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Aiden shot him a sideways glance, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and defiance and deep, raw hurt that came from a source Seth couldn't even begin to touch. "If you're not gonna drive, I'll get out and walk," he said tightly.
Seth's knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel. With a sigh, he shifted the truck into gear and pulled back onto the empty street that would lead them out of town.
The weight of Aiden's silence as they drove crushed Seth more than he could have ever imagined. Aiden was never silent. Seth stole glances at him from the corner of his eye, disturbed by his distant expression. He'd never seen him so locked down. Aiden was always the laughing light for others. Whenever Seth needed him, Aiden was there, waiting with an outstretched hand. Seth had never struggled to reach him before, and it terrified him. He longed to say something—anything—to open him back up again, but he didn't have the words. He'd hurt Aiden so much more than he'd ever intended. Seth wasn't even sure it was about the two of them any longer. His lie had ripped open much older and deeper wounds.
When Seth pulled down the long driveway, the porch light was off, and the house looked dark and unwelcoming. He parked alongside the small barn and cut the engine, plunging them into sudden silence.
Aiden's head was turned away from him. He stared out the window for a long time, and when he spoke, it was so soft he could barely hear it. "She tried to make it feel like home, you know?"
Seth looked out at the dark property and tried to see what Aiden saw: the shadowed fence, snow-draped hedges, and a picturesque chicken coop that looked like something out of a magazine he'd find in a checkout line. It gave an impression of perfectly ordered serenity.
"Maybe she did," Seth said, unable to resist the impulse to touch. He reached out and grasped Aiden by the back of the neck, giving him a light, supportive squeeze. "But it wasn't for you. Everything she did was for herself. You didn't need a potpourri bowl on the back of every toilet. You needed a mom who didn't keep you walking on eggshells."
Aiden didn't reply. He waited another beat, then reached for the door handle. Seth caught him by the arm. "You're drunk," he said in a low voice. "You need to go home. Nothing good comes from forcing a confrontation at this time of night."
Aiden set his jaw. "I'm just here for my horse," he said stubbornly. "She won't even know I'm here."
Seth cursed and climbed out of the truck after him. He couldn't let Aiden steal the horse; Barbara Doyle was the type to call the cops on her own son. But maybe it wouldn't get that far. Aiden was lonely and hurting, and he refused to turn to Seth for comfort, so he'd come to the only other source for it he'd ever had. Seth figured he'd calm down once he'd seen and touched Bandit.
The night was the type of deep, inky black that swallowed sight and sound, muffling the crunch of their boots in the frozen grass. The barn felt like something he'd find premade at the back of a Home Depot, a tiny, well-maintained replica of his own weathered barn. The walls were insulated, and the warm, dry air smelled faintly of wood chips.
Aiden flipped the light switch by the door and led the way to the single stall at the far end.
Bandit poked his head over the door, ears on a swivel, and let out a friendly whicker of pleasure. He wasn't what Seth would call an attractive animal with his tiny head and big ears, but Seth had never seen Aiden love anything more.
"Hey, old man," Aiden murmured, wrapping his arms around Bandit's neck in a hug that seemed to last forever. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against his neck, and his entire body seemed to relax all at once. Bandit nuzzled him eagerly, nipping at the brim of his hat and knocking it off his head to mouth his hair.
Seth stood at a distance with his hands tucked in his pockets, watching and listening as Aiden stroked Bandit's muzzle and whispered to him in a low voice. He knew the feeling, the comfort of the strong, steady pulse of life radiating from a big animal.
"I'm a mess, buddy," Aiden murmured, so quiet that Seth could barely make out the words. His fingers tangled in the coarse hair of Bandit's mane, hanging on for dear life. His eyes were closed, and his face was scrunched and red even in the dim light. The anguish in his expression broke Seth's heart. "I've let you down, but I'm here now, and I’m taking you with me. Seth, can you hitch up the horse trailer?"
Seth frowned. "Aiden?—"
"Aiden? Whose truck is that?" Barbara's voice was shrill and alarmed as she stormed into the barn. She was more disheveled than Seth had ever seen her, wearing muck boots and a down jacket over a fluffy robe. Her hair was a frizzy halo around her pale face. She cast Seth a quick glance of loathing before approaching her son and grabbing his hand. "What on earth are you doing here so late?"
"I came to see Bandit," Aiden said, scrubbing his eyes in an effort to regain some drunken composure.
Her eyes widened, and she dropped his hand like a hot potato. "At this hour? What on earth has gotten into you?"
"I'm taking him with me," Aiden said flatly. He kept his tone neutral, but his shoulders had tensed at her first hint of disapproval. "He's mine."
Barbara's expression cooled. Seth could see her mentally digging in her heels. Aiden wore the exact same expression any time he was cornered. She crossed her arms over her chest and scanned her son from top to bottom, taking in his flushed face and disheveled appearance. "Are you drunk?" she asked in an appalled voice.
Aiden flushed an even deeper red at his mother's disgusted tone. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He kept his gaze trained on the ground beneath his boots, unable to meet her eyes, looking like a chastised boy.
Seth jammed his hands in his pockets, fisting his keys so hard that the metal bit into his flesh. He'd made a promise to himself years ago that he'd never get between Aiden and his mother, but it took all his willpower not to interfere.
Barbara whirled on Seth as if she sensed his objection. "How dare you bring my son here in this state?" she demanded coldly. "I want you off my property! I always knew you were a bad influence."
Aiden's head came up with a jerk. "Leave Seth out of this," he said angrily. "I make my own choices."
"Do you?" Barbara asked witheringly. "You always allowed this man to lead you around by the nose. Now that he's back in your life, you've been nothing but difficult! I won't have it. Both of you—out! Now!"
She pointed an imperious finger toward the door.
Aiden narrowed his eyes at his mother and stood his ground. "I'm not leaving without my horse."
Barbara scoffed. "That animal is mine. I paid for it."
