CHAPTER NINE
His co-worker immediately followed up his knock on Aiden’s door by opening it and stepping inside his office. Normally, that would have aggravated Aiden, but he had been expecting this visit, and he and Devon always operated with an open-door policy between them.
Aiden watched as the man he was closest to in the company—and considered a close friend—walked toward him, then took a seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“So, what’s up?”
He and Devon had started at the company around the same time, with Aiden beating him for seniority by two weeks. While some people might be competitive with someone who was at their same level within a company, he and Devon had chosen a different approach.
They’d been assigned to a couple of projects together, and they’d worked super well as a team. It was something the project manager had also noticed, and that had led to them both being assigned to most of the same projects over the past couple of years.
When the owner of the company decided to promote them to managing their own projects, he’d talked with them to see if they’d be willing to co-manage the projects. In the end, they’d agreed and decided to alternate taking the lead on projects.
Their current project was their biggest one yet, and Aiden had the responsibility of taking the lead on it. Except he was preparing to pass that lead to Devon.
“I have a bunch of stuff going on in my personal life that is demanding a lot of my time and attention. I’ve talked to George, and he agreed that I could pass the lead to you so I could step back a bit.”
Devon frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Very sure.” He’d been thinking a lot about it as the situation with Shiloh and Skylar had begun to take up more of his time and thoughts.
Normally, he’d still work on—or at least think about—the project during evenings and weekends. But since everything had unfolded recently, he’d spent relatively little time working on the project outside of work hours, which wasn’t going to lead to the success of it.
Aiden shared what had been going on, and Devon listened patiently and with a concerned expression. He didn’t usually talk a lot about his personal life at the office, but Devon was someone he’d spent time with outside of work hours.
“I’m sorry to hear about your daughter,” Devon said. “I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling.”
“It’s been quite the experience, that’s for sure,” Aiden told him. “I’m just glad that they’re willing to let me have a role in Shiloh’s life. They certainly didn’t have to do that.”
“You’re fortunate, because I’m not sure that everyone would have reacted the way they did.”
“I’m pretty that Skylar doesn’t agree with what her sister and brother-in-law have decided regarding me knowing about Shiloh.”
“Sounds like she hates you,” Devon said.
Aiden couldn’t really blame her if she did, but his heart hoped that she didn’t. For some reason, it felt as important to have some sort of relationship with Skylar as it did with Shiloh.
“She’s certainly not happy with me,” Aiden agreed. “But she’s still talking to me, so that’s something.”
“Well, I’m happy to take the lead if you need to step back.”
“I really appreciate that.”
“Of course, this has been our most difficult client yet, so maybe you’re just trying to get out of dealing with them.”
Aiden chuckled. “I’d never do that to you.”
“You better be available for venting sessions,” Devon said as he leaned back in his chair.
“I’m always available for that,” Aiden assured him. “And I’ll still be at all the meetings. I’m not leaving the project completely.”
It was a relief to shift the responsibility for the project to Devon, and he was glad that his friend didn’t mind stepping up to help him. The man’s reaction to Aiden’s request was a true reflection of the working and personal relationships they had.
“I guess I’ll see you at our next meeting,” Devon said as he got to his feet. “Take care of yourself and give my regards to your mom. And of course, say hi to the little princess for me.”
“Will do,” he said. “And you tell Glory I’m sorry for adding to your workload.”
“She’s busy with school,” Devon said of his wife of a year. “So we can sit on the couch together in the evenings and work. At least we’re together.”
He envied Devon and Glory’s marriage. They were what he would like to have in a relationship. They were supportive of one another, and though they were both busy, they made time for just the two of them.
In a lot of ways, they reminded him of his parents. The way they worked in partnership, loving and respecting each other.
He was happy for his friend, but the desire to have something like that for himself had grown over the time he’d known the couple.
After a brief discussion about what parts of the project Aiden would continue to have responsibility for, Devon left. Aiden tried to focus on those aspects of the project for the remaining hours of the workday.
His phone rang as he was driving home once he was done work, and since he had it running through the Bluetooth of his car, he answered it without looking to see who it was.
“Brooooo.” Cole’s voice coming through the speakers made Aiden wish he’d looked. “What on earth is going on?”
He was actually surprised it had taken Cole this long to call him. Although Aiden knew that he probably should have been the one to reach out.
“What do you know?”
“That you and Skylar are Shiloh’s parents,” he said. “Like what? How did that happen?”
“After we broke up, she told me she was pregnant,” Aiden said, then swallowed hard before continuing on. “I told her to just get rid of it.”
“What?” Confusion was gone, replaced by anger. “You told her to get an abortion?”
“To be honest, I didn’t think she was actually pregnant,” he told Cole. “I thought she was trying to get us back together again. She really hadn’t wanted the breakup.”
“You had to know that Skylar would never do that,” Cole scoffed. “She isn’t that sort of girl.”
