Chapter 9
AIDEN
My leg shook as I glared at the small piece of glass on my desk.
I wasn’t even sure what possessed me to bring it to work with me, let alone display it on my desk for anyone to see.
It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
It was as good as giving an open invitation to ask questions to the rest of my colleagues.
So far, no one had said anything, but in a room full of detectives, it was only a matter of time.
Especially once Victoria got back. And the clock was ticking down on my reprieve from her insightful eye.
The fact that her cousin had no idea who Nate was still twisted my gut.
And the fact that I was almost certain he was the one who had left the small bird figure should have alarmed me.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t.
But the idea that maybe he was thinking of me just as much as I was thinking of him made a fire ignite deep in my belly.
I reached out and ran my fingers along the cool, smooth surface of the wing. There was a grace, a freedom, to the bird that I never felt about myself.
As soon as I’d seen it sitting on my porch, it was like a punch to the gut.
Little bird.
That was what he called me. And this felt like it was left like a token of his affection.
My body folded over my desk, head falling onto my hands as my elbows rested on top of my desk.
I should have been concerned about how he knew who I was.
Where I lived. How he’d gotten it onto my porch without me knowing or my cameras catching him.
Instead, all I felt was heat blooming in my chest at the feeling that Daddy had been thinking of me and had wanted me to know and left me a present.
Jesus Christ.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I was a homicide detective. A cop who had investigated countless murders that had started out just like this. Yet there I was, begging to be some random man’s sacrificial lamb just because he had paid me an ounce of attention.
Could I have been any more pathetic?
The whole situation screamed walking red flag, from the moment he’d sat down. But I lapped the attention up like a puppy dog just waiting for an ounce of praise from his master.
Or Daddy.
“Well, helloooo, stranger,” a familiar voice mocked from behind me, right before Victoria’s arms locked around my shoulders.
I pushed back my crisis and suppressed the groan. The last thing I needed was for her to smell blood in the water and try to figure out what was going wrong in my life now.
Putting on my best smile, I let out a chuckle as I twisted in my chair and turned to give her a proper hug.
Damn, I realized how much I’d missed her as my arms tightened around her.
Part of me wanted to unload my burdens onto her because I knew she’d be more than willing to offer me some advice, but at the same time, I felt foolish.
“Welcome back!” I ducked my head, unable to meet her gaze, even though I was glad to have my partner back where she belonged. Not that we hadn’t texted and video chatted while she was off.
She beamed, her smile growing even bigger than I imagined it could. Who would imagine a week off just to babysit would rejuvenate someone like that?
I was almost awed by the change in her. She was almost like a whole new person.
“Thank you, thank you. I had a great time and I can’t believe it’s already been a week and I have to be back here looking at your ugly mug.” Victoria let out a laugh and I rolled my eyes at her.
“Gee, thanks, Vic. I definitely feel the love.”
I bit my lip and went to ask for her opinion, but I stopped myself before anything could come out.
The way she eyed me, I wasn’t fooling her, but she gave me the space I needed as she settled back into her desk.
When I went to open my mouth, I thought better of it once again and snapped my mouth closed.
There was no reason to dredge it up. Though, I couldn’t help but still feel the sting of rejection that I’d felt the morning after the wedding, when I woke up alone and realized Nate had left without a goodbye or even a note.
Screw him.
Except, I did, and while it was insanely intense, and there had been a few moments where I had questioned whether or not I’d been safe, it was also so fucking good. Sure, he kind of scared me a little and I didn’t usually go after the bad boy type, but he couldn’t have been all bad.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
But my hesitation cost me. And Victoria took the decision out of my hands on how to broach the subject of my wedding hookup.
“Sooo… when are you going to tell me about your mystery man you snuck away with?”
She plopped down in her chair next to me and leaned forward with her chin resting on her hands. The give it to me motion of her hand made me roll my eyes.
Why did everyone I worked with act like they were in high school and as if they were going to die if they didn’t get the gossip? And why did it have to be my love life they were suddenly so interested in?
