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Summer Child
Last Updated : 2025-04-02
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Synopsis
When fiercely independent Aiden Matthews makes a spontaneous decision to visit home after a long absence, what she intended to be a day-long trip turns into an entire summer filled with old friends, new acquaintances... and a rekindled old flame. But after stumbling upon a seventy year old secret and the ghosts it stirs up, Aiden must navigate the sudden challenges to everything she thought she knew about her family history while confronting her deepest fears in order to chase her most fervently held dreams.
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Summer Child Chapter 25
An hour or so later, Aiden sat in stunned silence, surrounded by photos, police reports, Bill’s own accounting of what had taken place. Mitch was rubbing a hand over his chin and mouth, peering at the sheer mountain of information before them. "So… if I’m reading this right, it looks like a series of small incidents that, on their own, could be easily explained away… does that sound right?”Aiden nodded, it was essentially what she was thinking, too. Brakes failing on Grandad Bill’s car, causing a bit worse than a fender bender, despite being recently serviced. The police had ruled it an accidental oversight on the part of the mechanic for failing to replace the fluid. The mechanic had absolutely lost his mind over the suggestion, too. Aiden remembered him; he swore by his work and Nan had never stopped going to him for her auto repairs before he retired. She had believed him and that meant something. Then Bill was mysteriously locked in a walk-in freezer during a building inspectio
Last Updated : 2025-04-02Summer Child Chapter 24
Hours later, Aiden was plopped on her sofa, freshly showered, with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, just waiting for Mitch to finish up his own shower. She had taken advantage of the short respite from her inability to keep her hands off of him to read some more of her Grandad’s journal. As she delved deeper into it, a frown creased her brow, deepening as she continued onward. "…if anything happens to me, Baby Girl, just know that your Nan is going to give you enough love for the both of us. We’re already so in love and so excited to meet our first grandbaby. She hasn’t stopped chattering on about all the wonderful things you’ll do. I don’t know why, or how, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone is coming after me. There have been threats, and some bad blood here and there, but one fella stands out as someone who’s had it out for me for a long time. I look over my shoulder a lot these days. Your dad has the same feeling. I’ve shared my thoughts with him on that; hopefully it
Last Updated : 2025-03-28Summer Child Chapter 23
The morning sun was brilliant in its greeting the next day, but Aiden barely registered that it had risen at all, in favor of snuggling in deep against the man who was starting to feel like he’d always been there. At the very least, like he belonged there. They had had their fair share of all-night conversations over the years, had woken up on the squashy sofa in the Davis’ sunroom on mornings just like this, curled up next to one another where someone had kindly tucked them in with cozy blankets sometime in the early hours. But this morning, she was wrapped around the man in question, under her very own soft, warm duvet. Something she had let herself do in her sleep again, and something she was quite unwilling to undo. He was still fast asleep; exhaustion had won out over the appeal of sex and they’d passed out before she could even count to ten. She kept her eyes closed as everything from the prior day slipped around her mind. There was so much to process, so many moving parts. Some
Last Updated : 2025-03-28Summer Child Chapter 22
“So… If money were no object, how and where would you plan your wedding? What would be the ideal dream day?” Aiden asked her best friend with a lackadaisical expression on her face, a relaxed slant to her posture. Her body language was giving nothing away, but Mitch, the only one of the group who knew what she was about to share, caught the mischievous glint in her eye and couldn’t help the smile he quickly hid behind his napkin. The meal of tapas-style small plates had been nearly finished and the most recent round of wine had been drained from oversized glasses. Jessie had been happily downing virgin mocktails all night, trying the most interesting concoctions on offer and had declared about halfway through that they were so good, she didn’t even miss having a glass of wine with dinner. And now, as they waited for dessert, Aiden finally broached the subject she’d been dying to share with them. Having thought over the best way to tell them, the wedding had crossed her mind more tha
Last Updated : 2024-10-24Summer Child Chapter 21
“Ughhh, do we have to?” Aiden asked on an exaggerated whine, an arm thrown over her eyes as she kicked the sheets away from her bare form. Mitch had pulled out and rolled off of her to check the text messages that had piled up in the last half hour or so and she let out a sigh as he nodded and returned to her side.One strong hand slid up the length of her torso to cup a breast and she shivered in delight. Only moments ago, he had all but had her screaming the house down in pure ecstasy during a sultry, hard and fast tumble in the bed while they waited for Jessie and Jacob to decide where they wanted to go that night. “‘Fraid so. We’re all booked for Cuvee tonight.”“Leave it to Jessie to pick a wine bar when she can’t even drink,” she giggled softly.“Well, in all fairness, they do have pretty good food now,” he said, joining in on the laughter. “She must be craving something in particular is my only guess.”Aiden shook her head and rubbed lazily at her eyes. “I’ll trust her judgment
