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Aiden pulled up to his mother-in-law’s home to find Connie waiting on the porch for his arrival, almost as if she was expecting him. He wondered just how long she had been standing out there. “It’s about damn time,” she shouted at him before he was even completely out of his SUV. “I’ve been waiting for over an hour for you to show up. Allison told me she texted you and you were on your way here to get the girls and then she disappeared. She didn’t even say goodbye to them and now they’re upset and asking when she’s coming home.”
“Did Allison tell you where she was going?” Aiden carefully asked. He hated that he might have to break the news to Connie too, but he was starting to see Allison left him quite a mess to have to clean up.
“Nope,” she admitted. “Allison just showed up here out of the blue and told me she needed me to watch the girls. When I said I couldn’t because I had a doctor’s appointment, she promised you would be right over. I’ve missed my appointment and now I can’t get back in to see him for another two weeks,” Connie groused. “What am I supposed to do for my blood pressure medicine until then?”
“I’ll take care of making you another appointment and getting you your medication,” Aiden promised, making a mental note to have Rose do that for him in the morning. He hated that Allison would put her mother’s health in jeopardy to run off with some guy. Of course, he hated, even more, he was going to have to be the one to tell her mother that. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he said. “You might want to sit down for this next part.” Connie found her rocking chair in the corner of the small porch and sat down.
“I’m all ears,” she said, smiling up at him. “I have a feeling my daughter has gone and done something stupid and I’m looking forward to the part where you defend her bad behavior.” Aiden shot Connie an apologetic look, knowing she was probably right. He was always sticking up for his wife when she would make a decision that seemed to hurt everyone around her. Maybe it was the guilt he lived with for wanting more or maybe he was just blind and stupid.
“I don’t know that I’ll be able to defend her behavior this time, Connie,” he admitted. “I got a text from her saying she’s left me and the girls.” Connie’s gasp answered his question for him. He wanted to ask her if her daughter had shared the fact she was so easily abandoning her family or if Allison truly just dumped the girls off and left. “So, you really didn’t know, did you?”
“No,” she stuttered, raising a shaking hand to her mouth. “How could Allison do that to you and her daughters?” she questioned.
“I have no idea, really. I mean, she mentioned something about having a boyfriend for the past six months and well, maybe I don’t blame her. She said I wasn’t the best husband and she wasn’t all wrong. I spent a lot of late nights at the office and campaigning. Maybe if I had paid more attention to her, this wouldn’t have happened,” he admitted. He decided to leave out the part about craving a kinkier lifestyle and possibly pushing Allison away when she flat-out told him no. Maybe this whole mess was his fault.
“Now there you go,” Connie chided. “Allison has admittedly been cheating on you for six months and you blame yourself. God Aiden, you were just providing for your family. My girl was never going to settle down and be happy. Not with you or anyone else, for that matter. Allison was always looking for the next best thing in her life and never stopped to look at what she already had. I’m sorry she did this to you and the girls.” Aiden gave a nod not knowing what else to say. She could deny him having anything to do with Allison leaving but he knew the truth. It had been about a year since he came clean and asked Allison to try some of the things he had been wanting. He wasn’t asking her to go to a BDSM club from the get-go, but he hoped she’d want to try at least some of the stuff he asked for. It was a lifestyle he knew well, having lived it for most of his twenties. When he met Allison, he was almost twenty-eight and he worried he would never find a woman to settle down with if he didn’t leave the BDSM scene and give up his kinky lifestyle. So he did. He started dating Allison and he pushed down that side of himself, never letting on what he needed and everything he craved from her in the bedroom. But Aiden wasn’t really happy and he knew if he continued to live a lie, he’d end up hurting them both. He was toying with telling her, but then she announced she was pregnant with Lucy and he got caught up in the excitement of a baby and a wedding. He decided to wait and spring his news on her after Lucy was born and they were officially man and wife. He had some crazy notion that as his wife she’d want the same things he did but he was wrong. In fact, the only thing he had been right about this whole time was the fact his lie would end up tearing them apart. He hated he was correct about that and especially hated how his girls would be the ones to pay the price.
