Page 100 of Northern Stars

She frowned. “You two are going to have to figure out your issues.”

“Maybe.” I wasn’t ready to deal with that fact, though. I was still processing that white envelope in my hands.

“I have to get to work. I just wanted to drop that off for you.” She stood from the bed, and I followed her. She walked to the door and opened it, moving quickly. Before she could escape too fast, I pulled her into a tight hug and held on for dear life.

“You can let me go at any time, Aiden,” she told me, laughing lightly.

“No, I can’t.”

We didn’t look alike. Her skin was brown and mine was olive. She was a beautiful Black woman with chocolate eyes and high cheekbones. Her hair was kinky, and her smile was mesmerizing. We didn’t look alike, but she was my twin in so many ways. We felt feelings the same way. We celebrated and grieved in the same fashion. We had the same laughter. We both felt our hurts deep in our souls, too. Laurie Walters was my twin, and I was hers.

I placed my hands against her shoulders and locked my eyes with hers. “You are my mother. You will forever and always, no matter what, be my mom.”

She sniffled a bit as a few tears slid down her cheeks. “And you are my son.”

I kissed her cheek, and then she kissed mine back.

She patted my face with her hands. “And since I am your mother, it is my job to tell you to call your father. You two must figure it out.”

“Spoken like a true mom. I do have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Are you happy with Dad?”

The flicker of emotion that hit her stare from my question rocked her a little before she caught her composure. “What an odd question.”

“What an odd response.”

She smiled. “Call your father. I love you, Aiden.”

“Love you, too.”

After she left, I picked up the envelope and stared at it for the longest time.

I didn’t open it.

I wasn’t ready to read what was written inside.

32

Aiden

After I tooka quick shower to shake off my nerves, I heard a knock on my door. I wrapped one towel around my waist and started to dry my hair with another as I went to answer it.

Hailee stood there with a stack of towels in her hands and a goofy grin on her face. The moment she saw me in the towel, her cheeks rose high as she blushed. “Uh, hi there.”

“Hey.” I glanced down at the towels, then back toward her. “You brought me towels.”

“Yeah. You mentioned when I was ready to talk to bring you towels, but now that I think about it, you were probably being sarcastic and didn’t really want towels. Let me run these back down and—”

I wrapped my hands around the towels before she could make a dash for the exit. “I appreciate this.”

She smiled. I smiled back. It felt good to smile at Hailee and have her smile back. Reminded me of the us we used to be. A small glimpse of who we used to be.

“You’re ready to talk?” I asked.

“Yes. Well, not now, because I’m heading home for the day. My shift is up, and I’m exhausted.”

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