Page 105 of His to Cherish

I nudged his arm with my shoulder. “Shut up. I was thinking about what you could have planned for tonight.”

“You’ll like it.” He leaned down and whispered into my ear. It sent goosebumps down my neck and my arms tingled. “I promise you.”

Beth stood at the open door as we walked up to her front porch. Without waiting for us to reach her, she took the few steps out of her house and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a warm hug so tight that I wondered if she might crack one of my ribs.

“Thank you for coming,” she whispered into my ear.

When she pulled back, she did the same thing to Aidan.

“Shane’s inside. He’s anxious to see you both.”

I reached out and took Aidan’s hand for support—lending it and needing it at the same time.

I was still uncertain about my presence here. Aidan had known Shane since he was a kid. I’d just been the boy’s school librarian and sometimes-confidant ever since I’d heard his screams…

I shook the thought out of my head and caught Aidan’s eye. “Ready?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

I nodded, trying to be strong for him as well as myself.

It would do no good to have Shane see me on the verge of a mini breakdown.

As soon as we entered Beth’s house, everything felt different from the last time I’d been there.

The windows were open and a breeze drifted through the house. It was warm and inviting in a way it hadn’t felt last time, when I had come to talk to her about my concerns regarding Shane.

It had been only a month ago, but based on the peacefulness that was permeating the air, as well as the soft music playing on her kitchen counter docking station, the calmness in the house made it seem like a lifetime ago.

So much had changed.

“Hey, Mr. D.,” Shane said, pushing back the kitchen chair he’d been sitting in when he saw us.

“Son,” Aidan said, his voice tripping over the word and laden with emotion. My hand moved to Aidan’s back, trying to soothe him, but I didn’t know how much it helped.

Shane’s eyes went wet right before Aidan pulled him into a firm hug. When he pulled back, his bottom lip sucked between his teeth, he gave Aidan a nod.

My own emotions began to bubble over when Shane let him go and wrapped his arms around me as well.

“Hey, Shane,” I whispered, holding him tight. I didn’t let go, even when his arms fell back to his sides.

“Miss Dwyer,” he murmured into my neck. “Thank you for being there for me.”

“Anytime,” I choked out, wiping tears from under my eyes as I finally managed to let Shane go. His cheeks were pink and the bags under his eyes were gone. His eyes held a familiar sparkle. He looked good.

No,great.

Healthy.

God, he was such a good kid.

“So,” Beth said, her own emotion evident on her wet cheeks. “I have some tea and coffee.”

“Coffee, please,” Aidan answered.

I smiled. “The same, and I’ll help.” I nodded my head in Aidan’s direction, silently telling him to have some time with Shane while we got the drinks ready. Neither Beth nor I moved while Aidan threw his arm around Shane’s shoulder and ushered him into the family room. He was only fourteen, but he was tall and wiry. Soon he’d be as tall as Aidan.

“He’s a strong man,” Beth said as we kept our eyes trained on the males in the far room. Her house was open, allowing us to see them talking quietly as they sat next to each other. “I imagine he has you to thank for some of his strength.”

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