Page 40 of Wild Mistake
“It’s Wilder Valley.” Sarah laughs. “We’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“Of course.” I meet her gaze and shove my hands in my pockets so I’m not tempted to pull her in for a hug. “I’m happy you came tonight.”
She holds my stare, long enough my pulse begins to beat in my ears. “Me too.”
“Mom, are we going or what?” Her son says from inside the vehicle.
“Well, I better . . .” She nods at the car.
“Yeah. Of course.” I step back and lift my hand in a wave. “Text me when you get home.”
“Oh.” She pauses, glancing down at the ground. “I don’t have your number.”
Of course she doesn’t.God, I really am a fucking idiot. I pull my cell from my pocket and pull up an empty text message. “What’s your number?” As she reads off the number, I shoot her a text. “Cool. Now you have mine.”
“Cool.” She steps back to get inside her car.
I move back, waiting for her to start the engine, and lift my hand again to wave. It’s not until her vehicle’s taillights are in the distance, flickering behind the trees, that I turn to head back inside. Tonight might not have gone exactly how I wanted, but I think she had fun.At least until that last round of the game.
My family is a good time and I appreciate how they welcomed Sarah. It’s strange being here tonight, in the house where I was raised, because as much as some things are the same, everything is different. I miss my mom. I miss my dad too. Even though he’s alive, nothing is the same. Hell, Jackson and Maeve are full-grown adults. Seems like just yesterday they were only kids.
My heart squeezes when I think of all the moments like tonight that I’ve missed. Was the sacrifice worth it? Will I ever truly know?
“Hey?” Ryan calls from the porch. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I brush off the melancholy thoughts that threaten to overtake my mood. “Just walked Sarah out.”
“Oh.” Ryan frowns. “That’s a bummer she had to leave. Everything okay?”
“I think so.” I walk up the porch stairs.
“Aren’t you freezing?” Ryan says, tugging his jacket closed around his chest.
“Kinda.” I didn’t want to take the time to grab a coat. “They still playing Maeve’s game?” I nod inside through the window.
“No. Everyone wanted to watch the ball drop. And drink more.”
“That was surprisingly fun.”
“Don’t tell Maeve. She’ll make us play at every family gathering here on out.”
That doesn’t sound so bad to me, but I don’t tell him that. It’s the little things you miss most when you spend your life in the military. “Hey, before we go back inside, can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Would it be cool if I took Pops out tomorrow?”
“I don’t know, Aiden.” Ryan scrubs a hand down his jaw. “You haven’t seen him when he has one of his episodes. It’s rough.”
My brother means well. He’s only looking out, but it’s kind of insulting. I’m an Army Ranger. I think I can handle our dad. “He could use the fresh air.”
Ryan exhales. His lips press together and he meets my stare. “I think it’s a bad idea.”
I had a childhood of Ryan telling me what to do. It’s the fate of a little brother. But I’m a grown-ass man, and I’ve spent the last week living with our father. “I’d like to have time with him, without one of his nurses keeping watch. Besides, I don’t know how he’s not going crazy being cooped up in the house all the time. It’s mind numbing.”
“You’re not really asking, are you.”
“No.” I shrug. “I guess not.”
