Page 53 of Stained Hearts
Mom, of course, had to get involved. She walked over to Aiden, put a hand on his shoulder, and said loud enough for the whole room to hear, “Why don’t little girls fart?”
Aiden looked at my dad, who rolled his eyes. “Because they don’t have assholes until they’re married. Really, Rach, you’ve got to learn some new jokes if you want to keep up with the big boys.” Then he waggled his brows, which had everyone—especially Aiden—busting a gut.
Olivia leaned in close. “Your parents are geniuses.”
I shrugged as we surveyed the scene unfolding before us. “Mom’s always been good with people, and Dad’s got a gift.” Then I realized what I’d said. “Beyond farting, I mean.”
“Aiden’s hardly ever warmed up this fast to anyone before. Usually he sits in the corner and watches, and even then, there’s no guarantee he’ll join in.”
Watching him, it was hard to believe. He was telling bawdy jokes to Robert and Galen, and had Mom rolling with a song he made up about farts. But when his gaze slid toward me and Olivia, I knew the truth. He was looking for his anchors. Aiden was doing his best, but he still needed to be sure he wasn’t alone. I winked at him, and he went right back to talking with everyone else.
When Mom called that dinner was ready, we all headed to the dining room. She’d set up a feast with everything from soups and salads to two types each of cakes and pies. She moved fluidly through the group, filling iced tea, clearing plates, and more than once, ruffling Aiden’s hair.
I was so grateful to them both for making Olivia and Aiden feel at home.
As we took our leave that night, Mom called me into the kitchen. I told Olivia I’d be out in a few minutes to help with Aiden. She scowled and asked me if I thought she’d never gotten him ready to travel before. I held up my hands in surrender, then headed off for the kitchen. When I got there, Mom was at the sink, washing the dishes.
“You know you have a dishwasher. Robert and I got it for you for Christmas one year so you wouldn’t have to do this.”
She turned and gave me the sweetest expression. It scared me to my core. “I do this because it’s how I honor my family. If I use the dishwasher for this, how long before I don’t want to cook for you all? Maybe we should just have some buckets of Kentucky Fried for Thanksgiving too.”
“We could.” I took a step closer. “Mom, what’s this about?”
She drew in a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “When Brian died, I never thought we’d have a family dinner again.”
“What do you mean? We had them the last few months.”
She shook her head. “No, we had dinner.” She turned to me, and the sadness in her gaze was damned near overwhelming. “Our family wasn’t whole. We went through the motions, but Brian was our spark. He was the center of your universe, and that brought us into his orbit. When he died, all that went away. Now you’ve brought Aiden and Olivia here, and the house is bursting with love again. Your father told me how much he likes Aiden.”
I could understand that. The two of them got along like Brian and Mom used to.
“And what about you?”
“He’s delightful. He’s sunshine that’s chasing away the shadows in a dark room. His smile lights up everyone it touches.” She grinned. “Including you.”
The way her gaze bored into me, I knew she knew.
“He definitely brightens a room.”
“That he does.” She came over and kissed me on the cheek. “Tell them we expect to see them next week.”
And like that, the conversation was over. I was grateful, because I still wasn’t ready to say the words out loud.
But knowing my parents liked Aiden? That went a long way to making me want to say them soon.
Chapter Thirteen
FOR THEnext three weeks, Aiden and Olivia joined me at my parents’ house for dinner on Sunday. Aiden would stride in, full of confidence and attitude, and exchange a joke he found hilarious with Dad. Mom said if they kept it up, she was going to have to separate the two of them. Behind their backs, she covered her mouth when she laughed.
Aiden, to his credit, fussed over the fact he hadn’t finished the stained glass yet. But I didn’t care if it took longer. I wasn’t in a hurry for it, and spending time with him brought me so much joy. He would tell me he needed to work on it, and I would find something else to occupy our time. On the days he insisted he had things to do, I would tell him to work on any other projects he had, because mine could wait. He wasn’t happy, but he did what I asked.
Plus, I was so damned happy to see him fitting in with my parents, Galen, Robert, Marco, and Andy. Mom would beam every time she saw him laughing or playing with them. Whether he knew it or not, Aiden was stepping out of the self-imposed isolation he’d mired himself in, and was coming to find that most people—especially the family we were part of—were good, caring people who loved him for who he was.
It wasn’t seamless, of course—few family blendings were. Mom’s big thing was to take the newest members into the kitchen. It was a big thing, because being invited into the kitchen meant you were accepted and welcome. I was proud to say no one ever turned down the opportunity to score points with Mom.
Until Aiden.
The third week, Mom asked him into the kitchen, but things didn’t go as she’d expected. They were in there ten, maybe fifteen minutes, when a crash preceded the shouting.
