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When he returned to his living room minutes later, he was still in a daze. “You won’t believe who has just called me.”
“Samantha Taylor?” Riley asked, licking her fingers before she picked up her phone.
Stunned, Aiden looked at his sister. “How on earth do you know that?”
Riley looked at Craig before she faced Aiden. “Because we’ve spoken to her. It was actually something Vivian said. She wanted to know what has happened to Samantha since. I thought we should try and find out and speak to her.”
Craig leaned forward. “You walked out of her hospital room two years ago, convinced you’d made her life much worse than it already was.”
“Because I did…” Aiden began, but Craig held up his hand.
“You only remember she ended up in the hospital, and you blame yourself for that. But you forget what you did do for her—you were there for her, and you contacted her parents and told them about the bullying, something they’d been unaware of. Yes, what happened was frightening, but you had nothing to do with her decision.”
Still not quite believing what he’d just heard over the phone, Aiden shook his head. “Apparently, she’d lost her phone the night she… she ended up in the hospital. By the time she’d recovered, she was seeing the therapist. She concentrated on her school work and was doing well. Steward apparently contacted her earlier today. That was probably what he has been trying to tell me tonight.”
“We realized you were so convinced you’re the reason Samantha tried to commit suicide, that you’ll never allow yourself to be happy, so we had to do something,” Riley said.
Overwhelmed, Aiden sat down quickly. He still couldn’t believe Samantha had moved to another school, she’d seen a therapist, and she was fine. Furthermore, he was the reason she’d decided to see someone, she’d told him. He looked at his Riley and Craig. “But how… what…”
Riley grinned. “Well, we thought about Vivian’s question, took matters into our hands, and phoned Steward on Monday. It took him the whole week, but he found Samantha. Living happily with her parents in Rawlins, Wyoming.”
“She’s finished school,” Aiden said, still trying to wrap his head around his conversation with Samantha. “And she’s thinking of studying to become a teacher, so that she can help students in similar situations. Because she had someone like me looking out for her when she needed it most.”
“You’re the reason she’s alive and well and enjoying life,” Riley said, phone in hand. “Now on to the next step. With the press of my finger, I can book a ticket for you back to Bozeman.” She grinned. “Bright and early. Very early. Want to take a chance?”
For another minute, Aiden hovered. Vivian could do much better than him, but then again… nobody would ever love her the way he did. And he had to tell her.
“The question is a simple one,” Craig added. “Take a chance Vivian wants you permanently in her life or continue this ludicrous idea of a long-distance relationship?”
The answer was so obvious. “Hell, yeah, I’ll take a chance.” Aiden grinned. “I can’t contemplate life without her.”
“You’ll have to move to Marietta,” Craig said, pizza slice in hand. “Are you ready to do that?”
An easy question to answer. “If that’s where Vivian will be, then yes.”
Craig laughed. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
Aiden grinned. “I’ve never loved anybody like this.”
Riley sniffled, dabbing her eyes.
Dylan jumped up immediately and rushed to his mother’s side. “Why are you crying, Mommy?”
She hugged him. “Because I’m happy.”
Dylan frowned. “You’re supposed to smile when you’re happy.”
Everybody laughed.
“Sometimes you’re so happy, you cry,” Riley tried to explain to her son.
Dylan pulled a face. “That’s just weird.” He walked back to his dinosaurs.
“I have to agree with Dylan.” Craig smiled. “It’s weird.”
Riley pushed his arm playfully. “You have such a soft heart, despite being a whiz in finance. The day you fall in love, you’ll probably end up sobbing!” She jumped up and grabbed Aiden’s arm. “Come on, let’s go pack a bag for you. You’ll have to leave really early tomorrow morning.”
Chuckling, Aiden hugged his sister. “I can pack my own bag, thank you very much.”
