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“Sorry I missed your call…” he began but that was as far as he got.
“I can’t believe what you’ve done!” Her voice was shaking.
“What are you talking about?”
“You gave my number to James Webster! How could you do that? After last night, after you’ve kissed me, after I’ve told you everything about my life, you went behind my back and talked to Webster. I trusted you, Aiden.”
Damn it to hell. He shouldn’t have fallen asleep. “Look, it’s not what you think. I was going to talk to you but I knew you’d be sleeping and—”
“Just stop. You can’t explain your way out of this one. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
“Vivian, please listen to me…” But the line was already dead. He had to get to her to try and explain what had happened.
Quickly, he got up and washed his face before he rushed to the kitchen to tell his aunt he was on his way to Vivian. If the sounds and smells coming from there were anything to go by, Aunt Janice was cooking.
A sudden hammering on the front door stopped him in his tracks, though.
“Aiden? Is that you?” His aunt appeared in the kitchen door.
“I’m here, but I’m not the one breaking down the front door. I’ll check.” He turned around and opened the door.
A furious-looking Mitch was standing on the porch, his hands in fists with Annie hovering just behind him.
“Mitch? What—” But that was a far as he got. The next moment, he was staggering backward, seeing stars. Mitch had punched him. Outraged, he regained his balance, clutching his chin. “What the hell, man?”
Annie was hanging onto Mitch’s arm. “Mitch, stop it. We’re here to talk to him!”
“I don’t want to talk to him, damn it. And to think I liked you!”
For the first time, Aiden noticed his aunt beside him. She was deathly pale, clutching her neck. Exhaling slowly, he put an arm around her before he faced the two Millers. “Would you like to come in and tell me what this is about?” He was doing his best to stay calm.
Mitch was livid. “No, I don’t ever want to see you again. You’ve hurt my sister. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t exist. Don’t you dare come near her, or I swear, I won’t be responsible for what I do.” And turning on his heel, he stomped away.
Bewildered, Aiden looked at Annie. “What the hell is going on?”
Annie’s eyes were bright with tears. “You gave Vivian’s number to James Webster.”
Aiden nodded. “I have, yes. I’m on my way to talk to her about it. He—”
“He’s phoned her and left messages, telling her you’ve spoken to him.”
Aiden cussed softly. If he hadn’t fallen asleep, he would’ve had a chance to talk to Vivian before she’d heard from Webster. “As I said, I was going to talk to her about it, but I fell asleep. Is she at home? I could—”
“Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt her? She trusted you. She told you the whole sordid story because you kissed her; she felt safe with you. But then you…” Crossing her arms, Annie shook her head. “I can’t believe what you’ve done.”
“Just a moment,” Aiden said. “I’m still not quite sure why I’ve been punched and why you are angry with me. Has she spoken to Webster? Has he told her why he wants to talk to her?”
Annie’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not! He ruined her life, remember? Why would she want to talk to him? Besides, you’ve probably given him enough dirt on us for a whole series of new articles.” Her eyes flickered in Aunt Janice’s direction. “I’m sorry you have to witness this, Janice, I just can’t believe what Aiden has done.”
“If you give me a moment to explain—”
“Nothing you can say can make this better,” Annie interrupted him. “She liked your kisses, you know? And for the first time in a long time, she was happy.” And with a fierce look, she turned around and walked back to their car.
Mitch had already started the car, and Annie was opening her door before Aiden’s feet moved again. He ran after Annie. “Because I kissed her, she should know I won’t ever do anything to hurt her, damn it. Tell her to talk to Webster. It’s not what you think.”
“Stay the hell away from my sisters, O’Sullivan,” Mitch said, glaring at him from across the car seat.
As Mitch drove away, engine revving, Aiden dropped his arms. Devastated, he stared after the car until it disappeared around the corner. They’d refused to listen to him, and with Mitch around, he didn’t stand a chance to get close to Vivian so he could explain exactly what he and Webster had talked about.