“I already told you, there’s nothing to tell.” I let out a disgruntled huff. She knew I wasn’t an over-sharer who had to regale her with my exploits, but I also wasn’t usually cagey about the answer, either. I wasn’t sure what the right answer was.
Wasn’t sure of the right anything anymore.
“Still think it’s weird, and maybe a little creepy, that he was at a wedding full of cops, but yet he wasn’t on the guest list. No one knew who he was, Aiden. No. One.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing steadily, and counted to ten. She meant well. I knew she did. Even if it wasn’t already appreciated.
“Technically, it wasn’t full of cops when he showed up. Just like three or four.”
The look she gave me told me she was unconvinced.
My gaze caught on the figure on my desk and my heart gave a weird little flutter.
“He was probably a regular hotel guest who just wanted to see if he could sneak into the wedding. Maybe get a free drink or snack. Wedding crashers aren’t that uncommon. ”
She tilted her head, giving it some careful thought, and shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Still. He seemed intense, from the quick glance I’d gotten of him.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah. You aren’t wrong about that. He’s definitely that.”
“Oh my! Are you blushing?” Victoria was way too delighted as she leaned over and hissed at me, hands covering her cheeks and eyes wide. Yeah, I didn’t normally get too invested in hookups, as few as they were in my life. But she didn’t have to be acting like that.
With a roll of my eyes, I pushed her away from me, sending her chair skidding back toward her own desk.
“Come on, lover boy. Out with it. I told you that when I saw you, I wanted all the juicy details.”
I let out a groan. Really, I should have known better. Victoria was a great detective and she could sniff out bullshit a mile away. Why I thought I could lie to her, I’d never know.
“Not much to tell. We went back to the room. He left the next morning. And that’s that.”
The skeptical look she threw me spoke volumes, even among her silence. We knew each other long enough, and well enough, that we didn’t always need words to communicate. And I hated this was one of those times.
I didn’t want to talk about Nate or how he made me feel. Mostly because I didn’t know how he made me feel. It had been like there’d been two sides of him that night.
“Yeah, I don’t buy that for a second.” One eyebrow raised, she waited for me to spill the details.
“And you’d never seen him before the wedding?”
I shook my head, casting aside my own doubts. There had been something familiar about him. But I was sure if I’d met him before, I would have remembered.
She stared at me, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know if I like this, Aiden. Something doesn’t seem right about this guy. Maybe we should look him up.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she turned back to her computer and booted it up. “What did you say his last name was again?”
I shook my head, shutting her down immediately. “Jesus, Mom. I’m a big boy, and I’m fine. Seriously, there’s not much more to tell. We met, we slept together, he left.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I snapped my mouth shut and looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
Of course, Victoria wasn’t one to miss anything. “Then why are you blushing brighter than a firetruck?”
Her words struck me dumb. While there were a lot of things to unpack about that night, work wasn’t the place to do that. I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable.
Looking around, I made sure no one was nearby or paying any attention to us. My sudden need for privacy had her perking up and scooting closer.
I swallowed, my throat dry as I almost choked on the confession. “He had me call him Daddy.”
“Oh.” Victoria sat back, the surprise clear on her face.
I was sure she hadn’t expected anything like that.
I knew I sure as hell hadn’t. Not to mention, she probably was surprised I even admitted to something like that.
It was way outside the scope of our usual topics.
At least, for me. It was nothing for her to talk about stuff like that.
But I was more private and didn’t usually talk about things like that.
Then again, it wasn’t like I usually had those sorts of topics to bring up.
She schooled her expression and leaned her elbows on her knees, face serious as she looked at me. “So, from the way it’s got you all flustered, I take it that’s something new for you?”
I threw my hands up in defeat. While part of me was annoyed that talking about this was the last thing I wanted to do, I knew I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t want to talk about it with someone.
And Victoria was the only one I had who I could talk to about something like this.
I shot her a desperate look, hoping she would just drop it, but also hoping she wouldn’t.
She wasn’t my best friend for nothing. So, of course, she refused to let it go.