11. Aiden
“Matty—”Carla started.
“Oh, no, no, no. Don’t ‘Matty’ me,” huffed Matt. “You knew that was a dumb thing to do, and you did it anyway. It’s like all that matters to you are your little games. This time, you’ve gone too far. This is your best friend’s—who’s had an incredibly tough year—feelings. It’s just not right.”
Carla took a deep breath. It was hard to get Matt angry. He took most of her antics in stride and typically let things roll off his shoulders, but she’d accomplished it with that last question of the night. The one that caused Gia to bolt. He was royally pissed.
“I didn’t think she’d leave. I didn’t know it would be such a big deal.” Carla shifted her gaze to the floor. How was she supposed to know the question about Ben would shake up Gia so bad? All she knew at that moment was that she had to find a way to make it right. Maybe she just needed more information…
As if Matt could sense the gears in her head turning, Matt began to speak again. “Carla, whatever you’re thinking about doing, I strongly suggest you let the whole thing go. It’s not your place, and your scheming has caused more harm than good. Just drop it. Delete the profile and end it.”
Carla knew agreeing with him would be the only way to appease Matt, so she did just that. “You’re right, Matty. I shouldn’t have gotten involved in this one. I’ll take a step back.” She worded her concession very carefully, agreeing only to “take a step back,” not to become entirely uninvolved—but Matt didn’t seem to notice the nuance, giving her a pat on the back, which he quickly shifted into a shoulder rub.
“Good girl,” he said, causing a blush to rise up and across her cheeks.
“Matt, you know you can’t say those words to me…”
“Oh, I know. And that’s why I said them,” Matt said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He pressed his lips against hers, pulling her lower lip gently into his mouth. His kiss still caused her to shudder and her knees to weaken, even after years of marriage.
Matt pulled away quickly, giving Carla’s hair a firm but gentle tug and whispering in her ear, “Delete the profile,” before turning and walking toward the kitchen. Carla groaned.
“You can’t just start something like that and then just go along on your merry way!” she called after him.
“Oh, but I just did, though. Delete the profile, and then we’ll finish what I started.”
Carla huffed. She knew he meant business, and she was too buzzed from their evening on the patio to press the issue. She’d gotten plenty of play time with him earlier in the day, anyway. She could wait. It was time to get down to business.
“Sure, sure. I’ll get the laptop…” Carla said, moving toward the bedroom where they had stashed it earlier in the day when Gia had appeared at the door. Instead of bringing the computer out to the kitchen where Matt had begun making a snack, she laid on her side atop the bed, setting it beside her and pulling up the Gardeners Only site. Gia’s profile was jam-packed with “likes” and messages at that point, but Carla’s curiosity had already been piqued, and she only cared about Gia’s—her—interactions with one particular person on the site. Carla clicked on the private message from Ben.
Before focusing on Ben’s newest message, she reread the last one she had sent to Ben from Gia’s profile, focusing on the last line:
Which part of what happened before you left did you want to discuss?
Then, she shifted her eyes further down to Matt’s message.
Gia,
I’m sorry to hear about your divorce. Is there any way we could talk about things in person? It feels awkward online on a dating site. I promise it’s just to talk.
Ben
Carla sighed. Well, that certainly didn’t provide any additional information for her to work with. Sure, she could arrange a meeting, but without knowing what had happened between them, she hesitated to do that without Gia’s consent. That went even beyond her questionable moral compass regarding schemes—especially when they involved her best friend. She also wasn’t quite sure Matt would forgive that move under the circumstances, given that she was supposed to be deleting the profile, not arranging a rendezvous between Gia and Ben.
Carla pondered her next move carefully, trying to consider what would be best for Gia, not to mention Carla and Matt’s relationship. She decided upon another message…
Dear Ben,
Things are a little crazy right now with work and my kids. Can you tell me what, in particular, you want to talk with me about?
Gia
It was a far cry from the flirting she’d hoped would stem from talking to Ben. She sent the message, hoping it would generate some lead into their past—or give her something to help her decide whether to continue down this road or leave the past where it may have belonged. Maybe Ben wasn’t even the person she should focus her time on. Perhaps she would be better off responding to—she scrolled her eyes down the page—uh, Mr. Half-Naked Gym Guy on Gia’s behalf. Oh, wait, no. No Gym rats, Carla thought, remembering Gia’s “ideal man” list from their earlier game. As Carla pondered the options, she was startled by a *ding* from the computer. He had responded. Oh! Ben was online!
Gia,
I assumed it would be obvious. I want to talk about Aiden. I’ve never met him, and I think that needs to change. I’m in a different place in my life, and I realize I’ve made many mistakes. I want to make them right. Can we please talk in person?
Ben
Carla’s eyebrows flew up. Aiden? Aiden was Gia’s first-born child… How could Ben possibly know about Aiden? And, more importantly, why would he want to meet him? Suddenly, a loud gasp escaped from the depths of her lungs. Matt appeared at the door to check on her just as she said, “Oh my God!”
“Carla, are you okay?” Matt glanced at Carla, who was staring at the computer screen, pale-faced, jaw dropped. “Carla? What’s up?” Carla didn’t even try to hide the computer screen. She gestured at the laptop with a wave, unable to muster any words. She needed Matt’s level-headed guidance and didn’t care if he got angry. At this point, she probably deserved it.
Matt walked over to where he could get a better view, sitting beside Carla. He focused on the screen in front of him and began to read. Then, just as Carla’s had, his eyes flew open wide.
“Aiden?” he asked. Carla nodded.
“Oh my God, Matt. He looks just like him. We could never figure out who he looked like…” Carla trailed off. Matt nodded. She was right. They had all of the same features. There was no doubting it once the thought settled—Aiden was Ben’s child. And Gia had known it all these years and had never told anyone. Carla couldn’t decide whether she felt betrayed, hurt, or sad for Gia. How could she have not told her something this important?
As she began processing the situation, her thoughts ran wild, but Matt interrupted her.
“So, we already knew Gia and Steve had only been together a short time when she found out she was pregnant. And that they got married very quickly. Either he never knew he wasn’t Aiden’s father, or he knew from the jump and chose to raise him as his own, anyhow. I don’t think Gia could keep something like that from him. It’s not in her nature. And, with that, I think I just developed a newfound respect for her ex-husband! Did they get married to save face?”
Carla shrugged to indicate her uncertainty, still unable to speak any intelligible words. This seemed like a real mess. Only two questions were running through her mind. One: How would she respond to Ben’s message? And two: What was she going to tell Gia?
There was no keeping this a secret now. It was about to be blown wide open one way or another.