“She’s your mom,” Lily said, just as quietly. “She’s so worried about you guys, and she didn’t mean to let loose state secrets.”

He nodded. “I know. But that you knew it and never repeated it, not even to me, speaks volumes about who you are. So you think about that, Lily, the next time you tell me you don’t know what to do with family. Because you know exactly. It’s about loyalty and kindness and unconditional love, and you are more than capable of all that.”

She remembered what Rosa had told her. Seems to me if Aidan was asking, that’s better than nothing, right? Maybe he wanted to make sure. Or maybe he just wanted to hear how you feel about him. I mean, I know we think we’re obvious with our feelings, but we’re not.

“Neither of us is all that good with trust,” she said now. “I get that.”

Aidan shook his head. “Don’t let me off the hook so easily here, Lily. I don’t deserve it. I came into the salon furious, and I took it out on you because—”

“Because we’re both head cases?” she asked.

He let out a short laugh. “Yeah, but I hurt you.” His voice softened. “I’m so sorry for that, Lily.”

“Well, I had it coming from you,” she said, backing away from him, needing some space.

He leaned back against the door like he was too tired to stand on his own. “And how do you figure that?”

“When I ran out of here ten years ago, I hurt you.” She took another step back.

“Sorry,” he said, mistaking her movement. “I did shower.” He sniffed himself. “Sometimes it takes two or three showers to really get rid of the smell, but I was in a hurry to get out of the station.”

And he’d come straight here.

“I don’t mind it,” she said quietly, and she didn’t. He worked his ass off, putting himself on the line, in danger, and he did it without hesitation.

He was one of the bravest men she’d ever met.

And that terrified her. But he already knew that. He wasn’t quite as emotionally stunted as she, who managed to keep everything bottled up inside, locked down tight, never to be let out and shared. It was a special talent of hers, one she was someday going to learn to fix if it killed her.

But probably not today.

“You busy?” he asked, looking around.

“Yes.” She had a date with a box of cookies and Supernatural season eight, but that was on a need-to-know basis.

“All right, I’ll make this quick.” He met her gaze. “About us.”

“I didn’t sleep with Lenny,” she said. “I was sleeping with you.”

“I know—” He broke off. “Was?”