Chapter Three

Aiden

 

“I really appreciate you coming with me,” Liam said.

I followed him inside the animal shelter. It was dimly lit and smelled of urine and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“I’m happy to do it. I can’t wait to see Holly’s face light up,” I smiled.

“She’s been begging for months now, so Alyssa finally gave me the go ahead. But she said I have to clean up after it and walk it.” Liam rolled his eyes.

“How can I help you?” a petite blonde asked as we approached the front desk.

Her eyes were green, her skin tan, and she had a strong northern accent. Liam nudged me in the side, winking in my direction.

“We’re here to adopt a puppy,” I said, hoping the woman hadn’t noticed his less than sly hints.

She blushed. Shit, she’d noticed.

“I can show you to the back. There are a few puppies, but some older dogs too,” she informed us as she motioned us through the white door.

The smell was even stronger back there. I couldn’t imagine how she handled that odor all day.

“She’s cute,” Liam whispered in my ear as we followed her down a long hall.

Yes, she was cute.

“I’ll let you take a look. If you want to spend some time with any of the canines, just let me know,” she smiled, and with that, she disappeared.

Before she left, I noticed a ring on her finger. She was already taken. When I informed Liam of what I’d seen, he wrinkled his nose, displaying his disappointment.

“We need to find you a woman,” he chuckled.

“Now you just sound like my mother,” I laughed.

Liam took the lead, walking down the long hall. There were cages lining the area, each with at least one dog inside, some with multiple ones of different breeds.

“What kind of dog do you want?” I asked, staring down a large Rottweiler.

“Not a huge dog, especially since Alyssa said I have to clean up after it,” he laughed.

“Good point,” I agreed.

Liam checked each cage, stopping at the last one. He leaned over, letting a small golden puppy sniff his hand.

“He’s cute,” he pointed out.

“He may grow into a pretty big dog,” I noted.

“Ya think?” Liam asked, petting the puppy on the top of his head.

“Look at those paws,” I pointed out.

Liam shrugged. It was obvious he’d already made his choice. I shook my head and walked down the hall to find the cute, unavailable girl. He was the one that had to clean up the massive piles of crap, not me.

“I think he’s found a puppy,” I informed her.

She grabbed a key from a hook by her desk, smiled, and followed me back to the cage where Liam stood.

After Liam was allowed to play with the pup, there was no changing his mind. The woman asked about who lived in the home, agreed that the breed, a lab, was great for kids, and then informed Liam of how much exercise the dog required. I chuckled at the thought of Liam being pulled down the street by the horse in six months on the multiple walks he’d be on each day.

“He’s perfect,” Liam smiled, oblivious to what he was getting into.

After a ton of paperwork, another quick interview, and a couple hundred bucks, Liam had a puppy for Holly, and we were pulling up to the front of his house.

He’d bought a giant red bow earlier that day, and watching him try to tie it around the hyper dog’s neck was hilarious. Finally, he managed to get the dog calmed down and out of the truck. He immediately took a giant dump on the front lawn, to which I couldn’t help but laugh.

Alyssa stepped out onto the porch, her head shaking as she watched Liam struggling to hold onto the leash as the puppy pulled him towards the house.

“That’s going to be a big dog,” Alyssa moaned.

“But, he’s gonna be a great dog,” Liam boasted.

“Is Holly around back?” I asked.

Alyssa nodded and motioned me around the side of the house. I walked to the backyard, opening the gate slowly, and found Holly on the swing set, singing to herself as she kicked her feet to take her swing higher and higher into the sky.

“Uncle Liam!” she exclaimed, leaping from the swing and landing perfectly on her feet.

She ran towards me and wrapped her arms around my legs. My heart instantly melted. I’d grown so attached to her over the years that she considered me her uncle, even though I wasn’t, not really. I took the role very seriously though.

“You dad has a surprise for you,” I smiled, instantly getting a huge grin from Holly.

“Where?” she asked eagerly.

“In front. You have to cover your eyes, and I’ll help you to the porch,” I directed.

She didn’t hesitate. She covered her eyes and let me guide her blindly through the yard, down the side of the house, and to the front porch.

“Can I open them now?” she pleaded.

“Not yet,” Liam said quickly, letting the dog pull him to Holly, who stood there with her hands over her eyes, and her body trembling with excitement.

The puppy pushed into her, almost knocking her off her feet. She removed her hands, her mouth fell open wide, and she let out a squeal of pleasure.

“Is he mine?” she gasped.

“He sure is,” Liam agreed proudly.

Alyssa couldn’t even contain her grin as she watched her daughter gush with excitement.

