Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3), page 15
Gus' cheeks flushed the slightest pink and Aiden loved seeing him this way. He wasn't just the tough, bad boy cop she had taken him for in the beginning. He had a softness to him that the last several weeks had clearly revealed.
Gus introduced each of them to his family and the questions began. Back and forth for the next hour, they spoke as if they had all lived this life together for a long time. Aiden had never felt more comfortable talking to near complete strangers than she did right now. Lily and her exchanged numbers with Ash and Emily with the promise that they would have a girl chat soon. Gus was updated about Emily and her new teaching job and couldn't wait to hear all the stories Con would have about junior high boys crushing on their hot teacher.
Ash held up an ultrasound picture for all of them to see and Aiden thought Gus would burst into tears. She reached for his hand and he shook his head. "It's overwhelming," he whispered. He regained his composure and cleared his throat. "I can't decide if I want to jump for joy for my little sister or wring Luke's neck."
Luke probably wouldn't have noticed if he did. The man couldn't wipe the smile off of his face and it looked like Aislinn might get lucky tonight.
The banter between the Brannock siblings and their significant others was highly amusing. Not once did any of them sincerely disagree with anything that was said. They supported each other to the death and teased each other mercilessly, but always ended with declarations of love and devotion.
It was poetic in a weird and chaotic kind of way.
Aidy got the most attention and she instantly fell in love with Liam. The man couldn't hold in his excitement about the coming grandchild and was already spoiling Aidy rotten.
When it was time for Lily to leave, she did so reluctantly. Aiden walked her out and wasn't expecting the bear hug she was given.
"They are wonderful, Aid. I'm so glad you are giving this a chance," Lily gushed.
"It's not a sure thing, Lil. We haven't even talked yet."
"Then talk. I know you know you'll be happy with him so stop stalling."
"Okay."
Lily hugged her again, "Okay. I'll see you in the morning." She hugged Aidy goodbye and left to get ready for her date.
Gus was in a heated discussion with Conall and Luke when they walked back into his apartment so she turned the television on for her niece and sat back down next to him.
"We are not naming our son Fergus or Conall so both of you can just shut the hell up," Luke shouted.
"What if it's a girl?" Conall asked.
Luke looked at an already beaming Aislinn before he said, "If it's a girl, there is no question that we are naming her Isabelle."
Liam looked like he was struggling to hold in his emotions and Aiden felt the sting of tears hit her eyes as her heart went out to the man. Con and Gus both ducked their heads with the same wistful expressions.
"That's perfect," Gus whispered.
"Yeah," Con agreed. "Boy or girl, that baby is going to be perfect. Proud of you both."
They all said goodbye a few minutes later, promising to spend more time talking when everyone was together for the wedding.
When Gus closed the laptop and looked over at her, the smile on her face nearly splitting it in half, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Your family is amazing, Gus. Thank you for letting me meet them."
He pulled her in for a quick hug and kissed her forehead. "The pleasure was all mine. Believe me."
Aiden couldn't stop smiling.
The rest of the night went perfectly. Gus made her and Aidy spaghetti - good spaghetti - and ordered a bunch of movies on the satellite. Granted, most of them were kid shows, but that was just fine with her. She had no intention of staying with Gus, but she was going to spend every minute she could in his presence tonight.
They were cleaning up the kitchen when Gus asked how her painting for Marjorie was going and she remembered what she needed to tell him.
She hated to ruin a perfectly good evening, but it was more important to her to be honest with Gus. He wanted to protect her and she wasn't about to ignore something that could be a potential danger to her or her niece.
He didn't take it well, but he also didn't freak out and demand that she stay indoors either. Instead, he told her he had been feeling the same ever since they spent that day together, then he went into great detail about what happened to Ash months before when she was taken.
"We had her locked up inside for weeks trying to keep her out of sight and out of danger, but it still didn't matter. Please, just be smart and make sure you stay vigilant whenever you leave the apartment. I wish I could be here with you all day every day, but I'm sure you would get sick of me if I did that."
Oh, hell no. There was no way she could ever get sick of this man.
He grabbed her wrist when she finished scooping the leftover sauce into a bowl and gently turned her face with his other hand to make sure she saw how serious he was. "Don't go anywhere there aren't lots of people when Aidy is with you and set me on your speed dial. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"
His touch never failed to send an electric hum throughout her entire body. She nodded with a deep breath in an attempt to gain control of her racing heart.
When his eyes fell to her parted lips, it was all she could do to hold still.
"Aiden, I want to-"
"Aunty Aiden! Spongebob is on!"
Aiden startled and the tomato sauce in the bowl she still held splattered all over the front of her.
"Shit!" she hissed.
Aidy giggled, "You have to put a dollar in the swear jar."
She rolled her eyes. The moment was gone and Gus was laughing as she tried to clean off her shirt. "Don't worry, Red. I'll spot you." He pulled out his wallet and handed Aidy a five dollar bill. "This should cover the rest of the night, Little Red."
Aidy dashed out of the room, clutching the bill in her tiny fingers.
"Why don't you go change and then we can start a movie for Miss Torpedo over there?"
