"Would you mind dropping by the cemetery before taking me home?" Kate asked once they got in Drew's car after her family's memorial activities were done. It had been an emotional day for everyone. She had loved reliving the memories her family and Drew had of her brother. But while it had been therapeutic, it had also been hard. Aiden had been a ray of sunshine, everyone's friend, the wise but fun older brother. The day had ended with everyone writing a message to Aiden then attaching it to a balloon and sending it up into the sky. But there were some things she wanted to "tell" him. Things she also needed to tell Drew. Especially after his question about her and Nolan.

So they headed to the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.

"Do you want me to wait in the car?" Drew asked as they drove down the road closest to Aiden's plot.

"No." Kate played with the hem of her skirt. "I'd like the company."

She didn't want to say everything twice.

So they walked through the grass until they came to the white marble stone that marked Aiden's burial site.

Not nearly enough years were lived between that dash.

That first year, Kate had come to this spot monthly whenever she needed to talk to her brother. Before he died, he'd always given her great advice, and he understood her better than anyone else. Even though they were three years apart, the age gap had seemed to disappear once she joined him in high school.

"Hey, Aiden," she said, looking down at the stone. "Sorry it's been a while since I've come here. I've kind of had a busy year. As you know, I got married to Nolan last summer." Kate rubbed her finger, where her ring should have been. A bird landed on the ground a few feet away, pecking around for something to eat.

"Are you sure you want me to hear all this?" Drew interrupted, his face showing how uncomfortable he felt.

"You need to hear this, too." She looked at him carefully. "Anyway, I ran into Drew at the store a few weeks ago, he was dressed like a maniac." Drew chuckled beside her. "And he offered me this awesome job. I think he's trying to help fill in for my big brother." Drew put his arm around her and squeezed her against his side. "Anyway, he's actually a pretty big deal these days. As if being a super successful businessman wasn't enough, he's also a big reality TV star and has all kinds of women wishing they could marry him. So, he got me this job where I'm pretty much his slave and have to do everything he wants…but it's also going to help me get in with the people who can hopefully help me follow my dreams." She looked up at Drew with watery eyes and smiled before continuing with her story.

"But there's something I haven't told either of you…haven't really told anyone besides our family, actually." She paused and took a deep breath. "I've been lying to Drew about me and Nolan." Drew's arm tightened around her for a second. She didn't dare look at him to see his reaction. Instead, she tried to draw in a calming breath, but it didn't work. "We actually separated only one month after getting married. Things were a lot different once we were married. Nolan had kept a lot of secrets from me, and he didn't treat me very well."

Tears bit at her eyes as she remembered that month of being a prisoner in her own home. How controlling Nolan had become. How she couldn't even talk to her mom and dad on the phone when he was around because he was always so paranoid about what she might tell them. Then there was the Internet history he'd forgotten to clear.

"Anyway, Mom and Dad came and got me one day and brought me home. Then Dad had a good talk with Nolan, which sent him packing. He lives in Seattle now with an old girlfriend he'd been messing around with while we were together. We filed for an annulment and everything was taken care of by October."

Drew was completely silent as he listened, and when Kate finally dared look up again, she noticed his eyes were damp and his face so somber.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Kate whispered. "I felt terrible lying. I was just so embarrassed about the whole thing. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want anyone to know about it."

Drew pulled her into his chest and held her so tight she could barely breathe. "Don't feel sorry for one second," he spoke into her hair. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Kate nodded and leaned her head against his chest, soaking up all the strength she could from his strong arms.

After a long moment, where Drew just held her and rubbed her back, she said, "If I'd known I was going to get a big bear hug instead of a how-could-you-lie-to-me look, I would have told you weeks ago." She laughed, wiping the moisture from her eyes.

A low rumble echoed through his chest. "Anytime you need a hug just let me know. I'm pretty much a professional hugger these days."

"The bachelor usually is, consoling all those hormonal ladies he's dating." She leaned against him a moment longer before finally peeling herself away. "And I really might take you up on that. I mean, how many girls get to brag about hugging The Drew Burrows whenever they want?"

Drew just shook his head and pulled her back toward his car. "I'm really not that big of a deal."

"Oh, but you are." She smiled, realizing just then that she was holding Drew's hand. Which brought up another thought. "I'm probably going to lose my job now, huh?"

Drew went still. "Why would you lose your job?"

"Didn't you say Alexis was against you spending much time alone with a single woman?"

That seemed to bring him to the present, because he let go of her hand. He sighed, and she kept her gaze down, afraid she'd see on his face that her fears were right.

But instead of telling her that he was going to call and tell Alexis the news now, he said, "Will being single keep you from fulfilling your duties as my handler?"

Would it be terrible if she admitted that part of her really didn't want to help him get engaged to Gwen? A part that was growing bigger every day?

Yeah, Alexis definitely wouldn't want to keep her on if she knew that.

"I think being single actually makes it easier for me to fulfill it. My schedule is a lot more flexible than it would be otherwise."

She hoped that sounded convincing enough.

"Then let's just keep this between us for now. Alexis has enough to worry about already, and it's not like we're anything but friends, right?"

Her heart sunk a little at the word friends, but she forced a smile on her lips and gave his arm a bump with her knuckles. "Yep. Just a couple of good friends from way back in the day."