Wishing for a Cowboy (Wishing River #3) - Victoria James Page 0,3
chest, and stared at the wall behind Aiden. The woman gave her nephew a concerned look, pursing her lips, then said, “We’re not really interested in getting into all that.”
His heart stopped for a moment before panic rolled in. “What are you talking about? You just walked into my bar without warning and told me I’m probably a dad, and you’re not interested in getting into all that?”
Anger glittered in her eyes, and she took a step toward him, the massive cat following her. “Maybe this is a conversation that should be had in private?”
He clenched his jaw, his gaze going from hers to the boy and back again. “Fine. We can go to my office.”
“Sure. Uh, we’ve been driving a long time. Is there anything Will can have to eat?”
“Aunt Janie,” the kid said, his voice strangled as though she’d embarrassed him.
Aiden had so many damn questions, and none of them had to do with food. But at least this he knew how to handle. “I just made myself a burger and fries and was about to plate it when you walked in. Does that sound okay?” he said, talking directly to Will.
Will…the kid that could be his.
He nodded. “Sure.”
“I’ll be right back.” Aiden went to the kitchen to grab the food, setting the towel from his shoulder onto the counter as he walked in. He was nearly numb from shock, not believing any of this was real but knowing in his gut he couldn’t just dismiss their claim. The similarities were too uncanny. But what bothered him more than anything was the realization that they thought he was a liar. They thought he hadn’t wanted his own kid—abandoned him and his mother.
A stranger had just walked into his bar, with a cat and a boy who looked exactly like him, and now he was serving him dinner? What. The. Hell.
He walked back into the bar to see the two of them deep in conversation, Janie’s arm on Will’s. “Hope you like it,” Aiden said. “Ketchup and all that’s on the table.” He placed the plate down as though this sort of thing happened all the time.
“Thanks,” Will mumbled and took a seat.
Aiden motioned to his office, and Janie followed him, then paused as he held the door open to the small space. “Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.
“I’ll be right out here if you need me, Aunt Janie,” Will called out.
Janie’s cheeks turned pink, and Aiden tried not to be insulted that a fifteen-year-old saw him as some kind of threat to a woman. And if this had been any other kid, talking about any other guy, he might have thought it endearing.
“I’ll be fine, honey,” she said over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact with Aiden as she walked into the office. She sat, and he took his seat opposite her. “I’ll get to the point, Mr. Rivers.”
“Call me Aiden.”
“We won’t stay long…Aiden…and it was nice of you to give Will some dinner. We really aren’t here to inconvenience you or judge you and your past decisions; we’re just here to see if you can help us out financially, and then we’ll be on our way.”
His stomach turned as he stared at her. “You think I’m just going to hand you a wad of cash and say see you later?”
She nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I was hoping for.”
Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. This was Maxi’s sister, after all.
Maxi Adams had been his biggest mistake, one he still regretted each and every day. He was reminded of her every time he looked in the mirror and saw the scar running down the side of his face. For a long time, he’d had a sick satisfaction when he saw it, and he’d trace the line with his finger, because it was a symbol of the mistakes of his past that he swore he’d never make again. But now, to think that he might have a kid—a young man he didn’t even know existed—was just hell.
You’ll never be better than this, Aiden. You’re stupid and arrogant.
He rolled his shoulders, pushing aside his father’s voice, which never failed to creep in whenever something went wrong in his life. “If that’s my kid, you’re not going anywhere until we make an arrangement.”
Janie’s face turned white, then red. “You had your chance with him,” she said. “Fifteen years ago, when Maxi told you she was pregnant. And then all those times she tried contacting you.