Page 50 of The Vow We Made
I feel heat rising in my cheeks and busy myself by arranging the bedsheets around me. “That’s a bold statement to make. You’ve only met him once, Mum.”
“Well we liked him, didn’t we Dom?”
“Yes dear.” Dad half smiles at me, knowing Mum is getting ahead of herself.
“And he’s a doctor no less.” She takes over my sheet rearrangement, turning the tops down and smoothing her hand over the bumps on my legs then carries on, regardless if we’re listening or not. “Better than— actually, what did Andrew do for a living? Because whatever it was—”
I stop her before she goes into a full rant. “Not now Mum.” She was more than happy with my choice of husband before he died. It’s just now we’ve unveiled the truth, she doesn’t have a good word to say about him.
She gives me the side-eye and continues on, not at all embarrassed by me telling her off. “Did Stephanie tell you we met her new beau too?”
I turn to Steph while mum keeps putting her foot in it. “What?”
“Aiden’s brother, Will. He’s a bit rough around the edges and very different to Aiden, but again, a very friendly young man. How lovely that you two get to double date.”
I furrow my brow with confusion. “Sorry, double date?” I ask Mum as she glances briefly to Steph who’s now a brighter shade of crimson.
“Stephanie and Will and you and Aiden,” Mum informs me.
I sit with a huge grin while I try to work it all out. “How long was I unconscious?”
“No Abigail, Will and I are just friends,” Steph says while laughing it off but Mum isn’t buying it.
“It didn’t seem that way from where I was sitting.” She leans towards me and whispers, “at one point he had his hand on her bottom.”
“Abigail!” Steph protests while I laugh out loud and my dad steps in to save her.
He rolls his eyes. “Now then, Abigail, that’s enough. The girls obviously have a lot to catch up on.”
“We certainly do. It seems my best friend has been very busy while I’ve been working in Scotland.” Steph and Will may be an odd pairing, but I could see them making a great couple and I love the fact Steph is being so coy.
“Come on then, spit it all out.”
Steph doesn’t know where to put herself. “Really darling,” she says with more false laughter, “your mother’s turning this into a big deal when in reality, we’re nothing more than friends.” Mum raises her brow knowingly.
“We’ll talk about it later.” I’ll be kind and give her some breathing space, plus I wantallthe juicy gossip which she can’t share until my parents leave.
Dad is quick to change the subject, using the current cold snap in the air to direct it towards the weather, and I sit back and listen to them chatter. I love my family so much. They are my world and their thoughts and opinions mean so much to me. I’m happy they’ve met and approve of Aiden so early on and it sounds as if he handled the unexpected meeting well. The whole thing puts me in two minds. On one hand, if he really was worried about me, it only reaffirms my hopes of him being the perfect man, but on the other, the conversation I overheard between my mother and father while they thought I was still under sedation, has cast serious doubts in my mind.
I had a strange feeling I’d met Aiden before the day he knocked me off my feet, figuratively speaking of course. Now my suspicions have been confirmed.
It might be easier to walk away, leave it all alone and put the past firmly behind me but the reality is, I don’t want to. Now I’ve found Aiden, I don’t want to let him go and I’m scared I will have to. Not only do I have to tell him I was previously married, I also have to ask if my parents’ theory is correct. Was he the man who tried to save my husband?
AIDEN
I’m on my way to visit Victoria and although I’m probably going against hospital policy when it comes to visiting another doctor’s patient, I don’t want her to think I don’t care so stuff the rules on this one. I doubt anyone will recognise me anyway. This hospital has over ten thousand staff members, so the odds are in my favour.
I’m about to head into Victoria’s ward when I meet Aaron on his way out.
“Aiden.” He shakes my hand. “I’m glad I’ve caught you. I wondered if I could have a word?”
I’m confused at first, knowing Victoria’s worst injury is a broken ankle. Is he about to warn me they’ve found something else? Something life-threatening? With some trepidation, I follow him into one of the empty nursing stations.
“Is everything alright?” I ask and hope to God we didn’t miss anything during the initial assessment of Victoria’s injuries.
He holds up a reassuring hand. “Everything’s fine.”
“Thank fuck.” I rub my hand across my stubbled jaw and release the breath I’d been holding.
