Page 25 of One Moment in Time
His job had taught him how to read people and right now he was reading a whole range of emotions on her face. Confusion. Disappointment. Deflation. And something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Maybe disapproval? Or alarm? But typical Mom, she didn’t vocalise any of that. Instead, she went for, ‘I’d say that I’ll have a good time anywhere because I’m getting the chance to hang out with you.’
Okay. Not great, but he’d take it.
‘Have you been before? I’ve never heard you mention it.’
Of course, after his conversations with Zara and Millie, he already knew the answer to that question, but he didn’t want to give that away and spoil his other surprise.
‘Once. A long time ago.’
‘Did you love it?’
‘It was… different.’
Shit. She really wasn’t going for this idea. He felt himself beginning to experience a slight cold prickle of dread. Maybe he’d misjudged this whole situation. Maybe there was a reason she’d never mentioned that she’d been to Vegas or expressed any desire to return. Perhaps Trevon was right and this was a really bad move. And he still hadn’t told her his dad was coming. Tell her now. Tell her. Just say the words. Or… maybe just ease into it a little more with casual conversation and a slice of avoidance.
‘Different how?’
She brushed off the question. ‘Oh, it was a million years ago. Back when I didn’t need to dye my hair to cover the grey. It was the first time I’d ever been to America, and it was only supposed to be for a holiday, but I never left.’
‘I’m pretty glad about that,’ he said. That information was new to him though, and for the first time, he realised that he had no idea why or exactly when his parents came to this country. All he knew was that they’d been in their early twenties, and he’d assumed that they’d come from Scotland for work because he remembered them telling him that back in Scotland his dad was a DJ and his mom had worked in a club. However, if they’d originally landed in Vegas, then how had they ended up in South Carolina? Why hadn’t they stayed in Vegas, where there were plenty of jobs in the hospitality and tourism industry for young people? Why had they remained in the USA, yet their friends, Zara’s parents, had gone home? And why had he never asked any of this before? He realised that these were all questions he should know the answer to, but now probably wasn’t the best time to drill down into his family history. Not when he was still working up to telling her about their travel companion. First things first. He had to make sure that she would get on the plane, before revealing the little nugget of turbulence that he was adding to the occasion.
‘So, are you good with this?’ he checked. ‘I’ve never been either, so I’m totally up for experiencing it for the first time with you.’
She took a sip of her drink, then flashed a smile. ‘How could I possibly refuse you? Yep, I’m up for it. Let’s do it.’
He saw her shoulders drop, as if she was relaxing, and he knew it was going to be okay. At least until she went on…
‘It’ll be cool for me to experience it properly too. Last time I was there I was with your dad, and not to speak ill of fools, but you know… I’m glad I’ll be in better company this time.’
Oh crap. He had to tell her, and it had to be now because when his dad arrived he was going to have to do some explaining to him too. Best to tackle them one at a time, and do it now. He could wait until they were through security for this little reveal, but that was way too shady. If they both agreed to come after they found out all the facts, it had to be of their own free will and with the best intentions – not because federal law restricted their right to backtrack through security to the freedom of the outside world.
‘Actually, Mom, that was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I had this crazy idea that—’
‘Aiden?’ A booming voice from behind him cut him off and two things happened at once. His dad thumped his back in greeting and his mum visibly paled.
‘What the…?’ was all she got out, before his dad’s gaze went to Aiden’s right and he realised that the blonde sitting next to his son was his ex-wife.
Now he had two parents, frozen in time, staring at each other, then slowly, ominously, both moving their steely gaze to settle squarely on him.
‘Aiden…?’ his mum started, but obviously too slowly for his father, who cut her off with, ‘Do you want to tell us what the fuck is going on?’
12
EILEEN
For once, she was on the same side as her ex-husband and that wasn’t a place she ever wanted to be. Eileen couldn’t remember being this pissed off with her son since the day that he had wrecked her car as a teenager. Even then, he had the excuse of youth and immaturity. What was his bloody excuse now?
‘Okay, bear with me and let me explain,’ he said, two hands held up in surrender.
‘Did you know about this?’ she demanded of Gary the Gob, who, in fairness, was uncharacteristically short on words and giving a good impression of someone who had absolutely no idea what was going on.
‘Not at all,’ he said, his Scottish accent the one of their early years together, before he’d become Gary Transatlantic and adopted an American twang and several thirty-something girlfriends. He wasn’t exactly in Leonardo DiCaprio territory, but he was close.
Eileen believed him and turned her steely gaze back to Aiden.
‘This had better be good, son,’ she warned, in a voice that she hadn’t used with him since somewhere between puberty and graduation.
‘It is, I promise,’ he countered, then took a slug of his beer for fortification. ‘Right, here it is. At my wedding… by the way, am I too late to play the sympathy card? You know, the jilted at the altar, life left in ruins, one?’
