Page 84 of Sweet Little Spies

“I suppose. I wanted to go over it one last time,” hisfather admitted. “Big Tag assures me there should be no reason for you tosacrifice your life. It’s a simple op, and all you have to do is be yourself.You’re the cover. You’re the reason Tristan will have access. You and Carysjust smile and have fun at the conference. Though I don’t see how it’s fun.”

“Because you have no real interest in talking with thefinest minds in the medical field,” Aidan shot back, looking around the nowpretty crowded lounge. They were set to leave in twenty minutes, and Cooper wasalready in the hanger doing his preflight check.

The rest of the team was hanging out in the lounge. Kala washalf asleep on one of the chairs, while her twin was on the phone with someonetalking animatedly about the events of the last few days. The romantic ones, ofcourse. Kenzie Taggart would have felt right at home in a Regency ballroom,gossiping behind her fan. Lou was reading on her tablet, with TJ lying on thebench with his head in her lap. Tristan was talking to his father and Big Tag,while Carys was sipping on coffee and talking to her father.

“Is Sean coming with us?” If Sean came, would his fatherinsist on coming, too?

His da frowned. “No. He made a case, of course. Big Tag saidthey already had too many cooks in the kitchen. Also, he doesn’t have Adam’sconnections, so he can’t get clearance. The bastards. The man’s daughter isgoing into danger.”

Which likely meant Da had tried and gotten the sametreatment. “I thought she was going to a conference.”

“You know what I mean.” His da sighed. “At least you andTris seemed to have figured things out. Are you solid with him again? I’vetalked to Big Tag about what Tristan’s been working on, and while I don’t thinkhe was right to do what he did, I can understand the impulse. He got in overhis head, and he was afraid.”

“I know.”

His da studied him for a moment. “But what you did wasworse. You understand that now, right?”

“I shouldn’t have kept it from Carys. I should have insistedhe bring her in so she wasn’t alone.” He’d definitely thought about this forthe last couple of days. When he wasn’t in bed with them. Playing with them.Being with them.

“Has anyone talked about what Carys did wrong?” His fatherglanced over to where Carys stood, looking so pretty it hurt. The privateairport lounge had skylights, and the morning light bathed her, making the goldand brown highlights in her auburn hair striking.

“She didn’t do anything wrong. She was innocent in all ofit.” If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Carys didn’t deserveanything from the torture of the last few years.

His father frowned. “Now see, I’m worried again. Until youall understand what went wrong, what each of you contributed to the problem, Idon’t know you can solve it. Something will come up and the wedge will be thereagain because the problem can’t be solved by simply getting back into bedtogether. Tristan knows damn well what he did, and I hope he doesn’t falterunder the weight of it. Like I said, he got in over his head, and there’snothing shameful about it. His mistake wasn’t trying, it was refusing to askfor help. It was cutting you two out. You should never have followed hisorders, son. I understand he’s…”

Aidan felt a flush go through him because he knew what hisfather had been about to say. Had everyone known but him? Was he going to avoidsaying it? This was another thing he’d thought about endlessly over the lastfew days. Was he ashamed of who he was? He’d been more present because Tris wasback and insisting they spend real time together. Not the turn on the TV, eatsome take out and read a medical journal and call it quality time. And what didthey call it in their world? “Just because he’s my Dom doesn’t mean he’s alwayscorrect, and when he’s not I have to push back and do what’s right for all ofus.”

“Exactly,” his da said.

“Does it bother you?”

“Like I said, I wish you’d been honest with Carys,” his dabegan.

“I didn’t mean what happened with Carys. I was talking aboutmy relationship with Tris,” Aidan said, opening a door he’d thought he wouldkeep locked forever. “Does it bother you and Mom?”

“Why would it bother me? Son, if I could get over the wholeweird threesome thing, I can handle anything.” He sighed. “Sorry. Somewhereyour mother is slapping me on the back and telling me to use my grown-up words.So I’m going to. Aidan, there’s nothing you can do in this world that wouldmake me turn from you. Not a damn thing. I could be disappointed in you forharming others, but it’s not in you, so it’s easy to say. You needing Tris inthe way you do, there’s nothing to be bothered about. I’m actually quite proudbecause you never really questioned it. I think your mother and I did well. Youdidn’t sit around worried something was wrong with you.”

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think I even recognized it until hewas gone and I tried to be the top,” Aidan admitted. “I tried to give Caryswhat she needed, but what we both needed was him.”

“I have no doubt in my mind if Tris was gone forever, youwould find your way.” His father put a hand on Aidan’s shoulder and stared himin the eyes. “You would adapt, but you don’t have to because I believe him whenhe says he’s coming home. But it is up to you to figure out everything thatwent wrong so you can look for the signs and not let it happen again.”

Aidan sighed. “Or you could tell me, Da.”

His da patted his cheek. “Oh, with things like this,revelation is half the prize. Now you be safe, my boy. Are you sure you haveeverything?”

“Li, leave the kid alone,” Big Tag said. “Aren’t yousupposed to be running the company while I’m gone?”

“Alex is doing fine,” his da groused back. He turned to Tag.“Don’t you dare get me boy killed. I spent too much on his education. He’s myretirement plan.”

His father had done well for them all. He’d invested wiselyand wouldn’t need to sponge off his kids. His father was actually everything hewanted to be. “Da, thanks for coming down to see me off.”

His father smiled and pulled him in for a manly hug. “Ofcourse. I love you, son.”

“I love you, too.”

“I promise I’ll take care of him.” Carys had joined them,grinning at his father. “He thinks he’ll be the one saving me, but I’ve beentold on this team the men are usually the ones who need saving.”

Aidan stepped back. “You need to stop listening to yourcousins. I assure you if things go wrong, I’ll expect you to hide behind me.”

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