“Better than you, is that what you’re saying? Hogwash. There’s not a thing wrong with you that a wallop upside the head won’t fix. You’re scared is all. And running away isn’t going to fix anything.”

“I’m not running away.” Or was he? Hadn’t Sophie accused him of the same thing? “You don’t know what happened between us.”

“You’re doing just what you did last time. When we spoke on Sunday you were on cloud nine because you two had worked things out. Now you’re all down in the dumps because—”

“I’m not down in the—”

“Down in the dumps because something scared you, and you ran home with your tail between your legs. How am I doing so far?”

Aiden locked down his jaw, not liking the picture his dad painted. Aiden told himself he’d left because of Sophie’s issues with her siblings. Had that just been an excuse? He had a bad feeling his dad had nailed it. But that didn’t mean Aiden was ready to accept it just yet.

“Listen, Son.” His dad gave a hard sigh. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that your mom leaving messed you up. Shoot, it messed me up too. Have you seen me dating seriously? Have I gotten anywhere near a marriage altar in the last twenty years? I see what your problem is because I’ve been just as bad as you. But you’re not fifty-two. You’re only twenty-five, Aiden—got your whole life ahead of you and an amazing woman who loves you for who you are. You’d better wake up quick or you’re going to lose her for good.”

Aiden palmed the back of his neck as anxiety wormed through his veins. Was his dad right?

“You said something a minute ago,” Dad said. “That she’s out of your league. And that’s just not true, Son. If I’ve let you go off into adulthood thinking that, it’s my own fault. But I get where it comes from—my wife left me, remember? You think that doesn’t leave a mark on a man? But I’ve come to learn a thing or two over the years, so you listen up.

“Other people’s mistakes—your mom’s included—are no reflection on you. She didn’t leave because something was wrong with us. She left because something was wrong with her.”

Aiden took in his words. It wasn’t really a new thought. But hearing it from someone else, from his dad, made it more believable somehow. He’d never really thought too deeply about how his mom’s departure had affected his dad. But of course it would’ve.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Aiden said. “And I know you’re right.”

“Knowing it and believing it are two different things.”