When Aiden shows up, late I may add, he doesn’t look so great.
“Out late again?” I ask, laughing at my brother clearly hungover.
“Of course. I’m young, it’s what we do.” He laughs, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down next to me. “How’s Emily and Tessa?”
“Better now that they are both at my house. Safe and sound.”
The conversation takes a different direction. Aiden wants to know if things are serious between the two of us. I don’t know how to answer. It’s not like I’m going to ask her to marry me next week, but I can see myself married to her one day. “Serious enough. Why?”
“It’s just that it’s your first relationship since Carol, and as girly as it sounds, don’t really wanna see you get your heart broken is all.”
Aiden worries about me, even before Tessa, even though he didn’t always verbally express it. “Neither one of us wants to get hurt. She has a daughter to think about, but things just fell into place. I’d protect both with my life.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
No need to. I can take care of myself. The situation with Chris isn’t something either of us were expecting to happen. And after what he did, no way a judge will give him custody or even think about it for that matter. He really screwed himself when he took Emily.
Aiden wouldn’t understand because his last relationship was in high school. If you could even consider a relationship at that age real. I mean the feelings are, but normally relationships deteriorate after graduating. It was a fact of life, except for Carol and me. We were the lucky ones that flourished after graduation. Aiden really couldn’t be giving me relationship or women advice since he hadn’t had either in years. All he cared about was getting laid. Even though there was so much more for him to have. One day he’ll realize it, and it will come back to haunt him.
“There’s no need to worry about me, brother. You can’t find happiness unless you open your heart to it. If anyone knows that, it’s me. Think about it. If I didn’t, they would have walked right out of my life, and I’d be moping around the house, back to depression again. Don’t you want someone to go home to?” He’s still young, but as he gets older, he will realize having someone to share life’s moments with is the biggest joy of all.
“Honestly, yes, but women are crazy.”
I chuckle and slap his shoulder. “Not all of them, just the ones you take home. Change your standards, and instead of buying them drinks and taking them home for sex, take them out to a nice dinner and have actual conversations.”