Page 57 of Stained Hearts
His cheeks pinked. “I know. When she took me back into the kitchen, she sat me down at the sink. She washed, I dried. It was… nice. Normal, even. She kept up a constant stream of chatter, asking me about my glass, school, and even our parents. When I told her what happened, she snorted with disgust, then apologized. She said she had no use for people who would do that to their children.” He drew in a breath. “Then she said we didn’t need to worry about it anymore, because we had a new family, if we wanted one.”
“My parents don’t make that offer lightly. So if you want, you’re in.”
He turned to Olivia, and I could see the longing there in both of them. The desire—theneed—to belong again. To know they weren’t alone in the world, and to know that when times got tough, they’d have someone to lean on.
I might have understood my mom’s dislike of their parents.
The drive back home was quiet. When we got to Olivia’s, Aiden hesitated. He turned to me, leaned in close, and asked, “Can I stay with you tonight?”
Only a fool would say no.
“Olivia, Aiden’s going to stay with me tonight, okay?”
She smiled. “That’s fine. He’s a big boy, and he can make those decisions on his own.”
“But what about you?” He frowned. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“And I’m a big girl. I can promise you, I’m not going to be hurting for things to do.” She pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek. “Have fun. Love you.”
“I love you too.”
She got out of the car and gave a wave before she went into the apartment building.
Aiden bit his lip. “Maybe I should stay.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “She looked sad. I hate it when she isn’t happy.”
“It’s been an emotional day for both of you. Being sucked into the family drains a person. If you remember, I look dazed for a good day after Sunday dinner.”
He cocked his head a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”
I reached into my pocket, where I’d stashed the bag Mom had given me, and handed it to Aiden. “This is from Mom.”
He opened it and gasped. He reached inside and pulled out small chunks of fudge. “Oh God.” He popped a piece in his mouth. “These are my favorite.”
I chuckled. “She’s got your ticket.”
He stopped midchew. “Part of me wants to question this. Like, is she really okay with me? And another part wants to accept it at face value.”
I gave him a smile. “Go with the second one. Mom isn’t one to say something she doesn’t mean.” I brushed my thumb over his cheek. “She really, truly, honestly does love you. Believe in her and in yourself.”
He smiled ruefully. “My therapist says I need to work on my self-esteem.” Then he blanched. “I stopped going a long time ago.”
“Why?” My poor Aiden, so ready to assume someone was going to kick him to the curb if he wasn’t perfect. “When Brian died, I saw a grief therapist. I only stopped seeing them recently. There is never anything wrong with needing help, you know. What was it Mom said to you? We’re your family, and if you ever need us, you let us know.”
He hummed. “This is going to take getting used to.”
“We have time. Now, what say we go get some sleep?”
One stretch and a yawn later, we were headed into the house. As Aiden moved with his walker, I stayed beside him the whole way. He might think he needed to keep up with me, but he was wrong. In this marathon, the only way for us to win was for the two of us to finish it together.
Now I needed to work on convincing Aiden that he and I belonged side by side, so the race could truly begin.
Chapter Fourteen
THE NEXTmorning, Aiden was still asleep when I woke up. I slipped out of bed and stood there for several minutes, watching the rise and fall of his chest. The way he curled his arm under the pillow. The slow, deep breaths he took. Aiden looked so innocent and unburdened when he was sleeping.
