by Wade, Maddie
“Are you better now, Mommy?”
“Yes, AJ, I feel a lot better now, thank you.”
He looked at her with a solemn, serious expression. “It’s okay now, Mommy. Uncle Aiden is going to look after us, he promised.”
Willow looked up at Aiden who was watching them both from where he sat on the arm of the chair behind her. “Is that so?”
Aiden nodded. “Absolutely, and maybe we should start by getting Mom some food and showing her where her new clothes are?”
AJ glanced back at the movie he was watching, and she grinned. “Why don’t you finish your movie and Uncle Aiden can show me.”
“Okay.”
AJ was gone in a flash, back to a world of superheroes saving the day. If only it were that simple in real life. She’d got herself in a dangerous mess, and she had no idea how to get out of it, but she’d known Aiden would, which was why she’d gone to him.
He stood and held out his hand for her. “Come on, let me show you your stuff and then we can talk.” He walked back to the room she’d been in and only then did she see all the bags in the corner. Not only that, she noticed all of Aiden’s things. It was his bed she’d spent the last however many days sleeping in while she was sick.
“Is this your room?” She sat on the bed feeling guilty, and he sat beside her, his closeness making her want to lean into him and absorb his strength.
“Yes, I thought you’d be more comfortable in here as the bed is bigger.”
His shoulder rubbed against her shoulder, and she gave in to the need to touch him and rested her head against his arm. He immediately moved away, and she felt foolish until he lifted his arm and pulled her into his embrace. Willow had experienced sexy, passionate, demanding Aiden over the last few years, and she loved it, but she’d missed this side of him. Her friend, the man she knew she could turn to and lean on. Yet, this felt different from before because the undercurrent of sexual tension was out in the open this time.
“I missed this.”
He stiffened slightly but then relaxed. “Me too, Wills.”
They sat like that for a minute or two, not really knowing who needed it more or what they would do or where they would go from here.
Aiden let go and stood, and she noticed the erection he couldn’t hide in his sweatpants. He looked down, heat flooding his cheeks. “Ignore him. He’s an asshole with no manners.”
Willow laughed but ignoring it when she knew the pleasure it could bring her was difficult. Yet, now wasn’t the time or the place, if indeed there was ever a time and place to sleep with your dead fiancé’s brother. “I should take a shower.”
Aiden backed toward the door, and the desire between them practically permeated the air, it was so intense. “Towels are in the bathroom, and the lotions and stuff you might need are in the bags. I’ll make you some soup. Still like mushroom?”
Willow nodded, smiling, the debate between which soup was better when you were sick was a long-standing one, and one, she, Aiden, and Aaron had had many times. Aaron believed it was tomato, she thought mushroom, and Aiden voted chicken. Looking back, she didn’t even know how it started, but it was a fond memory of the three of them. One she could cherish now without the sharp stab of grief.
Aaron had left a hole in their lives which would never be filled, and for a while, she’d thought she’d die from the pain, especially when she lost Aiden too, but her son had been her saving grace. That tiny human needed her, and in him, Aaron would always live on.
Going through the bags, she found way more clothes than she needed, as well as shoes, plain, cotton underwear, which was perfect, brushes, and ponytail holders. Picking up a simple pair of jersey cotton pyjamas, she went to the bathroom.
Within minutes of the hot water hitting her, she felt more human, cleaning her body, and using the razor he’d thoughtfully provided to tidy her legs, pits, and bits. Once she’d rinsed the second lot of shampoo from her hair, she lathered it in conditioner and rinsed again. She didn’t know what possessed her, but she set aside the flowery shower gel and used the one she knew Aiden used.
Being in here where he’d been naked seemed naughty and wrong, yet as she covered her body in the suds that smelled like him, she couldn’t regret it any more than she could coming here. Being here felt right in a way that nothing had in a long time now.
Once she was dressed—even if it was in pjs—and her hair was combed through, she shoved her feet in the slippers he’d bought and went to find her son and Aiden.
Willow found him setting a bowl of soup and some bread on the table. His eyes came to hers, and she was almost struck dumb by his good looks. Everyone thought Aiden and Aaron were identical, and to some they were, but not to her. The differences were subtle, but they were enough that she could tell them apart easily. Even the way they touched her and spoke to her was different. Aaron had been gentle, sweet. Aiden was more demanding, confident but quiet.
“Would you like some water or juice?”
Willow took a seat, and her tummy grumbled at the sight of the food. “Juice would be good if you have it.”
“You got it.”
Aiden walked away, and she looked over to her son as she ate the first spoonful, which tasted so good. She was three spoons in when Aiden set a glass of pineapple juice beside her bowl. She smiled that he’d remembered her favourite, which was also her son’s. He sat opposite her, and the silence was slightly awkward as she tried to think of what to say.
“Were your friends angry I crashed the wedding?”
Aiden shook his head and rested his elbows and linked fingers on the table. “No, Gunner and Lacey are pretty laid back.”
“So, you were a groomsman?”
“Best man.”
Her eyes shot to his. “Oh no, and I stole you away from your duties. Please tell me I didn’t make you leave your date on her own?”
