Stay With Me (She's With Me #2) - Jessica Cunsolo Page 0,75
we even had a second to think.”
He frowns. “I guess I was just curious, I don’t know. When I saw that he’s the mayor and got remarried, to some old money–type woman of all people, I couldn’t believe it. I guess I just wanted to see with my own eyes that he really wrote us off, that he’s living it up without a spare thought for the three sons he left behind.”
I wrap my arms around his stiff shoulders and rest my head against his shoulder for support.
“I wasn’t planning on talking to him. I wasn’t even planning on punching him believe it or not. At the carnival when I saw him, I just—I don’t know. I sound stupid.”
“You don’t sound stupid, Aiden.”
“It was stupid to think this would give me any closure.”
Lifting my head from his shoulder, I look him in the eye. “It wasn’t a stupid idea. Andrew never was and will never be good enough for you, Jason, and Jackson, and now you know that for sure.”
He nods, his eyes stormy and hard. “That, I know.”
We both glance sideways at the suits sitting innocently on the bed. “So, should we burn those?” I’m only half joking.
A vibrating from the nightstand draws our attention, and Aiden reaches over to check his phone. He shifts suddenly, his face set with new determination. “No. I think I want to go.”
I pause. “Wait, what?”
“It’s from Andrew. Apparently he got my number.”
He hands the phone to me so I can read it.
Heard the suits were delivered. Don’t forget to be on your best behavior. Act like my son, not someone who gets charged for assault
It’s clear what Andrew’s intentions are. “You’re going so he won’t charge you?”
A scowl mars Aiden’s face. “He’s not going to charge me. If I don’t play whatever role he wants me to play then he’s going to want nothing to do with me.” He sets the phone down and turns to face me. “I guess you’re right. I came here to get closure, and I want to see how he’s living, what his life looks like now. If anything, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to embarrass him.”
I nod. I might not understand it fully, but I’ll support him in whatever he wants to do. “Are you bringing Jason and Jackson?”
“No,” he says quickly, then hesitates. “But would you come with me?”
My heart skips a beat. “I—yes, I want to come with you, but don’t those events have a lot of media coverage? You know I can’t get caught in a photo …” I trail off, not wanting to disappoint Aiden, but also needing to stay true to what I promised my mom.
“Oh shit. I’m sorry. That was selfish of me,” he says, but he gives his head a frustrated shake and looks down at his hands.
I swallow hard. I don’t want to disappoint Aiden, but is this something I’m able to do? I’m going to be leaving Aiden soon and ultimately betraying the trust we’ve just worked on fixing after he learned about the real me. He’s inviting me into a part of his life I’m positive he doesn’t want many people to know about, and I’m going to take that trust and crush it under my heel as I walk out on him when he’ll probably need me most.
“Yes,” I hear myself say, confusing my brain, which is shouting No!
“You don’t have to,” he says, but even I can tell that he sits up straighter.
“I want to,” I tell him, putting as much confidence in my voice as I can. “We’ll just avoid the photographers. No one will want to take a picture of two unimportant kids anyway. It’ll be fine.”
“I’d be lost without you,” he says softly, and I feel like throwing up even though his words mean the world to me.
Before the guilt makes me physically sick, I stand up from the bed and pick up the suit bag from the wire hanger. “You should try this on.”
Grumbling unhappily, he stands beside me in front of the bed. “I’ll have to get shoes. And you need a dress. Are you sure you’re okay running around finding a dress and shoes and everything?”
The “of course” leaves my mouth automatically. “Plus,” I add, “we have a couple of hours before stores close. I’m sure we’ll find something.”
Taking the bag from me, he unzips it and pulls out a luxurious navy suit. His face contorts in disgust. “This is a four-thousand-dollar suit.”