Page 70 of One Time in Paris
“Maybe there’s a theater troupe you can get involved with in Costa Rica?” Elle asked, reaching for the video monitor beside her. Tara had fallen asleep for the night a couple of hours earlier, but Elle seemed to check the monitor every few minutes as though to make certain she was still there.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Isla said. She looked down at the empty plate in front of her, then absentmindedly reached for another piece of garlic bread to sop up the remains of the marinara. “Weirdly, it’s hard performing in Spanish. Even though I’ve spoken it since birth, it doesn’t feel like my native language. Even my mum and I default to English most of the time.”
Aiden’s stomach clenched as he caught the look of sadness in her eyes. He’d replayed their conversation in the car so many times all day. He wanted more than anything to be alone with her and dig deeper into the wounds that were clearly weighing her down.
“I’m not sure where I belong anymore, Aiden—what world I’m really a part of.”She’d been so sad when she’d said that to him. And he wanted to help her through it—especially because he knew what she was feeling.
Give her the room to talk to him the way he’d been able to talk to her.
“I always forget what you are,” Elle’s friend Hunter said from the other side of the table. “You and Callum areAmertinoish.”
“I can confirm she has every bit the Latina temper,” Kyle said as he pushed his chair back from the table. “Almost broke my surfboard because it was in the way of her supply closet one day.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t leave your junk lying around my office,” Isla shot back with a smirk.
Kyle laughed. “On that note, I’m going to head out and take advantage of being home to see some of my own friends instead of hanging out with the same losers I see all the time.” He winked at Isla, then went over to his sister and kissed her cheek. “Tara excluded, of course. Thanks for dinner, guys.”
“Hey, I resent that,” Elle said with a look of mock outrage. “You can’t come to my house, eat my homemade lasagna, then call me a loser and Irish goodbye me.”
“Technically, it’s not an Irish goodbye if he says goodbye,” Aiden said dryly.
Mason snorted. “And believe me, Aiden would know. He’s the master of slipping out sight unseen from every family event.”
Elle stood and hugged her brother. “Let me walk you to your car at least. Who knows when I’ll see you next. You’re home so rarely that I’m beginning to feel like both my siblings have abandoned me.”
As Elle and Kyle left, Aiden glanced at his own brothers. It's funny how, even though they all got along, he wouldn’t entirely characterize their relationship as close. Certainly not the sort of friendship that Elle seemed to have with her siblings. Or even the way that Callum and Isla were.
Maybe it was because there was four of them. Or maybe because Quinn and he had fallen out for years until Aiden had left the military and started at Camden Enterprises, giving Quinn the freedom he’d longed for to leave the family business and start a nonprofit organization.
And, unfortunately, Mason was three years younger than Aiden, so while they’d grown up together, they’d never beenfriends, per se. Logan was even younger. Maybe more like Aiden in personality—funny as hell, too, and a more natural rebel—but too young for them to have gotten in the sort of trouble Aiden had gotten into with Quinn.
“Are we pulling out a board game?” Hunter asked with a waggle of his brows. “I brought a few good ones.”
Oh God.Aiden couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Sure. Go ahead and set one up,” Quinn said with an affable smile. “I’ll join you in the living room once I take care of some of these dishes.” He rose from his seat.
Isla pushed her chair back and grabbed his plate before Quinn could. “Actually, let me. The cook shouldn’t have to clean, and you guys have been working your tails off all day to host us. I can do the dishes.”
Dammit, why didn’t I think of that?
“I’ll help,” Aiden said, gathering his own plate.
Mason and Quinn both shot him a quizzical look. “This from the man who used to regularly pay us to do his chores?” Quinn asked.
“Wouldn’t be right to leave Isla to it on her own,” Aiden said as casually as possible. Had he seemed too eager?
He gathered more empty plates before anyone could question it and followed Isla to the kitchen. Setting the dishes beside the enormous farmhouse sink, he watched as Isla turned on the tap and reached for the sponge. “Not much of a board game player?”
She laughed, her eyes twinkling as she met his gaze. “No, I love board games. I just genuinely wanted to help—unlikeyou.Covering up your dislike for their fun activity withmygood deed.”
“You wound me,” he said with a look of feigned outrage.
“Yeah, yeah. Iknowyou is more like it. Not to mention, I have solid memories of you cheating at every board game we played as kids.”
“It’s only cheating if you get caught,” Aiden said with a shrug, then headed back to the dining room. Even though the others had made their way to the dining room, he hid his smile as he reentered the room. He didn’t want anyone else to catch the expression he was certain must be on his face.
Because Isla made him smile. She made his heart instantly lighter.
