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“He will have just gotten out of jail. Do you really think his main priority will be to come for two boys who aren’t even blood related to him?”
“I don’t know, Amelia! He’s a drugged-up sociopath. I wouldn’t put it past him to want the twins, since he could have complete control over them, to hurt them any way he wants—” His piercing gray eyes look straight through me with a look that promises to cause someone pain. “All I know is that I’ll kill him before I let him hurt the twins like he did me.”
In that moment, I believe him. I know Aiden will do anything before he lets someone hurt his brothers.
Unable to resist, I wrap my arms around him in an awkward yet still comfortable side hug, and rest my head on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Aiden.”
“How do you know?” he says quietly.
“I just do.”
I don’t know. But I believe in Aiden, and I know that of everyone I’ve ever met, he’s one of the very few people I can completely depend on.
I lift my head off of his shoulder and let my arms drop. I reluctantly pull away and look at him again. “Just loosen up on the boys a bit; Greg’s not here.”
“I know, I’m just—I’m not taking any chances. The second you let your guard down is the second shit hits the fan.”
Don’t I know it. Every time I let my guard down and get comfortable in a new town, Tony shows up. That’s why this time my mom’s forcing us to leave before he has a chance to hurt anyone here.
“I know, but you can’t cover them in bubble wrap and force them to stop living life. Why don’t we all go out for ice cream tonight? You need to take your mind off of everything; relax a bit—stop being so strict and overbearing and let the twins have some fun!”
“They’re still having fun!” Aiden defends his protectiveness.
I raise a skeptical eyebrow and pointedly look through sliding glass doors to the backyard, where the twins are sitting on the ground, picking at the grass and occasionally throwing it at each other.
“Okay, okay. You made your point. I guess letting them see the puppy won’t kill them.”
“Good.” I stand up and tuck the stool back under the counter. “Now, I’m going to go home and text everyone and tell them to meet us at Sweetie’s Ice Cream Parlor at seven. You’re going to make the twins dinner, then drive them to Tyler’s house and come meet us at Sweetie’s.”
He rolls his eyes at me but smiles at my authoritative tone. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
His mood seems to have lightened a bit. He still looks stressed, but he doesn’t look as hopelessly lost as he did before.
“I’ll text you if the time or location changes.”
He looks at me like he can’t decide if I’m joking or the biggest idiot he’s ever met.
“What?” I ask.
“Amelia, I lost my phone at the track. Remember?”
I literally facepalm myself. How stupid am I? That’s why he didn’t answer when I called him earlier.
Later that night, all my friends and I are sitting in a big comfy booth in the corner of Sweetie’s Ice Cream Parlor.
“Do you have a charger in that huge purse of yours, Amelia? My phone is dying,” Mason asks as he finishes off his chocolate cone.
“You know I do.”
I twist and kneel on the booth to grab my purse, sitting on top of it, and plop back down in my seat. Readjusting my shirt, I rummage through my bag for the charger.
“You guys make fun of me for carrying a big purse, but you all love to use the stuff inside it,” I say, noticing only a beat too late that all conversation around me has completely halted.
The air suddenly feels tense, and my hand freezes where it is in my bag. I slowly look up to find everyone staring at me in either confusion, shock, or horror.
“What?”
Chase starts, “Amelia—”
