“Now he’s starting to figure out that maybe not fitting in might be a good thing.” He takes a sip of wine. “He needs out, Mia. Winter Financial is killing him. It’s always been about proving something to his father, who is never going to love him the way he needs.”
I twist the stem of my wine glass between my fingers. “He gave me half his shares.”
“I know.” He gives me a measured look. “Nelson blew a gasket. I wish I’d been there to see it.”
My throat tightens. “How do I help him?”
He thinks about it for a moment, and his eyes light with warmth. “Tell him he doesn’t need to win. Tell him it’s okay to walk away. Take the money. Start something new. He listens to you in a way he never listens to anyone else. That’s always been your superpower with him.”
That statement lands like a surprise, but it doesn’t scare me, because in these past months, he’s made me see that they are true. Idohave power over Aiden. I just never exercised it.
Aiden returns, slipping into his chair beside me. His hand finds mine under the table. “Sorry. That was Dad trying to bait me into afriendlydinner next week. I wouldn’t have taken the call, but he used Jolene’s desk phone and…fucker.”
“Are you going to go?” I ask.
His lips curve in that way that tells mehell no. “I’d rather attend a tax seminar hosted by the IRS.”
We toast to that.
When he drops me off later, he tells me how much he hates that I won’t be sleeping with him.
“It’s not the sex, you understand?”
“I do.”
He kisses me. He raises his head, his eyes filled withemotion.
“Stay the night with me.” I hadn’t planned to ask him, but when I do, it feels right.
He stares at me, surprised. “Really?”
I smile to ease his confusion. “Yes.”
I lead him into the bedroom. I give him a spare toothbrush, and while he gets ready for bed, I text Katya, warning her there’s a man in the house.
Katya:You’re both so cute!
Me:I’m cuter than him.
Katya:Of course. Goodnight. Try to keep the sex noise down, if you can.
We don’t make love, just hold each other tight.
I watch him sleep and wonder if Huxley’s right—maybe the best way to save someone isn’t to fix the broken pieces, but to give them permission to walk away from what broke them in the first place.
The next morning, Aiden joins Katya and me for breakfast. It’s easy, almost domestic—coffee mugs scattered across the table, Katya stealing the last piece of toast, Aiden pretending to be offended.
That night, he comes back. And then another night. And another. Until his jacket is draped over the back of a chair, his razor takes up a corner of the bathroom sink, and Katya is smirking over her cereal.
“At this point,” she says, pointing her spoon at him, “you should really start paying rent.”
Aiden only grins, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think, baby? Worth it?”
I roll my eyes, but my heart does that soft, dangerous thing.
His eyes become serous. “I’ll do whatever you want, Mia. You know that, don’t you?”
I blush.
