Page 55 of Beneath the Quiet

I turn my head when the sound of running feet comes closer and smile at Katie when she comes to a stop next to me.

“Perfect timing. Your dad was just about to take me to your polytunnels.”

“Great!”

With that, I let go of the heavy topic for the rest of the day and simply enjoy being with my friends. Katie does most of the talking, but now and then, Aidan opens his mouth as if to say something, but then snaps it shut instead. Whatever he’s having so much trouble getting out remains unsaid, but the speculative looks he throws my way are enough to alert me that I’ve given him a lot to think about.

Chapter Fifteen

Aidan

Ican’t get that woman out of my mind.

It’s been a week since Maeve came to visit, and her words run on repeat over and over again, beating against my brain like a hammer. No matter how much I wish her words didn’t matter, I’m a father before anything else, and when someone as sensible as Maeve chooses to share her thoughts with me about Katie, I’d be an arrogant bastard if I didn’t listen to them.

I didn’t expect it, but Maeve’s opinion matters more than it should. She asks me questions I haven’t had to answer for many years, and she forces me to rethink aspects of my life I put into boxes a long time ago. Now, she makes me wonder if they fit into them anymore, or if I should examine them again.

She doesn’t judge, but she doesn’t hold back.

She’s feisty and soft at the same time even when it shouldn’t be possible.

Perhaps that’s what I’ve been missing without even knowing it.

I’m going to have a long talk with Katie. Maybe it’s time I share a little bit more with her about her mother and the life we had before. Maybe the photos scattered around the farm aren’t enough anymore.

I’ve been so focused on keeping the hurt away that I never even considered that by not sharing it with Katie, I’ve been hurting her. It’s the last thing I ever want to be guilty of.

I toss more hay over the fence to the alpacas, glad to be alone with my thoughts this morning to mull things over. I’ve learned over the years that the hardest part of being a single parent is making all the decisions alone. You have no one to share the burdens with. No one to lean on when the days demand more of you than you can take, and no one to laugh with on the good days. I’m grateful for all the help and support from my parents, but it’s not the same as having a partner.

Someone who’ll lie next to you in bed each night, whispering softly as you’re cloaked in darkness. You know that you’re free to share your thoughts with her: the person who’ll guard all your secrets fiercely.

And someone to celebrate with when life is sweet, not sour.

I wipe sweat off my forehead and lean my arms on the fence, my eyes roaming the landscape in front of me. I catch the thunderous, grey clouds in the distance, alerting me that there’s a storm on the way. I wonder what Maeve’s up to today. If she’s on duty or home alone maybe reading another romance novel.

A rush of warmth slides through my body. I memorised the book title after our meeting and picked up the audiobook the same evening. To say I’ve been pretty caught up in the story since then would be an understatement, but knowing that Maeve is reading the same one has me curious. I can’t help but wonder if she gets as worked up by certain scenes in the book as I do.

It’s not really the storyline that has me sporting a semi, even out here while working, though.

I shake my head. I should be spending the day looking through the account instead of being out here doing farmwork. Not to mention that I have to finalise the stalls for the village spring festival that’s only a few weeks away.

The sky rumbles, and I push back from the fence with my boot and grab my jacket. There’ll be no more working in the fields today because the second I grab my jacket and turn my back on the paddock, a deafening roar fills the air, and rain starts pouring down. I set off in a jog, and as the rain patters down on my back, I fill my lungs with the clear air. Another resounding rumble explodes, and the air fizzes as if it’s filled with static. I run towards home, not bothering to pull on my jacket now that I’m soaked through anyway. The stable is closer to seek shelter from the storm, and it doesn’t take me long to reach it, but a shadow in the corner of my eye slows me down. I peer through the thick curtain of rain. The sight of a drenched Maeve in a jog throws me.

What the…?

“Maeve!” I yell.

She stops and turns, her arms raised to hold her coat over her head, and frowns at me. “Aidan?” she shouts back.

“Get your arse here now!” I point towards the sky. “It’s dangerous for you to be outside in this storm.”

She glances up, then left and right, and sets off in a sprint towards me. I leap out of her way and close the door when she’s passed me to shut out the noise. I turn towards her and drag a hand through my hair and away from my eyes.

“What the hell were you thinking, being outside in this weather?”

She shakes her coat and pushes back the wet strands of her hair from her face. My eyes catch the droplets of water on her cheeks and chin, down her chest, and I have to take a deep breath to prevent myself from moving closer to her. Despite her smeared mascara giving her raccoon eyes, her rosy cheeks and wet lips tempt me relentlessly. I watch another drop of rain slide down the base of her neck, and when it rests against the hollow of her throat, I can’t stop staring at it.

My cock hardens at the sight. I want to lick the drop away with my tongue, then take a bite, marking her in the most primal way.