I should’ve picked the office, but there was only one chair. The way Aiden sat in an office chair was sinful. He did that lean thing, with one elbow on the armrest. He’d been sitting like that when I’d dropped the papers off and I might lose my nerve if I saw it again. But having him tower over me while I asked him personal questions wasn’t the answer either.

That left my bedroom. My tiny bedroom with the twin bed.

CHAPTER 6

Aiden

Kate closed the door behind us. We were shut into a tiny space with nothing but a bed to sit on.

She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the mattress. “So you got Mom’s stuffed pork chops, huh?”

I took the middle, leaving some space between us. “Just don’t ask me to pick between her and Dawson for who’s better.”

She plucked at the edge of the black skirt she wore over black leggings. “I wasn’t home because Kendall caught me after work.”

I studied her face, trying to find a hint of how the talk went. “She asked if you had a regular schedule, but she didn’t tell me she planned to jump you today.”

Her smile was brief. “She didn’t jump me. But she basically apologized on behalf of all your siblings and their spouses.”

“Did it make you feel better?”

She thought for a moment. “Yes. It helped.”

“Good. I mean it, Kate. I never wanted to hurt you.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it.

“Go ahead.” I leaned closer and she tensed, but she didn’t inch away and fall off the bed to get away from me. “You’ve been censoring yourself around me.”

Her expression flickered. “Neither of us was as open as we should’ve been. How come you never talked to me about your mom?”

I went numb inside. I didn’t talk about Mama to anyone. My brothers and I shared stories, mostly of the good times, and sometimes we shared our fury over how she’d been stolen from us. I never talked about how it had affected me. My throat thickened and I dropped my gaze to the floor. “It wouldn’t help anything.”

Kate scooted closer and laid her hand on my thigh. “You should. To someone. Your dad. Your brothers. A professional. It’s had an effect on you.”