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I freeze.
Are you fricking joking?
It’s a trident.
My gaze is still riveted on the three-pronged spear when Aiden enters from the other side.
“What type of car is this?” I ask, stunned.
He pats the steering wheel affectionately and says, “It’s a Maserati hybrid. It drives like a dream. I love it.”
“Right. When did you get it?” It’s only now that I notice the new car smell. Everything still looks brand spanking new.
“About three months ago,” Aiden replies, looking at me curiously.
What are the odds? It’s about the time of Rhia’s aunt’s death, which inspired our trip to Sicily.
“Are you interested in cars?” he wants to know.
“Yes, and no. My grandfather used to work for the Ferrari Formula One team back in the seventies,” I tell him almost on autopilot. “He instilled a love for that sport in my mum and me. When she was still alive, we used to go to at least one Grand Prix a year.”
This brings Tiero to the front of my mind. The way he was worried for my safety, tasting his relief in his kiss afterward… and the night that followed? It will be etched into my memory for eternity. How could it not? The result is currently growing inside of me.
It takes great will power not to rub my tummy, but I can’t give away what’s happening. Not before I talk with Gary.
I realize in that instant that I’ve revealed too much about my past to Aiden. But something is compelling me to open up to him.
“How old were you when you lost your mom?” he asks as he pulls out into the Atlanta traffic. The question startles me.
Do I tell him?
Before I can make a decision, Aiden speaks again. “I know how hard it is to lose a parent. I lost my father when I was ten. It was a very difficult time for me and my family.”
I turn in my seat to look at him. “I’m so sorry. That is such a young, impressionable age. What happened if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He was killed on a mission… bomb exploded. He was a Green Beret. My father is the reason I wanted to become one too.”
I know next to nothing about the American Special Forces. When I get a moment in the next few days, I’ll read up on them. Not just because Aiden used to be part of them, but because I’m bound to run into more ex-special forces personnel at Freemont, and it would be good to be able to relate to them. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
“Is your mom still alive?”
“Yes, she is. She never remarried… said that no one could replace my father. I guess, she had her hands too full with us kids to look for love again.”
Jeez, how similar does that sound to Tiero’s father? But I get it. If you love so completely, how could anybody else fill those shoes?
“How many siblings do you have?”
“I’ve got two younger sisters. They’re both married and each have two kids. They keep Mom occupied these days. She helps out whenever she can.”
I gaze out the window, taking in my new surroundings. The network of freeways overwhelming me.
“In peak hours, Atlanta traffic is one of the worst in the country.” Aiden breaks the silence. “This time of the night, everything is fine, but avoid rush hour like the plague. The average Atlanta commuter spends seventy point eight hours every year in traffic.”
I shudder in horror. “That’s nearly three full days of your life wasted. That’s horrible.” I have to make sure I won’t become another statistic in that study!
“Do you have any siblings?” Aiden asks eventually, and I realize I’ve never answered him about my mom.
“No, I’m an only child. I’ve always wanted siblings. In fact, I’ve always felt like I was one of three, but sadly my parents never had more children. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I had Rhia, though. She’s Lex’s girlfriend. As kids, we were inseparable, still are to a certain degree. She’s like the sister I never had. She was there for me when my parents died. They were in a fatal car crash when I was twenty.”
