Page 81 of Done with You

“So you … like you know, right?”

“I know a lot of things.”

“But like, you know about … about Dallas and our dad and what happened? Why Jordan and I are or were estranged? Why I’m the only member of the family he invited to the wedding? You know already. I don’t have to tell you. I don’t have to dredge all that up, because you know.”

“I only know Jordan’s version of things and how it impacted him. I know how Jordan feels about the situation.”

“Which is probably the same as me. So—”

“So, what? You think you can just shake your brother’s hand and receive therapy via osmosis?”

“No!” Aiden’s back went straight. “I just … I don’t have to tell you the details of what happened. You already know.”

“I don’t know your recount of what happened.”

“Same thing. I’d tell you the same story.”

“Would you?”

He growled. “Oh fuck, lady, come on. Don’t do this to me. You know what happened.”

“I do.”

“So … whatever advice you’ve given to Jordan to fix him, give to me, too.”

Joy smiled. “Talk about it. That’s the advice I give to all my patients. Talk about what happened. Open up. Get it out so it’s not eating away at you inside.”

White-hot heat raced through Aiden’s limbs, and it wasn’t just because he was cradling his coffee mug which steamed like a locomotive. “I can’t.”

“Okay.”

She sipped her coffee and blinked.

“When Jordan got super drunk last night, he started saying how it wasn’t our fault and that we need to stop carrying around this guilt.”

“That’s good.”

“No, it’s not.”

“No?”

“He said it in front of a bunch of other people. A bunch of guys. Like your sons, and the guys he works with. Then they all started asking questions. Like what did he mean?”

“And did he explain?”

“No. Fuck no. I shut him down.” And shoved him, which sent him flying backward. But Aiden left that part out of his explanation.

“Why?”

Aiden scoffed. “Because it’s nobody else’s business what happened.”

“But wasn’t it in the papers and all over the news? It became everyone’s business. Your town was rocked by what happened to that child. By what happened to that family. To his mother.”

“Years ago.” He rolled his eyes, struggling to tamp down the bile that rose up his throat, and coated the back of his tongue. “Why do we need to dredge that shit up now?”

“Because it’s obviously still impacting your life. Nobody else is dredging it up but you. You’re dredging it up because you’re allowing your trauma to trigger you. To still trigger you and impact your life. Because you’re not dealing with the trauma in a constructive way.”

Aiden shook his head. “No. I—”

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