Aiden hurried out of his apartment without looking back, wondering what he had been about to say before Aidy had burst into the room. She walked into her apartment, locking the door behind her in case Gus decided to check on whether or not she had been listening to him earlier.
She pulled on a clean T-shirt and checked her appearance in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes were dark like a rich chocolate. She felt beautiful in a way she never had before. Sure, Gus made her feel beautiful, but this was different. She knew in her heart that the path she was taking was the right one. Lily was right. The risk is worth the happiness she was feeling right now.
She hurried back to her door and yanked it open. In her rush to get back to Aidy and Gus, she almost ran over the man standing just outside her apartment.
Brandon.
"Where is she, Aiden?" he shouted, his face looking green and the smell coming off of him making her feel like throwing up all the delicious food Gus had just fed her. He was drunk and obviously hadn't showered in the last three days or so.
She sniffed again and nearly gagged. Maybe more than three days.
"Brandon, what the hell are you doing here?"
"I want to see my daughter!"
She was stunned speechless. Never, in the five years of Aidy's life had this man been remotely interested in anything to do with his daughter. The few times he did see her were because Lily forced it in the beginning, hoping that her little girl could have a father. All the man cared about was himself, though, and his visits ended quickly.
The man was a prick and Aiden felt her anger rising swiftly. Her hands started to shake and she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins as her body prepared to fight. It was probably not smart to poke a bear, but she liked poking bears.
"She's not here, asshole!"
"Then where the fuck is she? Lily isn't at her apartment," he slurred and stumbled, catching himself on the doorjamb and getting a little too close for comfort. Aiden stepped back and held her breath so she wouldn't smell the stench coming off of him.
She hated lying, but technically it wasn't a lie because Aidy really wasn't here. "She isn't here so why don't you get your ass out of my building and go clean yourself up. You haven't given two fucks about your daughter in five years, why now?"
"You stupid bitch! She's my daughter!" He shouted, spit flying onto her face. He raised his hand as if to strike her, but before she could process the danger she was in, Gus was there, a blur forcing Brandon to crash into the doorjamb face first.
Brandon cried out in pain, but Aiden didn't feel even a flicker of remorse for the man.
"Who the fuck are you?" Gus shouted, holding Brandon's hands behind his back and shoving him into the door frame once more. He was going to have a couple bruises when Gus was through with him, if not more.
"He's Aidy's loser father and he's looking for her," she said angrily.
Gus eyes ran up and down her frame, looking for any sign that she might have been hurt.
"I'm okay, Gus."
The warmth that had crept into his eyes when she spoke quickly vanished and his head snapped back to the trash he was holding in front of him.
"You smell like shit that bathed in whiskey. You have ten seconds to get your ass out of here before I arrest you."
He turned around and shoved Brandon towards the stairs. The drunk idiot crashed to the floor and struggled to get himself back up. When he was finally standing unsteadily, he turned and glared at the two of them.
"Tell Lily I want to see my daughter."
"Go to hell," Aiden snapped. Gus was standing in front of her so she had to lean to the side to glare at the bastard. She felt him reach back and grasp her hip, obviously hoping it was enough to stop her from jumping the big fat jerk. She wasn't so sure he'd be able to with the fury consuming her.
Neither one of them moved as they watched Brandon descend the stairs, stumbling several times before disappearing. Gus turned and wrapped his fingers around her shoulders, his eyes searching hers anxiously.
"You okay?"
She nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to speak without her voice shaking. Her hands trembled at her sides and her heart was still racing. She hated Brandon for hurting her sister, but she hated him even more for abandoning Aidy. How dare he come to her home and threaten her like that.
"Come here," Gus said softly and pulled her into his chest.
She automatically wrapped her arms around his waist and her shaking fingers curled into the back of his shirt. She loved the safety his arms provided and held on for dear life.
"I despise that man with every fiber of my being. He never deserved my sister and he sure as hell doesn't deserve Aidy."
"Not arguing with you there, Red, but I need you to calm down and take a few deep breaths for me."
She did as he requested and instantly started to feel her composure return. His arms tightened around her when she felt his kiss on the crown of her head and her heart started back up again for an entirely different reason.
When he pulled away a moment later, a hand moved to her cheek, pushing her hair behind her ear and lightly grazing his fingers down her jaw. He cupped the back of her neck, those strong fingers molding against her skin. His eyes were soft and warm as he looked at her, but his lips were set in a firm line. He was upset, but his concern was winning out.
"Better?"
She shrugged because, technically, no.
Their eyes locked, his piercing deep into her soul, as if he could see her desire for him and she could swear she heard his breath hitch when her tongue darted out to wet her lips. His eyes flicked back and forth from her mouth to her eyes, just like that first night and so many times since. She tightened her fingers around his shirt, silently pleading for him to give her what she so desperately wanted.
He leaned closer, but instead of planting those perfect lips on hers, they landed on her forehead. It was like the end of the fireworks on the 4th of July. She tried to push away the disappointment, but it was no use. She had pushed them to this point, to the friend zone even if he had fought it along the way and she didn't know how to get them out of it.
It will take time, Aid. Just be patient.