It was moments like these that made me consider finding a wife and starting a family. I knew I was missing out on a lot; I just wasn’t sure I was ready. Even if I was ready, it wasn’t like there were a lot of good women to pick from in this small town, or even the next one over.

Holly wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck, kissed his cheek, and then ran to her mother to repeat her appreciation. She grabbed the leash and ran towards the backyard, and we all followed.

“You want a beer?” Liam asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

I straddled the end of the lounger on the back deck, leaned back, and watched Holly play with her new puppy. She ran through the yard, the dog chasing her, and she’d laugh as he’d catch her, knocking her down onto the grass and licking at her face.

Liam handed me a beer, took a seat on the lounger beside me, and stared out into the yard.

“There’s nothing better than this, right here,” he smiled.

I felt a twinge of guilt run through my veins remembering how I’d kept Alyssa’s secret about Holly and deprived him of eleven years of his daughter’s life. It wasn’t fair. I could see just how unfair it had been now, watching him watch her with that shit-eating grin smeared across his face.

“When are you gonna settle down and have one of your own?” Alyssa asked, taking a seat at the table across from me and Liam.

“What the fuck is going on here? Have you two been talking to my mother?” I gasped.

Alyssa’s eyes widened, and her smile spread across her face as she let out a laugh. “Touchy subject?” she teased.

“Slightly,” I rolled my eyes.

“I tried to hook him up with the girl at the animal hospital, but she was married,” Liam chimed in.

I took a long swig of my beer, suddenly needing the alcohol more than ever.

“I’m sure there are plenty of nice girls out there, ones that aren’t married,” Alyssa insisted.

“Not really, and even if there was, where would I meet them?” I laughed.

It wasn’t exactly like women flocked to the construction company, and all I ever did was work and, of course, have Sunday meals with my mother and abuela.

“You mom still on ya pretty hard?” Liam asked.

“You have no idea,” I groaned.

I knew he had somewhat of an idea. I’d complained about it plenty when he’d call, but it had gotten much worse over the last few years, and really bad once Liam came back into town. I wouldn’t ever tell Liam, or Alyssa, but I think my mother was expecting Alyssa and I would end up together. She was more like a sister to me, someone I loved, but would never consider a romantic interest.

“Sounds like you need to find a woman, and fast,” Alyssa laughed.

“Yeah. I’m almost to the point where I’d pay one to marry me, just as a front to get her and my abuela off my back,” I joked.

“That might work,” Liam sat up, staring at me with a strange look.

“You’re crazy. I was just joking around,” I scoffed.

“Think about it: you’d get all the benefits of marriage, with none of the headaches,” Liam joked.

“Not all the benefits,” Alyssa interrupted, sliding her leg out from under her long skirt.

Liam let out a growl. “Yeah, screw that,” he laughed. “Why is she so hard on you?” Liam asked.

“She says I’m denying her a God-given right to be an abuela, and she says my abuela should be a great-grandmother before she dies,” I exhaled.

“Is she sick?” Alyssa asked, concern in her eyes.

“No. She’s healthier than you or me,” I roared.

Everyone laughed, knowing how mothers could lay on the guilt, especially Hispanic mothers.

“You could find a girl who just wanted to have a baby; maybe we could put an ad out in the paper,” Liam taunted.

“Really, because we live in the nineteen-fifties?” Alyssa giggled.

“Well, what about a dating app?” Liam asked.

The thought made me sick. I wasn’t great at talking to women, so going out on blind dates, no thank you.

“I’ll pass on either of those ideas,” I sighed, chugging the rest of my beer.

Alyssa got up to go inside, leaving me and Liam alone on the deck. He reached into the cooler by his feet, pulled out two beers, and handed me one.

“So, what happened with Blake today?” I asked carefully.

“Ugh, I honestly don’t know,” Liam sighed.

“I ran into her, or well, she ran into me, rather,” I stammered.

Liam’s eyes landed on mine, serious and heavy. “What did she say?” he asked.

“She was crying. The only thing I could get out of her was she met you, ran off, you looked like your dad, and she couldn’t do it,” I explained.

Liam’s eyes widened.

“It was strange. I know she’s upset with me for not coming back, but for the first few years, I couldn’t,” Liam huffed.

“I know,” I agreed.

“Losing our parents was hard on me too, and she was still in college. I didn’t think she needed me to come home. If I knew she did, that Alyssa did, hell, I would’ve been here as soon as I could have been,” Liam poured his heart out.

“She’ll come around. Just give her time,” I assured my friend.

I’d known Blake for a long time, and one thing I knew for sure was she couldn’t hold a grudge. Her heart was huge, and she loved her brother, looked up to him, so she would forgive him, for everything.