CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Aiden drove with his mom and Willow back to the Halversons’ home the next afternoon. Charli had said she’d bring Shiloh over so the two girls could hang out together a bit more. His mom would stay there for a couple of hours with Willow while he headed to the high school gym with Cole.
Jay had let them know that—at Cole’s request—he’d invited a group of guys to play some basketball there. Apparently, he’d recruited enough people for two teams, including one made up of any high school varsity players who were currently around Serenity. They had all agreed without knowing that they’d be playing with Cole.
Aiden hadn’t played basketball in awhile, so he was probably going to be a bit rusty. Hopefully, it all came back once he had a ball in his hands. Back in the day, he and Cole had been a team within the team.
Every team they played knew that if Aiden got the ball, it was going to end up in Cole’s hands. That meant that they tried to make sure they were guarding them both closely throughout the game. But the funny thing was that it didn’t matter. He and Cole could read each other on the court without having to say anything.
“I can’t wait to see Shiloh again,” Willow said.
“I think you’re going to make cookies with her and her grandma,” his mom said.
“My grandma too,” Willow reminded her. “She said that since I call you Nana, I can call her grandma.”
“That’s right, she did,” his mom said. “So now you have a grandma and grandpa and a nana and papa.”
“Except my papa is gone. Just like my mom.”
There weren’t a lot of times that Willow talked about their passings. She’d been quite young when they’d each died, so their memories were rather fuzzy for her. However, they’d shown her pictures of both of them, and she’d seen from those photos how much they had loved her.
“Yes. They’re both gone.” His mom’s voice was soft. “But they’ll always live in the memories in our heart.”
“Which is where all our special memories are,” Willow said.
“Exactly.”
Aiden hoped Willow wouldn’t have to say goodbye to yet another person in her life, but Shiloh’s diagnosis meant there was always that possibility. It was a possibility he tried his best not to think about.
When he got to the house, he discovered Cole and Skylar were both waiting to go to the gym. He hadn’t thought that Skylar would join them, but he couldn’t say that he was disappointed that she was.
“Hi, Shiloh,” Aiden said as he bent down on one knee so he was closer to her level. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m fine,” she told him, then stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck.
Emotion rushed through Aiden as he carefully put his arms around her. He should have memories of a lifetime of hugs from her. But instead, the number of hugs they’d shared could be counted on one hand.
When the hug ended, Willow joined them and gave Shiloh a hug as well. Aiden got to his feet, then turned to greet Charli and Cathy.
“We gotta go, bro,” Cole said as he dropped his arm on Aiden’s shoulders.
“I would have thought you’d want to hang around and make cookies with the girls,” Aiden said to Skylar as the three of them made their way to Cole’s car after saying goodbye to the others at the house.
“I already spent some time with Charli and Shiloh,” she said as they neared the car. “Now I’ll let Willow and your mom have some time with her.”
Aiden would have liked to hang out with her himself, but this weekend had been more about his mom and Willow spending time with her. He welcomed the chance to hang out with Cole and others, playing a sport he loved.
“You drive, Aid, and you sit in the front, Sky,” Cole said as he opened the front passenger door. “I think there’s more room for me in the back seat.”
Skylar gave him a skeptical look but didn’t say anything, just angled herself into the front seat. Cole grinned at Aiden across the top of the car before disappearing inside.
Aiden glanced back at him as he slid behind the wheel. His friend didn’t look super comfortable, but then his height meant that most normal vehicles didn’t have a lot of leg room for him. Of course, he’d had no problem with the front seat of Aiden’s car when they’d gone out for dinner a couple of nights ago.
As he drove to the high school, Aiden was reminded of all the times the three of them had arrived together for basketball games, whether they were home or away. Since Skylar had been a varsity cheerleader, she’d travelled with the team to most of their games.
They’d celebrated many of their wins by going for ice cream afterwards. Her parents hadn’t protested them hanging out together because Cole was often with them. Those had been wonderful times, and as he parked the car, Aiden felt a strong yearning for the past and the innocent joy he’d had then.
As they walked toward the large doors of the high school, Cole’s long strides took him out in front of them. Aiden kept his pace slow as he walked beside Skylar. Her walking boot gave her a bit of a limp.
Cole was waiting at the doors, holding one of them open for them. “Being back here is a bit crazy.”
“It sure is,” Aiden agreed as they walked down the wide hallway, Skylar in the middle. “Not much has changed.”
Their footsteps echoed in the hallway as they headed toward the gym. As they neared the door, Aiden could hear the thump of several basketballs as well as the squeak of rubber shoes.
