Chapter 37 Aiden
THIRTY-SEVEN
AIDEN
Raven stared at me with wide eyes, a range of emotions rolling through her expression while silence stretched between us.
“No,” she finally said in a flat voice. “That’s not… no. No, no, no.” I got the sense she was trying to convince herself more than me. “It couldn’t have happened so fast. No, no, I’m not pregnant.”
“Would you like to see the pregnancy test?” I offered. “Or maybe we can take the test all over again? I stopped and picked up three different ones.”
“You should really learn to mind your own business, Aiden,” she snapped. “Besides, you’re bluffing. I know you are.”
I made my way into the living room and dropped the bags on the couch with a heavy thud. The teddy bear slumped forward like it wasn’t welcome here.
My jaw clenched. “Raven. I have seen the plus on the pregnancy test you left in your apartment.”
Her pupils dilated as she continued to stare at me.
“You snooped around my private belongings?”
“My brother found it while packing your stuff,” I said calmly. She was clearly in shock and didn’t need me losing my shit too.
“So, yes, they snooped through my stuff?”
“It wasn’t snooping. You knew they went back to your apartment to pack up your things to bring them here. Why did you keep the pregnancy from me?”
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. I could practically hear the gears grinding as she thought up an excuse.
“Raven,” I growled, anger twisting my insides.
“I didn’t see it,” she said in a high-pitched voice, pushing her hands through her strands and gripping them like it was her sanity. “I’d just taken it when you burst into my room. I never even got to see the result.”
“You should have told me you’d taken it in the first place,” I objected, knowing I was being unreasonable.
“It was positive?” she whispered, shaking her head as if that would alter the outcome. “False positives happen.”
I moved closer. She took two steps back, her hands trembling at her sides.
“We didn’t use protection,” I reminded her, my voice low, almost swallowed by the thick silence between us. “Not the first time and not last night.”
Her eyes widened, glassy and unfocused, like a deer caught in headlights. The color drained from her face until she looked almost translucent in the dim light. “Maybe it’s not… yours,” she whispered, each word trembling on her lips.
I took a slow breath, fighting to keep my tone steady.
“You were a virgin before we slept together,” I said gently but firmly. “And I’m the only man who’s touched you since.”
She shook her head, strands of hair falling into her eyes.
“No, no, no… It can’t be.” Her hands came up to her mouth, trembling. “I don’t want this.” Her voice cracked on the last word, raw and fragile. “Not now. Not like this.”
The air between us thickened—too heavy, too full of things neither of us was ready to face. Somewhere outside, the wind shifted, brushing against the windowpane like a whisper of something inevitable.
My heart stuttered, panic flooding my senses. First, she left me to think she was dead, and now this? For fuck’s sake, how could she be so heartless? Or did she really detest me so much…
“You should’ve thought about that before we had sex.” My voice came out too sharp.
Her head reared back like I’d slapped her. “Wow.”
“No, you don’t get to ‘wow’ me,” I snapped. “There are consequences to having unprotected sex and you knew even five years ago that I’d eventually want heirs.”
She flared. “Are you being serious right now?”
“Dead serious,” I bit out.
Her jaw clenched. “You didn’t give me a choice. You practically dragged me into your bed!”
I stepped back, my fingers going numb at my sides. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I was doing fine before you showed up in my life,” she said, her voice trembling with rage. “But you had to bulldoze your way in, destroying both my peace and the promise I made to my mother.”
My chest went hollow. “So it’s all my fault?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You implied it,” I gritted. “And what promise?”
She flinched. “You don’t get to play the victim, Aiden.”
“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”
Silence sliced like a blade between us.
“I can’t have a baby, not after my promise. Besides, I’m firsthand evidence of how badly that can end up.”
She trailed off.
I paused, her words only just registering. “I’m asking again, after what promise?”
“Forget it.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Tell me!” I roared.
She flinched, her eyes wild, but then she squared her shoulders and glared at me.
“After the promise I made to my mother!” she erupted. “It’s because of you and your family that the explosion happened. You all brought him back into our lives. There was a reason my mom left him when she got pregnant with me.”
The pitch of her voice increased with every word and her cheeks were flushed, but it was an angry kind of red that froze my heart.
“You and your family are the reason she’s dead.”
“She?” I demanded, not following her meaning.
“Yes, she’s dead because of you,” she screamed.
The lights in the room suddenly felt too bright. She had no right to be angry at me after deceiving me. Yes, I had lived with guilt for the past five years and blamed my uncle for jumping the gun on Duncan Lyons, but she’d made mistakes too. So if I could move past that, so should my wife.
“Your uncle Jack visited my mom on that day… the day when…” she continued as she sucked in a few breaths, still clutching her chest as she fought to get the words out. “I blame the Callahans for the explosion and my mom’s death.”
My mouth opened but nothing came.
“Your family doesn’t get to destroy me the way you did my mother,” she spat. “For the past five years, I’ve relived that explosion over and over again. You don’t know what it’s like to have to pretend you’re dead and not even attend your mother’s funeral.”
I stepped toward her, my shadow flowing over her like a storm cloud. She didn’t cower back. Instead, she tilted her head back and glowered up at me.
“Your mother,” I said slowly. “She didn’t die in that explosion.”
Raven froze, color draining from her face.
“What did you say?”
“Your mom didn’t die in that explosion five years ago. She’s alive.”
Her lips parted but no sound came out. She then took a deep breath, her lips trembling as she opened them.
“That’s not—” Her voice cracked. “That’s cruel even for you. How can you lie about that?”
“I’m not lying. She’s alive, Raven.” My throat tightened. “Your father was there after the explosion and Blair left for Scotland with him. She’s been living with Duncan Lyons for the past five years.”
Her breath hitched and horror entered her eyes.
“No…” she whispered, shaking her head violently. “That’s not possible. That’s even worse.”
My brows furrowed.
“I swear to you on the lives of my siblings,” I said, my voice rough. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“You’re lying,” she repeated. Her eyes darted over my face, and I couldn’t be sure whether she hoped it was a lie or the truth. “You have to be. Five years… It’s horrible… Liar…”
“Look at me, Raven,” I gritted, cupping her cheeks. I could feel the tremor of her pulse beneath my thumbs. “Your mother is alive.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Her pupils dilated, turning unfocused. She blinked once, twice.
“Raven,” I rasped softly. “Say something.”
Her body swayed, her knees buckled, and she collapsed.
I caught her before her body could hit the floor, limp in my arms and the air thick with the shock of the dead coming back to life.