"You and Aidy are going to stay with me tonight, okay? I don't think he will even remember coming here, but I don't want to risk him coming back and hurting either of you."
"Okay, I guess that explains why I've been feeling watched lately. It must have been him holding out to get a glimpse of Aidy."
He didn't look convinced, but didn't question her either. "Come on. Let's not think about it anymore. We can build a fort in my living room."
"Okay".
"Aidy will love it."
"Okay."
"I love when you're so agreeable," he smiled and reached out to pull her door shut. After making sure it was locked, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her along to his apartment.
Aidy was sitting in front of the television watching Spongebob, no sign that she was aware of anything that had just happened. Still, Aiden worried that she heard her father's harsh words.
"She's fine, babe. So absorbed in the show that she didn't even hear me when I told her I would be right back."
Aiden sat next to her niece, her hands less shaky, but her mind still racing. She needed to call her sister, but she wanted to make sure Aidy was okay.
"Go call Lily. I'll stay with her."
"Thank you, Gus."
He sat next to her niece as she found her phone and quickly dialed her sister. The conversation went better than she thought it would. She could hear Chad in the background trying to calm a furious Lily and decided she wanted to meet the man right away. Lily calmed down after a minute or two. She knew Gus and Aiden wouldn't let anything happen to her daughter.
"She's safer there than at my own home. I wouldn't be able to hold him back if he was determined enough."
"Lily, has he said anything to you? Anything that would lead up to this? I mean, this is completely out of the blue, right?"
"Not really. He's been calling, but I got the impression it was because he's having problems with the bimbo and doesn't have anyone else to talk to. I mean, it's not like he's stayed in contact with me or anything so yeah, it's out of the blue, but… I don't know. I guess this is exactly what I expected."
Aiden didn't like the sound of that. Not when she knew how deeply her sister had loved the man and not when she wasn't there every minute of the day. "Lily, you wouldn't…"
"No. I wouldn't, Aid. He may be the father of my child, but he isn't getting another minute of my life."
The relief she wanted to feel never came. Her sister had been lonely for a long time, but would never admit it. Not when Aidy brought so much joy to her life. She could only hope that Lily wouldn't end up with a broken heart again now that she was interested in someone else.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Aid. Thank you and tell Gus I said thank you, too."
"I will. Love you."
"Love you, too."
She joined Gus and Aidy in the living room, seeing that they were already halfway done building a massive fort of blankets, pillows, and chairs. Aidy was talking excitedly about castles and dragons and princesses. He was watching her.
She smiled, letting him know all was well, but the heat in his eyes only flared. He wanted her and he left no room for argument. It was clear as day. Maybe this would be easier than she thought, letting go of her fears and embracing a relationship with her best friend.
"Aunty Aiden, can we make popcorn?"
She reluctantly moved her gaze away from him and smiled down at her niece. "Of course, sweetie. I'll go start some."
"Pantry, left of the door," Gus called out behind her.
She had just started the popcorn when a phone started ringing on the counter. It was Gus' phone and the annoying normal was extremely loud.
"Will you get that, babe?" he called from the living room just before the sound of Aidy's giggle rang out.
She picked up the phone and looked at the screen. It wasn't a saved contact, just a number. "Hello?"
"Um, hi, is Fergus available?"
Her stomach rolled in the worst way at the sound of a woman's sultry voice coming from the other end of the call. Instead of stopping herself from jumping to silly conclusions that would devastate her, she leapt buildings in a single bound with the ideas running through her mind. The only reason for a sultry woman to call him that wasn't his sister or his brother's girlfriend - which she knew for a fact were saved contacts on his phone - was because she was interested in him romantically and the only reason she would have his number is if he was interested in her. Her fingers constricted around the phone until the bite of the hard plastic became too painful.
Of course, the last thing to run through her mind was that it could be someone from the station, but that was too easy.
"Hello?"
"Oh, sorry, um… yes, he is here. May I ask who is calling?" She cringed the second the question popped out of her mouth. She didn't want to know, but couldn't fight the need to get the name of the woman that would probably fill the space in his life she had so ignorantly refused to fill, until now.
She had waited too long to snap out of it.
She was too late.
"Cindy."
Gus walked into the kitchen with a broad smile, Aidy close on his heels. "Is it Luke again? I swear Ash is going to lose her hair if-"
"Here he is, Cindy."
Gus' smile abruptly fell at the sound of that name. She held out the phone, trying to look as indifferent as possible, but knew without a doubt the expression on her face was more like a grimace.
The guilt in his eyes before he looked away was not lost on her. He hesitated before taking the phone out of her grasp and lifting it to his ear. As soon as her fingers were free, she turned toward the microwave and opened the door as carefully as she could. She wanted to rip the thing off and scream and cry. It was her own damn fault. She should have listened to her sister from the very beginning. She shouldn't have been so dramatic and stubborn.
"Hi, Cindy," Gus said from behind her, his voice strained. She heard him walk out of the kitchen and down the hall, his voice fading as he spoke. "Oh, that was my… um, my friend. Yeah." The quiet click of his bedroom door was like an explosion in her ears and her heart thumped to a halt at that other fucking f-word she had owned like a complete moron for weeks.
