Perfect Night (Mason Creek)

Nothing Aiden said in that moment penetrated. “It is my fault,” I cried.

I don’t know how long he held me or how I ended up at his home in bed. He stayed with me the entire time.

There were no words that generated for a long time after. I went through the grief cycle several times before I was coherent.

Hours later, when my tears had dried, I said, “I couldn’t have done this without you,” as I laid on Aiden’s chest, staring into space.

“You made sure your dad got the justice he deserved. I’m just happy I was here to help.”

“I thought I wanted to leave this town. I was so desperate to go, I let myself believe I was in love with the wrong man and Dad paid the price.”

“Emma. None of this is your fault. None of it. Evan made a choice. The wrong one. You didn’t know what could happen, would happen. And I will always be here for you. My parents will be here for you. They love you as much as I do.”

My heart raced with the joy I needed to get me through. “It’s because of him, I know exactly what love isn’t. It’s because of you, I know exactly what love is. I love you, Aiden. I don’t care if people think it’s too soon.”

He entwined our fingers together. “I thought it was almost too late. When I came back, I was sure I had lost you for good. You’re going to marry me one day, Emma Hawkins. You can count on it.”

Epilogue

Weeks later

Coming to terms with the circumstance of my father’s death may never happen. Somewhere in the weeks that followed, Aiden had almost finished the house. He’d gotten help from Wyatt to replace old floorboards and other carpentry work. Sadie’s dad, Burt, who owned Plumbing Solutions, updated the plumbing. Aiden contracted other people in town with work he couldn’t do himself. However, I had a feeling he’d find projects to work on around the house.

I graduated from college with my business degree around the same time. Aiden, his parents, and my friends were there for support at the ceremony. It was such as good feeling to have them be there.

Meanwhile, Evan had his initial court hearing, and he wasn’t granted bail because the prosecutor claimed he was a flight risk. Though his lawyer was appealing that. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Evan facing the death penalty. What he’d done was morally wrong, but I could now agree with Aiden that his intent probably wasn’t murder after seeing the video footage inside the bar. He deserved time for sure. But I wasn’t a lawyer and would let the legal people worry about that.

I was doing my best to move past all the hurt and pain. Though I didn’t want to, I had to release my anger to move forward. It was a day-by-day thing. And tonight was a beautiful evening. The sun was low in the sky as Aiden and I sat in a clearing near the lake. He picked up dinner from the Italian restaurant in town and took me on picnic date.

“What do you think?” he asked, taking another bite of his pasta.

He hadn’t worn any hat tonight, and I brushed away a strand of hair covering his eye. “Good. I could have cooked for you,” I said.

“Tonight, I wanted you to just enjoy the evening.”

I smiled because I’d gotten lucky. I’d dodged a bullet and now I was with a man I adored and who adored me.

“I got the estimates back,” I said, enthusiastically. “Work can begin this week.”

The life insurance money had come through. I’d opened an account out of town because I really didn’t want anyone to know I was technically a millionaire. It didn’t feel right to profit from my father’s death either.

“He would be happy,” Aiden said. “You heard what Evan said.”

In interviews with the prosecution, Evan admitted during the argument with my father before he died, Dad had told Evan he’d taken his advice from a phone call they had prior to meeting and had gotten better life insurance so that I wouldn’t need Evan in the event of his death. Evan hadn’t wanted to be charged with killing my father to get access to the money I would get. Apparently, his family had cut him off. That had been the real reason behind the fake ring. Though his parents paid for his lawyer. They didn’t want their name tarnished.

“I know. But I’d rather have my father than the money,” I said. He squeezed my hand as I fought tears. “I’m not going to cry.”

“You can cry whenever you want. I’ll be here.”

I wiped my eyes as I nodded. “It’s a nice night. Let’s talk about something else.”

He changed the subject as I asked. “A friend of mine asked me for a favor.”