They left, but not before Damien leaned over and murmured something in Aiden’s ear. Even after we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more going on.
Aiden didn’t have any enemies. Everyone loved him.
And then it hit me.
Hard and fast.
The dancing, the way he said, “Home.”
It was when I realized, I was falling in love with him…
Too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
<>Aiden<>
“You tired?”
She shook her head no.
“Good.”
By the time we walked back into the house, it was well after two in the morning, and I still didn’t want the night to end.
With her heels in her hand, I guided her down to the basement, unlocking a secret door. I flicked on a few lights, illuminating the wine cellar beneath the stairs.
“How did I not know this was here?”
“I keep it locked.”
“Don’t trust me? Or the boys?” She smirked.
“Who do you think?”
“They’re good kids.”
Or so she thought…
They were still little boys with their balls dropping. One was a handful alone, and the other you never knew what you’d get.
I didn’t waver, looking through my selection of aged wines, revealing, “I caught Jackson in his room with Willow.”
She gasped. “No, you didn’t! What did you do?”
“Handed him a condom.”
She slapped my arm.
“I’m kidding.”
“What were they doing?”
“He says they were just hanging out, with her head in his lap.”
“Oh man… was she?”
“No, but why else would her head be in his lap, Cami?”
“I don’t know. Maybe that’s how she wanted to talk to him.”
“Before or after she sucked his coc—”
“No!” She put her hands over her ears. “I’m not listening to this. How can you be so nonchalant about it?”
“He’s a boy.” I shrugged.
“And that means? What if it was Journey with her head on—”
The expression on my face rendered her speechless. I grabbed a bottle of wine and walked out of the cellar before she could continue. Not allowing images of my daughter in a compromising position cross my mind. Knowing damn well no good would come of it.
Plain and simple, Jackson was a boy. Journey was my baby girl, and the last thing I wanted to think about was how I’d kill a son of a bitch.
“Did you talk to him about it at least?”
The fact she was so concerned about my boy, warmed my heart. I smiled, taking the wine opener from the drawer.
“Aiden, seriously, did you talk to him? Girls shouldn’t even be in his room, let alone with the door closed.” She followed me out to the back patio. “Please tell me it’s not okay with you?”
“Of course not.”
“Alright, good. So, what did you talk about?”
“Cami,” I stressed, setting the bottle on the table. “Do you really want to talk about Jackson right now?”
“Depends.” She folded her arms over her chest, and it made her tits pop at the seams. “Did you really hand him a condom?”
I opened the bottle, pouring her some wine. “No.”
“Fine.” She grabbed the glass out of my hand. “We can talk about this later.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Harley is going to be so heartbroken.”
“What do you want me to say, sweetheart? My boy’s a little shit. You more than anyone knows how he ticks.”
“Like father like son, huh?”
I grinned, laying down on the lounger with her following suit on the one next to me. A soft, classical melody filled the humid air from Camila’s phone. Adding to the ambiance between us as we looked up at the stars.
“My boys and I are a lot alike, but we’re also very different. They’ve never wanted for anything, I made sure of it. Bailey and I would often argue about how much I’d indulge them.”
“Were you a flirt like Jackson?”
“I was.” I glanced over at her. “But only for one girl.”
“You told me before you met Bailey when you were seven. Was it always just her?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, bringing the glass up to my lips. “It was me and her against the world.”
The silence was deafening, while I waited for her to go on. Fully aware her questions wouldn’t stop there.
When I looked over at her again, her head was hung low and she was playing with the seam of her dress.
“Ask me.”
She took a deep breath, exhaling, “Do you miss her?”
“Everyday.”
Her cautious eyes met mine.
“I struggle with it though.”
“With missing her?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Why?”
“Because of the way I feel about you.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened to her?”
“I will, when I’m ready. I promise.”
“Okay,” she hesitantly replied.
“Tell me.”
She zeroed in on my face as if she didn’t understand how I knew what she was thinking.