Until May (Until Her/Him)

“What?” My brows draw together as I lift my head to meet his gaze.

“Doll, you’re hardly dressed, and soaking wet. You’ll sit in my truck with the kid, where it’s warm, and I’ll see if I can find his parents.”

“I’m fully covered.” I frown, glancing down at my wraparound sweater that has fallen slightly open but is still tied tightly around my waist, and my leggings that are made out of the same teddy bear material. And with my tank top on, there’s barely a hint of cleavage. Plus, before I ended up getting covered with pond water, I was actually quite warm, standing outside on my porch in what I have on.

“Whatever you say, doll,” he mutters, and I narrow my eyes on him. Not that he notices, as he moves around me to the back door of the truck, opening it and pulling out a sheet that is covered with splotches of old paint. “Come on.” He takes hold of my wrist, pulls me around to the driver’s side, and opens the door. “Get in.”

I want to argue and tell him that he shouldn’t manhandle people or order people around, then reiterate that I am dressed, but I know that now is not the time for that. Especially not with the little boy curled up in a ball, shaking like crazy, just a few feet away. With a deep breath, I climb into the truck that is stupidly high, and once I’m seated, I snatch the sheet out of his hands and pull the door closed before he can say anything else to me.

“Hey, bud.” I scoot over to the kid, and he opens his eyes to look at me. “I’m gonna help you get out of that jacket and your snow pants, okay?” I wait for him to nod, then start to help him get rid of the heaviest pieces of clothing, leaving them on the floorboard of the truck, before I wrap the sheet around him. “Better?”

“M-Mom,” he slurs, sounding both exhausted and like he’s trying not to cry.

“I’m sure she’s coming,” I assure him, rubbing his back and letting out a sigh of relief when I hear the sound of sirens getting closer. From where we’re parked, I can see the entrance to my subdivision, so the minute a police cruiser and fire truck come around the corner, I look around. The guy, whoever he is, is nowhere in sight, and there are still no parents out and about. Not that I don’t think that’ll change the minute the police pull up. I’m sure then every single person in the neighborhood is going to come outside to see what’s going on. “Help is almost here.”

The cruiser pulls up next to the truck, while the fire truck parks, and I open the door to get out, regretting it immediately. Having been in the warm interior of the truck for the last few minutes, the material covering me has warmed up, but it’s all still wet. The cold air soaks through in an instant, knocking the breath out of my lungs. Ignoring how cold I am, I hop down to meet the officer when he gets out of his car.

“Ma’am,” he greets me with a dip of his chin, and I quickly lead him around to the opposite side of the truck.

“He seems to be doing better than he was,” I tell him as I open the door, and three firemen join us. “And the guy whose truck this is, is looking for his mom.”

“I think he found her,” one of the firemen mutters when we hear a scream, and I see a woman running at full speed toward us, with Aiden—or his lookalike—close on her heels.

“Jack-son,” the woman’s voice cracks when she reaches us, and I take a step back before I’m shoved out of the way so she can climb into the front seat with the little boy.

Watching her hold him, I let out a long breath, then listen to the officers and firemen talk to her and try to calm her down so they can get to the kid.

“Come on.” I turn my head when an arm is draped around my shoulders that smells like soap and cedar, and bite my lip when I find Aiden or whoever he is at my side, his eyes on the cop and firemen. “If you guys’ve got this covered, I’m going to take her to her place so she can change. She’s the one who jumped in to save the kid.”

“I’m fine,” I lie, because the truth is, I’m so cold I feel as though I might shatter like glass, but more than anything, I want to make sure the kid is going to be okay.

He dips his chin to look at me. “You’ll be better when you’re not soaking wet and standing outside in thirty-degree weather.”

“He’s right. You should go get changed. We’ll be here for a while longer,” one of the firemen says, then adds, “There is an ambulance a ways out right now, and when you get back, it might be good to check you over.”

I nod, giving in, then turn on my heels, dislodging the arm still around my shoulders, and head down the snow-covered sidewalk toward my house, hearing boots crunch in the snow behind me. When I reach my yard, I grab the mug I tossed and then head up the steps to the front door. I step inside and pick up Cooper before he can get out, then turn to the man still following me, feeling awkward as heck. He looks just like the man I spent weeks talking to every single day, but I know it’s not him, and I’m not even sure he’s Aiden, the man Mike was pretending to be.

Clearing my throat, I hold the door open and do the polite thing. “Do you want to wait in here?”

At my question, he steps inside with his eyes locked on mine and I take a step back. He’s tall, really tall, and instantly makes my home feel like a dollhouse. “I’ll wait for you to change, then walk you back down there.”

“Sure, make yourself comfortable. I shouldn’t be long.” Carrying Cooper, I lead the man down the short hall, past my office, and to the kitchen and living room area. “There’s coffee on, and mugs are in the cupboard next to the stove,” I tell him over my shoulder as I head for the hallway that leads to my bedroom.

He doesn’t say a word, and I don’t turn to check if he heard me. Instead, I rush to my room and head right for the closet, where I strip out of my wet clothes. My skin burns as I put on a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, a hoodie, and a thick pair of socks, and then I dig out my UGG boots from the back of my closet. Once I’m dressed, I put my wet clothes in the bathtub so I can deal with them later, then tie my hair up and leave my room. As soon as I clear the hallway, a pair of eyes meets mine, then proceed to scan over me from head to toe, making me shift on the balls of my feet.

“You have a beautiful house.”

“Thanks.” I stop at the coat closet to grab my jacket and watch him angle off the barstool he was sitting on, then bend down to rub the top of Cooper’s head.

“I’m Aiden, by the way.” He stands and walks toward me, and I swear the room spins. I mean, yes, he looks exactly like that soccer player guy April found, but I didn’t really think it was him, because what are the chances he’d ever be here? And if he’s here, was it him using the name Mike, and had I been talking to him all along? “You okay? You look a little pale.”