Page 11 of How to Trust a Hellhound
“Thanks,” I mumbled as I poured coffee. “I guess Toby and Sebbie will be banging down the door any minute?”
Aiden looked confused. “Why would they? Was I supposed to tell them? We didn’t say anything, since you called me, not them.”
I looked over, surprised. “No, you weren’t supposed to tell them. I guess I’ll have to at some point, but I just didn’t feel up to all that…” I trailed off, unsure how to finish.
Aiden smiled. “All that Toby energy?”
I nodded my head as I finished adding cream and sugar to my coffee—both thankfully stocked in the kitchen. I grabbed a muffin and went to sit down across from Aiden at the table.
“I get it,” Aiden said, still petting Fluffy.
I took a bite of the muffin. “Wow, this is delicious,” I said around a mouthful.
Aiden smiled shyly. “Thanks.”
He took a drink from his own coffee cup, and I waited for the awkward questions, or the staring, or the pity… but Aiden just pet Fluffy and acted like we were having a perfectly normal breakfast.
It was weird.
I finished the muffin, drank the coffee, and Aiden still didn’t ask anything. He didn’t look uncomfortable either, just like it was a perfectly normal day.
I finally broke under the lack of pressure. “You aren’t going to ask, or say something, or… I don’t know.”
Aiden looked thoughtful. “Do you want me to ask something?”
I snorted a laugh. “You sound like a therapist.”
“I have a really great one,” he said, sipping more coffee. “I highly recommend her. Although Q wouldn’t go see her. He preferred revenge over therapy.”
“God, I probably do need therapy,” I muttered. “I can’t believe I got myself into this fucked up situation. I’m steady. I’m dependable. I’m not the one who dates the idiot boyfriend who slaps him around. I’m smarter than that.”
“It’s not your fault. Sometimes really fucked up things find you, no matter how steady and dependable you are,” Aiden assured me. “And it has nothing to do with intelligence. You have a kind heart, and I bet Rick took advantage of that. Sometimes people can twist us up inside and make us do things we normally wouldn’t.”
I remembered who I was talking to, and I felt mortified. Of all the people to complain to, the guy who had been kidnapped wasnota good choice.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s nothing like—” I started, but Aiden cut me off.
“Don’t minimize what you’ve been through. Our trauma might not be the same, but we both have trauma. Give yourself grace. Thatissomething my therapist is always saying,” Aiden said.
“She sounds smart. Maybe I should see her,” I commented.
“Couldn’t hurt. It’s better to work through the fucked up things that happened to us rather than ignore them. If Q were here, he would probably tell you to torture your ex or something, but I’m a firm believer in therapy. Whatever you decide, we’ll support you.”
“Am I in the inner circle with you guys now?” I asked, joking. I was friendly with Aiden and Q, but only through Toby.
“Yup. It’s thefucked up things happened to meclub. Or maybe theI have a traumatic backstoryclub, if Toby had his say in naming it. We can get t-shirts made. Q would love that.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of me.
Aiden smiled at me, and for the first time, I thought maybe things would be okay. Yeah, something fucked up had happened, but if Aiden and Q could survive their trauma and get themselves hot boyfriends who loved them, then maybe I wasn’t a totally hopeless case.
“I probably need to find my phone and charge it,” I commented. I guessed in order to be okay, I needed to face the world first.
“It’s on the side table by the couch. Wilder plugged it in last night,” Aiden told me.
I blushed at that, and Aiden and his dog both cocked their heads at me. It was kind of comical.
“I definitely did not leave the best impression with your boyfriend’s dad.” I knew Aiden was dating one of the Smith brothers.
