Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
They might even become friends again.
Finding a new normal would take work, but if she managed it, she could have one of her best friends back in her life. It would be like the night they spent together never happened.
Chapter Nine
Aiden made it through his first week at Sterling Investments and he was grateful it was Friday. After work, he returned to his father’s house. Eventually, he’d start looking for his own place, but for now he was enjoying being home.
He sat at the kitchen island, checking his emails and responding to work colleagues, when Lizzie walked into the kitchen, humming.
“Hi, Lizzie.”
“Hello, Aiden. How was your day?” she asked, as she went to the refrigerator and began pulling out ingredients to make dinner.
Aiden grinned as he saw the salmon. “Good, but I’m glad this first week is behind me. So, salmon, huh?”
She laughed. “He’ll eat it and he won’t complain.”
His dad, a big fan of red meat, was not going to be thrilled with any heart-healthy meal. But Lizzie was right. He’d eat it anyway. He didn’t talk much about the heart attack—aside from complaining about his dietary restrictions and daily exercises—but Aiden knew the last attack had scared him, proven by how he now followed doctor’s orders and Lizzie’s demands.
“I should get out of your way.” Aiden closed his laptop and started to slide off his stool, but Lizzie gestured for him to stop.
“Please, stay. I could use the company.”
Happy to spend time with her, Aiden settled back and watched as Lizzie pulled out a variety of vegetables from the refrigerator and pantry.
“How are you settling in?” she asked, and began to mix herbs and lemon juice as a sauce. “Is it boring after all your exciting travels?”
Aiden thought about the danger he was still facing from his last assignment. “Sometimes excitement is overrated.”
“Well, I hope that means you’re here to stay, even after Jared’s paternity leave is over. You’ve been missed.” Pausing in her meal prep, she looked directly at him with hazel eyes so similar to Brooke’s. “There’s a lot of love for you around here, Aiden.”
He grinned. “Yeah, I know. I’m pretty damn lucky to have such a great family.”
Reaching across the island, she placed a hand on his and gave it a squeeze. “Yes, you do. But they aren’t the only ones who care.”
Something significant passed between them at those words, and Aiden knew Lizzie had been referring to Brooke. Whether she’d told her mother about them, he didn’t know, but he doubted it. Brooke had been the one to suggest they keep their situation quiet, but he’d come to realize his family members knew something was up.
And a mother didn’t always have to be told things to sense them. Thinking back to his own mom, he recalled how intuitive she’d been about her kids’ thoughts and feelings. His lips curved at the memory. She’d been a great mother and they’d lost her too soon.
A sudden realization hit him. He hadn’t just been running from guilt. He hadn’t wanted to face the empty feeling he’d carried with him. If he wasn’t home, he wouldn’t have as much time to think about her, to remember the loss. But that, too, stayed with him abroad.
Lizzie had gone back to working on dinner, placing the salmon on a baking sheet and putting it into the oven.
“What else are you making?” he asked her.
“Along with the salmon, a shredded vegetable salad and brown rice. Your father’s going to hate it.”
Aiden laughed, relaxing as they continued to chat. She had been a part of his life for so long. She wasn’t his mother and never tried to be, but she had become the maternal figure he’d looked to growing up. He believed his own mother would have liked her… and approved of her for his dad now.
“Hi, Mom!” Brooke called out from the front of the house, and he was grateful to get out of his own head.
He was even happier Brooke was home. Aiden hadn’t heard the door open or close but her high heels clicked on the wooden floor as she approached, and a sense of awareness washed over him.
She stepped into the kitchen, looking gorgeous in a raspberry wrap dress that hugged her breasts and accentuated the sensual curve of her waist. The hem stopped above her knees and the stilettos on her feet made her legs look a mile long.
His cock stood up and took notice, his entire body heating at the sight of her. He stared without shame as she crossed the floor to her mom.
“Here you go,” Brooke said, handing her mother a grater he hadn’t noticed in her hand.
“Thanks for bringing this from the gatehouse.”
She smiled. “Of course. Dinner smells good.”
“Thanks, honey,” Lizzie said.
“Hi, Aiden.” The words sounded forced but at least she wasn’t ignoring him.