“You’re right, I did know that,” Aiden admitted. “But at that time, I told myself she was, to justify brushing her off. When you never said anything about her being pregnant, I just thought that I’d been right.”
“Why did it even come up now?” Cole asked.
“So you know that Shiloh is sick, right?”
“I’d heard that Charli was concerned about something.”
“Cole, Shiloh has cancer,” Aiden said. “You didn’t know that?”
There was a long stretch of silence before Cole said, “I must have missed that message in the family chat.”
“Good grief, bro,” Aiden said. “You need to pay more attention to your family.”
“I know. I know.” Cole sighed. “It’s just… life.”
“You mean how you’re not living the life your parents would want you to?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Well, right now, you need to be more aware of what’s going on,” Aiden said. “For your niece's and my daughter’s sake.”
“That is just so weird,” Cole said. “I really can’t believe you’re Shiloh’s birth father. I don’t know how to feel. I mean, I’m mad at you for how you treated Skylar, but I’m also mad at her for not saying anything. I’m speechless actually.”
“Be great if you stayed that way,” Aiden said.
“Hah,” Cole replied. “Don’t think you’re going to get off that easy.”
“Jay and Wilder have both lectured me already.”
“And what did Skylar do?”
“Well, even though she contacted me to see if I’m a match for a stem cell transplant for Shiloh, I think she actually hates my guts.”
“You can’t be surprised by that.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Have the two of you managed to have any conversations about what happened back then?”
“None that have felt positive.”
“This explains so much,” Cole mused.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s just changed a lot from how she was in high school. Since then, she’s refused to talk about you, and I always just assumed it was because you two broke up. I’m going to guess that’s not the case.”
“It was definitely partly because of that. Our breakup was… not so great.”
“Why?”
“I told her that we were young, and we would probably meet people who were better suited for each of us.”
“Hmmm. So essentially, you told her that you thought you could do better than her, because I doubt she thought she could do better than you.”
“You’re right,” Aiden said. He had to start taking accountability for what had happened with Skylar, and everything that followed. “I was immature and convinced that the best of my life was yet to come.”
“I suppose I can’t blame you for feeling that way,” Cole said. “We all kind of did.”
“You were just smart enough to not get into relationships in high school when we really weren’t mature enough to handle them. Or rather, I wasn’t mature enough.”
“I’m still just a little shocked by everything,” Cole said. “And I’m surprised you didn’t say something to me.”
Aiden pulled his car to a stop in the driveway of his house. “I’m sorry. Honestly, I’m ashamed of what happened back then, and I didn’t want to chance losing you as a friend. I seem to have precious few of them these days.”
“You’re never gonna be able to get rid of me, bro. I might have people in my life I consider friends now, but no one knows me like you do. Given how things have gone for me, I don’t take our friendship for granted. I always know you’re not after my money.”
Aiden chuckled. “Nope. Definitely not that.”
He had such a sense of relief over the conversation with Cole. The reassurance of their friendship was what he needed, though he wouldn’t have blamed his friend if he’d taken his sister’s side.
Not that Aiden thought Cole had taken his side over Skylar’s. Just that, as in the past, he was taking the role of Switzerland, not really choosing to get involved.
They talked for a bit more as Aiden let himself into the house and headed down to his small apartment to change and put his work bag away.
“Are you planning to come back to Serenity at some point?” he asked as he hung up his suit coat and began to unbutton his shirt.
There was a long pause before Cole said, “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Now might be a good time to come,” Aiden told him. “Skylar has stuck around longer than I thought she would.”
“I got the feeling she wasn’t anymore interested in returning to Serenity than I am.”
“I think circumstances have made it somewhat impossible for her to leave.”
“What do you mean?”
Aiden sat down on the edge of his bed. “Well, though we are not legally Shiloh’s parents, we’re still biologically related to her, and it’s hard to walk away when Shiloh’s facing the cancer fight that she is. Though she might deny it, I think Skylar is emotionally engaged enough that she can’t run away.”
“And you?”
“I’m definitely unable to walk away. I would like to be more involved. But so far, I’m taking Skylar’s advice—which is more like a demand—that I not overstep my boundaries.”
“I have to say it’s a bit weird to think that you have a daughter, and Skylar has a daughter, and that they’re the same person.”
“You and me both, bro,” he said. “You and me both.”
“I don’t know Shiloh well.”
“Or at all,” Aiden said as he stood and made his way to the chest of drawers to pull out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
“Or at all,” Cole agreed.
“Maybe you should change that.”
“Maybe.”
Cole was definitely not going to commit to anything. They’d never really touched on his reluctance to return to Serenity, mainly because it hadn’t mattered one way or another to Aiden. Several times during the year—usually through the basketball season—Cole would send him tickets to home games, along with a ticket for him to fly to where Cole lived, to attend the games.
Now, however, he wanted his friend to consider coming home. Skylar had ended up coming home for more than just a couple of days, so it was possible that Cole might too.
