of this.” She gestured between them. “Because if you’re just marking time, distracting yourself until you get a better offer back in the city again…”
She trailed off, her heart twisting just at the thought.
“No.” Aidan raked a hand through his hair. “No, that’s not true, and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything right now!” Stella exclaimed.
“Well, neither do I!”
She caught her breath, trying to keep it together. “I’m crazy about you,” she said simply, and now she really did regret not speaking up earlier, because this was supposed to have been a joyful moment – sharing her feelings, with roses and candlelight and Aidan smiling back at her from across the table.
Instead, they were parked outside her house with the engine running, and a tight knot forming in her chest. “I’ve never felt this way before,” she continued, feeling an ache. “I think we could really be something… But I have to know where this is going. Or if you even want it going anywhere at all.”
“Stella—”
“Not tonight,” she interrupted him, before he could get out an answer. Maybe she was a coward, but she couldn’t face the possibility of an ending, not right now. “But we need to have this conversation, and soon. Think about it,” she told him softly. “Think about your life, and if you want me in it. Us in it,” she corrected herself. “Because I do. I want to be with you. But not just as a distraction, until you get your real life back on track again. For me, this is as real as it gets.”
A part of her hoped that Aidan would ignore her request; tell her straight out then and there that she was the only one he wanted. Announce that he was sticking around in Sweetbriar Cove, for good. Swear that they would build a life together.
But instead, he gave a slow nod. “I’ll think about it,” he promised. Then he leaned over and kissed her, and for one blissful moment, there was no room for doubt in Stella’s mind.
This was her future, right here.
Aidan drew back. “See you tomorrow?” he asked hopefully.
She nodded. “OK.”
Stella got out of the car and walked slowly towards the house, trying to quell her fears. This was how adult relationships worked, she told herself: They had conversations and gave each other time to think about things. Just because he didn’t have all the answers right now, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t want the same things as her.
See a future with her in it.
“Matty?” she called, as she let herself in. “I brought dessert. Cheesecake.”
There was no reply. He was probably deep in another video game tournament; she’d promised to let him play as long as she was out tonight.
“It’s the good stuff,” she added loudly, making her way to the kitchen to unpack the to-go box. “And if you don’t get in here quick, there won’t be any left to share.”
Silence.
Stella sighed. She hoped he wasn’t sulking again. He’d left a Hillcrest brochure out on the table that morning, and she’d cleared it away without a word. “I mean it!” she called, heading down the hallway. “I’ll eat every bite.”
She knocked on his door. “Hide your porn and beer,” she joked, “I’m coming in.”
Stella swung the door open, but there was nobody there. The room was empty.
She paused. “Matty?” she called, louder, in case by some miracle he was off doing laundry in the basement, or out feeding the animals. She checked every room in turn, her panic rising, but there was no sign of him.
The house was empty. He was gone.
16
Where was Matty?
Stella took a deep breath, trying not to panic. He was probably at a friend’s house, or off on some school activity she’d forgotten all about.
Except it was past nine PM, way too late for school. And Matty didn’t have any friends here in town. He’d promised her that he would stay home, and she hadn’t had a reason to doubt him.
Now, she didn’t have a clue where he might be.
She hurried back to the kitchen and dug her phone out of her bag to dial his number. “Pick up, pick up,” she muttered, her stomach tied up in knots as she waited for him to answer.
Instead, she heard the faint sound of Matty’s ringtone, coming from the living room. She rushed in, and found his schoolbag sitting on the floor beside the couch, his phone tucked in the side pocket. Wherever he’d gone, he hadn’t taken it with him.
Where the hell