Page 21 of Three Months Yesterday

“Oh, that’s too formal. You can call me Beckett.” I smile. “What’s your name?”

He looks to his father, waiting for the slight nod Aiden offers before looking back at me. “I’m Jackson. That’s my dad and this is my aunt Maddie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jackson. I actually met your dad and aunt yesterday.”

“Really? Where?” He wiggles in Madison’s arms, trying to get down.

“All right, bud. We don’t need to interrogate our new friend.” Aiden reaches for Jackson, swinging him up before letting him down to the ground in front of him.

“But I want to know.” His little brows furrow as he looks up at his father.

“Jackson,” Aiden chides. He doesn’t need to say anything else, the simple word is enough for Jackson to move on from his train of thought.

He’s clearly disgruntled when he turns back to his aunt, but asks something else all the same. “Aunt Maddie, do you have cookies?”

A light laugh sounds from her throat and I swear I can feel it in my bones. “Don’t I always?” She reaches out a hand, waiting for him to take it before they head toward her house leaving Aiden and I standing on our shared driveway.

“How old is he?” I ask in the silence that follows as the two of them disappear through her front door.

“He turns four in a couple weeks.”

“He’s cute.”

“Thank you.”

All of a sudden, I understand exactly why Aiden is in the field he is. Without asking me anything, I feel like I need to confess to some imagined crime I haven’t even thought of. I fight the impulse to open my mouth and the drive to look away from him, trying my hardest to wait him out.

Unfortunately for me, I’m not strong enough.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking⁠—”

“Not many people do,” he interrupts, crossing his arms across his chest.

“I think it’s safe to assume you’re here for a reason…” I let my words trail off, hoping he’ll fill in the gaps without me needing to ask point blank. Or make a fool of myself by assuming something.

His gaze moves toward his sister’s house at the sound of the screen door bouncing shut, Madison with two glasses of milk in her hands and Jackson with two cookies. They move to take a seat in the rocking chairs, the two of them giggling at something.

“I don’t know you,” Aiden starts, his eyes focusing on mine. “And I won’t claim to understand what you’re going through, but I won’t have anyone causing problems for my sister.”

“Whoa. I don’t know what kind of problems you think I’ll cause⁠—”

“You’re a celebrity. No matter how down to earth you think you are, you’re a different breed. Trouble follows you no matter what you do.”

My spine stiffens, and I know Aiden doesn’t miss it.

I thought about telling him about my stalker, thinking it might be a good idea for local authorities to know, but decided against it. There’s no reason to cause undue concern for something that might not even follow me here.

For a split second, I think he figured it out somehow or maybe Ian decided for me that the local sheriff needed to be aware, but at the narrowing of Aiden’s eyes, I know he’s just making a generalization. A very accurate generalization.

“What should I know?” he demands.

I contemplate not telling him, but then my eyes move to the happy moment on the porch and I know that’s not the right call.

“It’s not the reason I’m here, but you should probably know…” I mirror Aiden’s stance, crossing my arms as if preparing to take a hit. “My security team is looking into a series of letters and packages I’ve received over the last few months. They believe I have a stalker.”

Aiden doesn’t say anything, silence stretches between us, but I see the calculating look in his eyes. He’s entering sheriff mode, no longer thinking like a brother.

“Who knows you’re here?” he clips, and I can’t say I blame him.