They rode to the inn in silence. The entire way, she tried to calm down by telling herself that Aidan only had good intentions. But how would he feel if she insisted that he contact his ex-wife, Veronica?
Okay, that would be a dumb idea.
That was for Chloe to decide when she got older. Veronica had rejected her own daughter once, before Chloe knew that she was being rejected. No need to give Veronica the opportunity to hurt the little girl.
Kate’s cheeks burned with the realization of how parallel Chloe’s situation was to her own. A swell of conflicting emotions bubbled up, stinging the back of her throat, making her eyes water. Kate bit the inside of her cheeks to keep the tears from multiplying. She cared so much for Chloe—okay, she loved her. She didn’t want her to go through what Kate had gone through, knowing that one of the people whose love you were supposed to take for granted hadn’t loved you enough to stay. If she could, she would protect that sweet little girl so that Chloe could grow up without the pain and anxiety of wondering who the next person would be to abandon you—Aidan was such a stable force in her life that she might not have the same trust issues with men that Kate had developed.
Aidan was steadfast and good and reliable...and he obviously loved his daughter. A father’s love for his daughter was different than a man’s love for a woman. He would never leave Chloe. But—Kate blinked as realization dawned. Aidan had never said he loved her. He had told her he cared and that he wanted them to work and that they believed they were good together, but he had never professed his love for her.
She stole a glance at him. He was tapping out something on his phone.
Her mouth opened, ready to ask him point-blank, but she couldn’t make the words come out. She felt like she was being needy and vulnerable, which she hated. On the rare occasion that happened, she removed herself from the situation that dredged up the feelings and went inside herself. Self-reliance. That was the key. She knew she would not let herself down. Other people...they were a gamble. That was why she tried to not pin her hopes on others. If you didn’t have expectations, you would not be disappointed.
“Are you all right?” Aidan’s voice was clipped and level, and that irritated her, too. He didn’t even have to say it—Just leave Kate alone and eventually she’ll come out of her snit soon enough, as long as you don’t poke the bear. She had lived with that her whole life. Maybe it was sound advice on how to best deal with her, but... She inhaled a long, deep breath.
“I’m fine.” She gave herself an inward shake. Get yourself together. This is a big night for Mom. You don’t need to ruin it with your own baggage.
“I’m fine,” she repeated as she parked the car in an empty space on the street that ran along the side of the inn.
“Good.” Aidan leaned over and dusted a featherlight kiss on her lips. Even the brief brush of his lips on hers made something shift inside her. It lifted the weight of the earlier irritation. It made the better part of her remember that he was a good guy if he could put up with her moods. She couldn’t take him for granted because surely that generous forbearance had its limits.
Aidan was a good man. She didn’t need to rip open the scars left by her father to realize that.
“Let’s have a good evening, okay?” he said.
She sighed. “Of course. Aidan, I’m sorry. I’m not upset anymore, but I just need you to not push me when it comes to certain things.” She shrugged. “Namely, my dad.”
Aidan nodded.
“I don’t need to see him again to get on with my life. In fact, I worry that if I do reopen this closed door, he will think it is an invitation to be part of our life. Our life. Not his life. Not my life. Our life. That’s what I want to protect.”
God, she hadn’t even fully realized that until the words had presented themselves. But they weren’t just words. It was the truth.
She, her mother and her sisters were all finally getting on with their lives after living through the hell Fred had put them through. Fred Clark had no place here.
Aidan was smiling that lopsided smile of his. It was just for her. He reached out and touched her face, ran his hand around to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. This time, he kissed her soundly and thoroughly and her lady parts sang. She wished there was a way she could sneak him up the back steps to her old room and....
A quiet little moan escaped at the thought. But there was probably someone staying in her old room because she had been on her own since graduating from beauty school. And tonight was about her mother and her new beau. Not about reliving her teenage years with Aidan.
“Come on,” she said. “We need to go inside before I have my way with you right here in the car like a couple of teenagers making out.”
“And why would that be wrong?” His hand had found the hem of her skirt and was inching its way up her thigh, sending spirals of longing that intensified the closer he got to her center. Out of the corner of her eye, she happened to catch movement in the sideview mirror. It was Liam and Jane, and their presence snapped her back to reality.
“Because my sister and her husband are walking up.” She pulled her skirt back into place in the nick of time.
“Rain check?” Aidan asked.
“You bet.”
As they greeted
