Page 126 of Northern Stars

This time, I wouldn’t be his scapegoat.

This time, he couldn’t keep paying Jake off to keep his mouth shut.

“Please, Hailee,” Samuel begged, tears flooding his eyes. “Aiden is possibly meeting his brother right now, which has to be hard on him. I don’t want this to mark our Christmases for the rest of our lives. Give me until the day after Christmas. Then I’ll tell him. My world is about to be set on fire. At least give me the respect to be the one to light the match.”

I grimaced as I crossed my arms and stood tall. That man would never make me feel small again. Still, I didn’t want all the Christmases moving forward to be scarred with these details of Aiden’s father being his… father. That was a different kind of trauma to unpack.

“You have until the twenty-sixth. I’m not going to wait a second after that.”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Deal.”

41

Aiden

Damian Blackstone wasa much cooler name than Aiden Walters.

There was no getting around that fact. I did an engine search on him, so I’d know what he looked like, and well… he looked like me. That was weird. Catherine was right—I had his eyes.

When I walked up to his office, I’d paced back and forth for a good while. I could see him up in his office space working. The way I was lurking outside of his building made me feel like a stalker. I hadn’t built up the courage to walk inside to converse with him. My nerves were too shaken up for that.

So it was a knock to my system when Damian came out. I panicked as he was locking up the door, and I called out to him. “Hey, Damian? Are you Damian Blackstone?”

He turned around to look at me. He seemed confused at first but stood tall and confident. “Yes, I am. Do I know you?”

I laughed nervously, probably looking insane as the palm of my hand rubbed my neck. “No, you don’t. Well, I mean, shit.” I was fumbling my words, making the situation more awkward than it had to be. “Honestly, I didn’t even know you existed.”

“Then why are you here?”

“It’s insane, actually. I should be back in Chicago with my family getting ready for the holiday tomorrow, but I had to fly out here. A few weeks ago, I received a letter from a woman named Catherine. She told me about you, and then told me about…me. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m Aiden.” I took a deep breath and tossed my hands up in surrender. “Your younger brother.”

Damian blinked a few times in disbelief before muttering to himself, “Fucking Catherine.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at me. “So we’re kinfolk?”

“I suppose so.”

“A brother?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat and had a somber look as he stared my way. Same blue eyes. Same nose, too. “I’m not good at this kind of shit. Emotions and stuff. Or being blindsided,” he confessed.

My heart sank a little. It was clear that my surprise attack was the wrong idea. “No, totally. I get it. I’m sorry. It’s also Christmas Eve, and I’m sure you have stuff to do. I’ll let you be.” I turned and started to walk away.

“Aiden.”

I turned back toward him. “Yeah?”

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his peacoat. “I wasn’t done.”

“Oh…”

He walked in my direction. “I’m not good with emotions and shit, but I have a house full of people who are better equipped to help us figure this out. Do you have plans tonight?”

“Um, this interaction was my only plan.”

“Good.” He patted me on the back. “I’ve got three women back home cooking enough food for an army, two best friends who are in touch with their emotions—well, one at least, and a spare bedroom with your name on it. Let’s go, brother.”

Brother.

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