Page 9 of Stained Hearts
Aiden. Shit, why did it have to be him?
I took the paper. “I’m fine. Look, go ahead and—”
“Tom? What’s going—oh shit.”
Great. Now Noel had come in too. What could make this moment any more embarrassing?
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Oh, what the hell? Katy. Talk about a fucking trifecta.
“All right, back to work, you two.”
And now Lincoln. Quadfecta? I wiped my mouth with the towel and dropped it into the toilet. I started to stand, but Lincoln pushed through everyone until he got to me. He reached down, grabbed my arm, and hauled me up beside him.
“What happened?”
I shook my head, unable to make my mouth work.
Lincoln turned and scowled. “I said, back to work. Noel, take Aiden out and get him something to eat. He’s too pale.”
“Yes, sir.” Noel took Aiden’s elbow and guided him from the bathroom.
Lincoln closed the door and locked it. “What happened?”
Shame coursed through me. “Nothing.”
“Uh-huh. You seemed fine, and then you ran in here like the hounds of hell were nipping at your feet. Want to try again?”
I sneered at him. “Don’t even try to use that voice on me. I’m not Noel.”
“No, you’re not.” Lincoln reached past me and flushed the toilet. “But you are a friend.”
I sighed. “When Aiden said he couldn’t go home again, I thought of Brian and how his family kicked him out.”
“Okay, and why would that make you sick?”
I didn’t want to say it. I would rather hack my tongue off than speak the words. “It doesn’t matter.” I tried to step by him, but he blocked me. “Move.”
Lincoln continued to stand in my way. “Why would that make you sick?”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. “For over a year, Brian has been the first and only thing on my mind. When I sat down with Aiden and he was showing me his projects, for like two minutes, I didn’t think about Brian, and—”
Shit, it was just too fucking awful to contemplate.
“And it bothers you?”
I nodded.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There is! I swore when he died in my arms, I was never going to forget him. And I did.”
Lincoln pulled me to his chest and squeezed. “You didn’t forget him. You’ll never do that. What you did is have a moment where you remembered it’s okay to live again.”
In my head I knew he was right, but in my heart, I felt like I’d betrayed Brian, and for that I couldn’t forgive myself.
Chapter Three