As their conversation ended, Aiden realized how glad he was that he’d had the chance to chat with Cole. And that even though he’d had to deal with his friend’s anger at finding out what had happened, they’d gotten past it and come out the other side, still friends.
When he got upstairs, he found his mom stirring a pot on the stove, while Willow set the table.
“Uncle Aiden!” Willow cheered as she skipped over to greet him with a hug.
Aiden swung her up into his arms. “Gotta joke for me?”
Willow nodded, her pigtails dancing, then said, “What do you call a bear with no socks on?”
Aiden bounced her a couple of times. “I don’t know. What do you call him?”
“Bearfoot!”
Aiden chuckled. The jokes weren’t always funny to him as an adult, but Willow’s joy was infectious and always brought laughter, regardless.
As they ate the dinner his mom had prepared for them, Aiden recounted the phone call he’d had with Cole. His mom and dad had always liked Cole, and his mom had expressed more than once that she was glad that they’d kept in contact, regardless of their lives moving in different directions.
“Have you heard anything about Shiloh today?” his mom asked.
“No, but I think I’ll text Skylar to see if she knows anything. I don’t really feel comfortable going directly to Charli or Blake.”
“That’s understandable,” his mom said with a nod. “But hopefully with time, you’ll be able to communicate directly with them.”
“That will come in time,” he agreed. “But only if they want me to have more involvement in Shiloh’s life. I’m still not sure what they’re thinking.”
“You might need to initiate a conversation about it if they don’t.”
Aiden didn’t want to do that, but he also didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to get to know his daughter better. Considering the current state of Shiloh’s health, he had to face—whether he wanted to or not—the very real possibility that things might not go well for her.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he made himself focus on only a positive outcome for Shiloh. Just like he prayed for every day.
Once dinner was over, he helped his mom clean up, then spent a couple of hours with Willow. His mom used that reprieve to have some time by herself after spending all day with the little girl.
He and Willow started out their time by putting together a puzzle, then moved on to doing some coloring before he read her a story. After that, he filled the bathtub with warm water and some bubbles so that she could take a bath before getting ready for bed.
Once she was in her pajamas and had brushed her teeth, his mom came out to tuck Willow in and pray with her. His mom already wore her favorite robe—one his dad had given her for her last birthday before he passed—but instead of going back to her room, she went to the kitchen.
They chatted for a couple of minutes, then Aiden said goodnight and headed down to his space. He wanted to get hold of Skylar before it got too late to see if she had an update she’d share with him.
He sat down in his recliner and, after considering his words, tapped out a message.
Hi Skylar. Hope you had a good day. Just wondering if there’s been an update on how Shiloh’s doing after her treatment today.
He waited for a minute, watching to see if a response came back right away. When nothing appeared, he closed the app and opened his work email. He might not be in charge of the project anymore, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to pay attention to it, even after hours.
After checking through the emails and finding nothing needing his attention, he moved on to his social media. He wasn’t very active on any of it, but he usually checked out the one where there were more newsy posts.
It took about ten minutes before his phone alerted him to a new text message.
Skylar: She had a treatment today, so it’s been a rough day. Hopefully, she’ll feel a bit better tomorrow.
Aiden hated to hear that Shiloh was struggling. He wished there was something he could do to make things easier for her. But there wasn’t.
However, perhaps he could help with the weight Charli and Blake carried.
Do you think we could stay with her for a couple of hours to give Charli and Blake a break sometime?
Skylar: We? We, who?
You and me.
He could see that she was writing a message, but then it stopped. And started up again. Then stopped. And started up again. Then stopped.
Aiden had pretty much given up on a response when one finally popped up on his screen.
Skylar: I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
Why not?
And, once again, the starting and stopping of a message began. He knew it would probably be a hard sell, but he doubted that Charli and Blake would agree to just him hanging out with her, since Shiloh didn’t know him very well. He needed to do his best to sell the idea to Skylar.
Skylar: I’m not sure that Charli would want to leave Shiloh when she’s feeling so bad.
I’m not saying we have to go when she’s feeling poorly, but maybe on a day when she’s not doing too badly.
Skylar: I’ll ask Charli, but don’t hold your breath.
Aiden smiled, even though he knew that it was possible she was just saying that to get him off her case. And it was possible that she’d tell him that Charli didn’t want them to go, without even talking to her sister.
Still…
Thanks so much. Let me know what she says. Also, thanks for the update on Shiloh. Mom was also wondering how she was doing, and I know she’s praying for her.
Skylar: You’re welcome, but still, don’t hold your breath.
I won’t.
Aiden would have liked a longer conversation but decided not to push for it since he’d basically asked her for a favor. Ticking her off wouldn’t help achieve that.
If they were able to spend some time with Shiloh, he’d be able to talk to Skylar more then. He really hoped that it worked out because, beyond being able to spend time with Skylar, he thought it would be good for the two of them to spend time together with Shiloh.