14. Hated The Attention

14

HATED THE ATTENTION

A t the end of the month, Aster was picking Raine up at her apartment to go to River's for Thanksgiving dinner.

He knew that her family had been wanting to meet him, but between River's and Brooks's jobs, it didn't work out where everyone could be together at once.

Just a holiday it seemed.

One he hadn't spent at home in years. Or with anyone other than people in the service with him.

"I'm glad you could come today," Raine said when she opened the door to him.

"It's not like I had anywhere else to be."

She laughed. "I know you're joking."

He wasn't so sure he was but would let her believe that if she wanted.

It wasn't that he didn't want to meet her family or that he even worried about what they thought of him.

No, that was wrong. He actually did worry what they'd think of him because, in the past month, he'd realized he'd never felt this way about another woman before and was scared shitless that he was now.

He'd said she was too good for him. Pure was the word he'd used.

He did believe it even if she didn't.

It's not like he felt he came from white trash or anything like that. Though his family wasn't perfect, they weren't anything like how she was raised.

Raine's biggest issue that he could see was the fact that she didn't have a lot monetarily as a child, but to him, she had all the right things. And she appreciated those things she had even if it was a burden to carry the bullying from the lack of material possessions.

"Sure," he said. "Joking. What do you need me to help you carry?"

"I've got three pies," she said. "Emma has the turkey and potatoes and stuffing. My mother has all the veggies and rolls; Ivy has all the snacks. Dessert was on me."

He liked how her family split it up the way they had. "The men do nothing?" he asked.

"You could have helped me bake last night," she said. "Or spent the night and helped this morning."

She had asked him, but he was working and then got held up. The construction was moving along but not as fast as everyone would like. He was putting in just as much time doing that as he was in the plant to help Zane out. Now it was finishing work inside and every extra helping hand was needed. He was even going to work tomorrow when many were off.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Don't be. I was only joking and I shouldn't have. I know you were working."

"I am tomorrow too," he said.

"Could you spend the night and go to work from here?" she asked.

"I can," he said. Though the two of them were pretty tight in the double bed she had. He only had a queen at Zane's and was considering upgrading to a king. If he did he knew he wouldn't have much room for anything else in the small space.

This was only a temporary house for now. He could buy something at any point and considered it, but there was no rush.

What he wanted was something like what he had on the water and that came at a price. He didn't need anything fancy or huge. He could fix it up himself if he had to.

But there might be some talk if he spent more than some would think he could afford on his salary at his job.

And since when did he care all that much about talk?

Since he became an overnight hero and hated the attention.

"Did you talk to your family today?" she asked. "Or don't you?"

"I talked to Daphne," he said. He felt bad his sister was still at home, but it was nothing different than when he was in the service. Nothing in her life changed all that much. "She's got to work today."

"In the restaurant?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "She took the shift. My parents don't cook. I think they will go out to eat. She said she didn't care to eat out and would rather earn the money."

"She sounds like me," she said. "Do they know about me?"

He sighed. "No," he said.

He could tell by the hurt look on her face that wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I haven't had a lot of time to talk to Daphne. I want to do it when I've got more than two minutes when she's running out the door and not in a text message. She's going to call me later tonight," he said.

"When you're with me?" she asked.

"Yes. I thought maybe I could tell her and she might want to talk to you."

The smile on Raine's face told him he handled that well. It's not like he was trying to keep it from his sister but rather it was the truth. It wasn't the right time before.

"I'd like that," she said. "Guess we are meeting everyone today. Well, you know Ivy."

"I do," he said. Ivy made it a point to seek him out whenever she was in the building, even if it was only to say hi. He expected she'd be a bit of a pain, but she wasn't at all.

She was always chipper and sweet and wanted to come say hi because it was family.

He felt how genuine Ivy was and didn't even feel smothered when those words were said.

"Then you grab that box with two pies in it and I'll get this one."

"What kind did you make besides apple?" he asked. "And I don't see ice cream."

"Crap, the ice cream. Hang on," she said, put her box down and ran to get it out of the freezer. "Good thing you reminded me about that. And I made pumpkin because my father and brothers like it and then chocolate. A little bit of everything. What are you going to eat?"

"Not the pumpkin," he said. "I never developed a taste for it. I don't even like the smell when people come around me with pumpkin-flavored coffee and stuff."

"It's an acquired taste," she said. "I know. I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but as I said, my father and brothers like it."

"Does Emma normally cook Thanksgiving?"

