That woman had cowered.
She’d done her level best to avoid notice and attention, had made fading into the wallpaper an artform. She’d hunched down, avoided eye contact, silently shuffled her feet.
Seeing her stride out into the balmy Mediterranean air with her dark hair coiffed into a glossy style, wearing designer clothes, Aiden found it hard to regret a damned decision he’d made.
Getting her out of Ashbury Falls had been the right thing.
They’d all been born again, in one way or another, after the departure. Hockey had started a whole new life for him and Blake, paving the way for them with riches two poor kids from the country could never have imagined.
‘Oh, Aiden.’ Cynthia Carter spotted him when she reached the top of the ramp. He reached for her hand luggage on autopilot, before leaning down and giving her a peck on the cheek. ‘How are you, darling?’
‘Good,’ he lied.
She frowned, scanning his face. ‘You look tired.’
He arched a brow. ‘That seems to be the consensus.’
‘What’s the matter?’
‘A damned bug in my room is all. I’m fine, Mom. Just fine.’
‘Hmm. Well, then. Let’s get my bag, and on the way to the island, you can tell me everything I’ve already missed.’
Since following the boys out of Ashbury Falls, Cynthia Carter had set up a whole new life for herself. As the twins became more and more successful, and needed her less and less, and the shadows of her past failed to reach her, Cynthia really came into her own, forming tight friendships with dozens of women. She had friends at the gym, where she worked out each morning, friends in her book club, friends at the thrift shop she volunteered at. So, the fact that one of her new-life besties was turning sixty had caused a scheduling conflict for Cynthia Carter – hence the delayed arrival to the wedding week of Blake and Astrid. ‘Let’s start with Blake. How is he?’
‘Walking on air.’
Her smile relaxed. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Astrid has been so good for him, hasn’t she?’
‘No arguments from me.’
‘Now, if only there was someone you could meet. Have I told you about Judy Sanderson’s granddaughter?’
He threw her a look. ‘Only about a dozen times.’
‘She’d be just right for you.’ But as his mother set about extolling the virtues of a woman he’d already heard described ad nauseum, all he could think about was Sienna’s body, pressed against his, and how damned great it had felt to kiss her again.
* * *
‘Oh, Sienna!’ Cynthia Carter’s voice was louder than Sienna had ever heard it, but that aside, Sienna recognised it instantly. Three steps from the bottom of the elegant sweeping staircase, making her way to the foyer for their nightly pre-dinner aperitivo before dinner was served on the deck, Sienna’s footing almost faltered.
She’d known Cynthia was coming, obviously. This was Blake’s mom, and Astrid had mentioned her often enough in the lead up to the wedding for Sienna to have been theoretically prepared for this. But understanding something academically was completely different to being properly ready for the moment of coming to face to face with a ghost from your past.
‘Cynthia.’ Her voice was a little uneven. She swallowed, to bring moisture back to her mouth. Behind Cynthia, the group of guests milled happily, apparently oblivious to the mental turmoil Sienna was navigating. There was nothing for it; Sienna had to get this over and done with. ‘Hello.’
‘Hello? Oh, honey love. Come here,’ she said with a pretty laugh, wrapping her slender arms around Sienna and pulling her in for a huge hug. Sienna was not tall, and despite Cynthia’s slender build, she had the same ability to simply engulf Sienna as Blake and Aiden did.
Sienna stood there, totally swallowed up, by Aiden’s mom, and a thick fog of memories.
‘Goodness gracious, my girl, it’s been far too long. Aiden tells me you’re still in Ashbury Falls?’
‘I am.’ Sienna unconsciously swept her gaze across the room, until she saw Aiden, over by the door. He held a beer in one hand, and was in conversation with Chuck Daly, but his attention was clearly on Sienna and Cynthia. She wrenched her focus back to the older woman.
‘Well, then, you’re going to have to sit by me at dinner and tell me everything about it. I haven’t been there for a lifetime.’ For a moment, something like sadness shadowed Cynthia’s expression, but she covered it with a quick smile. ‘And what are you up to, darlin’? My son was a little light on the details.’
That was no surprise.
Aiden didn’t know anything about Sienna’s life now.
