Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Mom—”
“Promise me, Aiden.”
I sighed, but I made that promise.
After my visit, I headed back to the inn before hopping into my car to drive over to Hailee’s place. When she opened her door, she could tell something was off.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Do you think you can do a favor with me tonight?”
“Anything. What do you need?”
“Someone to be there beside me as I read the letter from my biological mother.”
Her eyes grew somber, but she was alert and quick to reply. “Of course. I’m here.”
She led me up to her apartment. I felt like an idiot for being so nervous. It was just a letter. Nothing more, nothing less. Still, it felt like the weight of the world was sitting within that envelope. It felt like every key to my past was written in ink.
“Are you ready?” Hailee asked.
I sat down on the couch beside her. “Absolutely not, but I doubt I’ll ever be ready. Here goes.” I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, unfolded my past. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a long note. It seemed my biological mother wasn’t much of a talker—or writer I guess. My eyes danced across the few paragraphs in a bit of misbelief as I read the words.
“What is it?” Hailee questioned. “What does it say?”
I passed it over to her and stared forward, unsure how to feel. How to react.
Hailee began to read it out loud. “Aiden, first and foremost, I’m glad to hear your father kept your name. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I flipped through a name book for a week. I knew I wouldn’t keep you, but when I saw the name Aiden, I knew it was yours. It means little fire. It described what I did and probably still do throughout my life. I leave little fires everywhere I go, and I never extinguish them. I make people’s lives harder than they have to be due to my selfish ways. So I stayed away from you. You were the little fire I kept safe from spreading too far. You were contained and controlled, placed into a stable family unit. Which, oddly, is probably the most successful thing I’ve ever done.
“I saw you at the Oscars. I’ve also seen every single one of your movies. Bravo, Aiden. Bravo. Selfishly, I like to think you have my eyes, but I know they are much more like your brother’s.
“Which brings me to the next point: You have a brother in California.
“His name is Damian Blackstone. He just recently learned about me. While I have no desire to formally meet you because I know that meeting with me will only spread your little fire, I think I’s fair that you know your blood brother. On the back of this letter, I’ll put the location of his place of employment. You can do with it as you wish.
“I wish you the best, Aiden. I would call you son, but I know that title belongs to someone else. Take care of those who stayed beside you. They are worth keeping safe. -Catherine.”
Catherine.
Her name was Catherine.
“A brother?” Hailee questioned. “You have a brother?”
A brother named Damian Blackstone.
40
Hailee
* * *
He had a brother.
I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around that detail, and I was certain Aiden hadn’t either.
Aiden didn’t sleep much. When he woke up, he didn’t mention the letter at all. He simply headed to the gym to get a workout in. I’d messaged him a few times throughout the day but didn’t get much of a reply. I knew him well enough to know that he was in his head. I wasn’t going to push him to express himself, though. Sometimes people had to work things out in their heads before they were ready to talk about it.
When I was on my lunch break, I texted Laurie to see if she was at home and available for a conversation. I was relieved when she messaged me back, telling me to come over, so I headed straight to her.
“Hey, Laurie, how are you?” I asked as she opened the door. She smiled and gave me a hug. I knew it sounded odd, but I swore her son had her smile. The kind of smile that made every single heart feel loved.
“I’m doing okay, sweetheart. Did Aiden read the letter?” I nodded. She sighed. “How’s he doing? Did it give him the answers he was looking for?”
“I’m not sure. She didn’t seem interested in meeting him, but she dropped the bomb that he has an older brother.”
“A brother?”
“Yup. His name is Damian, and he lives out in California. I guess he’s a big successful real estate agent.”
“Aiden always wanted a brother.” Her eyes glassed over, but she didn’t cry. “He’s sad, isn’t he?”
“Yes. And confused.”
“I talked him into coming back home for a few months because I noticed how unhappy he’d been. I knew his mind was going to those dark places that he doesn’t speak about. Most people can’t see it, but I know you can, Hailee. So can you do me a favor?”