Will sat back in his chair. “That sounds okay. I like being on a farm like this. The horses are cool. Am I taking next week off school, too, then?”
She drew her fingers down the sides of her mouth, thinking. “That might be a good idea. He offered us his home for as long as we want, so maybe you should, just for the first week. I think it’s important you get to know him without distractions.”
Will frowned. “Aunt Janie, you have to go back to school soon. They won’t hold your place at the college forever.”
Janie took a sip of coffee, trying to hide the fact that she was worried she’d never end up back at school sometimes. The bills were insurmountable. She knew that just having first and last month’s rent covered wouldn’t be enough to get ahead and pay off debt. But Will didn’t need to know that. And she believed that Aiden would come through and help pay for Will’s expenses. That would take a huge load off her.
Will was so sweet and mature and tried to look out for her, though, and she appreciated that. “I know, but don’t worry about me. I’ll get back there. This is your time, honey. Your time to get to know your dad.”
He stretched his legs out in front of him, the same way she’d seen Aiden do the other night, and she smiled at the sight. “I guess,” he said. “All right. I’ll go shower. And, uh, we’re going to do this tour-of-the-town thing today?”
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be a really good day,” she told him and herself. “Just hang in there and have a little faith.”
…
Aiden walked down Main Street with Janie and Will beside him. It had been one hell of a morning. He felt guilty for bailing on Janie last night, but after Will had stayed in his room, Aiden kept mentally replaying his call with Maxi, and he hadn’t trusted himself and the things he might say about her. He’d never been so angry before. Resentment had kept him up all night.
But he wasn’t going to blow this. He needed Janie’s parenting advice, too. Today he was determined to start over with them. He’d given them the grand tour of the area, and they’d been wandering along the unique shops on Main Street for the last hour. Janie seemed to love the town, but Will was noncommittal.
There had been no attempts to buy anything, and while he wasn’t surprised that the old-fashioned stores wouldn’t appeal to someone Will’s age, he was surprised that Janie didn’t pick up one thing, even though she seemed to love everything. She’d been animated about the items in the handmade pottery shop. She had stood in front of a display of coffee mugs, admiring them but not even picking one up to look at the price. She’d oohed and aahed in the cheese shop with the unique tableware and food items, but when he’d asked her if she wanted anything to bring home, she’d quickly said no. At the local coffee roaster, it had been more of the same, talking about the aroma and how she really hadn’t tried too many coffees in her lifetime but they all smelled so good. It wasn’t that she was fishing for him to buy her anything, either, because he already knew she wasn’t the type. He’d offered, and she’d adamantly refused, so he let it go. He hadn’t wanted to embarrass her.
Will had been quiet but polite. But every now and then he’d feel Will looking at him. He wondered what he saw, what he was thinking. In all the different scenarios he’d pictured for his adult life, walking around his hometown with his kid he’d only just met and the boy’s aunt hadn’t been one of them.
“I hope you guys worked up an appetite,” Aiden said. “Tilly’s Diner has the best home-cooking around.” He pointed across the street to the old brick building, almost a landmark in town.
“That sounds great,” Janie said, shooting him a smile that affected him more than it should. Now was the time for focusing on Will, not on the simmering attraction Aiden had for the pseudo-mother of his child.
She had seemed a little lighter today, carefree, and he was happy that he could do that for her. They were still going to have to have that conversation about how to move forward and how he could repay her for everything she’d done for his kid. He knew he would never be able to repay the emotional and physical toll raising a child had taken, but he would help financially, at least, and he’d be in Will’s life as much as he wanted him to be.
“You hungry?” he asked, glad he actually could think of something to say.
Will nodded. “Yeah. Lunch sounds good.”
Aiden held the door open and then followed them inside. He dismissed the sudden nerves at the thought of Janie and Will meeting people he knew. In Wishing River, everyone knew everyone, and gossip travelled faster than a wildfire in summer. The morning crowd was gone, at least, which was a relief. The older ladies were the major sources of the rumor mill.
But, typical for Tilly’s Diner at lunch, the place was packed. The fragrant smell of coffee and french fries greeted them, and he was grateful that some things never changed. Thankfully, he spotted an empty booth near the back of the restaurant, and he led them over there.
He hadn’t yet made eye contact with the owner, Lainey, who was making her rounds of the tables with a coffee pot in hand. Lainey’s best friend, Hope, was seated on one of the round barstools at the counter. While not exactly close with them, he’d always liked Lainey and Hope. They were usually at his bar at some point during the weekend, and conversation with them was always easy. They’d even talked him into ordering imported organic wine for them, which he now kept stocked.
He settled into the booth as Janie and Will sat across from him. “This is really cute,” Janie said, her eyes sparkling as they scanned the room. “It reminds me of Luke’s Diner on Gilmore Girls.”
He stared at her blankly. “What’s a Gilmore girl?”
“The Lorelais,” she said, as if that explained everything.
Will rolled his eyes. “It’s one of Aunt Janie’s ‘comfort shows,’ as she likes to call it.”
That was one of the longest sentences he’d said all morning. Aiden’s chest swelled at the idea that he might be coming around.
