As soon as that thought crossed her mind, her phone dinged with a text.Mumbling an apology, she pulled it out.Since Alex’s second heart attack, she never ignored her phone.But the text wasn’t from her mom or anyone else with bad news.It was Aiden.
Are you thinking about me while you’re with him?
She froze as she read the words, then clenched her jaw.They hadn’t exchanged texts in forever, and that he’d do so now, withthismessage, was utterly shocking.And infuriating.And…welcome.
Dammit.
Before she could come up with something, another text came through.
Do you know how crazy it makes me to think of you with someone else?
“Is everything okay?”Mark asked.
Not at all.“Yep.”
She tucked her phone away and continued to eat.Trying to get back into the conversation, she asked Mark about his job.It turned out he was a contract lawyer, which he admitted was pretty boring.
She tried to feign interest, but the conversation lulled.She was the problem, not Mark.Her phone hadn’t gone off again, but she’d come to the realization that she wanted Aiden to send another message.
“Excuse me.I’m going to the men’s room,” Mark said, placing his napkin on the table.“I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he was out of sight, she pulled out her phone once more, having come up with a reply to Aiden’s message about how crazy it made him to think of her with someone else.She’d just send one message and refocus on Mark.
She typed out a response.You didn’t care if I dated someone else while you were gone.
Hoping that was enough to end the conversation, she started to tuck her phone away again, but he responded quickly.
Oh yes, I did.I just convinced myself I’d done the right thing.
Hurting her had been the right thing to do?Damn him.
This time, she turned off her phone.To hell with Aiden.She was going to direct her focus where it belonged: on her date.Spark or not, Mark deserved her full attention.
Aiden did not.
Chapter Eleven
Aiden paced thelength of the living room, his phone in his hand.He’d sent three more texts to Brooke after confessing he’d rejected her because he’d convinced himself it was the right thing to do.No reply.No read receipt, either.
From the moment she announced she was going on a date, he’d been spiraling.Jealousy and possessiveness were new to him, no doubt because he’d never had to see the results of his breakup with Brooke.Never had to think about her with another man.
Now she was out and though he didn’t think she’d go home with someone she just met, his mind ran wild with what-ifs.He might have no right to his feelings, but he owned them nevertheless.
He couldn’t stay here, waiting for her to come home.He needed a distraction and decided to take a walk.Leaving the house, he strode past the gatehouse and off the property.The suburban area was full of large estates like his father’s, but there was also a nature park nearby.
He walked, his steps unhurried as he winded around the familiar path.He used to spend time here when he was younger and they’d first moved into the house.He’d still been grieving the loss of his mother, and it was tough to adjust to all the changes, including a new house.His big family could be a blessing, but at other times, a curse.
Privacy and silence were hard to come by, so he would escape.Three hundred acres of wooded area featured trails, a pond, and preserved wildlife habitats with benches throughout.It was beautiful and peaceful.Even as he worried that Brooke was having a great time with another man, walking down the path through the woods helped to calm his mind.
The sun was low in the sky, but there was still plenty of natural light allowing him to enjoy his surroundings.He didn’t stay long, but the anxiety that had been overtaking him earlier had receded by the time he started the short walk home.
He still wasn’t happy that Brooke was on a date, and if she’d told him where she was, he probably would have shown up there and made a scene.This way, he spent his time at the park forcing himself to remember that Brooke had been a single woman since he departed New York.She could have found someone else to love in that time, but she hadn’t.He had to believe that meant he had a chance of winning her back.
His thoughts were focused as he returned to the house, and he was already halfway up the driveway before he noticed a man in a black suit standing near his car.Aiden’s gut churned as he approached.
The stranger’s presence on private property was alarming enough, but his shaved head, tattoos, and expressionless face told Aiden he wasn’t here for a friendly chat.The man was tall and broad, bigger than Aiden.But his unnatural stillness sent a shiver down Aiden’s spine.He didn’t shift his weight from foot to foot or adjust his clothes.He stood in place, his arms at his sides.Not even his eyes moved.
They just stayed focused on Aiden and he braced as he approached.“Who are you?”Aiden asked, stopping farther than arm’s length away.“This is private property.”
