Page 31 of Stained Hearts
He nibbled on his lip, reddening the skin.
I reached out and stroked a thumb over it. “Don’t do that.”
“Are you asking because you….” His eyes misted up. “We’re not going to get there and you’ve got a date waiting, right?”
As I suspected, the scars still ran deep.
“I can honestly say that I’m not interested in going out with anyone but you.” Then I thought about it and realized I needed to be honest with him. “You need to know, though. About a year and a half ago, my husband died. He had cancer.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. That’s the reason I was nervous about asking you to go out. Plus, there’s the whole age difference.”
“Are you going to ask me to call you daddy?”
I reared back, horrified at the thought. “What? No!”
Aiden chuckled. “Then I don’t think the difference in years means a whole lot.” He reached out and took my hand. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I like you. And I’ve got no problem taking things slow.”
“Okay, then.” I stood up and pulled his walker closer. “Breakfast?”
“And you’re going to be okay being seen in public with me?” He waved at the walker. “It doesn’t exactly scream date material.”
The fact that he was willing to try spoke volumes, but the hesitancy, the hurt that others instilled in him, angered me. Why did people have to be such assholes?
“I can carry you, if you prefer. The mode of conveyance doesn’t mean a damn thing. Neither does the opinion of other people. They’re not the ones I’ll be sitting down with.”
He gripped the handles of his walker and pulled himself up. “Then let’s go have chocolate.”
“You mean, breakfast.”
He waved me off. “Potato, potahto.”
“Should we ask Olivia to join us?”
He scowled. “Are you going to ask your mother?”
Now, that was a horrifying thought. I could just see her with Aiden. Oh God. The pinched cheeks, the hovering, the coddling. “Hell no.”
“Then there you go.” He looked over his shoulder. “Livvy, Tom is taking me to breakfast. And guess what? You’re not invited!” He snickered. “Let’s get out of here before she comes after me.”
With that, we hurried down the hall as fast as Aiden could go, both of us cackling the whole way.
And I loved it.
AFTER HISthird stack of pancakes, Aiden leaned back in the seat, rubbed his flat tummy, and groaned. “Oh, damn. I might not eat chocolate again for a month.”
I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out the box of nonpareils that had fallen out of the bag in the car. “I guess I’ll ask Olivia if she wants these, then.”
His eyes widened, and he drew in a breath. “Those are my favorites.”
“You said chocolate cream donuts were your favorite.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “That was before.” He pointed to the candy. “Those are my favorites now.” He wiggled his fingers. “Gimme.”
I handed over the box, and he snatched it from me and proceeded to rip off the plastic. After tearing open the flap, he poured a mound of the confections into his hand and popped them into his mouth, giving a happy hum. It was fascinating, the way he threw himself into everything he did. Whether simple conversation or eating, Aiden lived in the moment and made each one count.
“Do you like movies?”
