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Aiden nodded and turned away. He walked to the window and stared out. When it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything more, I sighed.
“Hadley will be late if I don’t get going,” I stated.
“After you drop her off, will you please meet me at the ranger station on the River Falls side?”
I swallowed hard. It was really better to leave now, before I grew any more attached to Hadley. I wasn’t sure why he needed me to stop by his job first.
“I…I don’t know where that is.”
“Just go to the entrance and tell them who you are. I’ll make sure they get you there.”
I nodded even though his back was still to me. “Yes. I’ll be there as soon as I drop her off.”
Without another word, I made my way back to the kitchen. The emptiness I felt in my chest was an entirely new feeling. It felt like I was about to lose something I didn’t even realize I needed.
CHAPTER NINE
AIDEN - JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS
I satat my desk at the ranger station and stared out the window as I tried to make sense of what the hell had happened to me earlier that morning. I overreacted about the French toast, obviously. But I was also filled with the urge to track down the man Emma had been married to and hurt him. Badly.
Her words replayed over and over in my head. I knew instinctively that she never would have said them voluntarily; that they were a result of my carelessness and the heat of the moment.
“I spent ten years of my life with a man who liked to scream at me, and I promised myself I would never, ever do it again—no matter who the man was.”
Rose had told me that Emma was divorced, but that was all. It was none of my business to ask any more questions.
When I saw her literally jump back in fear when I barked at her, saw the alarm in her eyes and heard her voice shake, I wanted to punch myself. Then when tears pooled in those big blue eyes of hers…I’d never hated myself more than I had inthat moment. I’d hurt her, and that made me feel something far worse than regret and guilt. I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly what that feeling was.
My phone buzzed on my desk. “Aiden, Emma Middleton is here to see you.”
Rolling my neck to release some of the tension, I walked over and hit the button. “Thanks, Janie, will you show her in?”
“Sure thing.”
I continued to look out over the Rocky Mountains, taking in their beauty as I tried to figure out a way to tell Emma I was sorry for my behavior and beg her not to leave. Hadley would never forgive me if Emma left. It had only been a few days, but I already knew my daughter cared deeply for the woman. She was a breath of fresh air that Hadley desperately needed, and all I’d done so far was treat her like the enemy, when I knew damn well she was anything but.
The door opened, and I heard Emma walk in. When I turned, she stood there with her shoulders squared off, ready for whatever it was she thought was coming.
“Hadley make it to school on time?”
Her brows drew in for a quick moment before she answered. “Yes, we had plenty of time still.”
“Good.” I motioned for her to sit down, but she stayed glued to her spot by the door. It was like she was keeping close to her escape route. My chest clenched at the idea that she might be afraid of me after this morning.
“No, thank you, I’d rather stand.”
With a sigh, I came around my desk and leaned against it. “Emma, I want to apologize again for this morning. That’s not the type of man I am. I don’t yell at women, or…” I let my words fade.
She looked away, and I knew some of those same words were probably uttered to her before by a man who didn’t mean themat all, a man who had promised to love her no matter the good or bad. So why I expected her to believe anything I had to say was beyond me.
“What I mean to say is, I was upset. I saw the French toast, and how happy Hadley was, and my biggest fear surfaced.”
“Your biggest fear?” she asked as she fidgeted with the hem of her sweater.
“Hadley forgetting about her mother. I’ve tried my best to talk about Lisa often because I know at some point, Hadley might forget her.”
Emma slowly shook her head. “She won’t forget her, Aiden. Not if you keep her memory alive.”
