Chapter Seven
Aedan lingered on his way to Pat’s. His heart hammered inside his chest as he mulled around with what he would say to the Collins about his leg. It shouldn’t be something that terrified him, but Aedan didn’t want pity. He didn’t want to see the look of utter sorrow in their eyes as he explained it all. He’d gotten enough of that from the nurses at the hospitals he’d had to suffer through over the years.
While he was with Mona, the leg situation had all but disappeared. With her, he was whole. She didn’t care about his limitations—hell, in her bed it didn’t seem as though she believed he had any. He welcomed that, wanted to cherish that for as long as she would let him.
He parked the motorcycle beside a black sports car and removed his helmet. For a moment, he simply remained there, mentally going through the events in his life brought him to that moment. With the sun warming him to the core, he allowed his mind to swim back to Mona—the woman who had given herself to him. Her faith in him, her trust in him was sexier than anything else he’d ever had with a woman.
The past weekend as the happiest he’d ever been.
A honking car pulled him from his thoughts and he glanced around in time to see a car running a red light. He frowned, climbed off the cycle and made his way up to the front door to Pat’s Aedan was barely in the door before Killian stepped into the bar from the back. He waved and made his way over to the bar and hopped onto a stool.
“Hey,” Killian said. “You’ve been scarce. I went by your place to see if you wanted to come hang with Tristan and I, but you weren’t there.”
“Yeah—sorry. I’ve been spending some time with Mona. The weekend was just her and I. Is Kiera around?”
Killian raised his hands. “Whoa. Hold up. No changing the subject. You spent the entire weekend with her?”
“Yeah. Surprised me too. But I didn’t want to leave.”
“Are you serious about this woman?”
Aedan thought about the question carefully before nodding. “I am—I want to be. She makes me happy. She doesn’t judge. I’ve opened myself to her, parts of myself I haven’t even told you guys about.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not like I don’t trust you—It’s—it became easier to hide.”
“No, I get it.” Killian shook his head. “You’re grown. You haven’t been here in a few years. I’m under no delusions that we know everything about your life. You—you don’t know everything about mine.” Killian set a shot of tequila in front of him. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“I’m riding…”
“Trust me, Cal. When I tell you what I want to, you’re gonna need that. As a matter of fact…” Killian poured a second shot and set it beside the first.
Aedan inhaled deeply, held the breath and exhaled. He used a finger to ease the shot glasses out of his reach and rested both arms on the counter. “Tell me.”
Killian dragged his palm over his head. “It’s about Lilly and I—and Justin.”
“Lilly—Lilly—why does that name sound familiar?”
“We went to school with her and she…”
“Oooh! Nerdy Lilly!” Aedan laughed. “Go on.”
“Her and I are together.” Killian cleared his throat.
“Um—okay? I don’t see anything weird about that.” Aedan sat back.
“Right. That part is fairly straightforward.” Killian poured himself a shot and knocked it back. “We’re together with Justin.”
Aedan tilted his head to the side. “I don’t get it.”
“You know?” Killian made a circle with his thumb and index finger of his right hand before pushing his index finger through it. “Together?”
Aedan squinted, his mind still not connecting Killian’s action with his words. “You’re having sex with Lilly. Got it. And—you’re with Justin….
“Together.” Killian brought his palms together.
“Together with—oh. Oh!” He leaned across, grabbed the tequila shots and swallowed both, one after the other. “One more.”
Once he’d down that as well, he turned the glasses upside down on the bar-top. “So, the three of you are in a relationship? How does that work, exactly?”
“It works for us. I mean, I’m under no delusion it’s for everyone.”
“That’s for sure. I couldn’t imagine sharing my woman with another person.”
“Don’t judge me.”
“I’m not judging you.” Aedan exhaled and licked his lips. “I’m really not. If I was, I would have told you that to your face. I just want to get things straight in my head. I mean, I only met Mona a short time now but thinking of another man touching her makes me angry. So, sexually—how is that?”
“Cal, why don’t you ask me the question you really want to ask.”
“Okay.” Aedan met Killian’s hard stare. “Are you gay, bisexual?”
Killian shrugged. “We don’t want to label it.”
“Fair enough. And the others? What do they?”
“I thought they would be upset. Forbid it. But, they are okay with it. I guess, as long as I’m happy and things are working out, then, they’re good.”
“And this makes you happy? Being with Justin and Lilly like this, I mean.”
“No doubt about it. I’m happy.”
“I’m not going to pretend I understand this.” Aedan admitted. “I’m the kind of man who believes that if I have a woman, I’m the only one she’s to give her body to. Her body belongs to me and never anyone else. I’m territorial like that. And the same goes for me—my body belongs to her.”
“So am I—territorial, that is. Just—if Lilly was to give herself to someone other than me or Justin then I’d become you. We keep ourselves just to us. Listen, I know this is going to take some getting used to. It was for the family, even for me. But I care about these two like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Okay. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“It can’t be that simple.”
“Of course, it can be. Killian, I know what it’s like to have a complicated world. After you’ve driven over a roadside bomb and had to sit in a hospital, alone for a year while you heal and then rehab, most things that other people take offense to aren’t really that important. All these little things, sexuality, freaking out about the colour of someone’s skin—let them go. They’re not that important in the grand scheme of things. Life is very short, Kil. Right now, I want to focus on getting my life together, so I can deserve this woman. I’m trying to bring her into my world. In order to do that, I must deserve her for her to be happy.”
“What are you saying? Just so I’m sure.”
Aedan laughed. “No judgments here. Okay?”
Killian nodded. “This means a lot to me. I know, I was a bit of a dick when you showed up. I was surprised.”
“I get it.” Aedan gave him a grin. “Already forgotten.”
“So—Mona, huh?”