"No," she said. "My mother does, but her house is small and we are squished in there. The more we add to the group, the harder it is. Plus with the baby, it's more difficult. Ivy and Brooks could have hosted, but Ivy's never made a turkey before and was nervous. Emma said she had no problem doing it. It's easier having everything they need there for the baby too."

They drove the ten minutes to River's, pulling into the driveway of the large house. He wasn't surprised it was so big and modern based on River's career, but Raine had said that River and Brooks did some work inside of it too.

With all the desserts gathered, they went to the front door and in the house, then walked to the back, passing a formal dining room to the right.

He liked the layout back there. A kitchen that was to the right with the dining room off one side and another small table on the other side. There was a large peninsula with snacks on it and a few bar stools.

They'd passed three doors on the way down the hall and he noticed a small office, a bedroom, and a bathroom next to it. The stairs were back here leading to the second floor that he guessed housed all the other bedrooms.

"Hi everyone," Raine said to the room in general. "This is Aster, but I'm sure you all know that. Aster, my father, Mike, and my mother, Patty. You know Ivy, and next to her is Brooks, then Emma is holding Drew, and River is last.

He'd set the box down of the pies and walked around shaking everyone's hands.

"Ivy has told us a lot about you," Brooks said.

He turned to Ivy and saw her grinning. "No, I haven't. Don't let him try to intimidate you."

"I don't intimidate easily," Aster said.

"So we've been told," River said. "Brooks is just grouchy, but you two should get along. Not that Raine said you're grouchy. I meant more with your career history. He's friends with Luke."

So Luke might have said some things, but he wasn't worried it was anything that was a secret.

Luke was the funny one always with a smile on his face in the team. Always joking too.

"Luke's a good guy," he said. "Not much like me."

Brooks snorted. "No. Not like me either, but we can't all be like my sister and future wife."

"Ivy is one of a kind," he said.

"You like me, Aster," Ivy said, bumping shoulders with him.

"I do," he said. "I have to. You work for my good friend's wife."

"He told a joke," Ivy said. "Raine, good for you to loosen him up."

He smirked at Ivy. "Can I get you a beer?" River asked.

"Sure," he said.

"Come sit and talk to me," Mike said. "I need to meet the guy spending time with my daughter. It's not often I get that chance and want to make sure he's not someone pretending to be someone else."

"Dad," Raine said. "Enough."

"Did my daughter tell you about Colton and how he made promises and then broke her heart?"

She hadn't had it phrased like that.

"I told him enough," she said. "I don't know that anything was a promise as much as misleading. And we can change the topic or we can watch football."

"Football sounds good," Patty said. "We girls can check on dinner and the boys can get to know each other."

All the girls went to the kitchen and were moving around, the guys watching the game. He'd taken a seat next to Brooks on the couch.

"Luke told me what happened to you," Brooks said quietly. "I'm assuming Raine knows."

"She does," he said. He wasn't surprised and wondered why he cared that so many didn't know.

Maybe he didn't want the pity.

"What is going on?" Mike asked.

Aster looked at Raine's father and River. They didn't know and he didn't know why Brooks brought this up. And did it when the women weren't around.

"I had to leave the Army because I was shot in the chest. I can't pass the physical now after open heart surgery."

River frowned. "That close to your heart?"

"Yeah," he said.

Raine walked in and put her hands on his shoulders. "Brooks, tell the whole story if you're going to bring it up. Aster was shot in the chest saving a teenage girl from an abduction while he was on leave. He doesn't like people to know and feel sorry for him. I think that makes the two of you a lot alike. But he's assured me he's in good health and following the doctor's orders. Now he's here and in my life. Anything else anyone wants to know about him?"

He saw the smirk on Brooks's face and realized it was done to see if Raine stood up for him. In a way, he was glad it happened as it had, but now Ivy knew and he figured everyone else would too.

"It's not a big deal," Ivy said. "Zane told me in confidence. Well, Lily did and I haven't said a word. Aren't you all proud of me? Is it not a secret now? Not that I'm going to announce it to anyone. It's not their business."

"It isn't anyone's business," Raine said. "We can talk about something else now."

"It's fine," Aster said. "I don't talk much about it. It happened and now I'm here. End of story. I told Raine before, this is a dream job for me I never thought I'd have. If it comes with meeting her, then I'm happier than I ever thought I could be."

He saw the soft look come over Raine's face and felt bad that not once had he said words like that to her and maybe he should have.