After an hour, it was clear they were hitting it off really well. I had to commend Aiden—he hadn’t dropped a single F-bomb, and he was definitely on his best behavior. Mom grilled him with questions, and I realized if I had done the same thing, a lot of our misunderstandings might have been avoided from the beginning.
Live and learn.
Despite my protests, Mom had a hotel room arranged. She wasn’t comfortable staying at Aiden’s house, and I guess I didn’t blame her. She stayed near the hospital and visited Aiden every day while she was there. Strangely enough, she got him to open up quite a bit to her about Cayden. Maybe it was a parenting thing, and she just knew all the right things to say, but she even had him laughing as he talked about the first time Cayden puked all over him as a baby.
“I thought projectile vomiting was just in The Exorcist,” Aiden said. “I had no idea it was a real thing before it was suddenly all over me. And it wasn’t just once—he did it over and over again! Then the pediatrician said it was normal, and I’m screaming into the phone that there is no way it can possibly be normal at all, and the whole time, he’s spewing down my back as I’m on the phone.”
They were both laughing so hard, they had to wipe tears from their eyes.
“All the things no one ever warns you about,” Mom mused as she dabbed at her eyes. “If we knew about all of it beforehand, we’d never have children at all.”
“Yeah.” Aiden cleared his throat and sat up a little. “And then you just wish you could have it all back again.”
I ran my hand down his arm, and he looked over to me with a sad smile.
“I can’t bring him back,” Aiden said quietly. “Even with those shitbags in jail, he’s still gone.”
“I know,” I said as I squeezed his hand.
“The memories of him will live with you forever,” Mom replied. “It’s hard at first, because your focus is on the loss. In time, you realize how important your relationship was and how much joy you gave to him. Even if it was far too short a time, you made every moment count.”
“I wasn’t there when he needed me the most,” Aiden whispered. “I failed him.”
“You did your best,” Mom told him. “Success isn’t defined by a single moment. Your success came from all of the moments you did have, all of the moments you spent loving him. No one can take that from you. It’s yours.”
Aiden pressed the heel of his hand against his eye as he tightened his hand around my fingers.
“At least I was there for you,” he said under his breath. “I couldn’t be there for him, but I was there for you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought his head to my shoulder. Mom came up to the other side and joined in the hug.
The next day she had to head back to San Francisco, and I was sorry to see her go.
“I’m really glad you came,” I told her as I gave her a big hug in the hospital waiting room.
“I’m glad I did, too.” Mom hugged me back. “I’d tell you to be careful, but I have the feeling Aiden’s going to keep a close eye on you as it is. No more crazy stuff.”
“We’ll see,” I said with a smile. “I don’t think he’ll be up for much in the near future.”
“We can make Christmas plans after I get home.”
“Definitely.”
“Hopefully, you will have found a job by then,” she said with a shake of her head. “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“It’s probably best I did,” I said. “With all the time I’m spending down here, I might have been fired anyway.”
“You might not have been here to get shot at,” Mom pointed out.
“True.” It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed my mind. “But then Aiden would have been alone, and he might not have come out as well as he did.”
Mom nodded, hugged me again, and headed out with her suitcase trailing behind her. I watched her get into the cab and then went back to see Aiden again.
“Everything okay?” he asked as I walked in.
“Yes,” I said. “I think she really likes you.”
“What’s not to like?” Aiden grinned his boyish grin, and I leaned over to kiss