Jay was standing just inside the wide doorway of the gym, hands on his hips as he watched several people on the floor.
“Hey there,” Jay said as he turned toward them. He gave quick hugs to Aiden and Cole, and a more careful one to Skylar. “Come to cheer us on?”
“As long as all I have to do is yell,” she said, motioning to her boot.
“If you weren’t in that boot, could you still do all the cartwheels and stuff?”
“Yep. Once a month, I try all of them. If I can’t do it well, I practice it more.”
“Too bad you can’t show us,” Cole said.
“Next time.”
The action on the court had stopped, and Aiden glanced over to see that the young men who’d been practicing now stood clumped together, looking over at them. He had a feeling that they’d recognized Cole.
Jay turned back to the group and asked, “What’s going on?”
“That’s Cole Halverson, right?” one teen called out.
“Sure is,” Jay agreed. “And you’re going to be playing against him this afternoon.”
“ Against him?”
“Yep. So keep warming up.”
The teens quickly began to dribble and shoot.
“Are you two ready to go?” Jay asked. “Or do you need to get changed?”
“Just got to swap my shoes,” Aiden told him.
Cole nodded. “Me too.”
Skylar pointed to the bleachers. “I’m going to sit over there.”
“You’re not going to be on your own,” Jay told her. “I think there are a couple wives and maybe some kids showing up, too.”
Cole followed Skylar, then sat down on the lowest bleacher, putting his bag on the foot row behind him. Aiden sat next to him, while Skylar settled on the row above them.
As he was tying his second shoe, Wilder and Lexi arrived, and not long after that, Will showed up with his oldest son, Liam. Wilder joined them on the bench to swap his shoes as well, and Lexi climbed up to sit next to Skylar.
Once he was done, Aiden stretched out his feet and leaned forward, stretching out the muscles in his calves. He was looking forward to playing, but he hoped he didn’t regret it when he woke up the next day.
After some stretching, he and Cole got to their feet.
“Let’s see if we still have that old high school magic,” Cole said as he easily caught the ball that Jay slung at him.
For the next little while, he and Cole passed the ball between them, then jumped for baskets. Cole made every shot he took, but Aiden only made about one out of three. He was so out of practice.
When Wilder and Will joined them, Cole said, “Are you playing these days, Will?”
“Yeah. I decided that now I have age as an excuse for why I’m not great at the sport. When I was younger, I had no excuse except that I sucked.”
“Okay, guys,” Jay called out as his son, Peyton, walked into the gym, dressed to play. “Gather round and let’s figure out how we’re going to do this.”
“Since we’re short a player for the adult team, we’ll randomly choose one of you teens to join them.”
The teens shared nervous but excited glances at Jay’s pronouncement.
They decided on playing to twenty, figuring that there were enough handicaps on the adult team to offset Cole’s skills.
“Are we playing shirts and skins?” Wilder asked, then lifted his arms to flex. “I think my wife would like skins for me.”
“Well, Lexi is in for disappointment, I’m afraid,” Jay said. “We have jerseys.”
Soon they were suited up and ready for the jump ball. Jay was refereeing the game, but Aiden didn’t expect they’d get any special treatment from him.
It was a pretty even game, which Aiden attributed to Cole not playing as aggressively as he might have if he’d been playing with his peers. At one point, he noticed another teen boy come in, followed by a young woman who climbed the bleachers closest to the door and sat down. The boy made his way around the outside of the court and went to the bench where a couple more teens were sitting.
While he waited for one of the teens to complete their free throws as a result of a foul called by Jay against the adult team, Aiden looked to where Skylar sat with Wilder’s wife. He remembered in the past that he’d often sneak looks at Skylar when there were lulls in the game. If she caught him looking, she’d always given him a small wave with her pompoms.
That day, their gazes met, but she didn’t wave or smile. Aiden was glad when the guy took his second free throw, and the game continued, so he had an excuse to look away.
The next time he looked in that direction, he saw that Layla and Amelia had joined the women. He wondered if the older teen was there to support her family or one of the teen boys on the opposite team.
In the end, the adult team won. Before the next game started, there was some discussion about mixing it up. Will decided to sit the next game out, and Wilder went over to the other team. They ended up with two teens on their team because Jay said their handicap would now also include only four players on their team.
Aiden was more tired than he’d thought he’d be, considering he worked out regularly. Cole, on the other hand, showed no signs of tiredness at all.
The teen who’d showed up later than the rest was on their team. He seemed in awe of Cole, and Aiden wasn’t sure how effective he’d be. However, once they started to play, the kid focused in and actually played quite well.