Janie pulled off her jacket, and his gaze flickered over her almost involuntarily. Her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders, and he was struck again by how pretty she was. The color of her lips was the same deep red as her sweater. She had taken off her glasses while reading the menu, and every time she looked up at him, he couldn’t stop looking into her eyes.
Aiden quickly picked up the menus, trying to push his attraction to Janie off his mind—not appropriate in front of the kid. But when he handed Will the menu, his son gave him the stare of a man with a warning. Aiden met it, knowing he couldn’t back down, but it also reminded him that, though this day had been going well, Will was always watching out for his aunt. And he still thought Aiden couldn’t be trusted.
So much for him coming around.
“Anything look good on there?” Aiden asked, nudging his chin toward the menu in Will’s hands. “What’s your usual order? I bet they have it here.”
Will shrugged. “I don’t really have one.”
“He’s more into games on his phone,” Janie said, giving Will a playful shove.
Will chuckled and looked at the menu. “Chicken fingers and fries.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Janie teased.
“Whatever,” Will said. “It was either that or a burger.”
Janie’s brows rose, her eyes lighting up. “More surprises! You’re full of them today.”
Happy to see their easy banter, Aiden was smiling as he looked up—only to see Lainey approaching the table, and he felt his smile falter. It struck him, then, that he didn’t know how he was going to introduce them. He couldn’t say they were just friends, because he didn’t want Will to think he was embarrassed by him. But then again, it might be embarrassing for Will if Aiden just blurted out that he was his son.
“Hi there,” Lainey said, smiling at Janie and Will.
Aiden had to make the call and hope like hell he made the right choice. “
Hi, Lainey. This is, uh, my son, Will, and his aunt, Janie. Guys, this is Lainey. She owns this place.”
For a second, he thought Lainey was going to drop her coffee pot, but, to her credit, she recovered fast. She turned to Janie and Will, not missing a beat. “So nice to meet you.”
Janie smiled back. “You, too. I love your diner. I was just telling Aiden and Will that it reminds me of Luke’s—”
“On Gilmore Girls, right?” Lainey asked enthusiastically.
Janie shot him a look before smiling up at Lainey. “Yes! Exactly.”
“Can I get you some coffee?” Lainey asked.
“Please,” both Janie and Aiden said.
“I can take your orders, too,” Lainey said as she filled their mugs.
Once done, she left their table, and Aiden braced himself for the fallout. Will was looking out the window, and Janie was sipping her coffee as though all of this was normal. Aiden glanced back at the counter to see if Lainey had stopped to fill Hope in on his news, but she was nowhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back against the booth.
“You know, I’m going to have a look at some of the artwork that’s hanging on the walls,” Janie said, standing. “I wouldn’t have expected a diner to have those.”
“Lainey’s an artist. Those are all her pieces. Most of them are paintings of local places.”
“Really? Okay, I have to go check out her paintings. I’ll be back in a couple minutes,” she said, walking off. He wondered if she was leaving to give him and Will a few minutes by themselves.
“I, uh, hope you don’t mind me introducing you as my son,” Aiden said, lowering his voice and leaning forward.
Will toyed with the plastic ketchup bottle. “I guess that’s better than you saying I was just a friend.”
Thank God—he did something right. Aiden put his elbows on the table. “Good. I’m glad.”
Will didn’t say anything.
Aiden scrambled to try and make conversation. “What do you think of Wishing River? I know it’s a far cry from the city.”
Will shrugged again. “It’s okay. Kind of cool, actually, with all the ranches and stuff.”
“There’s a lot more to do in the summer months as well. The schools are pretty good too..” He paused, already out of ideas. “I know this is awkward…you just tell me what you need me to do. Even if that changes every day.”
Will held his gaze and didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he turned and looked around, his eyes settling on Janie, who was at the opposite end of the diner, before turning back to him. “I need you to help Aunt Janie.”
Aiden’s stomach dropped. That was not what he expected. “What does she need?”
“Don’t tell her I told you this; she’ll be mad at me. She puts on this tough act, and, I mean, she is. Like, super tough. But I know part of it is an act. She tries to hide a lot of stuff from me because she thinks she’s protecting me and trying to give me a good life—and she is. She’s not taking a break from school because she wants to. It’s because she’s in major debt. That’s why she called my mom and asked about you. She had to drop out of vet school because she couldn’t pay her bills anymore. It’s my fault. If she can’t finish vet school, it’s all my fault, and I’ll never forgive myself. They’re holding her spot at the college back home, but not forever.”
Aiden swallowed past the lump in his throat, the image of Janie asking him for a job playing across his mind. Then telling him she was going to work two jobs. And then today, she had browsed those stores as though she was in a museum—look but don’t touch, and definitely don’t buy. And she hadn’t asked him for a thing.
He couldn’t put off their talk again. Tonight, he and Janie would sit down, and he’d figure out exactly how he was going to help her. In the meantime, Will was a pretty great kid for thinking about his aunt when he could be wallowing in self-pity.
