11
Aidan
Dani and Felipepiled the dishes, and Aidan took them to the sink. As Moira put away the leftovers of the Irish stew he had cooked for them, the kids hopped aroundher.
“Could we take Lucius out to play?” Felipe asked for the fourthtime.
“Still no,” Moira replied, closing the plastic lid of a glass container. “Aidan, thank you for cooking a delicious dinner for us tonight. We appreciate you for that, rightguys?”
“Yes, thank you.” Dani patted his back as she went around the counter to get the container from her mom’s hands and store it in thefridge.
“Thanks, Uncle Aidan,” Felipe hugged his waist, and Aidan interrupted his chore to hold the little fellow tight against his hip. Maybe feeling safe, maybe because he was a fearless kid, Felipe tried again. “Mom, you promised we could play with Luciustonight.”
“Your mom is tired. She worked hard all day. Tell you what, if you help her clean the kitchen, I bet she’ll be more willing to listen to you, don’t youthink?”
Moira mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him over the head of her son, and the simple gesture warmed his chest. He was head-over-heels in love with the woman and her adorable children. He didn’t mind waiting for her. They had their lives ahead of them and she was worth thewait.
That did not mean waiting had beencomfortable.
They had not been out on a proper date yet because Moira insisted they were good friends. Friends who made out in her car every chance they had, or in the couch after her kids went to bed, but still just goodfriends.
Aidan had been living off little moments like that, when she smiled at him, or their hands touched, or their legs rubbed under the table during dinner. He had treasured those moments, but his heart was hungry. His cock was starving. He prayed she would come around soon, or he would wear his fingers to the bones every night in the shower when he thought ofher.
Then, later inbed.
Then, the next morning inbed.
Then again, in the shower beforebreakfast.
God, I’mpathetic.
Felipe’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea.” He ran to Moira and offered to put away the butcher knives she was drying with a cloth. “Let me get these for you,Mom.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think so. You could wipe the table,though.”
“Onit.”
When the four finished, the dining room and the kitchen sparkled clean and smelled like freshlavender.
Wiping her hands, Moira squeezed her kids against her body, but held Aidan’s stare as she spoke. “Good job, you guys. Thank you. We’ve got time for some cartoons beforebedtime.”
“Or we could play withLucius.”
“Yeah, mom.” This time Dani ganged up with her brother, and Moiracaved.
“All right, you won. Bring the furry fellow into the livingroom.”
When the kids screeched all the way to the guest room, where they stored their games and toys, Moira turned to Aidan. “Something tells me I’ll regretthat.”
“What’s wrong with theirhamster?”
“Nothing wrong with it, but it always gets messy when the kids get Lucius out of his cage to play with him. Messy as in he poops everywhere, and he leaves crumps of whatever the kids feed him all over the place, and he chews onstuff.”
“Why don’t you have them clean after Lucius? That way, they’ll understand they’ve got responsibilities that go hand in hand with their fun.” Moira’s gaze pierced into his face for so long, Aidan got uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn. I didn’t mean to tell you how to raise yourchildren.”
He mentally kicked himself in the shin. Parents loved that kind of unrequited input from childless people.Damnit.
He breathed again when her lips curved in a full smile, teeth showing andall.
