Page 114 of High Stakes
“That’s it,” Grant says, “Now pant between pushes.”
Aiden
I sit in the booth watching the after-party chaos, wondering when this all stopped being so much fun. I lived for these nights and yet, here I am, bored and eager to close up so I can fall into bed to enjoy another sleepless night.
Jenifer drops down beside me, “What’s wrong with you?” I shrug and she groans. “You’re so boring these days.” Her comment makes me laugh and she narrows her eyes. “I’m serious. Like, what is the point in even being together when you spend all your time working or mooching around like your life is about to end.”
“You’re right,” I agree, nodding. I take a breath; I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks and she’s handing it to me on a plate. “You deserve better.”
She begins to shake her head and fury fills her expression. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she whispers in a low, angry voice.
“I don’t make you happy,” I reason.
“My god, you’ve been waiting for this haven’t you.” I stay quiet, admitting it will only send her nuts. “I saw it coming,” she says, scoffing. “But I thought you were justdepressed over the whole Bella thing, but now I see it’s because you’re a selfish, self-absorbed, prick.”
“That I am,” I mutter.
“No wonder Bella left.”
“Exactly,” I agree.
“She’s better off without you. That baby boy deserves better.”
My head whips up in her direction and I stare wide-eyed. “Baby boy?”
Her expression softens slightly. “Yeah, a few days ago.” She pulls out her mobile and opens Bella’s social media account. I frown, wondering when they became friends, especially since I’d blocked Bella’s account to stop me searching her up. She turns the screen towards me, and I inhale sharply. A blue eyed, tiny baby boy fills my heart, and suddenly, it’s too hard to breathe. I tug at my collar, taking the mobile from her and peering closer.
“A boy, she had a boy,” I whisper.
“You miss her don’t you?” she asks.
I could lie, it might make her feel better, but for once in my life, I want to be honest, so I nod. “More than anything.”
“You’ve wasted all this time,” she says sadly. “You could have been making things right with her.”
“Aren’t you mad?”
She shrugs, “It’s not like you were ever really mine, Aiden. We haven’t even had sex, I was beginning to wonder if it was me.”
I shake my head, taking her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into any of this. I just wanted to move on, and I thought dating you would help with that.”
“Well, for the record, it just makes things messier,” she says, “But, I get it.” She takes her mobile back, even though I resist because I want to stare some more at my son. “I can give you Bella’s address,” she mutters. I release the handset immediately and she laughs. “But if you tell anyone it came from me, I’ll gut you like a fish.”
I grin, “You’ve been spending way too much time with Aria.”
“At least now we can bitch about you at work, and maybe she’ll like me.” My phone beeps and I open the screenshot she’s sent me. “It was on an invoice. I don’t know why I took the picture,” she admits, “I guess I knew you’d need it eventually.”
“Thank you, Jen. This means so much to me.”
“You’d better not fire me,” she adds, standing.
I smirk, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Aiden
Arriving in the little town, I drive slowly. I admire the little cottages, lined up evenly on each side of the road. People are chatting in the streets, laughing and smiling. It’s a quaint little place and I see why Bella loves it so much.