“No, no date and my best man duties were finished, so it’s all good.”
“So, you work together?”
“Yeah, he’s Eidolon, too. So is the man who owns this building. He and his wife live upstairs with their daughter Maggie. AJ met them earlier today when we played football in the yard.”
Willow glanced at AJ, who she could see was tired out. Aiden had done an excellent job taking care of him, not that she’d ever doubted he would. “Thank you for stepping in when I was sick. I hadn’t planned our visit to be quite so dramatic, although it is somewhat dramatic, I guess.”
She was babbling she knew it, but she couldn’t seem to stop. Aiden reached over and took her hand, linking their fingers across the table. The touch was so innocent and yet so meaningful.
“Don’t thank me for something I should’ve done five years ago. I meant what I said to AJ. I’ll protect you both, and I’m not going anywhere, so don’t worry about it.”
Her heart jumped to her throat at the sincerity in his voice, and she knew he meant every word. What worried her was his reaction when he realised the full extent of why she was here. “I should put AJ to bed then we can talk. Is that okay?”
Aiden was watching her intently, and she wondered if he could read her mind and see her secrets. He’d always had the ability to do that, to make her feel exposed in ways nobody else ever had. “I’ll see you when you’re done.”
Willow went to take the dishes to the sink, but Aiden took them from her. “You should get him to bed before he falls asleep sitting up. I’m afraid I’m not great with kid’s schedules.”
Her eyes fell on her son, who was nodding off as the credits rolled on the film. He’d been such a trooper on the long flight, and again when they’d got here and had to make a mad dash for a train after seeing the same man from her town on the flight they were on from the States. It may have been a coincidence, but she wasn’t willing to take that chance, so she’d run, leaving everything behind.
Lifting her son, she walked to the room Aiden showed her and set him on the bed. He opened his eyes as she removed his trainers, which were new, and
helped him put his pyjamas on. They had little animal characters from his favourite show on them, and she knew he’d helped Aiden with the clothes and probably wheedled a toy out of his uncle. AJ was a master negotiator when it came to toys, candy, or extra time before bed. He’d probably given Aiden the runaround, and yet, they seemed to have hit it off, as if they’d always known each other, not like the strangers they were.
Once he’d brushed his teeth, she told him a story from memory.
“Mommy, tell me the story about the two monkeys.”
Willow stopped talking. “I don’t know that one sweetheart.”
“Uncle Aiden does, he could tell us both.”
Her heart hurt to know how much these two had bonded, and it scared her what might happen when she left. Would Aiden remain in AJ’s life as he promised, or would he disappear again? “How about Uncle Aiden tells us both tomorrow night?”
“All right.” She smiled at her son’s sulky response, but he was soon asleep next to her. Now it was time for her to face the music and explain precisely why she was there and ask for his help.
Chapter 5
Waggs wiped the kitchen down and loaded the dishwasher as he waited for Willow to come back out. From the second she’d walked out of his bedroom, and he’d seen her watching him and AJ, he’d known everything was different about this trip. From her coming with no notice, to the way seeing her in his home made him feel.
He’d ignored his attraction to Willow for so long, except the stolen moments they shared once a year, but he couldn’t ignore it this time. Not when she looked at him with the same desire in her eyes, the same longing.
He had no clue if it could work between them or even if he was right to pursue it, but he struggled to hold back from touching her. Nothing necessarily sexual, but definitely intimate in a way that it was apparent his feelings weren’t the same as a brother-in-law.
Having her and AJ there the last twenty-four hours had shone a light on how lonely he was but not just that. It also showed him how lost he was without Aaron. He’d been the light to his dark, the one to laugh freely and find the humour in everything, who always had a smile for everyone he met. Waggs was always the serious twin, the studious one who stayed in the background.
Was that the problem? Had he lost his spokesperson and now found himself floundering even five years after his death? He’d held back from his team, only allowing them to get so close to him, but maybe it was time to let go of his brother and move on, with just his memories and the bond they’d shared.
“Hey.”
Waggs spun and there she was, standing in the doorway looking like every fantasy come to life. It took every inch of control he had not to pin her against the fridge and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. “You want to talk at the table or in the living room?”
“Living room works for me.”
Waggs held out his hand for her to go ahead and he kept his eyes from the sweet curves of her ass in those shorts. If he’d known how they would torture him when he’d bought them, he’d have either dived in feet first and bought two more pairs, or he would’ve got her some long-sleeved flannel granny nighties instead.
Willow sat down in the corner of the couch facing the window, and he sat on the opposite end. Her body was angled toward him, but he could sense the nerves coming off her as she bounced her knee and wrung her hands. “Stop worrying, Wills. It can’t be that bad, and if it is, we’ll fix it, okay?”
Willow nodded sharply. “Okay.”
“Start at the beginning, and let’s go from there.”
“You know I work for Jerry Edwards Trucking, right?”
Waggs did remember his mother telling him that Willow had gone back to work part-time, and she watched AJ for her occasionally. He didn’t particularly like Edwards, but his son was a much bigger asshole. He was running for the state Senate last he’d heard and gaining some impressive political allies. “Yes.”
