Wild Chance (Wild Irish Universe)(26)

Tristan guffawed. “Right? But, I love it this way. Seven siblings and add our spouses and people we’ve ‘adopted’ over the years to that and you have a veritable zoo. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Mona nodded. “I didn’t know you’d be having lunch with someone. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Nonsense!” Tristan said. “What do you want to eat?”

Mona wound up ordering a burger with French fries, mayonnaise on the side along with a glass of lemonade.

The three of them chatted. Tristan told her embarrassing stories about Tristan before he’d left for the military. Though Aedan blushed from time to time, he was having just as much fun as she was—Mona could tell. She could also tell that no matter how bad his home life had been, with the Collins, Aedan was loved.

“I like him.” Mona laughed so hard she had to rest her head against Aedan’s shoulder.

Aedan growled.

“Down boy.” Tristan teased. “Taken, remember?”

Mona giggled. “The two of you need to cool your tits.”

Tristan gasped dramatically. “Do you kiss our Aedan with that mouth?”

“As a matter of fact—” Mona started but Aedan’s tongue plunging into her mouth stopped her words. The kiss didn’t last nearly as long as she wanted for when she began melting into him, Aedan pulled away. “Tease.”

Tristan laughed so hard he had soda running through his nose. Mona quickly handed him a napkin to tap the liquid away.

Yes, Mona would love to be a part of this family. She knew that now.




A couple of nights later, Aedan wandered around Mona’s kitchen making her something to eat. She had gone out to do something with Esme for something pertaining to their trip to Provence. Being alone afforded him the chance to think of what his life was becoming. He’d purchased a laptop, gotten the internet installed in his place and with Will Wallace’s help had been sending out application for jobs. So far, he’d gotten some interested back. But he didn’t want to each student. Aedan didn’t think he had that kind of patience.

But there was only so long he could live on his savings and what he was getting as benefits from VA wasn’t nearly enough to do much of anything. In fact, Tristan had talked him into opening a form of retirement fund thing and he’d been stashing his benefit checks in there.

“Darling?” Mona called from the door.

He hadn’t heard her car pull into the driveway. The sound of her voice rolling over the endearment sent a sense of pride through him. Aedan cleared his throat, popped the chicken back into the oven then made his way into the front hall. “Hello there.”

“Something smells really good.” She kissed him.

“I’m making dinner.” He stole another kiss.

“Really? I didn’t know you were domesticated.”

He crinkled his nose at her but smiled. “I wanted you to have something good when you came home.”

“You would have been enough.” She tapped his ass as he walked ahead of her back to the kitchen. “Especially, if you were naked.”

“Lady, don’t say things like that. I will throw you down right here.”

Mona giggled. “Is that a promise?”

“After dinner.” He glanced back at her. “Because if we start anything right now, dinner will burn.”

“Well, fine.” She pouted prettily at him. “I can be patient.”

He settled for a chaste kiss and after she’d washed her hands, Mona joined him in finishing dinner. They ate together, and once dirty dishes were in the dishwasher, Aedan led her into the living room with a couple glasses of wine to speak with her.

“This seems serious,” Mona said.

“It is.”

She bowed her head and pulled her hand from him. He knew that reaction. It wasn’t like he set out to scare her, but he didn’t know of another way to bring up the subject.

“I’ve been thinking—about my aunt. I should go see her.”

“Oh! This isn’t about us?”

“No. What we’re doing right now makes me happy and I’m assuming you are as well?”

“Very.”

“Then nothing to really tackle there yet. Right now, I feel if I am going to focus on us, I need to face that. I need to find out where my mother is—who my mother is, if she’s still alive. I need to know how she could just leave me with this crazy woman and move on.”

“You can make a phone call.”

“It’s not that easy.” Aedan leaned closer to her to steal some of her strength, some of her indignation. “I want to look her in the face when I have this conversation.”

“I understand that. But she hurt you.”

“I’m grown now, Mona. I’ll be okay.”

“I’m coming with you.”

He smiled. “Why, a stórín?”

“Because I’ll be damned if she messes with you again.”

Aedan kissed her nose. “I’ll be fine. I promise. Besides, if I break, I don’t want you seeing me like that.”

“That’s bullshit. If I can’t be there for you in your weakest times, then I can’t be there for you when you’re flourishing.”