Chapter One

Aiden

 

“Mom, I’m on my way to work,” I spoke loudly into the phone.

It was useless. She wasn’t going to hear me, not until I told her what she wanted to hear.

“I deserve to be an abuela,” my mother sighed in her guilt-ridden fashion.

“I know you do, but I’m just not ready for marriage,” I argued the familiar argument.

This was becoming a chore to not get married and have kids. My mother and my grandmother—my abuela—were on my case constantly.

“Ready? You think I was ready to be a mother and wife at seventeen?” she roared into the phone, the tone of her voice growing high-pitched, and her story readying itself for another outing.

I’d heard it all before, so many times I could recite it word for word.

“I figured it out. Your father figured it out. That’s what makes a man a man, not some war. It’s being a parent; that’s when you find your true strength. Alejandro, God rest his soul, what would he think of you denying your mother her God-given right to be an abuela?” she ranted.

I always hated when she brought my father into the argument. I looked up towards the sky, towards the heavens where my father rested, and looked for mercy, a sign, a blast from above that would render all cell phone towers useless.

“You know how I feel about this conversation,” I growled into the phone.

People were passing by me on their way to work, to breakfast, or just for their morning stroll. They didn’t have phones glued to their ears with their mothers pumping them full of guilt as they started their days.

“I just want you happy, Aiden,” my mother poured one last ounce of guilt through the phone.

“I am happy,” I sighed.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it,” she pleaded.

“Okay. I’ll think about it,” I caved.

A loud gasp of excitement exploded through the phone and into my ear. A woman walking by turned and smiled in my direction. Oh God, she could hear my mother’s cry of joy.

“I love you,” I said quickly and hung up the phone.

I shoved the device into my pocket, hopeful that it would stay silent long enough for me to grab a cup of coffee and get back to work.

A woman walked by with a small girl attached to her hand. I smiled at the little one, who quickly tucked her face into her mother’s dress as they continued walking. Kids… Why did I need kids?

I turned, watching the little girl peeking back at me, her smile appearing as the space between us widened. She was cute. There was a small part of me that could see me with a kid, maybe two, but not right now, not yet.

“Hey, man,” I looked up to see Liam.

I nearly ran right into him.

“Hey,” I greeted my old friend.

He chuckled, looking past me towards the woman on the street with the child.

“You dirty dog,” he teased, his eyes narrowing as he spoke.

“No, I-uh, the little girl, she smiled at me, that’s all,” I stammered.

“Sure,” Liam grinned.

“Look at you, all suited up,” I scanned my friend from head to toe.

He was wearing a black suit, similar to the one in the Men in Black movies. I avoided the chuckle that was growing in my throat, having to swallow it hard once I noticed the dark sunglasses on his head.

“Oh, yeah. I have to be at work after…” he trailed off, leaving me standing there, curious, wondering what was before.

“You okay, man?” I asked Liam, who seemed to be drifting somewhere far from where we stood.

“Yeah. I’m just a little anxious, I guess,” he admitted.

“I can see that, but why?” I questioned.

Liam shifted his feet, shoved his hands into his pockets, and his eyes squinted towards the sun. Something was bothering him, but I couldn’t imagine what. He had it all. Life had worked out for him with Holly, Alyssa, and this great job.

“Blake. She’s meeting me for coffee,” Liam finally explained.

Blake. That was a name I hadn’t heard in a while, a long while.

“Blake, your sister, Blake?” I asked, shocked.

Liam nodded without a smile. The look on his face was far from enthused.

“When did she get into town?” I asked.

“Last night. Alyssa made me call her to make amends before the wedding,” he explained.

“Wow. Little Blake. I haven’t seen her in years, since…” I stopped myself from completing that sentence.

We didn’t talk about Liam and Blake’s parents’ death. Even though it was over twelve years ago, it was a topic that was better left alone.

“She’s still holding a grudge that I didn’t come home,” Liam sulked.

“That was a long time ago, and besides, she took off and never came back too,” I offered up some encouragement.

“Yeah, but you know Blake. She has a way of making everything someone else’s fault,” Liam grumbled.

I remembered Blake was sometimes hard to handle, but that didn’t change the fact she was one of my best friends when I was younger. Liam’s kid sister, a little bratty, very beautiful, and so smart, she could outwit anyone. I was looking forward to seeing her again.

“A lot of time has gone by. I’m sure she’s grown up by now,” I smiled, patting my friend on the shoulder.

“Let’s hope,” he grinned nervously.

“Let’s plan on getting together, that is, once you two bury the hatchet,” I offered.

“Sounds good,” Liam reached out, slapping his hand on my back.

He turned, nodded, and started on his way down the sidewalk. The chuckle I’d been holding back finally let loose as I watched Liam walk down the street of the small town in his black suit. He stood out like a sore thumb.