5

Maddox

AIDEN STROLLED INTO my office, a file tucked under his arm, a box in one hand and coffees in the other. With a grin, he sank down in a chair across from my desk.

“Hey, Mad Dog.”

“Hey.”

He opened the box with a flourish and handed me a cinnamon bun, one of my weaknesses. I took it with a shake of my head. “I think you keep the café downstairs in business.”

He bit into his lemon Danish, chewing and swallowing. “They make amazing baked goods.” He handed me a coffee. “Sandy is out with Bentley, so I had to get creative.”

I laughed at his statement. “You know as well as I do there is always coffee in the thermal pot.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Reid pulled another all-nighter. He has the pot on his desk with a straw.” He rolled his eyes. “The kid is gonna be wired.”

“In more ways than one. What’s he working on now?”

“More Ridge Towers stuff. He’s full of ideas.”

“He’s full of something.” I sipped my coffee. “Where are Bent and Sandy?”

“Looking at some houses with Van and Olivia.”

I chuckled. “More flips?”

“Yep.”

Bentley still loved finding houses, fixing them up, and flipping them for a profit. We had a busy department dedicated to the endeavor. I had to admit, he knew what he was doing. He kept it small, hiring the best, and handpicked each project. Vince Morrison, or Van as we called him due to his incredible guitar-playing abilities, oversaw the construction, and Olivia Rourke handled all the design work. They each had their own team that worked well together. It was a profitable arm of the company.

“How many?”

“Two on the same street, both selling. Big places, in North York.”

“Great. That’ll keep Van busy.”

“Yep.” He leaned back with a yawn.

“Tired? Your new wife wearing you out?”

He smiled, glancing at his hand. His thick band caught the light, glinting brightly. It almost equaled the glint in his eyes and the brilliance of his smile. I realized it was the first time I had ever seen Aiden truly happy. It had taken him a long time to allow himself to feel that way.

“We were sort of celebrating last night. You know, she’s all moved in, and yeah, I get to keep her.”

I chuckled at his bashful remark. Something else new for Aiden.

“Good for you, man.”

“At least I have an excuse. You look exhausted.”

I waved my hand, dismissing his words. “Headache. Nothing to worry about.”

He frowned but didn’t respond. He finished his Danish, then relaxed into the chair.

“She got a tattoo.”

“Cami did?”

“Yeah.”

“Should I ask, or is it way more personal than I want to know?”

He chuckled, tapping his arm. “She traced one of these red flowers and put it over her heart with my name on it. She said that way I knew I lived in her heart all the time.” He glanced at me with a shrug. “Cheesy, right?”

Normally, I would have agreed, but I saw how it made him feel. It was a different side of Aiden, softer and open, with the love he had for Cami. It made me feel odd, as if I were missing something.

“Actually, Aiden,” I said quietly, “that’s pretty deep. Astounding, in fact.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” He leaned forward, excited. “I got her something too, but I haven’t given it to her yet.”

“Oh?”

“Darlene made me a ring for her. I picked it up this morning.”

Darlene was a jewelry designer we knew who’d made Bentley an engagement ring for Emmy. Darlene specialized in high-end diamonds and custom work.

“You want to see it?”

I had to laugh at his eagerness.

I held out my hand. “Give it over.” I flicked open the lid of the box and whistled. “Wow.”

“Yeah. It’s spectacular. Cami is going to flip.”

I glanced at it again, the brilliance of the stone stunning. “You asked about this cut when we were looking at rings for Bent.”

“Yeah. I liked it a lot.”

“You knew even then, Aiden?” I asked, curious, handing him the box. “You were in love with her?”

He sighed and slid the box into his pocket. “I think I was, but I was too afraid to admit it. Too afraid to give someone else the chance to hurt me.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that with your wife. She adores you.”

He grinned. “Yeah, she does. I’m glad she stuck around until I got my head out of my ass.”

I reached into my drawer and pushed an envelope across the desk. “You can share this with her tonight. It can be a double celebration. Spare me the details tomorrow.”

He opened the envelope and studied the contents. “What is this for?”

“A wedding gift.”

He frowned. “A trip to Hawaii?”

I nodded. “It’s open. When school is done for Cami and you know the dates you want, I’ll book it for you. It’s all covered. Flights, villa, car.”

“Maddox, this is more than generous. It’s not necessary either.”

“I disagree. You got married and deserve a celebration. You never take time off unless it’s to rescue a damsel in distress, and you’ve earned it. Bent and I can handle this place for a couple of weeks. Take your wife and go away on a honeymoon.”

“It has been a while. I remember you pointing out I took some time off four years ago. I don’t remember what I did, though.”

“I do.”

“Oh? Remind me.”

“You were off because you insisted on eating tacos from a sketchy street vendor after a Leafs game. Bent and I warned you not to do it, but you wouldn’t listen. Your gas was far too much to handle in the office. Thank God.”

His brow furrowed, then he began to laugh. “Oh, right. It wasn’t pretty.”

“You overshared, even then.”

He reclined, chuckling. He tapped the envelope. “Thanks, Mad Dog.”

“I think Bent has something for you too.”

He lowered his head, fiddling with the envelope. “You guys . . .”