Last Updated : 2024-06-07Summer Child Chapter 20
A small smile played on her lips as she found herself getting lost in her grandfather’s words, the scenes playing in her head as he retold the story of the night he met Adelaide. She was almost giggling out loud by the time Mitch came back with the drinks. She looked up with a smile and the relief washed over him to see it. “What did you end up picking?” she asked with growing curiosity. “Grown up variety dirty vodka martinis,” he replied with an answering grin. “Perfection,” she said with a happy sigh and moved over so he could drag his chair to sit beside her. “Look. It’s his version of the night he met Nan,” she said, pointing at the start of the story. Mitch settled in close beside her to read, laughing every now and then at Bill’s colorful language and masterful turns of phrase - ‘rat bastard’ was one that stuck out at him, and an echo of Bill’s voice saying that exact thing sounded off in the depths of his memories. “From what I remember, he was quite the character,” he said
Last Updated : 2024-06-07Summer Child Chapter 19
Stacks of deposit books, some old-looking certificates, and a small, leather-bound journal greeted her gaze. Under the journal were a few small velvet jewelry boxes. Aiden felt her brow furrow before she looked up, confused, and opened the journal. The same scrawling hand from her grandfather’s note covered the pages and she quickly glanced over the contents. Like the letter, it was addressed to her. She thumbed through a few pages while Mitch stood by, patiently waiting for it to dawn on her just what everything in there meant. “It’s… wow. It’s basically a long letter to me about his life and how he met Nan…” She smiled. “It’s actually really beautiful to hear all this from his perspective.” One line in particular caught her eye and her gaze widened just so. “Well. That’s how he knew my name,” she said with a slightly emotion-choked voice. “My parents let him pick it.”She smiled up at him with just a hint of tears shining in her eyes and he drew her in for a soft kiss at that momen
Last Updated : 2024-06-06Summer Child Chapter 18
“What do you mean, what was left in his care?” Aiden asked, slightly confused. She knew from the note that there was some story awaiting her, but even though Edward had passed, she figured whatever it was had died with him. TJ cleared his throat and came to a stop outside a heavily locked door. “Before he passed the torch to me, my father informed me of a few client files that had some… extra requirements attached to them. You were expected to turn up years ago, according to what is in his notes. Bill died under… unusual circumstances, you see. Maybe even suspicious ones. So when you didn’t, and no one else came calling, my father wrote down his account of Bill’s story and put it together with a file he kept under lock and key… Until today, I guess,” he finished up before unlocking the heavy door and pushing it open. “I’ll have to ask you to wait out here before we head to your deposit box.”Aiden was speechless, barely registering that Mitch had taken hold of her good hand while eye
Last Updated : 2024-06-02Summer Child Chapter 17
At that, Aiden couldn’t help but laugh, doing her best to smother it behind her hand and failing miserably. “A stage five clinger,” she murmured between giggles, still trying not to give him too hard a time while also trying desperately not to call Sammy’s attention back their way. But she couldn’t help herself; if she were honest, it was a refreshing break from the questions that had been filling her head in the short time since they’d found the passageway. Mitch finally gave in, too, and gave a laugh of his own. “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”"Well, I mean… she's ridiculous, and that's why I'm having a hard time keeping a straight face, not because of the situation. Throwing herself at you isn't a good look at all. But on a serious note, no means no, across the bar." Mitch nodded in agreement just as Sammy wandered back into the lobby and Aiden couldn’t help but send a look her way as the teller was trying, too obviously, not to get caught staring, seemingly trying to determine if Ai
Last Updated : 2024-06-02
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Chapter 1
It all started with a social media post:'Hey Pebble Point, I’m down for the day! HMU.' --------------------- It wasn’t often Aiden came home anymore. In the handful of years following her graduation from college, many of her friends had scattered from their tiny seaside town and onto brand-new paths. She’d certainly done the same after her Nan had passed away, only too eager to escape that heartbreak and dive into adulthood and adventure in the heart of her favorite City. Nan had raised her since toddlerhood after she lost her parents and, though her roots were and always would be there in Pebble Point, all sense of ‘home’ seemed muted, fading, the longer she spent away. Gone into the ground with those she loved best, and into the wind with everyone and everything she missed most. It was that much easier to justify being away when her life and career were taking off, leading to all the new experiences she’d craved throughout her teenage years. Still, despite getting away from her...
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