Page 28 of Stained Hearts
That was my last thought as I fell asleep, Aiden nestled in my arms.
THE SNICKof a door opening pulled me awake. I turned toward the door and found Olivia standing there, smiling at us. Aiden was still snuggled in my arms, and he felt good.
“Thanks for staying.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“You can go ahead home if you want. His pills put him out all night.”
“He said he’d taken two before I got here.”
She winced. “That means this one was bad.” She came around and sat on the arm of the couch. “I’ve told him he was working too hard, but he wouldn’t listen. He’s such a stubborn little shit.”
“Strong-willed. It probably runs in the family.” I winked at her. “I’m sorry if the project was too stressful for him.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be. He’s a perfectionist, and this one was hard for him because he was so afraid he’d disappoint you.”
There was no way in hell that would happen. “I’ve seen his work. I don’t think it’s possible he could let anyone down.”
“Oh no. He lets himself down quite often.” She reached out and brushed a few hairs off his forehead. “He wants so desperately to prove he doesn’t need anyone, but the truth is, he’s never going to get better. Oh, he’ll put on a good game face and say he’s fine, but when he thinks I’m not listening, I can hear him whimpering in his room. He hates his legs, he hates his pills, and he’s afraid he’s going to be alone forever because no one wants a burden.”
I slid a hand up and stroked his head. He snuggled deeper into my embrace.
“Look, I know I don’t have the right to tell you what to do, but please don’t hurt him. He’s had more than enough pain in his life to have another person sweep in and make him feel special, only to turn around and dump on him.”
“Another person?”
“He thinks I don’t know about the guy at school. I’d give anything to make the little bastard suffer. Aiden was devastated for months by it, and there wasn’t anything I could do to take away that pain.” She stood. “You can leave him sleep on the couch if you want. I’ll get him a blanket.”
“No, he’d be more comfortable in his own bed.” I wiggled around until I could stand, then bent down and scooped him into my arms. “And for the record, I don’t need to make him feel special, because he is.”
Before she could reply, I carried him to his room. I laid him on the bed, then wrestled him beneath the covers. I turned to leave, then thought better of it. I went back, bent down, and placed a kiss on his forehead. He tilted his head back, then relaxed onto the pillow.
He looked so beautiful in repose. The difference between Aiden and Brian was night and day. Aiden was pale, with a few freckles on the bridge of his nose, and, as Mom said, cute as a bug. I reached out and tugged the covers up a bit higher, grinning when Aiden sighed.
I gave him one more kiss on the forehead before I whispered, “Good night, Aiden.”
“Mm. Night.”
I left his bedroom, closing the door behind me.
Olivia was on the couch, riffling through the bag of chocolates. She gave me a disgusted look. “Seriously?”
“What? He likes chocolate.”
“Oh, sure. What did you bring me?” She winked, and both of us broke up laughing.
I sat next to her on the couch.
“Did you want something to drink?”
“No, but thank you for asking.” I regarded her curiously. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What would you say if I told you I was thinking about asking Aiden out?”
Her eyes popped open. “Like on a date?”