They won again, but no one really seemed to care. After the second game, the teens circled around Cole, and soon, the group was going through some exercises with him.
Aiden took the chance to go sit on the bench in front of Skylar and the other ladies. Wilder also joined them.
“Good job, sweetie,” Lexi said as she leaned forward to accept Wilder’s kiss.
“I tried to play skins for you, but Jay said no.”
“Skins?” Lexi asked. “What’s that?”
“It’s when one team plays without shirts and the other team wears shirts,” Aiden said. “It’s useful in casual play when you don’t have uniforms.”
“You wanted to play without your shirt?” Lexi asked.
“For you, babe. Wouldn’t you have liked to see that?”
Lexi lifted a brow at her husband while Skylar made a gagging sound. Layla and Amelia giggled as Wilder turned a frown on his sister.
“I understand that you might rather see Aiden without his shirt, but I’d thank you not to interrupt me as I’m attempting to flirt with my wife.”
“You’re already married, bro,” Skylar said. “I don’t think you need this level of flirting anymore.”
“Flirting keeps things fun,” Wilder told her. “You should try it sometime.”
Aiden waited for Skylar to respond, but all she did was roll her eyes at her brother.
“Are you girls here to support the family or cheer on a couple of cute boys?” Wilder asked as he turned his attention to his nieces.
“Can’t it be both?” Layla asked.
“Ooooh.” Wilder rubbed his hands together. “Does your dad know about this?”
“You are such a troublemaker, Wilder,” Skylar said. “I don’t know how Lexi puts up with you.”
Wilder batted his eyes at his wife. “She loves me. Just like I love her.”
“Do you really, Lexi?” Skylar asked.
A smile lit up Lexi’s face as she gazed at Wilder. “More every day.”
At her words, envy shot through Aiden. He hoped that some day he’d have the chance to experience that.
About a year ago, his mom had started to more aggressively hint that it was time for him to open himself up to the possibility of dating once again. He’d put it on the back burner following his dad and Bethany’s death.
He couldn’t deny that finding out about Shiloh and having Skylar back in his life had brought it to the forefront for him. The only problem was, with what was going on with Shiloh currently, he didn’t feel like he wanted to add one more thing to his life.
As he listened to Wilder tease Layla and Amelia about what boys they were interested in, Aiden felt old. It felt so long ago that he’d been that young, even though it really wasn’t.
Oh, the things he’d tell his younger self if he could go back in time. But would he have listened to himself? Back then, he’d thought he’d known everything.
The truth that had become apparent over the years was that the only thing he’d really known was how to mess up. Because he’d done that spectacularly.
“Hi, Amelia.”
Aiden looked up to see the teen who’d arrived late standing in front of the bleachers where Layla and Amelia sat. Amelia’s cheeks were pink as she returned the young man’s greeting.
“How are you doing?” The teen came across as very polite and respectful as he interacted with Amelia.
Aiden glanced at the woman who’d come with him. She was still seated a short distance away, but she was watching the interaction without expression.
Aiden was sure there were going to be questions for Amelia later. And possibly Layla too, as another older teen approached them and greeted her.
“I want to go for ice cream,” Cole announced as he came to stand beside Aiden. “You up for that?”
Aiden shrugged. “Sure.”
“You okay with that, Sky?”
She seemed to consider it for a moment before she nodded. “Anyone else coming?”
“Can we come?” Layla asked. “And Dawson and Benjamin?”
“Of course,” Cole said. “The more the merrier.”
The teen who’d been talking to Amelia stepped over to where the woman he’d arrived with sat. “Can we go with them to get ice cream?”
The woman’s gaze travelled over them, then she nodded. “I’ll just have to let them know.”
The boy grinned, revealing a mouthful of braces. “Thanks, Annie.”
After confirming where exactly they were going, Aiden changed his shoes, then put them into the duffle bag he’d brought. He took a long drink from his water bottle before returning it to the bag as well.
Thankfully, it hadn’t been an intense workout, so he wasn’t too sweaty. Previously, they would have showered and changed after a game, but the games that day hadn’t made him sweat too much.
“That was fun,” Cole said as they walked out to the car. “Been awhile since I’ve just played for the heck of it.”
“I keep forgetting you’re famous,” Skylar told him. “Until people go a little crazy around you.”
Cole chuckled as they got in the car. “They weren’t too bad. I’ve had some real crazy encounters.”
It was only a short drive to the ice cream parlor. It looked the same on the outside, but the inside had changed a bit. The place had always had an old-timey feel to it, but they’d redone it to really lean into that aesthetic.
