5. Aidan

5

AIDAN

A idan drove out of Trinity Falls village, his thumbs tapping the steering wheel with a restless energy he couldn’t seem to shake.

He’d just had a work meeting. That was all. And it was honestly for a really annoying job. No matter how reasonable his quote, she was going to think he was taking her for a ride. And for him, doing the work would be stressful and time-consuming.

So why was his heart pounding, and why was he fighting back the urge to smile like a kid in a candy shop?

That girl is nuts , he told himself. Don’t let her shake you up just because she’s pretty.

But it wasn’t just that she was pretty. There was a happiness inside her that spilled over the edges, and an innocence that made him feel almost protective.

On the other hand, she’d clearly gotten herself pretty badly hurt and then tried to go shopping when she wasn’t strong enough to have control of the cart. And it wasn’t even for essentials. She’d bought a carload of sugary snacks like she was Will Ferrell in that movie where he was a giant Christmas Elf.

And now she wanted to put a ballet barre and mirrors in her house, as if she was ready to just start Adult Ballet classes when her leg was in a cast and she’d apparently switched to an all-candy diet?

Though honestly, she was scrawny enough she probably needed those extra calories…

Steer clear , he advised himself. You don’t have good instincts when it comes to women.

But he was still trying not to smile when he thought about the look on her face when she seemed to realize she had offered him the kind of snack he hadn’t eaten since third grade recess. He patted his breast pocket and heard the plastic wrapped fruit roll-up make a crinkling sound.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, actually smiling now, and scolding himself for it.

Before long, the little village was behind him and he was passing through miles of dormant fields. In the summertime the fields would be lush green and shimmering gold, overflowing with life. But they were beautiful even now, with the soft gray sky above like a blanket over a snoozing bit of nature.

He had never really gotten used to living in the city. The buildings blocked out the sky and the smells and sounds all pressed in on him. There were no animals except squirrels and pigeons. But he was able to do the kind of bespoke carpentry that paid well there. The one thing that wasn’t lacking in the city was money.

He had always hoped that by the time Walt was ready for school, he would feel okay about the funds they had in the bank and be ready to move out to the house he still kept in Trinity Falls.

But kindergarten was looming closer and closer, and Aidan still wasn’t convinced that they had enough for house repairs as well as whatever he’d need to float them until he could get enough work around his hometown to support them—not without risking that he’d have to break into what he had set aside for Walt’s education.

Soon, he would have a decision to make. Once Walt was settled in at school, he wouldn’t want to make big changes.

After a few more minutes, he finally pulled into the long drive that led to Timber Run and prepared himself to see his son, pushing his concerns aside for now.

Even if the last year might have left him disillusioned with the world and mankind in general, Aidan always made the effort not to let his unhappiness bleed over into Walt’s world.

He parked the truck, glancing at the new scratch on the back from MacKenzie Forrest and shook his head, fighting back another smile at the thought that he had a souvenir now.

He climbed the steps to the front porch and carefully wiped down his boots and slipped them off before opening the front door. The pretty hardwood floors were his aunt’s pride and joy. As a carpenter, he appreciated the way she cared for them. Plenty of people would have had to replace some of that beautiful wood with as many kids and grandkids as Aunt Leticia had in and out regularly. But as far as Aidan knew, she’d never even needed to refinish them.

The house was quiet as he stepped in, except the sound of Christmas music playing on the radio back in the kitchen. He followed the tune and found his aunt stirring the fragrant pumpkin soup and humming along to Elvis’s “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me.”

“Hello, Aidan,” she said calmly with a smile.

Walt sat on the slate kitchen floor. It was heated from beneath by a hot water system, so it was a favorite cozy spot for all of the kids. He had a bowl of water and a paintbrush, and it was clear he had been painting patterns on the floor with water and watching them evaporate, just like Aidan had done once upon a time. Walt’s chubby little feet were bare, and it was all Aidan could do not to scoop him up in his arms and cuddle him.

