Redemption Chapter Fourteen

Aidan had gone to see her once. In the courtroom, her ruthless nature overwhelmed, looking for every avenue to make sure the guilty went behind bars. The fact Krysta was about to go all professional on him, didn’t make Aidan feel any better about the situation. She deserved someone to love her with passion—more and more Aidan wondered if he was that man.

“If someone is after you, and she’s not involved, this is putting her in the middle of things. She could get hurt because of it.”

He put his hands in his pockets. The air stretched between them smelling of ocean water and the sweetness of a storm about to hit. Clouds rolled in over the water, lightning crackling through them like a dolphin swimming through the sea. She wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t want Molly to go. His fingers curled around the sleek pocket knife his father gave him when he turned twelve. Corbett showed Aidan how to work the knife in multiple situations. Aidan couldn’t remember a time he left the house without it. He gripped the smooth object, the light weight a reassurance in his hand.

“I’ll talk to her about it,” Aidan finally conceded. “But I’m not going to force her to leave if she doesn’t want too.”

He didn’t want her to leave. As selfish as that made him. Aidan didn’t want to come downstairs one morning and find Molly gone. Her sleep tousled hair and half lidded eyes took his breath away every time. Molly didn’t need expensive clothes or tons of makeup to be sexy. She pulled it off without any apparent effort.

“Christ, Aidan,” Krysta snapped. “What is your infatuation with her? Is this a sort of Nightingale syndrome except she saved your kid instead of you?”

“Krysta—”

“No, Aidan.” She helped up a perfectly manicured hand. “I’m not comfortable with this, and you need to be respectful of my feelings.”

Ultimatums made his blood pressure rise. Even as a boy. Blake had given him one. Stay quiet and he wouldn’t get hurt, or Blake would kill him too. Even though his mother begged him to just do as Blake said, Aidan couldn’t.

“I do respect your feelings, but I’m not the type of person to just turn someone out.”

“So what, you’d keep her here even if it meant upsetting me?” She thrust her lip out in a pout, eyes darkening with emotion.

“Christ, Krysta, she’s not a puppy. She’s a person. A person who saved my son and nearly got killed in the process.”

“Yes, and I’m grateful,” her voice was tight. “But that doesn’t mean she should move in and become part of the family!”

“Why not?” Aidan asked. “She doesn’t have anyone else. Maybe she was the one to save Cody so she could come into our lives.”

“Are you serious right now?” She blinked slowly. “It was an accident. Or maybe it wasn’t. With this letter, who knows?” She threw her hands up in frustration. “But either she’s a part of this, or she’s going to get caught in the crossfire.”

“So what, I should just send Cody away too?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Of course not, but you should at least let me put you under protection.”

Aidan shook his head, blond wisps of hair whipping at the edges of his eyes. “No.”

“God, you’re so stubborn! She’s just some girl who got lucky enough to save Cody!” Her eyes widened and she closed her mouth. “I…Aidan, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath, putting his anger in check before he said something he’d regret. “I appreciate your concern, Krysta, but we’re staying in our home, and we’re not asking Molly to leave. We’re not going to let someone terrorize us again.”

Her jaw clenched, but he thought it might be more of the fact he wouldn’t make Molly leave.

Aidan couldn’t do this anymore. To himself, or to Krysta. “Maybe, for now we should take a break.”

The words fell from his lips before he knew what he was saying.

“What?” She whispered. Her face fell, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin.

His heart ached for doing this, or maybe for not doing it sooner. Aidan wasn’t sure. A part of him always knew Krysta wasn’t right for him. He’d just been too afraid to be alone.

“I’m sorry, Krysta,” sincerity rippled through his words. “I should have said something a long time ago.”

Her open hand connected with his cheek, the sudden force snapping his head to the side. The shock made him put a hand to the flesh more than the pain. He looked at her with surprised blue eyes.

Krysta always used her words to fight, this was the first time she’d used her hand. Not that he didn’t deserve it. Aidan carried blame in this, more than Krysta. Her jealousy had sped things up, but in the end, this would have been the outcome.

“You’re a coward, Aidan. This isn’t because of anything but that stray you took in.” She shook her head. “She’s not the saint you think she is. And I’ll prove it.”

Krysta turned on her heel, storming out the back gate. Aidan didn’t call after her. No point. He couldn’t stop Krysta from doing anything she wanted to. Besides, if the Sheriff hadn’t found anything on Molly, he doubted Krysta would. A fruitless endeavor, and while he understood her desire to blame Molly, his decision had been his own.

Aidan never loved Krysta, not the head over heels kind of love. He just wanted the comfort of someone to hold and that hadn’t been fair to either of them, but mostly to Krysta. When she calmed down, he’d try and talk to her, but for now, they both needed some time.

With Molly, he wanted to see her every morning. He wondered what her body would feel like against his. The thought of her caressing him made his stomach tighten. He leaned on the porch railing, the wood groaning under his grip. Closing his eyes, he tried to steady himself. Krysta was right about one thing. They might be putting Molly in harm’s way. How could he even attempt to start a relationship with her based on that?

If he held back, whoever was making the threats, would win. If he told Molly the truth, she could make her own decision. His wife taught him that protecting someone without their permission didn’t really work in his favor.

Aidan’s head reeled from everything. Cody’s near accident…or intentional attempted murder, the note, Molly, Krysta. It all made him dizzy. He sucked in a breath, letting his head fall forward. He wanted to scream and curse whoever ran the universe. His family suffered enough in the last twenty years. Life, he knew, didn’t care how much one suffered. It would continuously send new blows. He learned to deflect them as best he could.

“You okay?” Molly’s sympathetic voice pushed back the panic bubbling in Aidan’s chest.

He lifted his head, looking at her over his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around her belly, as if she were holding herself up. A lock of dark hair curled at the corner of her eye. Her unruly waves often found a spot to rest there. Nodding, he turned to face her, taking in her curvaceous form. He leaned back against the railing, taking a breath to keep his composure.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I understand if you want to leave. You didn’t sign up for any of this.”

She frowned, her lips turning down in almost a slight pout. “No, but you didn’t either.”

“True enough.” Running his fingers through his hair, Aidan closed his eyes, feeling the first sprinkle of rain on his face. He didn’t tell her about Krysta. Not yet. “What say we go inside and finish our coffee?”

She hesitated, her shoulders raising an inch, and Aidan tilted his head. “Are you okay?”

After a moment of nibbling on her lip, Molly nodded. “Yeah. I’ll cook breakfast.”

The sadness in her eyes stayed, despite her lips stretching upwards. Aidan wanted to take that pain away and destroy it forever.

He walked over and draped an arm around her shoulder, leading inside. “Come on then, Chef Molly. Let’s see what sort of kitchen skills you have.”