“Wow,” Skylar said, coming to a stop just inside the door. “This is amazing.”
Alongside the glass case, which contained many ice cream flavors, there was a long counter with round red cushioned bar stools, while the floor was made of large white and black tiles. Tables were lined up in the remaining empty space with similar red cushions on wrought-iron chairs that had been painted white.
Cole led the way to the counter, then motioned for everyone to gather around before speaking to the employee waiting behind the counter. “This is all going to be on one bill.”
They told the teens to go first, but the boy, who seemed interested in Amelia, hung back. He turned to say something to the woman who had brought him. They held a brief conversation before the woman pulled a wallet from her bag and gave him a card from it.
“This is my treat,” Cole said as the teen made a move to speak to one of the other employees. “You don’t need to pay.”
“There’s no need for you to pay for us,” the woman said, her voice soft but firm. She reached up to push her glasses back up her nose. “You don’t even know us.”
“That’s easily remedied,” Cole said with an engaging grin.
The woman stared at him, her gaze narrowed. Her response to him made Aiden want to laugh. Cole was most likely used to girls falling over themselves to gain his attention. Aiden had seen that happen himself, and he would bet that not one of those girls would have turned Cole down if he’d offered to buy them ice cream.
Cole stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Cole Halverson.”
The woman hesitated a moment before she shook it. “I’m Anie, and this is Benjamin.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Annie. I’d love to buy you some ice cream and have you join us.”
Annie still didn’t appear swayed by Cole’s charm, but she finally nodded her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
By this time, the teens had placed their orders. Cole waved for Annie to go first, then Skylar and Lexi followed. Aiden, Cole, and Wilder were the last ones to place their orders, then Cole took care of the bill.
“Come sit with us,” Cole said once Annie had her ice cream. “That way, you’ll be more willing to accept when I want to pay for something next time.”
“Will there be a next time?” she asked, her brows lifted.
“You never know,” Cole said, one corner of his mouth lifting as he winked at her.
“Good grief,” Skylar muttered from were she stood next to Aiden. “Cole, you’re going to scare her off.”
Cole lifted his hands. “Just making friends.”
Aiden looked over and met Skylar’s gaze. He couldn’t help but grin when she shook her head.
The woman must not have been too freaked out by Cole because she ended up joining them. The teens sat at one table, while the adults clustered around a couple of others nearby.
Aiden ended up sitting next to Skylar, while Cole was seated on Skylar’s other side. Their new friend, Annie, had taken a chair on the opposite side beside Lexi.
“By the way,” Cole began, then motioned to Skylar. “This is my sister, Skylar, and my best friend, Aiden. That guy is my brother, Wilder, and you’re sitting next to his wife, Lexi.”
Annie gave them a small smile. “Nice to meet you all.”
Lexi shifted a little in her seat, then said, “Have I seen you at church?”
Annie nodded. “I recognize you and your husband.”
“Small world,” Cole said.
“Small town, more like,” Wilder added.
“Have you lived around here long?” Cole asked.
“Pretty much my whole life,” she said before taking a bite of her ice cream.
“Really? What class were you in?”
“I didn’t go to school here,” she told him. “I was taught at home.”
“Your brother isn’t, though, is he?” Cole asked.
“No. He really wanted to go to school, so our parents relented.”
Aiden found Cole’s interactions with the woman intriguing. While Cole wasn’t a stranger to flirting, usually it was after a woman had expressed an interest in him.
He leaned closer to Skylar and, pitching his voice low, he said, “Do you find this a little odd?”
She looked over at him, then tilted her head a little closer and said, “Just a little.”
Back when they’d been dating, they’d teased Cole anytime a girl would try to flirt with him. He’d been adamant that he wasn’t going to date for a long time. Cole had been determined to reach his career goals before getting serious with anyone.
“Are you two together?” Annie asked, drawing Aiden’s attention from Skylar.
An immediate denial jumped to his tongue, but he didn’t blurt it out. Instead, he glanced at Skylar. She had a frown on her face as she shook her head.
“They’re not now,” Cole said. “But they used to be.”
“And could be again,” Wilder added.
“Wilder!” Skylar’s voice held a considerable amount of exasperation.
Annie’s gaze bounced around at all of them before settling on Skylar. “Sorry to bring up a touchy subject.”
“It’s fine.” She waved it off. “We don’t live here, so you wouldn’t know.”
Aiden wasn’t sure what had made him hold his tongue, but he had a feeling that Skylar noticed and would have some thoughts about that.