“Thanks for telling me. Paying her back is not your job, though. Do well in school and help your aunt out; that’s it. The rest is my job now. And she would never want you to think you owe her, anyway. I’ll make sure Janie returns to school, and I’ll make sure neither of you ever have to worry about money again.”
Will’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
That reaction made him feel somewhat better. “It’s the least I can do. I’m glad you told me about her school. She made it sound like she just needed a break.”
Will shook his head. “She’s always held down a couple of jobs, but college is really expensive and so many hours that she couldn’t keep two jobs and do all that and be around for me. That’s why I felt so bad. She’s given me everything, Aiden. Everything. So when I’m able to get a job of my own, I’m going to pay her back.”
Damn. He was a good kid, and none of that was his doing. He glanced over at Janie across the diner, happy to see that Lainey had approached her and the two seemed to be deep in conversation. “Want to help me plan a little surprise?” he said, thinking aloud.
Will’s face lit up. “Yeah. Especially since she hates surprises.”
Aiden barked out a laugh. “Perfect. How about when we’re done eating, you say you’d like dessert—”
“Totally believable.”
“—and I’ll say I forgot that I needed to run an errand downtown. Then I’ll go and pick up some of the things I remember her looking at.” He leaned back in the booth, happy to be doing something, even if it was small, for Janie.
Will nodded. “That sounds cool. Because you owe her, right?”
Aiden stilled, watching, trying to figure out where his kid was going with this. “Yeah…”
“And like, nothing else is going on. Just because she’s pretty and nice and stuff doesn’t mean…anything.”
Well, hell.
He didn’t look away from Will’s steady gaze. The kid was worried about Janie and he thought Aiden was a player. Will was his priority, though; gaining his trust and hopefully, one day, his love, was the only thing that mattered. He wouldn’t let an attraction to any woman get in the way of that.
“Of course, yeah, nothing else is going on,” he said. “If it weren’t for Janie, I might have never known you. For that? I’m indebted to her for life.”
Chapter Eight
Janie had never been at such odds with her emotions before. She didn’t think she’d had a day this good in a long, long time. It wasn’t that she and Will didn’t have great times together; they did—she had many cherished memories. But this had been different. Seeing Will with Aiden had felt…right. She could see that Aiden was trying his hardest to be the person Will needed him to be. He’d been an informative guide and witty and attentive. Lunch had been fantastic, and she’d had a great conversation with Lainey and her friend Hope.
Janie also realized that it was good to know Will could count on him.
The only problem was she didn’t know if she could count on Aiden. Yes, he’d told her last night that he’d find a way to make things right for her, but what did that mean? His loyalty was to his son, his first priority, that’s how it should be. And it was clear he was stepping up and trying to fill that role as best he could. He was doing a great job. If she were completely selfless, she would be 100 percent on board with all of this.
Except a part of her heart was breaking because she was going to lose Will. Formally or not. She would never stand in the way of Will living with his dad. She would let Will decide who he wanted to live with. She would never guilt him for choosing Aiden. That was okay. If she had done all of this to finally lead him to know the love of one parent, then it was worth it.
She would keep telling herself that until she was okay with it. She would never let Will know she was anything but happy for him.
Janie hopped out of the passenger side of the truck once they were parked in Aiden’s driveway, and she and Will walked up the steps. Will was absolutely beaming
.
“I’ll be there in a second,” Aiden called out. “Will, you want to help me bring this stuff in?”
“Sure!” Will shot her an excited grin and ran back over to Aiden, who was standing at the back of his truck. Janie had no idea Aiden had bought anything. She stood on the porch and waited, feeling slightly awkward at entering the house without Aiden.
But as soon as she was inside, she found the awkwardness melted away like the snow on her boots. This home felt warm to her in more ways than one.
A moment later, Aiden and Will were walking side by side, and Janie’s heart was in her throat at the sight of father and son. They were both so handsome, and their smiles, with the lone dimple, were the same as well. The number of bags they were carrying caught Janie’s attention as they joined her on the porch.
“Wow. When did you have time to do so much shopping?” Janie asked Aiden as he unlocked the door and held it open for them.
“I’m a fast shopper. The quicker the better,” Aiden said as they took off their coats.
Morris joined them at the door and poked his head into one of the bags. “Morris, get out, you nosy cat,” Janie said with a laugh.
“So…this stuff isn’t actually mine.” Aiden gave her an expression she couldn’t quite figure out.
“It’s for you,” Will blurted. “Aiden got it all for you.”
Janie’s stomach dropped as she looked from Will to Aiden. “What?”
Aiden shrugged. “I noticed you liked a lot of the things in the stores, and I wanted you to have them. I thought you deserved someone doing something for you for a change.”
“I…” Janie’s throat constricted painfully, and she blinked rapidly as tears filled her eyes. She tore her gaze from Aiden’s to look at the mountain of bags in the foyer. No one—no one—had ever done anything like this for her. Growing up, any extra money went into Maxi’s beauty pageant needs, and then, later, all money went to raising Will.
This was so much more than gifts. It was the two men in her life working together…on her behalf.
Wishing for a Cowboy Page 8