“Daddy,” Walt said happily, looking up at Aidan. “Watch this.”

Aidan watched Walt dip his brush carefully in the water, wipe the excess on the side, and drag the brush along the floor, making a line.

“Wow,” Aidan said, admiring his son’s fine motor skills. “You’re decorating Aunt Leticia’s house for her.”

“But look, it dis appears,” Walt sang out excitedly.

Aidan crouched down and they both bent over the line on the floor. Sure enough, a moment later the line was gone.

“Wow,” Aidan said.

“It’s gone ,” Walt said, his husky little voice bright with delight. “You can’t see it anymore. ”

“It’s a fun way to practice writing letters too,” Aunt Leticia said fondly.

“You have the best ideas for fun things to do,” Aidan told her, meaning it.

“This one only works when the furnace is running,” she said, laughing. “And before this, he was outside with his uncle, having a nice walk.”

“He spotted some cardinals on the fence by the old barn,” Uncle Simon piped up from his chair in the family room.

“The boys are red,” Walt said. “And the girls are brown.”

He was dipping his brush back in the water before Aidan could respond.

“I brought the bread,” Aidan told his aunt, ruffling Walt’s hair before pointing to the counter, where he had deposited the paper bags.

“Isn’t that so sweet how she has her bags labeled and those cute little stickers,” Leticia said to herself as she took a look.

“Sorry I took a little extra time,” he added. “I may have a new job lined up.”

“Out here?” his aunt asked. “That’s wonderful. Who’s it for?”

“MacKenzie Forrest,” he replied, feeling a weird little zing in his chest when he said her name.

“Oh, that poor girl,” his aunt said, sighing. “It’s so sad what happened with her ballet career.”

“What ballet career?” Aidan asked.

“Didn’t you know her from school?” Aunt Leticia asked, frowning at him.

“She was way behind me,” he told her. “I think she was a freshman when I was a senior.”

“Well, she danced here in town with her grandmother, of course, and then she was accepted into an academy in New York to dance with the ballet there when she was only a year or so into high school,” his aunt said. “She got into the professional company after that and danced for years before she finally made it to the bigger parts. This winter was her first principal role.”

“Wow,” he said, impressed.

“Except she got badly injured during her very first performance,” Aunt Leticia said, shaking her head. “There was a piece about it in the Philly paper this morning, if you’re curious. It’s devastating.”

“Maybe that’s why she cried so much,” he realized out loud.

“She cried ?” Aunt Leticia echoed in horror.

“Well, she hit my car—” he began.

“Good heavens,” Aunt Leticia said. “Are you okay? Is she okay?”

“Oh, it was just with a shopping cart,” he said. “But I sort of yelled at her.”

“A shopping cart?”

“Well, it was a very full shopping cart,” he said defensively.

“Why would you yell at her after all she’s been through?” Aunt Leticia asked with a frown.

“I didn’t know about all that then,” he said, feeling even more annoyed with himself than she was. “Anyway, I think we’re good now. ”

“Why did she have a shopping cart?” Uncle Simon called to him from the family room.

“Are you good with Mallory now, too?” Aunt Leticia asked at the same time. “I want to be able to show my face in town.”

Aidan felt another pang of guilt for not exactly explaining or apologizing to Mallory, even when he’d seen her today. He’d been hoping maybe his aunt had said something, but it sounded like maybe she hadn’t.

“Well, she was the one who recommended me to MacKenzie,” he said. “So I guess we’re all good now.”

Aunt Leticia nodded, looking satisfied.

“You’d better do a great job for MacKenzie Forrest,” his uncle called to him from the other room. “That kid could use a win.”

She’s not the only one , he thought to himself.

But when his gaze returned to Walt, who was concentrating hard, his little mouth pouting slightly, Aidan remembered how incredibly lucky he already was.

The last thing he needed to be thinking about was romance.