Infinity(67)

He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I slept with Amy after the funeral.” His head drops like Pancho’s when he knows he’s supposed to stay off the couch, but he just can’t help himself.

My jaw clinches, and I feel like pummeling my best friend. “You did what?” I grind out.

Aiden puts his hands up defensively. “Look, I really like her. It’s not like I just fucked her because she’s hot.”

I’ve come to think of Charlie’s sisters as my own. Amy in particular, because she’s lived with us for a while. I’m an only child. I can’t even pretend to know what it feels like to have siblings, but I do know that I will kill any motherfucker that makes the Collins’ girls cry.

My molars crunch together. “I’m going to give you thirty seconds to explain why I shouldn’t beat the shit out of you.”

Aiden knows that I’m dead serious and starts spilling his guts. “You’re the one who keeps telling me to move on from Rachael, and I’ve been trying. I’ve gone on some dates with girls in LA, but they all seem to have an angle. ‘Oh! You’re McKinney’s agent? Does he need a model for his next line?’ You know, that kind of shit.”

He leans forward and begins to fidget with an imaginary thread from his pants. “Every girl that I’ve met seems so fake. I’ve gotten to know Amy over the years, and have always really liked her. She’s got such a sweet, gentle way. She’s kind and beautiful. She laughs at my jokes and calms me when I’m upset. Frankly, she’s the polar opposite of Rachael.”

I will definitely agree with him there.

He pauses for a second, clearly getting into uncomfortable territory again. “I saw her so sad at her dad’s funeral, and I got this overwhelming feeling of just wanting to hold her and kiss her tears away. It’s like I didn’t even notice that Rachael was a couple of people from me.”

My surprise at his statement must show on my face, because he says, “I know. Can you believe it? Seeing Rachael didn’t even make me want to discover the bottom of a whiskey bottle. Anyway, after the lunch thing was over, I asked Amy if she’d like to go for a walk. And she said yes. We walked around some park for a long time and just talked to each other. Then, I asked if she wanted to come back to my hotel and watch a funny movie.”

Aiden’s eyes grow wide clearly about to defend himself. “I had no intention of sleeping with her when I invited her. I really just wanted to make her feel better.”

I’ve known Aiden for most of my life. I can tell how sincere he is. Now, that I’m really looking at him, he does have that dopey, I’m-in-love look about him.

“We ordered room service and bought a comedy on pay-per-view. It was just so natural. I snuggled her to my side, and one thing led to another.”

I throw my hand up, stopping him. “No more. I get it. Could you stop fishing in ponds so close to my wife? Find a beautiful blonde that isn’t Charlie’s best friend or sister?” Seriously, this is ridiculous. He lives in LA. There has to be a blonde there who won’t want him for just his ties to the entertainment industry.

“I know how this looks, but it’s really not like that. We’ve talked every night on the phone. When it’s time to say goodbye, I don’t want to hang up. I find something beautiful, and I want to buy it for her, or take a picture because I know that it’ll make her smile. I can’t believe that I’ve fallen for a girl that is the polar opposite of Rachael, but I think that it’s a good thing.”

I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost. He fucks Amy over, and there’s going to be huge tension in our house. However, Aiden is a great dude. I know he wants to be married and have a family. Amy is a dream of a girl. I can see the two of them getting along well. “Don’t dick her over, okay? The surest way to get uninvited from family holidays is to piss off Charlie. She’ll have your nuts made into a keychain for The Tank if you fuck over Amy. That’s her little sister.” I lecture him, doing my best dad impression. Then it hits me. What would Jack think of my best friend dating his daughter? I laugh, knowing he’d be livid.

Aiden shakes his head and his face begins to relax as it occurs to him that I’m not going to beat his ass. “I know. And I have no intention of doing that. But, here’s the thing: Amy is afraid that you and Caroline are going to fire her if you find out.”

“Fire her? For what? Picking the wrong guy?” I couldn’t help but get my jab in. “She can’t help it that you drugged her drink.”