Hard to Handle

And this chafed Evan for some reason?

“Sadie somebody, Dad says.”

Aiden shot his father a look. Mike shrugged. “Didn’t know it was a state secret.”

“K-I-S-S-I-N—”

“And Lyon says you make out with the neighbor.” Aiden interrupted Evan’s chants. “So why don’t you lay off?”

Dad rolled his eyes. “You two sound like a couple of idgits.”

“Evan started it.”

“You started it,” Evan barked. “When you refused to bring Mom back from Oregon. When you lied to Dad about how much of your own money you were putting up to keep her there.”

“Enough!” Mike’s booming voice garnered both sons’ full attention. “We are not going to assign blame for your mother’s sickness.”

“Death, Dad,” Evan corrected.

Aiden scowled at him. Mike’s eyes sank closed at the word.

“You’re right, Ev,” Dad admitted softly. “Death.”

The room grew eerily quiet for a moment. Until Lyon burst back onto the scene. “Jammies!” He was wearing only his underwear and waving the pieces of clothing around his head like a helicopter.

Aiden caught a pant leg before he lost an eye, and helped his nephew dress. Lyon chattered about a superhero movie, growing more animated when he described the “’splosions and battles”.

When he was dressed for bed, Lyon clambered away from his uncle. The kid’s darker skin and mass of coffee-colored curls were his late mother’s, but his light eyes and build were his father’s. “I’m gonna get the football!”

“Not now, Lyon,” Evan told his son. When Lyon whined, Evan gave him his sternest dad look. “I’m talking to Grampa and Uncle Aiden. Go watch your DVD and I’ll tuck you into bed in a few.”

“A few what?” Lyon asked with a frown.

“Child,” Evan said, lifting an arm to point. “Go.” Lyon groaned and lurched into the kitchen. Eventually they heard him stomping up the stairs, followed by the rumble of the television.

Mike slapped Evan’s knee. “You’re a good dad.”

The hurt showed through Evan’s pride. Lyon, and any reminder that Evan was a father, reminded Evan of Rae. When she died two years ago, she left Ev with a three-year-old and a hole in his heart the size of the Grand Canyon. Aiden couldn’t imagine what his brother’s life must be like in the lonely, quiet hours at night.

“I love that kid,” Aiden told him.

“He’s his mother,” he said.

“He’s you, too.” their father said. Then he stood. “Beer?”

“Yeah,” Ev said, then cast a glance at Aiden. “And bring Aid one, too.”

Aiden figured that was as close to a reconciliation as they were going to get today.

He’d take it.

Chapter 12

Landon. Aiden’s oldest brother. Who lives in Chicago?” Crickitt spoke slowly, making Sadie feel like the dimmest bulb in the chandelier.

“I know who Landon is,” Sadie said. She was just distracted, that’s all. Distracted by her admission to Aiden, and by his sultry promise after he kissed the brains right out of her head. “Oldest brother, started his own advertising firm in Chicago. Millionaire.” She gestured at Crickitt with a flourish of her fingers. “Go on.”

Crickitt tore apart a breadstick and mopped up the remaining marinara from her plate while Sadie sipped her iced tea. “Well, Landon and Shane have been referring clients to each other for years. Shane to Landon’s firm for their advertising needs and Landon to Shane for their logo design and general business consulting. But today”—Crickitt dropped her breadstick to rub her hands together—“Shane and Landon have officially partnered!”

“That’s great,” Sadie said flatly. She didn’t mean to sound so disconnected, but she was. Her mind was wandering along the fray, and definitely not here with Crickitt and the lunchtime crowd packing Giovanni’s outdoor patio.

“It is great,” Crickitt said, smile faltering. “It’s a big deal for August Industries, for Shane and me. For all of us, really.”

Sadie was happy for her friend. She was. So why couldn’t she muster up anything other than a thin smile of support? “I’m so glad,” she said, sounding less than convincing.

Crickitt frowned. “Oh my gosh. I’m bragging, aren’t I?” Crickitt swiped her mouth with her black cloth napkin. “I’ve gone and married a wealthy businessman and turned into a desperate housewife.”

“No, no you haven’t.”

“Yes, I have. I can’t believe it. Pretty soon I’m going to have plastic surgery and a drinking problem to go with it.”

“Crickitt, that’s not what I’m thinking.” Sadie smiled over at her friend. A real smile.

“Don’t let me buy a little dog and carry it around in a purse, okay?” Crickitt wrinkled her cute nose.

“Okay.” Sadie leaned in. “I have to tell you something.”

Crickitt’s eyes rounded. She leaned over the table.

Sadie kept her voice down, but spoke loud enough to be heard over the din of dining patrons. “I want to sleep with Aiden, but he won’t sleep with me because he’s decided to take a vow of celibacy until he gets married.” She didn’t know Crickitt’s eyes could get wider until they did. “I’m tired of being a virgin,” Sadie added, because, well, why not admit it all? The truth shall set you free.

Crickitt’s mouth dropped open. Sadie leaned back in her chair and watched her friend stare across the table at her.

“I know. I should have told you a long time ago,” Sadie said. “About the virgin thing, I mean. I don’t even know why I would want the man who left me an aching, devastated mess a year ago. Your plastic-surgery-wine- addiction is sounding pretty good right about now compared to the woman I’m becoming. I don’t want to be a doormat.”

Crickitt walked around the table and hugged her. “Oh, this is so great!” When she released Sadie, she was blinking away tears. “I always loved the two of you together.”

“Did you hear anything I said?” Sadie asked as Crickitt returned to her chair. “About my being a”—she mouthed the word—virgin?

Crickitt waved a hand and reached for her water. “Oh yeah, that. I had my suspicions.”

Sadie sat back in her chair. “Really?” She worked so hard to come off as worldly.

“It’s neither here nor there. The point is you and Aiden are back together,” she cooed.

“We’re not…together.” And evidently they wouldn’t be getting together if Aiden wasn’t having sex until his wedding day. What was Sadie supposed to do, marry him to get some? She snorted to herself.

“Why aren’t you two together?” Crickitt asked, reclaiming her abandoned breadstick. “What are you afraid of?”

“Are you kidding me? How about him calling from across the country to dump me over the phone?”

Crickitt tilted her head. “He regrets that, Sadie. More than you know.” She finished chewing and patted her lips with the napkin. “Don’t get mad at me for saying this.”

Sadie felt herself getting angry already, but willed the emotion away. Crickitt was her best friend. She wouldn’t tell her anything she didn’t need to hear. Even if she didn’t want to hear it. “Say it.”

“I think you’ve gotten all the mileage you can out of that phone call.”

“Mileage?” Sadie asked, struggling to keep her tone even. “You mean, like, pity?”

Crickitt shook her head and kept her hand firmly over Sadie’s. “It was a terrible, awful, devastating phone