The Butterfly Effect (Boggy Creek Valley 1)

His eyes met mine.

“I can tell by the look in your eyes you already know what I’m going to say,” I said.

Hunter nodded. “You think Aiden has PTSD.”

“I did some research earlier this morning. I’ll be honest, I never really thought a whole lot about what Aiden did as a SEAL. I knew what he did was dangerous, but did you know he was a Tier 1 SEAL?”

Another nod from Hunter.

“You did?” I asked, my voice not hiding my shock one bit.

“Yes. But he asked me not to tell anyone. It’s not something they go around announcing, Willa. He needed to let someone know in case anything ever, um, anything ever happened to him.”

I stood and let out an exasperated breath before turning back to Hunter. “You should see his body, Hunter. He’s been shot, stabbed—he’s had surgery on both knees, his shoulder, his elbow. Do you know I counted at least three gunshot wounds on his body?”

“I’m not surprised, and honestly, I’m surprised you are. You had to know what he did was dangerous.”

“Three! He’s been shot three times—that I know of! Did his mother know? Did you know?”

He shook his head. “I knew about one because he was in the hospital.”

My entire body trembled, and I wasn’t even sure why. I closed my eyes and slowly shook my head before I sat back down on the bench. This was exactly why Aiden had walked away from me—from us—all those years ago. To save me from seeing him shot and stabbed and haunted by God knows what.

Hunter sighed. “The day Aiden came home, he stared off into space a few times. He seemed distant, yet the same. I could tell he had drifted off into a memory, though, simply by the expression on his face.”

I thought about the wind machine at the orchard when Aiden was lost in a memory.

“I saw that same look on Aiden’s face that I’ve seen on Mitch’s before.”

“Mitch Hathaway?” I asked.

Hunter nodded. “He was SEAL also. Once he got out of the Navy, he went back to Boston, became a cop. Couldn’t take all the heavy shit in the big city, so that’s why he came to Boggy Creek. He had some demons he needed to fight, there was no doubt about it. But I don’t think it’s anything like the demons Aiden has.”

I looked at him. “Why do you say that?”

He took a sip of his coffee before setting it down. “I know Aiden. He was like a brother to me, and we have this bond. It’s hard to explain, but when he showed up last week, I saw it in his eyes. He looks…”

“Haunted,” I whispered.

Hunter nodded. “Yes, that’s a good word to use.”

I chewed on my lip. “This dream he had. He was calling out all kinds of things. Names, terms I think he used in the Navy. I think he was trying to save someone. He started to get agitated, more upset. I called out his name, but he wouldn’t wake up. So I got a little more aggressive with trying to wake him up.”

Hunter stiffened. “What happened?”

I twisted my hands in my lap and looked away, trying to decide how much I should tell my brother. “You have to know he wasn’t himself when he woke up. He was…he was scared and confused.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No!” I quickly said. “But he did give me a bit of a fright.”

Hunter closed his eyes then opened them, this time piercing me with a hard stare. “What did he do, Willa?”

“Nothing for you to be worried about. He didn’t hurt me, and that’s all you need to know.”

Hunter jumped up, causing Jack to immediately leap up from his lying position and look at Hunter, sensing his change in mood. “Willa, you need to tell me, or I’ll go ask him myself!”

“Wait! Hunter, before you go tearing off, you need to realize I’m a grown woman and am very capable of knowing if I’m in real danger or not. I was not in any danger. Now stow the big brother bullshit and listen to me. The pain in his eyes, Hunter—I’ll never forget it as long as I live. He looked defeated, scared, angry. But what I remember most was the regret. He was a storm of so many emotions, but the regret that I saw in his eyes…nearly dropped me to my knees. And he wouldn’t stop to talk to me about it. Not a single word.”

My brother gave me a sympathetic look as he sat back down and took my hand in his. “He won’t. He won’t talk to you, Willa. Why do you think he never came back for you?”

I felt my mouth fell open. “What?”

Hunter cursed under his breath. “Willa, Aiden was head over heels in love with you for as long as I can remember. He might not have admitted it to himself or anyone else, but I saw it. I saw the moment his feelings for you changed. Senior year of high school in our kitchen. I saw it, Lacy saw, hell, the whole school saw the way he looked at you. When he came back home on leave after making it through BUD/S, he told me how he felt for you. Actually, he said he loved you, but he wouldn’t ask you to give up everything to live a life he knew you wouldn’t be happy with.”