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“What the hell, Aid? I’ve tried calling you a dozen times,” Trevor’s slightly higher tone started.
What did our household smart-ass respond with? “I know. I have caller ID.”
Oh hell, it almost made me crack up when he talked to other people like that. Okay, really, it was me just getting a kick out of him talking to Trevor that way. I really didn’t like that guy.
Silence. Then Aiden’s low voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you and Zac since neither one of you will get back to me.”
“We talked a week ago. What else is there for us to talk about?”
“Telling me ‘Yes, I got married’ and ‘I’ll make sure she goes to games,’ then hanging up on me isn’t considered us talking, Aiden. Jesus Christ. How could you not tell me beforehand?”
“It isn’t your business.”
“Everything about you is my business. You married your fucking assistant, man. I found out about it when the team’s PR called me, asking me about a marriage certificate.” Trevor was shouting.
“I married someone who I’ve known for two years and who no longer works for me. She’s over age and so am I. I didn’t get caught with drugs. I didn’t get arrested at a strip club. I didn’t get into a fight. Don’t treat me like a child, Trevor. I don’t like it.”
Zac and I shot each other impressed looks.
“Then don’t act like a child. I told you. I fucking told you from the beginning you need to think with your head and not your dick, and you marry Vanessa during the season without a goddamn prenup. What the hell were you thinking? Is she pregnant?”
“You really believe I was thinking with my dick?” Aiden’s voice was cool and crisp, remote and solitary.
Creepy. It was really creepy as hell.
“You weren’t thinking with your head,” was the stupid thing that came out of Trevor’s mouth, giving me the urge to stick my tongue out at him.
“Don’t presume you know anything, because you don’t. You don’t know anything about me, or Vanessa. And if she is pregnant, don’t make that fucking face unless you’re ready for the consequences.”
Uh… he’d said the ‘F’ word, hadn’t he? I hadn’t been imagining it?
“She’s my wife, and all she’s ever done was watch out for me. Don’t go there, Trevor. You don’t want to go there, understand me?”
I was so freaking making him dinner. Maybe even lunch too.
“I didn’t mean it in that way,” the manager stuttered.
Aiden might have scoffed but the sound was too low for me to be sure.
His manager made a noise that sounded like a choke or a cough. “I didn’t mean anything by it, man. Calm down. You dropped this bomb on me all of a sudden and it isn’t a walk in the park trying to sort it out. Rob and I talked about it, and it would’ve been nice if we could have built up a story around it—”
“You really think I would have wanted to broadcast my marriage?”
“It would have been a good idea. You should have—“
“I don’t need to do anything. You need to keep your mouth shut the next time you talk about her or us, and focus on doing your job instead. What the hell do you think I’m paying you for?”
“Nobody else would talk to me the way you do,” was the brilliance Trevor came back with, sounding just as indignant as I’m sure he was feeling.
“Nobody else makes you as much money as I do. Did you forget that? It isn’t anybody’s business what I do when I’m off the field as long as it isn’t negative. Deal with it.”
“Fine,” Trevor accepted with resignation and maybe some anger staining his voice. “Where’s Zac?”
I eyed Zac and stuck my tongue out at him when his face took on an alarmed expression at Trevor’s question.
“He went to visit his family,” Aiden lied effortlessly, which surprised me because I didn’t think I’d ever heard him lie. He usually just resorted to hurting someone’s feelings by speaking the truth instead of forming a fib.
“What is with you two—ugh. Okay. Forget it. Let him know I’ve left him about ten voicemails. He needs to call me back.”
The big guy didn’t make a verbal response of acceptance.
After that, I poked Zac in the ribs and hooked my thumb to point to my room. I crawled back then got to my feet. I took a seat at my computer table, going back to finish the last project I wanted to work on for the day. It didn’t take long for the sound of the front door opening and closing to reach my room.
But I couldn’t seem to shake off the idea bouncing around in my head. It wasn’t like I was expecting Aiden to talk badly about me…
But, I was more than a little relieved he had stood up to Trevor in my honor. Finally. Maybe more than a “little” relieved if I really wanted to let myself think about it.
When I went downstairs an hour later, I found Aiden sitting in the living room hunched over the big ottoman in front of the couch. Zac had let me know he was going to the grocery store, so I knew we were home alone. I made enough quinoa salad for four Aiden-sized meals and put three of the servings into containers for later. Serving myself a healthy portion, I made my way into the living room with my bowl.
He was in the same place he’d been when I started cooking. Two big feet were planted flat on the floor, his sweatpants hung low on his hips, and in his hands he held three small puzzle pieces. Spread out in front of him was what looked like a halfway complete one thousand piece puzzle of… a flying house? I’d barely crossed into the room when he glanced up and shot me a curious look.
