Oliver was content to stay with Jacob, but he humored his grandmother, laughing when she made a silly face and holding her finger with his pudgy hand.
Aiden smiled, but Sarah could see once again that he was having to try. What it must be like to live with something so big hanging over your head—Sarah could only imagine. It burdened him, greatly, and how could it not? It had made him the person he was today. Nothing was safe from the influence of the secret he was convinced his mother was keeping.
For nearly two hours, Sarah dedicated herself to being a comfort to Aiden, bringing him a fresh drink when needed, offering a reassuring smile or moment of eye contact, especially when he sat on the living room sofa with his mom. Every time he acknowledged Sarah with a smile or a nod, it shored up their solidarity. The friendship they’d forged would be one of her greatest takeaways from their ten days together. It could comfort her when she found herself wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t put up a stone wall after Miami.
“How are you holding up?” She crouched next to him at the end of the couch when his mother had gone to use the bathroom. Things were winding down, which was good since Aiden seemed to have reached his limit. His eyes were tired, his jaw tense, brows drawn tightly together.
“She’s making me crazy. She’s spent the whole night planning things for Oliver’s birthday next month and talking about how she wants to spend Christmas morning with him. It rubs me the wrong way. I can’t help it.”
Probably because she never did those things for you. Sarah bit down on her lip to keep from saying what Aiden already knew. “Maybe she’s trying to make up for the past.”
A slight smile crossed his face and he clasped his hand over hers. “You’re so sweet. I love your optimism. But I’m pretty sure this is just her way of sweeping the past under the rug.”
He was probably right. She didn’t know why she had the need to put a positive spin on his mother’s insensitivity, she only knew that she did. “So let’s just get everyone to clear out.”
“Yes. Oliver needs to get to bed anyway.”
* * *
By the time Aiden’s mom returned from the bathroom, he’d had enough for one day. Sarah was right. Everyone needed to go home. He got up from the couch. “I don’t want to spoil the party, but I need to get Oliver to bed.”
His mother smiled and nodded. “Such a good dad.” She popped up onto her tiptoes and kissed Aiden on the cheek. “It’s been a wonderful night. I only wish your father could’ve lived to meet his grandson.”
That image left Aiden frozen with the words he wanted to say. It would be easier on everyone if he let it go, but after years on the periphery of his family, doubt festering in his head and heart, he not only wanted the truth, it was the only thing he could speak. “I’m not sure he would’ve accepted Oliver.” He sure as hell didn’t accept me.
“Of course he would have.”
Again, the need—the thirst—for the truth was desperate. The fire inside him, the pain he lived with every day, blazed. “But he didn’t accept me.”
His mother’s eyes were horror stricken. “Your father loved you.”
Aiden calmly confronted her by looking her square in the eye. “Just tell me. I’m tired of wondering. I don’t want to have to think about it anymore.”
“But...”
He clasped his hand firmly over hers. “Mom. I love you, but there is no but. If you want to be a part of Oliver’s life, you’ll tell me the truth about who my father is.”
Adam approached. “Everything okay?”
Aiden refused to let his mother off the hook. “Mom was going to finally tell me the truth about who my dad is. Weren’t you?”
“You’d keep my grandson from me?”
Aiden nodded. “If you love me, you’ll tell me.”
His mother’s eyes misted. Her lower lip trembled. “I don’t want to hurt you. I never did.”
“Mom, it’s too late. This is your chance to start making it better.” Aiden braced for what was to come.
His mother perched on the edge of a chair. “We tried to make it work, but your father...” She cast her eyes up at Adam, then Aiden. Anna joined them and took Aiden’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “Your father couldn’t deal with it. He looked at Aiden and all he saw was what he perceived as betrayal. That’s why you were sent off to school. And I agreed, because I couldn’t watch him be cruel to you and loving with Adam and Anna. Your father had such a temper. I was worried about what might happen if he got truly angry at you. That’s why you were sent away.”