Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
I n the end, they signed. What else could they do? While not pressuring them overtly, June had nearly guaranteed their business by offering her own land for their use. By soft-selling their optional features, she had made a case for all the best things. A week after the initial meeting, Aiden found himself signing his life away, agreeing to buy five acres and a McMansion from Kellogg Builders who, conveniently or not, had their own financing available.
“We don’t even have to go through a bank,” Erica gushed, so happy she could barely manage to hold the pen as she signed on the dotted line. Aiden could barely manage his pen also, but for entirely different reasons.
Five hundred thousand dollars. That was how much the land and house would cost them. Not being a total idiot, Aiden had discussed the venture with multiple people, a realtor, a banker, a financial advisor. Everyone agreed that even though it seemed a massive amount to him, it was a good investment. Barring any sudden economical downturn, the house would likely be worth seven hundred thousand when it was finished, at a minimum. When he thought of it in those terms, Erica was right; they’d be foolish not to do it. But when he thought of the additional hundred and fifty thousand he owed in school loans and the ten thousand he owed on his car, he had to resist the urge to hyperventilate. They would never, ever, ever be out of debt. He glanced at Erica, feeling slightly cheered. At least he wasn’t in it alone. She would be in it up to her ears alongside him, and she made a fair amount of money. Together, they were practically one percenters, at least on paper. In reality he felt like he was choking on debt.
June would be their building guru, and for that Aiden was truly thankful. He trusted her. Erica did, too, if her enthusiastic embrace of all things June was any indication.
“You know who we should fix her up with?” Erica said as they drove home from the first meeting.
“No one,” Aiden said.
Erica rolled her eyes. “You never want to play matchmaker, Mr. Romance. But I think June and Blake would totally hit it off.”
“No. I cannot begin to tell you all the ways it’s a bad idea to fix June up with your dorky cousin.”
“He’s not dorky,” Erica argued, her tone turning heated as it always did when her family was mentioned.
Aiden refrained from what he’d actually wanted to say, that Blake was more than a dork; he was an idiot. The last full conversation they had he said he was saving his money to get a tattoo of Elmer Fudd on his calf.
“I think it’s a bad idea to fix up the woman who is responsible for our future house plans with anyone. Besides, June isn’t interested in a fix up.”
“How could you possibly know that?” she asked.
“Because I know.”
“Whatever. You think you have some secret insight into June’s mind because you knew her first, but she and I have spent a ton of time together recently. I’m telling you, she’s lonely and looking.”
“Did she say that?” Aiden asked.
“No, but it’s more what she didn’t say,” Erica said.
“What didn’t she say?”
“Just trust me. It’s women’s intuition, okay? June needs our help. If it makes you feel better, we’ll double date, then Papa Aiden can be there to make sure everything goes okay.”
He blew out a breath, knowing Erica wouldn’t relent until she got her way. Suddenly the rest of his life stretched out before him in an endless array of doing whatever necessary to keep the peace. He pulled the car to the side of the road and put it in park.
“Erica, what is this about?”
“What? I want June to be happy.”
“No, not June. I’m talking about you. What is going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her blinks suddenly twice their normal speed.
“I mean your obsession with this house.”
“I am not obsessed,” Erica protested.
“Erica, come on, this is me. I know you, I’ve seen every one of your moods the last two years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Ever since we got engaged you’ve thought of nothing but this house.”
She stared through the window, doing the fast blink thing for so long he thought maybe she wouldn’t answer. When she did, her words were so soft he had to lean in to hear them.
“All the memories I have before my dad left are so good, so happy and whole and complete. Birthdays, Christmases, summer break, meals in the kitchen. And then he moved out and the divorce happened and everything changed. Not only was he gone, but my mom had to work more to make ends meet. We sold the house and moved to this crummy little rental with no yard. We couldn’t go outside because the neighbor’s dog might kill us. My brother’s bike got stolen three times until Mom finally stopped buying replacements. Everything crumbled, fell apart, broke, and I swore if I ever got married, it wouldn’t happen to me, that I’d have a house where my family could live forever and be happy.” She opened the glove box, reached for a fast food napkin, and wiped her eyes and nose.
“Honey, the house doesn’t have anything to do with that happiness. Your life would have changed no matter where you lived because your family changed. That’s never going to happen to us, no matter where we live.”
“I know that, I actually do. I hear the words, and I know I’m a psychology field guide waiting to be written. In my head, I know it’s not the house. But in my heart, it’s the house. I want it, and I want it to be perfect. I want something that’s ours, something solid and concrete that no one can take away.” She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. He could count on less than one hand the amount of times he’d seen her cry since they’d been together. Not when they broke up early on, and not when they got back together. So for her to cry now meant something, meant a lot. This house was connected to whatever inside of her had been hurting since her dad went away. No wonder.
Aiden unbuckled his belt and reached for her, drawing her tight against his chest. “It’s going to be perfect and everything else you want it to be, okay? Just please don’t bottle things like this inside. Please talk to me when you’re going through stuff.”
She nodded against his chest, then slid her arms around him and cried in earnest for a long, long time while his hand slowly smoothed up and down her spine. He hurt for her now, but even more he hurt for the little girl she had been because somehow he sensed that was who he was actually holding now, that little girl whose dad walked out on her. This will never be my daughter, he swore to himself. No matter what his future held, he would never, ever make his daughter hurt the way Erica was hurting now.
When she was finally subdued, she sat back and blew her nose. “Okay?” he asked, brushing his finger on her cheek.
She nodded. “Yes, thanks. But I’m still right about June, and I think we should double date.”
Clearly Aiden wasn’t going to win this one, not unless he divulged what he knew about June’s dating history. And since he wouldn’t do that, both for legal and ethical reasons, then he was stuck. Maybe with him there to help out, it wouldn’t be so bad. At the very least, it couldn’t get any worse. Later, he would wish he could take back the thought.