Page 15 of Brides and Brothers
Chapter 7
Aiden
Aiden threw his sweatshirt onthe laundry room floor. The house was quiet for this late in the morning on a Saturday. His brothers must be sleeping in. After leaving the laundry room, he turned and almost ran into Easton coming out of the pantry.
“Where have you been all morning?” Easton asked.
Aiden massaged his tired eyes. “After I checked in on Paul at the hospital, I stopped by his house to mow the lawn.”
Easton shook his head. “Always taking care of everyone. How’s Paul doing?”
“Minor heart attack. He needs to rest, but he’s going to recover.”
“What about Charlotte?”
“She’s gone from worried to bossy caretaker. You should have seen the stack of pamphlets she collected from the doctor, and she plans on reading every word to Paul. I’m telling you, the best thing for a man in this situation is a nagging wife to get him back on his feet.”
Benson came in through the garage door. He tugged his coat off, slung it over a kitchen stool, and joined them as Easton said, “I can check on him tonight for you.”
“Thanks,” Aiden said. “I’ll take you up on it. Their neighbor is going to arrange some meals for them, and I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“I’m glad Paul’s going to recover, but it’s too bad it messed up your date.” Benson smirked.
Easton coughed. “Aiden? You had a date last night?”
“It wasn’t a real date,” Benson said before Aiden could get a word in. “Think she’ll want to see you again?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, she invited me to her house for dinner tomorrow.”
“You’re messed up, man.” Benson shook his head.
Aiden knew what this was about, but he didn’t have the energy to explain to Benson that yes, he wanted to get married, but no, Camille was not some random person he’d picked up off the side of the road. He opened his mouth to change the subject, but his phone rang and saved him the trouble. He pulled it out of his back pocket and saw Camille’s name across the screen.
“Excuse me,” Aiden said, raising his eyebrows at Benson in a silent challenge. “Myrealdate is calling.”
Easton gave Benson a curious glance, but Aiden ignored them and stalked off toward his room. He accepted the call and said hello.
“Hey,” Camille said, her voice timid.
Aiden’s lips pulled into a grin. She must’ve been nervous to call him. He couldn’t deny having been a little nervous to answer. He shut the door of his bedroom for added privacy.
“I’ve been worried about Paul,” she continued. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s still in the hospital for another night, but he’s going to be fine. He and Charlotte will appreciate you asking about them.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Camille said. “Are you home, by chance?”
“Yeah, I just got in.”
“Do you mind if I drop something off for you to give to Paul and Charlotte for me?”
Aiden’s brow rose. “That’s thoughtful of you.”
“Good, because I’m standing outside your front door.”
Aidan put his hand on the wall. Nowhewas going to have a heart attack. “What? Don’t move! I mean, stay right there and don’t move.”
“Okay...”