“Listen, I have to get the girls home and tell them about their mother,” he all but whispered. He really didn’t want to have to do this next part but he had no choice. The three of them were going to have to get used to living without Allison and the sooner he told Lucy and Laney, the sooner they could begin the healing process of moving on. Connie nodded at the front screen door to where both girls stood, watching him. He could tell by Lucy’s confused expression she had heard most of their conversation and she had questions.
Aiden opened the door and pulled both girls into his arms. “Hi babies,” he murmured. “I’m going to take you home from Nanny’s today,” he said. Allison was usually the one to pick the girls up from her mother’s on the days Connie watched them. Allison called her time away from them her “me time” and insisted it made her a better wife and mother. Now, Aiden could guess her “me time” involved her meeting up with her current boyfriend and he almost wanted to laugh at the irony of it all.
“Where’s Mommy?” Lucy questioned. “She usually picks me and Laney up.” His four-year-old was usually very inquisitive and he knew now would be no exception. She would ask him for answers and Aiden worried he wouldn’t have any to give.
“Mommy had to go away for a while,” he said. “I’m so sorry, girls but Mommy won’t be coming home.”
“Ever?” Lucy questioned. Laney stood next to her sister, watching between her and Aiden as if watching a volley. At two, she wasn’t a talker like Lucy had been. Laney was more reserved and observant, but he knew she understood everything they were saying. He wouldn’t lie to either of them, ever.
Aiden shook his head, “No baby, not ever. You’re Mommy had some things to do but I’m here and I won’t ever leave you,” he promised. Lucy gave him a look that told him she didn’t believe him, but that was par for the course. He knew both girls were closer to Allison; she was the parent who was around the most for them. If he was going to earn their trust and help them through this process, he was going to have to make some changes. The first being he needed to be home more often and let Corbin pick up some of the slack around the office. He needed to show the girls he was going to step up and be the parent they deserved, unlike his own dad after his mother left him. He’d never turn into his father. That wasn’t even an option—his girls deserved so much better than a drunk who was unreliable at best.
“How about we go home and I’ll make us some pancakes for dinner like I used to. Then we can talk this all out and you can ask me all the questions you’d like.” Lucy looked him over as if deciding if she wanted to go with him or stay with Connie. He didn’t want to admit he was holding his breath waiting for her agreement but he was. Sometimes negotiating with Lucy was like trying to reason with a tiny terrorist who knew the ins and outs of the system. She knew just what to say and how to work over the person she was up against and Aiden worried she was already smarter than he was.
“Can we have chocolate chips in our pancakes?” Lucy asked, looking at Laney to back her up. When the two-year-old eagerly nodded her head, Aiden couldn’t help his chuckle.
“I think I can arrange that,” he promised.
“And cream?” Laney chimed in. Aiden was sure his daughters would eat whipped cream on everything if he allowed it.
“Sure, baby girl. We can have whipped cream on top. Any other demands, ladies?” he teased. The girls looked at each other as if silently communicating, trying to decide if they would have any further stipulations to join him for dinner.
Connie giggled from behind him. “I think your Lucy might just become a hostage negotiator,” she teased. “They sure do have your number, Aiden.”
“They’ve always been able to twist me around their little fingers, even Allison,” he murmured. He knew it was going to take time to get over his wife. He loved her, but that didn’t stop the pain or hurt she caused by walking away. Aiden knew from experience that would take time and might never completely happen for him or his girls.
“So, what’s it going to be?” he expectantly asked. Both girls nodded their little blonde heads and smiled up at him.
“We’ll take your offer,” Lucy agreed as if she had just brokered a business deal. “Thanks, Daddy.” She kissed him on his cheek and Laney did the same. He watched as they both ran into Connie’s house to get their things.
“Thanks, Connie,” he said.
“No need to ever thank me,” she offered. “Just call me when you’re ready to venture back into the world and I’ll help keep the girls as much as I can,” she said. Aiden appreciated the offer, but knowing his mother-in-law had health issues would put a damper on him asking too much of her. He loved her for making the offer.
“Will do,” he said. Lucy and Laney ran from the front door and over to Connie to kiss her cheek, shouting their goodbyes as they raced to his SUV.
“Come on, Daddy,” Laney bossed. He watched as his resilient girls climbed into the back of his vehicle and he wasn’t sure how he had gotten so lucky. Aiden wished the promise of chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream could fix all their problems long term. But for now, he’d take all the help he could get, even if it was only a short-term fix.
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