Page 41 of Wild Mistake
“Fine.” Ryan sighs. “Don’t take him out for too long. Steer clear of crowds, or anything that could be sensory overload. And have him home before the sun goes down.”
“Why? If I don’t will he turn into a pumpkin?” I tease.
He doesn’t laugh. “It’s called sundowners. Google it.”
“Oh.” Just like that, I feel out of the loop. On the outside looking in with my own family. I understand they kept Pops’ health issues from me with good intentions, but it doesn’t feel great now.
“Aiden?”
“Yeah?” I lift my stare to Ryan’s.
“Pops is fine at home. He’s happy with his routine and the simplicity of it all.” He huffs out a laugh. “You aren’t a seventy-year-old with dementia, so it’s okay to want more. In fact, I’d be worried if that’s all you wanted.”
“I feel bad leaving him alone.” I don’t want to miss any more time with him. I already feel as if I let him down by staying away so long.
“Don’t do that.” Ryan shakes his head.
“What?”
“Beat yourself up for something none of us could stop.”
“But if I’d been here . . .”What? What would I have done?
“Yeah, I know. I feel the same. I was here, but I was going through my own shit. Between the divorce and grieving Mom . . .” He shrugs. “If I hadn’t, maybe I would have paid more attention and picked up on the signs. Or maybe I would have still missed them. Pops is stubborn and proud, and even if we knew sooner, what could we have done differently?”
“You’re right.”
“I’m always right.” He winks and we both chuckle. He reaches out, clasping my shoulder. “We can’t waste energy with blame and guilt. Pops wouldn’t want that anyway.”
He wouldn’t. “Yeah.” I still want to take him out tomorrow. Maybe for a drive. Or dessert at the diner. Something simple. Something just the two of us.
“So, you’re already going stir crazy?”
“I’m keeping busy enough,” I lie.
“Yeah.” Ryan laughs, shaking his head. “Right.”
“What?”
“You could never sit still. Even when we were kids. You always wanted to be doing something. You were always running circles around me and Tim.”
“I’m still figuring out what I want to do next.”
“That include your ex fiancée?” He raises his brows. “Yeah, don’t even try to deny it. I saw the way you couldn’t keep your eyes off her. So did everyone else.”
“Sarah is . . .” How much do I want to tell him? Fuck it. Who’s he going to tell? “She’s the one who got away.”
“My memory isn’t what it used to be”—he chuckles, shaking his head—“But I’m pretty sureyouwere the one who left.”
“We were young.”And I was stupid.
“You were.”
“This is going to sound crazy.” I inhale a breath of confidence. “But I think I want another chance with her.”
“Youthink?” He levels me with a stare. “As someone who went through a divorce, you better be damn sure of your feelings before you go there. I don’t know the specifics of her split”—he holds his hands up—“and it’s none of my business. But from my own experience, I’d bet she’s been through it. Her kids too.”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t thought of it that way. Damn. I don’t want to hurt Sarah. That’s never been my intent. I don’t have any expectations, but I am drawn to her and I want to see where it leads. But what if Ryan has a point? What if I’m the last thing Sarah needs right now? Should keep my distance? Hell, I don’t know if wild horses could keep me away.
