Page 31 of On The Run

“Oh, online classes are great. Our other daughter, Emily, did mostly virtual schooling because her husband is in the military and they move a lot. It’s so convenient. I wish they had it when I was still in school, back in the stone age.”

Aiden relaxed, laughing, and told my mom she couldn’t be older than forty—which Mom loved despite the fact that Laura was already 42.

“What are you studying?” This came from Jana, and once again, Aiden stiffened.

“Oh, um, social work.”

“That’s amazing. What made you decide to get in that field?”

The question was innocent and typically the next logical one. It still didn’t stop me from shooting daggers at Jana from across the patio table. Aiden lost all the color in his face, his hand squeezing his fork so hard that his fingers were turning white.

Without thinking too hard about it, I covered his shaking hand with mine, gently prying the poor fork from his grip. Jana finally realized that she said something wrong. “I’m sorry if that’s personal. You don’t have to answer.”

Aiden cleared his throat. His eyes bounced from where his father was sitting in a lounge chair on the lawn with my dad and Bronx to me, before he finally turned back to my sister-in-law. “Oh no, it’s ok. I’m sorry I acted all weird. It’s just, um . . .” He took a sip of his sangria, swallowing hard. “My dad, my other dad, isn’t a good person. The system in place isn’t always on the side of the victim, and I hope I can help fix that one day.”

There was a moment of silence as we all processed his words. In all of the time I’d known Aiden, even through our lunches, this was the most I’d ever learned about his past. I kind of assumed his mom must have died or left him and Manny when he was younger, but he now said his other dad. What did that mean? Did he have a mother too? Or was he the result of a surrogacy or adoption? He didn’t really look like Manny, though it was hard to tell with him being sick. I was even more curious about his past now, but this wasn’t the time or place to ask him.

A blush crept down Aiden’s face, even covering his neck and the tips of his ears. He shrugged casually, like it wasn’t a big deal, and shoved a huge forkful of jerk chicken in his mouth. Luckily, that jumpstarted all of us into motion, and bless my mom for finally ending the awkward silence.

“That’s an amazing goal, dear. Those poor kids need someone on their side, and I think you’ll make an amazing ally.” She squeezed his arm affectionately before meeting my eyes, her own full of emotion. Then, as if the conversation hadn’t happened at all, Mom jumped out of her seat, clapping her hands. “Now, who’s ready for more sangria?”

And just like that, all the heaviness in the air eased and we all moved on, talking about lighter things, and no one else asked Aiden any probing questions about his past.

Chapter14

Aiden

“Your family is really sweet.Thank you for inviting us. I had fun. And you were right. This might not be a solution to everything, but it’s nice not to think about it for a while, you know?”

Max glanced at me from the corner of his eye, a strange look on his face. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I swore I saw a flash of guilt before his expression cleared and he flashed me a sweet smile. I forgot about everything else once he gave me that look. It made him seem so much younger, and I couldn’t help the little nervous flutters swirling in my belly.

“Thank you for coming. I know they can be a lot, but they mean well.”

Max and I were walking around the small garden his mother had on the side of their property. He took my hand as soon as we were away from prying eyes and I let him. His hand engulfed mine, and part of my mind kept wondering what type of damage he could do with hands that size. But this was Max. Somehow, deep down, I knew that these hands would never hurt me. That I was safe. And maybe that was why I hadn’t let go, despite the panic that was raging inside of me just below the surface. This didn’t mean anything. I could hold hands with a beautiful, sweet man without it meaning some lifelong commitment or me spilling all my secrets. I could allow myself to have this. Not much more, but this should be safe.

“I really like them,” I told Max honestly. “I’ve never had a big extended family. It’s kind of nice.”

Max shrugged, trying to downplay it, but it was obvious how much he loved his family. And he should. They were good people. They accepted Pops and me without question and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. And Pops became fast buddies with Max’s father and Bronx. I was trying really hard not to think about the fact that Pops was closer to Max’s age than I was, but luckily, no one mentioned it or made a big deal about it. It didn’t matter anyway, as we were just friends.

The garden was beautiful, and I told Max that as we sat on a stone bench near a small manmade pond in the center. I knew nothing about flowers or plants, and I could probably only name two of the varieties off the top of my head, but it didn’t take away from the beauty.

Max smiled at me. “Yeah, this is Mom’s passion project. She’s been working on it for years. As kids, she used to drag all three of us out here. As we got older, I’m the only one who continued to help.”

I looked at him, surprised. “You garden?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I like to. I’ve been meaning to start one at my place and never got around to it, but I come here sometimes to help Mom. It’s relaxing, helps me shut my brain off.”

“Yeah, I can understand that. That’s what reading is for me. I don’t think about anything but the book, and I just forget that the real world exists.” I sighed. “I’d like to try it one day—gardening. Would you teach me?” I had no idea what possessed me to say that. I couldn’t make commitments like that. I opened my mouth to take it back, but the excitement on Max’s face stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint him.

“Yeah? I’d like that. Maybe with your help, I might start one at my house.”

I swallowed down the lump of emotions in my throat. What was this man doing to me? Why the fuck couldn’t I stay away?

“That would be cool. I can’t say how much help I’ll be, but I’d still like to try.”

Max’s eyes were sparkling. “Just you being there will be enough.” Oh, c’mon, he couldn’t be saying things like that. Luckily, he continued to speak so I didn’t have to respond. “Gray would be thrilled. I know you work weekends, but maybe you can stop by one Saturday after your shift. We can garden for a bit, then the three of us can order in dinner and watch a movie.”

My words got caught in my throat and I couldn’t breathe. That panic that had been threatening to bubble over pushed itself to the forefront with a fucking vengeance. What was he saying? Was he asking me on another date? OnewithGray there? Why? He promised he wouldn’t. I needed to get out of here. I needed to . . .

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