Page 64 of Stained Hearts
“You really asked him?”
“I did. Are you okay with that?”
She blew a raspberry into the phone. “If you had any idea how much I had to listen to how perfect you are, how wonderful it is to be with you, how much you care for him. I swear to you, it’s enough to make me nauseous with jealousy.” A pause. “Thank you for making him so happy.”
Me making him happy? “You have no idea what it’s been like having Aiden in my life. He’s bubbly, sweet, and a total joy to be around.”
“Wait. Are you talking aboutmybrother?” She laughed. “You’ve been good for him. He’s stopped talking about how his legs define him as a person. Now when he’s uncertain, he looks to you for hope and inspiration.”
Pride surged through me, infusing me with peace and serenity. That’s what I wanted to be for Aiden. A source of strength, a wall to stand between him and anyone who would hurt him. I wanted to be his lover. The one who he trusted to care for him, heart, body, and soul.
“Thank you.”
“Okay, so you know, you’re going to have to talk with him about his insurance. Once he’s living with you, mine won’t cover him as a dependent. In fact, a lot of things will change.”
“That’s fine. I’ll talk with my accountant and lawyer to ensure everything is settled.”
“So you’re really going to go through with it, huh?” She chuckled. “You’re a good man, Tom.”
“Yes, I’m really going through with it. Things are a lot better when Aiden is here.”
Then why can’t you say the words?
“If it works for you, I’ll bring the car by and we can pick up his stuff.”
That brought a peal of laughter from her. “Dude, have youlookedat your house? Everything Aiden owns, with the exception of his glass stuff, is already there. He’s been moved in for weeks and was just waiting for you to notice.”
Sneaky little shit. That was all the more reason for me to love him. He challenged me in ways no one had. Made me look at the world and see something beautiful, simply because he was in it.
Then why can’t you say the words?
I gritted my teeth. That voice of reason really needed some work.
WITH GALEN’Sand Robert’s help, we were able to get the rest of Aiden’s stuff packed up in one afternoon. Despite Olivia’s assurance that everything was already at the house, there were several boxes of things that hadn’t yet made it to our place.
I held up some books from the six boxes that had been artfully packed. “How come you didn’t bring these?”
His cheeks flushed. “I wasn’t sure you were ready to know about my secret obsession.”
When I turned them over and saw the covers, I grinned. “Hm. Cate Ashwood, K.C. Wells, Amy Lane, Mary Calmes, Hannah Walker, Eden Winters, Stephani Hecht, Ally Blue, Sean Kerr….”
“I don’t have to bring them if you’d rather not have them in the house.”
I chuckled. “Why wouldn’t you? They’ll fit right in with my L.M. Somerton, Hurri Cosmo, SJD Peterson, Shannon West, Freddy MacKay, Angel Martinez, S.J. Himes, E.M. Denning, K-lee Klein, and—”
“Youread romance novels?”
“Love them!” I went to where he was sitting on the bed, packing away a few knickknacks. “Haven’t you looked at the bookshelves in the house? There’s a whole one dedicated to the genre. What’s your favorite?”
His eyes were wide. “I loved K.C. Wells’sBFF. I had so many feelings for it. But I think my favorite genre is shifters. Have you ever read Silvia Violet?”
“Oh hell yes! I love her stuff. Wes and Tristan?” I fanned myself, which made Aiden giggle. It was such a pure, sweet sound that my heart swelled to hear it. I sat beside him, happy to talk about something we were both passionate about. “Oh! Have you read Amy Lane’s Fish series?”
He shook his head. “No, should I?”
“God yes! It’s intense.”
“Will I cry?”
