AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I settled in the backseat, Aidan slipped in beside me, and I murmured, "Feel better after your nap?"
He still looked exhausted.
"Not really," he admitted with a dopey grin. A yawn escaped him as we settled in for the ride to my parents’ house in the Keys.
The silence was comfortable, so I relaxed and spent most of the journey just texting both sides of the family to tell them that we'd arrived safely.
By the time we were pulling up to the house, Mom and Dad were sitting on the front veranda, waiting for us.
I didn't wait for Cade to open the door for me, just clambered out and rushed over to see them both.
As I slipped my arms around Mom, Dad hugged me from the back, and I squealed with delight to be here.
She pulled back to study me, and her fingers moved over to the patches on my cheeks where the skin was pink and new from the burns.
"Tender?" she asked when I cringed.
"Just a touch." I arched my throat so she could see the one there. It was redder. That one pissed Aidan off whenever he saw it.
"I guess I can’t tell you off for not telling us about the crash after…" She grimaced.
"Nope, you can’t."
"Still, we shouldn’t have had to find out via your sisters."
"I didn’t think they’d tell you immediately. I told you on the same day." Before Daddy could get involved, I studied her color and her features for fatigue, taking in the fact her short curls were on full display—no wig. "You look great, Mom."
She shoved my shoulder. "Oh, don't you start. Your father's been hovering like crazy. He's driving me mad."
"That's my job," he retorted before he turned around and reached over to shake Aidan's hand. "Good to see you, Aidan. You look exhausted."
His smile was sheepish. "It's been crazy since Da's death."
Dad clapped him on the shoulder. "Getting everything under control while you're grieving must be hell."
"It is." His smile turned tight. "It's goodto be here."
"How long can you stay?" Mom asked.
"We can stay until Monday," I told her.
Aidan arched a brow at me, but I just grinned. "I told Aidan Saturday, but we both could do with a break. I squared it with Finn and Conor," I informed him.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course they kept it from me."
"They'd be fools to get on my bad side."
"Speaking of..." Mom started worriedly. "Aspen brought a guest with her."
"Who's the guest?"
"A boyfriend. His name's Misha."
"Misha," I repeated dumbly.
It wasn't like that was a common name…
Paris hadn't said if Aspen and the guy I’d seen at Aoife’s bakery were still dating, but I hadn't heard from her outside of the arrangements for the show.
