Page 17 of Waggs

Aiden chuckled. “Blake, Alex, this is Willow and AJ.”

Willow noticed every time he introduced her and AJ, he never said who they were to him. She wasn’t sure if that was an accident or if perhaps he didn’t know how to define it. God knew she didn’t have a clue either.

Both men shook her hand, and she liked the fact they treated her with respect and friendliness.

“So, you gonna run the course, Waggs?” Alex had his hands on his hips as he asked the question.

“I was going to run it with my main man here. Jack wants a meeting as soon as he finishes his call with James.”

“I should get changed and showered then. Know what it’s about?”

“Yeah, Willow has a few problems we need help with.”

Alex’s eyes shot to her, and he nodded. He looked at Blake and then Aiden. “You think any of us can do this the easy way?”

Willow frowned not understanding what he meant by that.

“Not so far, at least.”

“It’s not like that,” Aiden denied and then shrugged. “Or maybe it is.”

Alex slapped Aiden on the shoulder and Blake did the same before he said something quietly so Willow couldn’t hear. It was a little rude, but she was damned if she was calling him out on it. These men epitomised dangerous, and although she felt no fear or intimidation from them, and they’d shown her only kindness, the idea that they could make her disappear without a trace was strong.

Aiden watched his friends go before turning to AJ. “Want to run the course, champ?”

“Yes.”

“You good here?” Aiden gripped her arm, and she could see he wanted to kiss her, and she liked that, too but with little people watching they couldn’t let their feelings run free. It would be too confusing for AJ so soon.

“Yeah, I’m just going to sit here and watch.”

Willow settled on the grass. The course was long but wove around through the trees in a way that whoever was watching could always see the competitor. As Aiden and AJ took off, she smiled at her son’s enthusiasm as his little legs sprinted for the first obstacle. Aiden was just behind him as he walked the low balance beam slowly and with full concentration, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth.

Willow smiled as he jumped down, and Aiden took his hand as they ran for the second obstacle. It was hard not to get involved with the excitement, and she cheered them on, hollering her son’s name and clapping. AJ was her world, and she’d always be his biggest supporter and advocate.

She hadn’t had that as a child. Her family consisted of just her and her parents, and when they’d died in a car accident when she was eight, it was just her and her aunt. Aunt Lou was lovely, just never wanted or planned on having children, and with having a child forced upon her, she did her best. It meant Willow was treated like an adult from that day on and lost the joy of childhood she was determined her son have.

It was why every holiday was a production, every event a big deal. She wanted him to look back at his childhood and not feel he missed out on anything and have only rose-coloured memories.

“He’s good with him.”

Willow jumped at the voice and tipped her head up to see Decker standing there. He’d changed from the workout gear he’d had on earlier into a three piece suit more befitting a banker or a businessman than an FBI profiler stroke badass whatever he was. Aiden had told her all about his new team and, after meeting them, she was surprised out how insightful all of his descriptions were.

“He is. Aiden has always wanted kids. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t married.” She looked back at the man who was making her son laugh with more joy than she’d ever seen and wondered why he hadn’t found someone and settled down. He was the epitome of a family man—loyal, loving, kind and handsome. Why had nobody snapped him up?

“How could he have got married when he was already in love with someone else?”

Willow looked up in shock, her heart beating fast at the comment, but Decker was watching the two with a tilt to his lips. Was Aiden in love with someone else? Was she stopping him from moving on? “I didn’t know. He never said he had a girlfriend.”

Decker looked down, pinning her with a gaze which though not unfriendly, was uncomfortable. It was if he could see her soul. “You have no idea, do you?”

Willow was never confrontational, but she wasn’t a wallflower either. Getting to her feet, she dusted the grass from her jeans and faced the other man. He was tall, way taller than her five feet six. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I would never hold Aiden back or get in the way of him finding happiness. I care about him too much for that.”

“You seem like a lovely woman, Willow, but can I be frank?”

Willow lifted her chin. “Of course.”

“If you don’t love Waggs with every breath in your body, like he’s loved you for the last God knows how long, then you should walk away. I don’t mean leave and put yourself in danger, I mean tell him you don’t want him. Stop whatever is going on between you two and let him off the hook. He loves you, really loves you. I can’t imagine losing his brother has been easy, but he lost you, too, and the chance to be a father to his son.”