Page 27 of Wreck Me
The smile she gave him made him feel like a million bucks. “I’d love to. Mind if I get my phone? I’d love to take some photos of the moon.”
“Sure. I’ll grab the beers.”
Aidan ledher out to the back deck and down the gently sloping yard to the edge of the lake. The cool, autumn air surrounded them as they walked down the long dock that jutted out into the water. Out here, moonlight was their guide, making everything look like a black and white picture. It reflected off the smooth-as-glass water.
“Oh wow, it’s beautiful out here.” Megan stopped halfway down the dock and looked around. She pulled her phone out of the waistband of her leggings and began snapping a bunch of pictures. When she was done, she returned the phone to its place. Aidan turned away when he spied a sliver of the bare skin of her torso.
Was he so hard up that a flash of her pale smooth skin made his mouth resemble the Sahara?
He cleared his throat before he could speak. “I used to have some chairs out here, but they needed replacing and I just haven’t gotten around to it.”
She waved him off. “No worries. I can sit on the edge and dangle my feet.”
And that’s what they did. In the quiet night, they sat shoulder to shoulder and drank their beer, her feet swinging back and forth over the water.
She sighed and leaned her head back. “You know, this whole town is a photographer’s dream. All of the colors with the leaves and historic buildings. Even the night sky out here over the water doesn’t disappoint. The moonlight is just perfect.”
“Have you done a lot of photography?”
“It was just a hobby that I really loved once. I was pretty good though. A couple of my photos made it into some regional magazines. I’d love it as a job, but I’ve never been able to make it work.”
“You always use your phone?”
“These days, yeah. I had to sell my camera and equipment. But it’s okay, these phones take damn good pictures actually. Still,”—she shrugged a slim shoulder—“I miss my fancy camera.”
She turned her head to him and smiled. “So Charley told me today that you guys are pretty close.”
Deflection. Her reasons for starting over were obviously still a sore subject for her. Since her shoulders had relaxed when she turned the question on him, he let it go and smiled. “Yeah. We were near the end in the lineup.”
Megan paused. “And she’s six years younger than you?”
He nodded and sipped his beer. “Yeah. It was almost like my parents took a break for a few years and then Charley came along.”
“She said she was an oops baby.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. All I do know is that my dad loved the hell out of her.”
A pain shot through his heart as memories of his parents came to the forefront of his mind. As a kid, he didn’t get it, but he knew now why there were so many of them. His father had never been able to keep his hands off his mother. They’d had a love that Aidan had hoped he’d have one day, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Not after his father died way too young.
She nudged his shoulder with hers. “You were the protective big brother to her, weren’t you?”
“Yeah. Even with six years between us, I’ve always been pretty protective of Charley. She’s the daredevil. She was only seven when our dad died and she needed someone to keep her grounded. That was my dad for her. So it became me.”
She was quiet for a minute before she said. “I’m sorry about your dad. That must have been hard on your mom.”
“Thanks. It’s been a long time though. I’ve made peace with it.”Sort of.“My mother is a force to be reckoned with, no doubt about it. She’s the best person I know.”
She turned her head with a soft smile on her face, her gaze on him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “What?” he asked.
She sighed and shook her head before looking away. “Nothing.” After a sip of beer, she continued.“So tell me about your other siblings. I’m intrigued by the fact that there’s so many of you. You have two other brothers…”
“Yep.”
“And who are they?”
“Noah and Del. They run the family construction business here in town.”
He was careful to glide over the fact that his brother Del was a celebrity. Even though he didn’t actively film a weekly show anymore, Del’s old TV show,Property Ace, could be found at any given time in reruns. Not to mention that he did film specials here and there for the network.