“Yesterday she tried helping me put my leg on.” Aedan chuckled.
“Oh yeah? How’d that go?”
“Ended in hilarity. I never thought I could ever laugh at anything to do with my leg. As we sat there, I realized if she kept trying to help me, we’d only wind up making love the entire day. We wouldn’t get anything done.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“No. But the family still doesn’t know about my leg and I think it’s time I tell them. Could you get everyone together?”
“A little hard right now. It’s like we’ve doubled in size. A few are off on vacation right now. I should be able to get everyone together at some point—maybe a month or so?”
“That’s too far away. I don’t want to keep this a secret for much longer.”
“I’m sorry, Cal. You could send an email.”
“Nah. This is the kind of news you tell someone face to face.” Aedan sighed. “I guess I could start with Kiera.”
“I’ll give you the address.”
He left Killian and rode to Kiera’s. The home was beautiful, something he always saw for her. Still, he couldn’t help thinking how much growing up Kiera had done in the time he’d been away.
The rumble of the motorcycle must have caught their attention because before he could turn the engine off, the front door opened, and a man stuck his head out. Aedan didn’t recognize him but assumed that was the Mr. Wallace, Kiera was so proud of.
“Can I help you?”
“Hey there.” Aedan killed the engine and remove his helmet. “My name is Aedan Callahan. I’m here to see Kiera.” He tossed his leg over the bike and made his way up the front steps.
“Aedan—right.” The man extended a hand. “Will. Come on in. Kiera is in the house.”
“Awesome.”
Aedan made his way inside and followed Will along a beautifully decorated hall. When he found Kiera, she was in the kitchen cooking. He smiled. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Cal!” Kiera cheered. She hurried over for a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Me either. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“I’ll leave you two to it.” Will said, stopping to kiss Kiera. “I have to pick up Caitlyn anyway. It was nice meeting you, Aedan.”
“See you around,” Aedan replied. “Caitlyn?”
“Yeah. Our daughter.” Keira explained. “I’m glad you’re home. Now, she gets to meet her uncle Aedan.”
“I need to buy a shotgun.”
Kiera laughed. “Aedan Callahan don’t you dare scare off the boys.”
“I promise nothing.” Aedan grumbled.
He waited for Kiera to pour then both something to drink then the two took seats at a family table.
“All right. You wanted to talk—what’s on your mind?”
Aedan stared at her for a while. She was still as beautiful as the day he’d first seen her. Strange, back then he had a crush on Kiera—a silly little thing that lasted all of two seconds. She’d been kind to him. After about a month, he’d fallen in step with her family. When life became too overwhelming, he’d hide out behind Pat’s with a bowl of French fries. Keira would join him with a bottle of juice and they’d share the treat.
In those moments, they didn’t have to speak. They were passed in silence and at the end, Aedan felt right as rain.
He inhaled deeply. “Well, it’s about my limp.”
“Okay.”
“For two years I was deployed. I can’t really tell you where but our Humvee drove over a roadside bomb. I lost a couple of my guys and my left leg had to be amputated just below the knee.”
“Cal…”
“Then there were months of healing, then rehab, then the wait to get a prosthetic—it took some doing.”
“Why didn’t you come home? Why didn’t you call us?”
“The happiness I felt here was everything to me. I didn’t want to tarnish that. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome—and I know that’s not true but that didn’t stop how I felt. I didn’t want anyone to see me like that.”
“Why was it so important for you to get away from here?”
“You knew Bronagh only took me in because of my mother.” Aedan confessed. “After uncle Woody died my life just became a bigger hell hole than it had been with him in it. She tortured me, Keira. Why do you think I spent so much time with you guys?”
“Because you adored us?”
Aedan laughed. “That too. The day I turned eighteen I ran.”
“I wish you’d told me—or Killian.”
“I know. But it was so dark inside my head. How could I have?”
Keira hugged him tightly. “Well, you’re home now. You’re back where people love you and where a certain African American goddess thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”
“Lord, have mercy.”
“What?”
“When you say it like that.”
Aedan stuck around long enough to fall head over heels for Caitlyn then headed to meet with Mona. She’d asked him to come by her place that evening. Though he wasn’t sure why, he pulled up behind her car and parked. Before he could reach the front steps, Mona opened the door and waved at him. Her curves were wrapped in a sea blue, empire waist dress. He couldn’t believe just how beautiful she looked to him. At the top of the steps, he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her hips and pressing his palms to her ass—because he could.
“Thanks for coming,” Mona said.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course, Mr. Callahan. You will be very busy over the next little while.”
Aedan licked his lips, kissed her roughly then allowed her to pull him into the house and closed the door. With his arms wrapped around her from behind, they moved along the hall and into her art room. There, she extricated her body from his arms and walked over to a canvass that faced the wall.
“I wanted to give you a gift.”
“Mona…”
“I want to.” She picked up the canvas and turned it for him to see.
The image before him was of him. The background was the American flag, pale but flowing behind him. “Is—is this how you see me?”
“Yes.”
“Wow—that’s the sweetest, most considerate thing anyone has ever said to me.”
She smiled. “Do you really like it?”
“I love it.” Aedan stepped forward to accept it. “But is there any way you could drop it off at my place? I can’t exactly bring it home on my bike.”
Aedan leaned the painting against the wall and drew her into his arms.
“You’re just asking me to do that to get me into your place.”
He winked at her. “Is it that obvious?” Aedan pecked her lips. “I was trying to be subtle about it. You’re wearing panties.”
“Mmm.”
“Why? You knew I was coming over.”
She nodded.
“I think, Mona Lisa Frye, that you wanted me to discipline you.”
Mona moaned. “Maybe I was being a bit of a brat so that I’d see what your taste of chastisement felt like.”
“Your wish is my command.”