Page 120 of Perfect Alpha

“What would you tell her?” Cade asks.

“Me miss story time,” Aidan tells us. “She did voices.”

We wait patiently for Aidan to continue because we don’t want to influence what he says. He’ll start sessions with a child therapist in January, and it will be really good for him to get some help processing his grief.

“Me want her come back,” he continues. “We snuggle buddies.”

I kiss his forehead. “Your mama would love to hear you tell her that.”

“And tell Mama me sowwy.”

I stiffen. “What do you mean?”

“Mama ask if me broked grandma’s vase,” Aidan tells me, his eyes wide as saucers. “Me lie. Me broked it. Mama left ‘cause me bad boy?”

“Aidan, no,” I reply fiercely. “No. You’re a good boy. You’re the best boy in the world, and your mama would be here with you if she could be. Remember the car accident?”

He nods. “Scary. Loud.”

“That terrible accident took your mama away,” I tell him. “Not anything you did, okay? Never think that. It wasnotyour fault.”

Aidan wiggles out of my arms and retrieves his stuffed alligator from the floor. “We visit grandpa?”

Cade and I share a meaningful glance because, of course, Aidan wants to make sure all his family members are accounted for.

“We’re going on Sunday, buddy. We’ll have lunch with grandpa, okay?” Cade asks.

“He come home?” Aidan asks.

“No, he enjoys living at his new house. He has lots of friends who help take care of him all day and all night.”

I rise to my feet and scoop Aidan up, making my way back downstairs to the kitchen with Cade trailing behind us. I set Aidan in his high chair and give him all his coloring supplies.

“How about you make a picture for grandpa?” I suggest. “That’s helping to take care of him because you’ll make him so happy.”

Aidan brightens. “For grandpa’s room?”

“Yes,” I promise.

He turns his sweet face to mine and reaches out his chubby arms for a hug, which I immediately provide.

“Love you,” he whispers.

“Aidan, I love you so much.” My heart swells to bursting because these are the moments in life that matter.

I’ll never lose sight of putting family first again, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that Aidan isn’t taken away from us.

Chapter 43

Cade

ChristmaswasalwaysHannah’sfavorite time of the year.

Ever since she was a little girl, she loved to decorate, bake more cookies than any human could possibly eat, sing carols at the top of her lungs, and buy the perfect, most thoughtful gifts for everyone she knew.

I can picture her standing on a chair in the frame of our double French doors leading into the living room, carefully hanging ornaments and candy canes on a beaded line our dad set up for her.

God, I miss her.

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