Aidan nodded miserably. The other men grinned, too, but Aidan found support in the unlikeliest of places. “Sounds like a quality woman,” Kane growled in his deep voice. “Someone who’ll have your back, even when you’re acting like a complete ass.”
The other men nodded in sage agreement, then their attention went back to the big screen.
––––––––
“Everything okay?” Aidan asked an hour or so later on their way back to Birch Falls. Mary had been on the quiet side since they left, but she didn’t seem to be angry or upset, and had no problem with Aidan holding her hand on the drive.
“Yes,” she said, offering him an apologetic smile. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“I like your sister,” Mary said.
“Yeah, she’s great.”
“She loves you very much.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“No, but I could see it when she talked about you. It was in her eyes, in her face.”
“Funny,” Aidan said, one half of his mouth tilting up in a crooked grin. “She said the exact same thing about you.” Mary lowered her eyes shyly, and Aidan added, “She thought we were perfect for each other.”
Mary sighed softly; it was the same sound she made late at night, when she thought he was asleep and whispered confessions of her greatest fears. He never admitted that he heard them; he was afraid she would stop if she knew. Instead he tried to reassure her during their waking hours without giving anything away.
“They are a close-knit bunch, aren’t they?” she said, changing the subject.
“Yes, very.”
“They include you, yet you resist. Why?”
Aidan turned to her, surprised. He thought about refuting it, or using a little misdirection of his own, but decided against it. If Mary was astute enough to pick that up, she was certainly capable of detecting a lie.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “Lex is my best friend. Rebecca’s my sister. And those damn Callaghans – they can be a real pain in the ass but they are good men, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have looking out for Lex and Becca. But as much as I like them, I just ...” He paused, trying to find the words that would adequately express what he was trying to say.
“Feel like you don’t really belong?” Mary finished quietly.
“Yes,” he exhaled. “That’s it exactly. It’s not anything they’ve done. They’ve always included me, tried to make me feel like I’m part of it all, but...”
“... but you still feel like you’re always on the fringe.”
“Yes,” he breathed in relief that she got it. “Except when I’m with you, Mary. That’s the only time I feel like I belong, like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.” Aidan lifted their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “How’d you get so smart, anyway?”
She chuckled. “Takes one to know one, I guess. For as long as I’ve been in Birch Falls, I’ve never really felt like I belonged, you know? I mean, everyone was always nice to me, but it was because of Cam. He was one of their own, and by default, they accepted me as well.”
Aidan didn’t believe that was the only reason. He’d seen how people looked out for her. That wasn’t the sort of thing a community did unless they truly cared. Conlan O’Leary had even said they called her an angel. The only one who couldn’t see how special she was, was Mary.
They rode a while in silence, then she said, “Does it bother you? Not being a part of it?”
“No, not really. It used to. But now I have you, and that’s all I need. Besides,” he said with a grin, “I prefer a quieter environment.”
“I know what you mean,” Mary said with a wry grin of her own. “Growing up, I always wished I had lots of brothers and sisters. Now, after this afternoon, I’m kind of glad I was an only child.”
Chapter Eighteen
“I don’t need to go to the office today,” Aidan protested as Mary politely but firmly pushed him out of the flower shop. It was her first day back since her surgery, and Aidan was worried that she would overdo it.
For someone used to taking care of herself, it was a bit overwhelming. She loved that he wanted to pamper her, and his concern was appreciated, but after two weeks of being waited on hand and foot she was more than ready to get out of the house and do something.
“Yes, you do. I’ll be fine, Aidan.”
He didn’t look convinced. “It’s only for a couple of hours,” Mary said reasonably, “and if anything happens, Andrew is here.”
Aidan zeroed in on that with laser-like intensity. “What do you think is going to happen? Are you sure you’re feeling up to this? Did the walk over here tire you out?”
She smiled patiently, stroking his arm in calm, petting motions. “Aidan. I’m fine. The walk was wonderful. And I’m not going to overdo it today, I promise.”
He still looked skeptical, but acquiesced. “Okay, but if you start feeling bad, I want you to call me right away and let Andrew take you home.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Mary.” He stroked the backs of his fingers over her cheek.