The second he sees Aiden standing there between us, he steps aside without a word to let us in.
Uncle Mike appears seconds later, moving toward the living room as quickly as his cane will allow.
Finn keeps one steady hand on Aiden’s arm as he helps him walk, and the moment Aiden sees his uncle, he offers him a reassuring smile.
Uncle Mike’s eyes shine with unshed tears.
Aiden reaches him and pulls him into a careful hug, holding him gently so he doesn’t lose his balance.
“I’m sorry,” Aiden murmurs. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Uncle Mike pats his back.
“Don’t apologize,” he says softly. “I’m just glad you’re home, my boy.”
Aiden doesn’t pull away right away. For a moment, he holds onto him, one arm wrapped carefully around his uncle’s shoulders while Uncle Mike’s hand grips the back of his jacket, both of them holding the embrace as if neither of them is quite ready to let go.
When they finally separate, Finn guides Aiden gently toward the couch closest to Uncle Mike’s favorite chair. Once he settles down, Aiden glances around the room.
“Where’s Skye?”
“He’s at Nathan’s,” I tell him. “With Houston and Neptune.”
He nods.
“Where can I find blankets?” I ask.
“The closet next to my room upstairs,” he answers. “But I’m okay.”
“You need blankets,” I tell him, already turning toward the stairs.
I head straight upstairs and walk down the short hallway until I reach the closet beside his bedroom. Inside, I find a thick fleece blanket and drape it over my arm.
When I close the closet door, I notice his bedroom door is ajar.
I look inside and notice his bed is still unmade.
I hesitate for only a moment before stepping inside. It takes just a few minutes to straighten the sheets and pull the blankets neatly across the mattress, fluffing the pillows until everything looks the way I imagine he’ll want it once he’s ready to rest upstairs. I look around for anything else I might be able to do for him, but everything is exactly where it’s meant to be.
I take the blanket and head back toward the stairs.
I’m halfway down when I hear Aiden’s voice from the living room.
“I was told it was you who rescued me.”
I stop in place.
There’s a brief pause before Finn finally answers.
“Aye.”
Aiden speaks again.
“I know we haven’t gotten along, and part of that is my fault because I never made the effort to fix our relationship. So I wanted to apologize for that.”
The room goes completely quiet for a moment.
“And I have to admit,” Aiden continues, “that I’ve disliked you even more since May showed up in town because I knew you’d sweep her away. But I want you to know I’m forever in your debt.”