“Well, about three months ago, I had to cover maternity leave for the girl in accounts. It was more money and the same hours, so I jumped at the chance. About a month in, I noticed some irregularities.”
“What kind?” Waggs interest was piqued, and his gut didn’t like where this was going at all.
“Every month the manifest said twelve trucks were going out on the last day of each month, but the weight load suggested it was thirteen. I checked back, and it was always the same, but also there were payments on the last of each month that had no name or reference by them. All containers have a reference or number so immigration can track them when they go over the border to either Canada or Mexico.”
Willow shifted in her seat nervously, and Waggs couldn’t take it anymore, he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer so she was next to him and he could feel her warm skin under his hands. His touched settled her, and she continued. “I wanted to be sure, so I asked Emma, a girl who works for Jerry but is dating Ralph, his son. She said she’d check and get back to me. About a week later she came into work looking shaken, pale, and frightened like she was ill or something. She said it was an error and I should leave it alone.”
Waggs rubbed his head to ease the ache building. “Tell me you left it?”
“I did, but then Ralph started coming into the office and hanging around my desk. One day he cornered me and told me it would be better off if I went back to my old role, and perhaps if I wanted to stay safe, I should keep my nose out of things. I just shrugged it off but then two weeks ago I got a thumb drive in the mail, and it has details of girls’ names, with ages, physical descriptors, and a number. It coincides with the dates on the extra container.”
“You think Jerry is running a sex trafficking ring?” Waggs felt nauseous to think she’d been so close to people like that. A woman like Willow was beautiful and would demand a high price for some sick pervert.
“No, I think Ralph is running it but through his dad’s company. Before he died, do you remember Aaron said he had a meeting with someone, and he wouldn’t say who or where?”
Waggs did remember it, it was one of the rare occasions they’d fought, but Aaron was adamant it was his business and nobody else’s. He’d worried Aaron was cheating on Willow, but when he’d proposed, he’d put it down to that.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, in his phone, which they sent back to me after he died, there was a calendar event for a meeting with RE.”
“You think that was Ralph Edwards? That’s a leap, Wills.”
“I know, but it makes sense. You all knew Ralph from school, but that isn’t all. Once I got the thumb drive, I asked Emma about the meeting. She was reluctant but said she’d ask. I never saw her again, she disappeared, and a week later her body washed up in the river. Someone had shot her in the head and chest.”
“Contract.”
“Exactly, that same day I saw men watching AJ’s school, and I freaked. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I knew if I went to your parents, I could put them in danger, but I couldn’t stay and risk my son. So, I ran to the only person who I knew could and would help me. I know I have no right to drag you into this mess, but I honestly didn’t know what else to do.”
Waggs cupped her face forcing her to look at him. “You did the right thing, Willow. It’s my right to protect you and my privilege. I should never have left you and AJ alone. It wasn’t what Aaron would have wanted.”
Willow blinked, and he saw tears in her eyes. “What about you, Aiden? What do you want?”
He held her tortured gaze and wished he could carry on denying the truth, but he couldn’t; it was past time. “You, Willow. It’s always been you.” Her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her eyelids and hoped he hadn’t just lost everything.
“I want you, too, but how does this work, Aiden? You protect me, and we have sex, and then when the threat is gone, we go our separate ways? Because I can’t do that anymore. I care about you, always have, and it’s tearing me up inside fighting my guilt over Aaron. Loving him and yet
still wanting you.”
“Don’t cry, baby.” Waggs lifted her, so she was sitting on his lap, her body curled into his chest. “I don’t know how this works. This is new to me, and we both have so many unresolved feelings towards Aaron, but I’ll tell you this right now. This is not just sex for me. I don’t think it ever has been. I care about you, too. I’ll protect you and AJ and then we’ll decide together if and how a future could work for us.”
“I don’t want to lose you again, Aiden.”
“You won’t, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen between us, you won’t lose me. I’ll always be here for you and AJ.”
Waggs held her, savouring the feel of her in his arms in a way she’d never been before. He was telling the truth when he said she and AJ would always have him; he’d never walk away from them. He wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t walk away from him though. He wasn’t Aaron, and if she thought he would be, then it would never work. He wasn’t sure it could work anyway. People would assume they’d been cheating on Aaron, and he wouldn’t allow his brother’s memory to become tainted by rumours that weren’t true. Then there were his parents. What the hell would they think about him and Willow being together?
None of that mattered now. First, he had to deal with the danger Willow and AJ were in and find out if his brother had met with Ralph and what that meant. “What happened to your luggage and your purse? AJ said the bad man was coming.”
Willow nodded as she traced patterns on his shirt over his heart where the tattoo in his brother’s memory lay. It was distracting and wonderful at the same time.
“Yes, one of the men I’d seen at the school was on our flight to Heathrow. So when I saw him, I panicked and left my luggage, and we got on the first train to Hereford.”
“You did good, baby.” He kissed her head softly, noticing the scent of his shower gel on her skin and wondering if she hadn’t been able to find the one he’d bought for her to use. “You find the shower gel I got you?”
Willow wrinkled her nose. “Yes, why?”