that telling the truth was the most important thing she could do for herself.
And tonight, after talking to Logan and then, once he left, musing over their conversation and tying it in with Sally’s words, Ellie experienced an amazing moment of insight. It had to do with her mother, of all things.
Ellie realized that it wasn’t her mother’s obsession that had destroyed her; it was the lies she’d told herself. Her mom had repeated the same lies over and over again, so often that she began to believe them. Her mother had spent her life lying to herself and that was her ultimate downfall.
As Ellie brushed her hair and removed her makeup, she was more determined than ever that if she wanted to be free of her mother’s legacy once and for all, she had to tell Aidan the truth. Whether he wanted to hear it or not.
*
He’d hurt her. He didn’t need his brother to tell him that. He knew Ellie. Now he stood at her door and wondered if she would even let him into her house. Would she listen to him? Hell, he didn’t even know what to say to her besides begging her forgiveness.
Logan had said that Ellie loved him. That she’d always been able to tell them apart. So was Aidan coming to see her to hear her say those words?
Aidan shoved the panicky feelings to the back of his mind and knocked on her door. And waited.
When Ellie didn’t come to the door immediately, he began to fear that she really wouldn’t let him in. Well, she was going to have to let him inside because she loved him, damn it.
Finally she showed up, opening the door in her pajamas and bathrobe.
“Aidan, what are you doing here?”
“You invited me for dinner,” he said in a rush.
“I did,” she said calmly. “But when you didn’t show up, I packaged it up and stuck it in the freezer.” She seemed to debate whether to let him inside or not, but after a moment she opened the door wide. “Come in, Aidan.”
Once inside, he pulled her into his arms and held her, stroking her hair and mumbling apologies. “I’m sorry. God, I’m an idiot.”
She rubbed his back in reassuring strokes, comforting him more than he deserved.
Finally, he held her by the shoulders to meet her gaze. “My brother and I sometimes forget that we’re not twelve years old. I apologize for playing that trick on you and for ruining the meal you prepared. I’d like to make it up to you by taking you to dinner tomorrow night.”
She took a deep breath and said, “Dinner would be nice, thank you.”
“What else can I do to prove how sorry I am?”
“Oh, Aidan, I know you’re sorry,” she said softly.
He kissed her tenderly. “I’d like to stay with you tonight.”
“Why, Aidan?”
“Why?” He stared at her, stunned. “Because, you know, we’re together. You like me. And I like you. And we…you know.”
“You like me?”
“Of course I do, damn it.” He scraped his hands through his hair in frustration because he knew he wasn’t getting his point across. “You know that.”
She took a deep, slow breath, then reached up and framed his face with her hands. “What I know is that I love you, Aidan. I know those words aren’t what you want to hear, but it’s how I feel. And after talking to Logan earlier, I realized that it was time for me to be completely honest with you. So if you still want to be with me after hearing that, then you’re welcome to stay.”
His gaze didn’t quite meet hers as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. “I’d like to stay.”
*
He hadn’t returned the words and Ellie didn’t expect him to. He’d apologized again for switching places with Logan and she had forgiven him again with a smile.
But she couldn’t deny that her heart ached. She would live with the pain for now because she had no choice. But she had told him the truth and that helped. The simple fact was that she wanted to be with Aidan for as long as it lasted.
Logan had advised her to keep pushing Aidan, but she was hesitant to follow his counsel. After all, she could only push the man for so long with no results before her self-confidence crumbled. If that happened, she would lose everything.
So over the next two weeks, Ellie buried herself in her work. Call it self-preservation, but she avoided