Page 47 of Aiden & Lily

Aiden flinched.

Parker’s voice softened. “Clearly, she was willing to stand by your side this time. I’d say she cares enough to hear you out when you tell her the truth.”

“And what if she can’t?” Aiden demanded. “What if finding out Reese and I have a past of our own is the one thing that tears us apart? I can’t lose her, Parker.”

His brother sighed. “I get that you’re nervous. I would be, too. But this isn’t just about you. This is about the girl you love.”

Love?

Just hearing the word did something to Aiden that he wasn’t prepared for. Yes, he loved Lily. The realization settled into him with startling certainty.

He loved her brightness. Her honesty. The way she saw his flaws and still expected him to be better than them.

And he’d made so many bad decisions because he’d been trying to control how she saw him. If it came down to it, he’d risk his friendships with Mathew and Reese to keep her.

But those friendships weren’t the only thing at stake.

Lily cared deeply about Reese. Their friendship had lasted even after their relationship ended, and she had always treated that connection with honesty and respect. Aiden couldn’t say the same, and it wouldn’t go unnoticed.

That was what scared him.

Not that she might choose Reese over him. That she might look at what Aiden had done and decide she couldn’t trust him to stop hiding when things became difficult.

He blew out a breath and cut his brother a look. “How about we get this stuff unloaded and drop the subject, yeah? I’m tired, and I have a lot I need to consider before I make anything worse.”

Parker opened his mouth as if prepared to argue, but then he closed it and shook his head. The disappointment was easy to read on his face.

Aiden hated seeing it.

He’d never been as good as Parker. He’d never been idolized or looked up to. He’d floated through school with averagegrades, then gone into a field where he’d worked hard to prove he belonged. He’d prioritized fun and avoided dealing with consequences until he absolutely had to.

It made sense that his brother was disappointed in him.

Reality had finally kicked in.

Well, Aiden wasn’t going to let Lily experience that same disappointment again. He needed to tell Reese. He needed to tell Mathew. And he needed to tell Lily the part he’d still kept back.

The knowledge sat heavily in his chest. He just had to find the courage to do it before someone else made the choice for him again.

They unloaded everything into the shed in silence. They drove back to Aiden’s place without another word about Mathew, Reese, or Lily.

But when they entered the house, Aiden called out to his brother just as Parker headed for the spare room.

“Parker?”

His brother paused and turned to face him. “Yeah?”

“Lily likes you.”

Parker smirked.

“Not like that,” Aiden quipped. “But she said she’d like us to all hang out together if that was okay.”

“Of course.” Once again, Parker looked as though he wanted to say something, but then he must have thought better of it. “I’m heading out a little later, but tell her we can plan something in the future. Maybe she can bring one of her sisters.”

He said it teasingly, his brows wagging.

Aiden rolled his eyes, then headed for his own room.