ve napped on it plenty of times.”

When they reached the house, Cole detoured to his car to grab a suitcase and a duffle bag.

Aiden sent Cole downstairs while he went to check in with his mom. The upstairs was already dark, which meant Willow was in bed, and his mom was in her room.

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