Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
My fingers shook and my heart thudded as I opened it. “A laptop? It’s too much.”
“It’s what I wanted to give you,” he replied, and I knew he did it because I wouldn’t argue with that. I wanted whatever Aidan desired.
I slid from the chair and to the floor. Part of me felt stupid, doing this in front of Ian and David, but the other didn’t care. I worshipped Aidan and didn’t care who knew. I crawled to him and knelt at his feet. His eyes flared with dominance when I looked up at him. “Thank you, Sir. You take such good care of me. I’ve never…” Never had this. Never been spoiled this way. My mom had loved me so much, but she hadn’t had the means Aidan did. Not that I didn’t appreciate what she gave me. I would give up everything for her to be there with me, to look at me and hug me and laugh with me the way she had always done.
But this, the way Aidan cared for me, it was so foreign to me outside of him, and it was the very best thing that had ever happened to me.
“I know,” he said, understanding what I couldn’t put words to. “You’re a very good boy. You serve me well, and you deserve this.”
“Thank you.” I nodded, unsure if I believed him.
When I looked up, Ian’s eyes were on me with an interest I’d never seen in him before.
“You may stand,” Aidan said.
“Yes, Sir.”
We visited for a little while before David said, “I should head out. Thanks for having me.”
“Thank you for coming,” I told him, and I meant it. He might have only come because he was Aidan’s friend, but I appreciated it.
“Anytime,” David replied. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked Ian.
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
We walked them to the door and said our goodbyes. Ian and I hugged, and then the two of them slipped out the door. The second Aidan had closed and locked it, I looked at him and burst into tears.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aidan
The moment Finley began to cry, I went to him, wrapped my arms around him, and kissed the top of his head, trying to figure out what happened, where I went wrong. “Shh. It’s okay. I’m here. I have you.”
My words only made him cry harder, so I lifted him, and Finley went easily. He wrapped his arms around my neck, his legs over one arm and his back against the other. If I could, I would carry him upstairs like this, but I knew it wasn’t possible, so I went to the couch and sat down.
“I have you. I’m not going anywhere,” I told him again, playing with his hair because I knew how much my boy loved it. Finley nuzzled into my neck and breathed me in, his body beginning to relax against me. “Communication, remember? If something’s wrong, you need to tell me. I’m just a man. I can’t always figure it out on my own.”
Finley gasped. “What? No. Nothing’s wrong. I’m so sorry. I’m just…” He lowered his voice. “I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s ridiculous, really. I’m just so happy. This is the best birthday I’ve had since my mom died.”
Oh, this sweet, precious boy. The things he did to me. My body was sensitive, this sort of softening of walls inside me. I should have thought of that, what this meant to him after losing her. “Tell me about your mother,” I commanded.
“Really?” His eyes were bright, eager, as if my demand had surprised him.
“Yes, of course.”
“I… Okay. Her name was Amanda. I never met her parents, but I know they were wealthy—they came from money—and very religious. Her dad was a minister.”
I listened, petting his hair as he spoke.
“She got pregnant with me when she was sixteen. She kept it from her parents for as long as she could. When they found out, they were incredibly angry with her, but at that point there wasn’t much they could do. They’re from Texas, and I think her mother brought her here so that no one back home would know. When I was born, it was me or them, and she chose me.”
Wow. That was a lot to put on his shoulders. “Tell me you know that’s not your fault,” I urged him. “Because it isn’t.”
“Part of me knows that. I didn’t ask to be born, but her life would have been much better without me.”
I didn’t think anything would be better without him. “You were worth it to her. She loved you, correct?”
“Yes, she was the best.”
“Exactly. Now continue, please.”
“I was born a month early. They didn’t think I would make it. I was very sick, and we were in the hospital for quite a while. It’s why she named me Finley. It means fair-haired warrior. Even though I was early, I was born with a headful of blond hair. She told me the story often, how I was her little warrior because I survived.”