Page 15 of Aidan (The Doherty Mafia)
Eight
Leah
Sitting at a restaurant with Aidan Doherty and ordering steak sandwiches with fries wasn’t something I saw myself doing. Ever.
Even back when we first met and were dating—Aidan preferred to hang out at the bar or go to diners for late brunch while hungover.
This was the kind of experience regular couples enjoyed. We weren’t regular and we certainly weren’t a couple, so I had no idea what we were doing here.
When Aidan showed up at the hospital, I was surprised and then afraid to see him in my mother’s room.
Thankfully, she was asleep, which meant that he couldn’t question her. I didn’t know what she would say or how she would react to him.
The little time we had spent together since my arrival had been relatively pleasant. It seemed like she wanted to forget about the past and move on, in her final hours. However, would she be willing to look past the man who knocked me up and turned my whole life around?
I couldn’t see her being cordial with Aidan.
And I certainly didn’t expect her to keep the pregnancy a secret.
So when he suggested going out to dinner, I was ready to go immediately. I wanted to separate them and keep them apart.
It was only after I got on the bike with him that I started wondering about his intentions. This didn’t make sense.
One moment it seemed like he despised me and the next moment, he was taking me out for a meal? Why?
I felt guilty for all the secrets I kept. The act I had to put on for Aidan. Aldo’s threats and the guy who threatened me the day before—played on my mind too. I couldn’t relax. Not for a minute.
However, the thing that bothered me most was the fact that my baby’s father and I were now sitting at a restaurant eating dinner, while he was out there somewhere without us. Not knowing anything about us.
Would he ever think about his biological parents? He would never know the truth about why he was given up.
While I watched Aidan take a bite of his sandwich, I was close to breaking down in tears. He had no idea what I was going through, and the nicer he was to me, the worse it made me feel because of the way I betrayed him.
“Not hungry?” he asked, looking at my full plate. He was already halfway through his food.
I smiled and shook my head.
“I am. Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
We locked eyes as I took a bite of the sandwich. From the way he looked at me, it seemed like he was still trying to size me up.
“So tell me Leah, what have you been up to these last five years,” he said, breaking the chilly silence.
I dared to tell him a little about the place I worked at.
“It’s a nursing home, somewhere old people go when their kids don’t want to look after them anymore.”
“So you’re a nurse?” he asked.
I blushed because I wished I was.
“No, I’m not a qualified nurse. I’m more a caregiving assistant. I keep them company and hand out their medication and take them out on little shopping trips. That kind of thing.”
Aidan watched as I slowly sipped my sparkling water.
It was strange for me to talk about my other life with him. He peeped into a world I inhabited far away from here. A world I sometimes wished I hadn’t left.
“You always had a nurturing quality about you,” he said.
I blushed harder. I had to look away.
Him praising me wasn’t something I could handle. I didn’t feel like I deserved any of it. I hated myself.
If he knew what I had done to our baby… Ifhe knew what I was doing for Aldo—he wouldn’t think I was a nurturer at all.
“It’s just a job,” I said quickly. Aidan remained silent.
“What about you? What have you been up to?” I asked.
Aidan had never involved me much in his work. I didn’t know about the kind of work he did, or his family did either. I knew there was a dangerous element involved in it. I was aware that people in town treated the Dohertys a little differently. They didn’t have to wait in queues or ask for permission. My parents obviously didn’t want me to be with him because they thought he belonged to the wrong side of the track.
However, I didn’t know to what extent…until the Barons showed up in my life.
Now, I would have to try and dig out as much information I could about the Dohertys so I could supply the Barons with something. Anything.
It was the only thing I could do for the sake of my secret and my mother’s life.
Aidan sat back in his chair, stroking his beard in a menacing way as he continued examining me.
“Nothing has changed in my life. I’m still doing the same shit on a different day. Even my bike is the same as you noticed.”
