“He do something to offend you?”
Yeah, he’s on a date with the woman I love. The urge to pummel his stupid, smiling face is so strong, I should receive an award for staying put.
“No.” I grind my teeth together. “Why?”
“Because you look like you want to kill him.”
“Maybe I do.” I force myself to laugh and look away from Rosalie.
“Pancakes?” Our server arrives at the table with a tray of food.
“That’s me.” Aiden grins, clearing a space for her to set the food down. She empties the rest of the plates and asks if we need anything else.
“I think we’re good,” Aiden answers, catching my gaze.
“Yeah. All good,” I say, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I pick up my fork and stab the omelet in front of me. Only, I’ve lost my appetite.
I can’t believe Rosalie is on a fucking date. I know how pushy my sister can be, but there’s no good reason Rosalie didn’t tell me, unless she wants to date other people? Fuck. What if that’s true?
“Everything okay with your food?” Aiden asks. I appreciate his concern, even if it’s wildly misplaced.
“It’s fine.” I force myself to take a bite, but my shoulders sag.
The anger in the pit of my belly morphs into defeat. I wish Aiden and I had a closer relationship. I wish I could tell him everything going on, and that he could offer me some magical brotherly advice. I wish I were on a date with Rosalie right now, and that some sad SOB were jealous of me.
But wishes don’t come true, and I can’t really talk about Rosalie. Not here. Not in this diner, with her on a date and eyes all around us. If I’m to have any chance of a future with Rosalie, it won’t be achieved by causing a scene.
My mood is sour but I manage to eat most of my meal, and as soon as Aiden is done, we pay our tab and leave the diner. I keep my head high and completely avoid looking at Rosalie and Clint, even if I’m dying to shoot him another glare. I can’t escape the building fast enough, and while my head is still fucked, I breathe a little easier as soon as the fresh mountain air hits my lungs.
“This was nice,” Aiden says as we walk to the back of the diner where our trucks are parked. “Doing this.”
“Yeah.” I kick a rock.
“I feel like there’s always a crew of people around. I kinda hate that I don’t really know my brother,” Aiden states. His mood is so damn happy and light. The way mine was less than thirty minutes ago. It really pisses me off.
“Yeah, well, that happens when you just up and leave for twenty years.”
Aiden stops walking.
“Okay.” He cocks his head and studies my moody expression. “Fair.”
“Sorry, that was rude.” God, it’s not Aiden’s fault Rosalie found someone else.
“Yeah. But maybe you’ve been holding that in?” Aiden crosses his arms, leaning on the side of his truck. “Sarah felt the same way.”
Cat’s already out of the bag. Might as well be honest.
“A lot of us did.”
“I’m sorry. I was young, and while that’s not an excuse, it’s a big part of why. I was doing the best I could, and I let a lot of people down.”
“You used to call.” I remember the first few years he enlisted. “And then nothing.” It was after Sarah broke off their engagement. “You promised you’d come home and you neverdid.”
He was only supposed to be gone a few years. I was just a kid, but I was devastated when he re-enlisted. So was our mom. She and I both cried.
“Sometimes, life doesn’t take the path you plan.” He sighs. “I am proud of my career, and I am grateful every day that Sarah and I got our second chance. But sometimes I wish I could go back in time and do it differently. That I could have built a life with her from the beginning. That she never had to deal with her goddamn ex.”
“Yeah.” I didn’t realize he felt that way. Didn’t realize how much he gave up. It doesn’t erase the feelings of abandonment I still carry, but it forces me to acknowledge the nuance of the situation.
