Page 59 of Liberating Love

Ipace the apartment like a caged lion waiting for Aiden to get home with Everly from her doctor's appointment. There had been too many scares lately for him to ignore the signs that it’s time for a change. When I hear the front door opening, I pull the casserole I have warming out of the oven to have something to do with myself; otherwise, I could potentially overwhelm Everly. The sound of their muttered voices floats into the kitchen, and I’m pleasantly surprised when they both walk through with big smiles on their faces.

“Hello,” Everly says warmly.

“Hello, Everly.” I set the potholders and utensils I’m holding down and cross to give her a kiss on the cheek.

The smile on her face widens. She side-eyes her son. “Aiden, I know you told me your friend was cooking us dinner tonight, but you may want to snag him up. He’s very charming.” She pats my cheek and continues on to sit in her usual chair at the table.

Aiden waits until my larger body blocks her from view before allowing his shoulders to slump the slightest bit. It appears my man picked up the weight of the world while he was out. I cock an eyebrow at him in question and he mouths,“Later.”

Reluctantly, I tilt my head in acknowledgment, then turn back around to chat with Everly while getting dinner on the table. It’s our typical night with her asking occasionally if Aiden knows when her husband will be home for dinner. Normally—as much as it pains him—distress isn’t visible on Aiden’s face, but tonight I can see it wearing on him. My stomach churns uneasily with worry.What did the doctor say to him today?

By the time we’ve had dinner, watched a little TV, and I’m waiting for Aiden in his room while he puts his mom to bed, I’m wound up tight. Seeing him in pain is bad enough, but not knowing the cause—beyond it having to do with Everly—is killing me. He slowly walks in, closing the door behind him and lets his body droop limply back into it, dropping his head to his chest with a sigh.

“Come here, Freckles. Tell me what the doctor said.”

Aiden begins stripping his clothes off at a snail’s pace, like even moving at this point is taxing him, so I strip down to my boxers quickly, then hold the sheet up for him to slide in next to me. Once I have him gathered in my arms, I say, “We don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to.” Which is actually the opposite of how I feel, but he still hasn’t uttered a word and it’s my job to give him what he needs.

“Thank you.” He snuggles in and I close my eyes so I can focus on the softness of his skin under my work-roughened hands. My obsession with his freckles hasn’t diminished in our time together, if anything it’s gotten worse, but right now I just need to feel him against me. When I start considering turning off the bedside lamp so we can sleep and talk tomorrow, he says, “It’s funny, we went to the doctor early because I knew Mom was getting worse, and yet, having it confirmed rattled me.”

“That makes sense to me. She’s your mom. I think you’d have to be pretty heartless to watch the mom who raised you fade away and it not affect you adversely.”

“I suppose.” After another sigh, he sits up and moves away to sit cross-legged facing me. “So here’s the deal. They can change her meds to something a little stronger to at least keep her where she’s at, but… it’ll only work for so long. You making it so she can’t use the stove was a good step in the right direction, but her continuously leaving the house lately is an issue. Plus, what if she ran a bath or something and drowned herself by accident.” He shakes his head sadly, tears glistening in his hazel eyes. “The doctor thinks she needs around the clock care. I’m not ready to send her to a home; except for the dementia, she’s healthy and I can easily take care of her.”

Since the night of the silver alert, I’ve already been forming my own list of solutions for Everly’s care, but I want to know where Aiden’s head is at first. “So what does that mean?”

“Well, there are places where I can drop her off during the day. He gave me the pamphlets for one he recommends, or there’s always hiring a sitter, which is what I would prefer. I’m worried that taking her somewhere will be hard on her, especially if we have to go through where she is and why every time I drop her off.”

“Yeah, that may cause her distress,” I agree.

“Either option is going to cost me money, and the meds…” he trails off. Guilt shines from his eyes as he says, “I’m probably going to have to pick up a security job or something. I’ll need the extra money to pay for full-time help. I know it’ll be hard for us to see each other, so if you want to—”

I cut off his ridiculous attempt to “let me off easily” by reaching forward and scooping him up to deposit him in my lap. Aiden sputters out a squawk, smacking my chest with one hand once I have him seated in the V of my legs. “What are you doing? I’m not little like Holden and Gavin, you know.” The laughter accompanying the statement sounding suspiciously like one of the giggles of the two men he’s referencing.

I nuzzle my nose into the crook of his neck. Then sit up to stare sternly down at him. “First of all, there will be no trying to chase me off. When I told you I love you, I meant it.”

“But—”

I bop his whole body up with my knees like he’s a little kid playing horsey, silencing him. “Second of all, if you’ll let me, I’d like to help you with this.”

“Delaney, I’m not taking money from you,” he says in a hard, no-nonsense voice.

“I wasn’t going to offer you money, but how about you and Mom move in with me?”

Aiden’s eyebrows snake toward his hairline. “What?”

“Hear me out, Freckles. There’s plenty of room in the townhouse. If you’re not paying rent here, that will save you money. Plus, my online classes start soon. I have to be available to Dwayne for a couple of hours each day, so we could hire someone for say, the mornings. Other than that, I’ll be home with Everly.”

“Yeah, but—”

I bop him again. “It’ll be the best way to establish a routine she can semi-adjust to with people who care about her.”

He pushes firmly against my chest as he leans back. “Delaney, I’m not moving in with you just to save money.”

“Okay, but how about moving in with me because I love you and I want you to come home to me every night?” I place my hand over his. “What if there’s nothing in the world that would make me happier than you trusting me to help you take care of your mother.” Moving my hand down, I stroke my thumb across his dick until it begins to plump. “And think about all of the other advantages.”

Aiden whimpers, but grabs my hand and laces our fingers together. “I appreciate what you’re suggesting, I really do. And I’d be open to considering it in the future, but I can’t have you jumping into something torescueme.”

I narrow my eyes. “Aiden, we’ve talked about everything; you know my past. If there’s one thing I’ll never do again, it’s live my life doing something because I’m coerced into feeling like I have to.” I tug his legs around until he’s straddling my waist. “Baby, with you, it’s because I want to. If I didn’t think it would have freaked you out, I would’ve moved you in there before the last box was unpacked. I want this; you, me, your mom, and whatever else may come our way. I want to battle the hardships of life together and enjoy the triumphs, too.”

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