So I accept what he offers, and I wait for our weekend with his family, when I’m sure I’ll get more pieces of the story, such as how his brother died and why Aaron has spent the years since then existing but not really living.
I’m very familiar with what that looks like. I watched my dad do the same thing for nearly two decades. It took losing Bradley—in a way—for him to finally start living again.
Aaron puts up a carefree front, but under that is a very vulnerable, broken man. And I’m hoping this weekend will shed some light on why that is. And maybe, if he’ll let me, I can be someone he leans on for support while he heals. Just like he’s been someone I can lean on while I figure out who I am, sometimes without even knowing it.
“I should tell you that Lydia has no chill, and she’s probably going to embarrass the heck out of me as a result.”
We’re an hour outside Chesterton. We took my car in part because it’s better on gas and Aaron doesn’t want to put the miles on his work truck.
“How is she going to embarrass you?” I ask.
“By fawning all over you and telling you how happy she is that I finally have a girlfriend. I’m just preparing you for it.”
He looks nervous, so I give his thigh a squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. And I’m excited to meet them too.”
Aaron’s father’s house is massive, which is not a surprise. It looks like a much larger version of the houses on the rich side of Pearl Lake. It reminds me of the kind of house I grew up in. Except we had a pool and a tennis court.
“This is beautiful.”
“My entire house in Pearl Lake could fit in the garage twice. It’s easy to lose people in this place.”
“Do Jamie and Lydia live close by?”
“Yeah. They’re only about ten minutes away. They used to live here when Jamie was a baby, but Lydia got her own place once Jamie was in kindergarten. They still spend a lot of time together, though.”
“It’s good that they’re still so close.”
“Yeah, I think my dad was disappointed when she got her own place, but she needs to be able to move on with her life, and living with your deceased fiancé’s father doesn’t make that easy.”
“I can imagine there would be a level of awkwardness if she brought home a boyfriend.”
“Exactly.”
We’re not even out of the car, and the front door swings open and a little boy who looks to be about six years old comes racing across the driveway. Aaron crouches down and stretches his arms out. Jamie launches himself at him, and Aaron lands on his butt and rolls backward. “You’re getting so strong you knocked me right over! You must be eating all your vegetables!”
“I get to see you two weekends in a row, Unca A-A! I love birthdays!”
Aaron stands up with Jamie still wrapped around him like a koala bear. “That makes two of us, little man. I barely even had time to miss you.”
“I know! And I loved coming to visit you! The lake is so fun. Do you think I can come back again soon, even though it’s not my birthday anymore?”
“We can definitely make a plan for that.” Aaron sets Jamie back on the ground but happily takes his hand. “Do you want to meet my girlfriend?”
“Yay! Mommy said you might bring her!”
“I did, and she’s pretty excited to meet you.”
I get out of the car and smile down at the little boy who looks so much like his uncle. “Hi, Jamie, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m so glad I get to meet you! I’m Teagan.”
He ducks his head, suddenly shy. “Hi, Teagan. You’re even prettier in real life.”
I laugh. “Well, thank you, and you’re even more adorable in person!”
“Unca A-A has lots of pictures of you on his phone. Probably more than he has of me.” Jamie’s eyes are wide, and he’s grinning.
“Ah, come on, man, don’t go throwing me under the bus like that.” The tips of Aaron’s ears turn red.
“I don’t see a bus.” Jamie shrugs and takes my hand. “Come on, I want to introduce you to my mommy and Grampy.”
I glance over my shoulder and smile at Aaron, who shakes his head and hits the release button on the trunk before retrieving our bags. He packs light. Backpack light. Jamie has no intention of waiting for Aaron; instead he pulls me along and bursts through the front door.
“Unca A-A is here, and he brought his girlfriend!”
More than one set of footsteps can be heard coming down the hall from different directions.
“You must be Teagan.” The woman I saw on the dock last weekend doesn’t offer me her hand, instead pulling me in for a hug. “I can’t tell you how great it is to meet you. Aaron can’t say enough wonderful things about you. Thank you for coming. I know how much it means to him.”