“Why would I do that?” I asked. “The last time I saw him, he was waving a gun around at people, and that’s not really the kind of thing I need in my life right now.”
“Yes, I can understand how you would see it that way.”
“That’s how I see it,” I confirmed. “So I wish you all the best, but-”
He cut me off.
“Please hear me out,” he said. “Just for a minute, Chloe.”
I paused and swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“All right,” I said, relenting, “but I’m not agreeing to do anything other than listen.”
“I can live with that,” he agreed. “Just promise you’ll listen with an open mind.”
“I’ll listen,” I repeated. “I can’t promise anything else.”
“Well, I’ll take what I can get.”
I could hear him taking a few breaths on the other end and realized I was breathing along with him. I wiped my sweaty palm on my thigh and switched phone hands again.
“Hunter’s one of my best friends, Chloe,” Redeye said. “I can’t imagine what you think is going on, but I can assure you that you don’t know the whole story.”
“What is the whole story?” I asked.
“Well, frankly that isn’t mine to tell,” he said. “Even if it was, we’d be on the phone all night. As it is, what I can tell you is this—that boy was different when you were there with him, different than he’s been for years. I was fucking thrilled to death when you showed up on his arm, and I could tell he was, too. He needs someone like you in his life.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I don’t think I can do that, not after everything else.”
“Well, yeah, I understand that.” Redeye paused, and I could hear him sigh another deep breath. “The thing is, he really needs someone right now. No one has been able to get through to him. Lance and I even went over there and broke into the damn house, but he wouldn’t talk to us. He just sits there.”
“Sits where?”
“In that back room filled with his kid’s stuff,” Redeye said.
With everything else that had happened, I’d forgotten all about my discovery in Aiden’s back bedroom. Redeye’s words were the first real confirmation that Aiden had a child.
“He hasn’t gone out, hasn’t gone to work—nothing. He just sits in that room, holding on to some stuffed animal and not talking. I don’t think he’s even eating anything. He’s just shut down, Chloe, and I don’t know what else to do. I’d haul him to a damn hospital if I didn’t think he’d kill me for the effort.”
He let out a short, humorless laugh as an image filled my head—an image of Aiden in that small room, surrounded by boxes and refusing to talk or eat. Why would he do that? Because of me? No, that couldn’t be it. We’d only been together a week. There had to be something else.
“I…I don’t know how I could be of any help,” I admitted.
“I’ve known Hunter a long time,” Redeye said, “and I’m almost positive he’d open up to you. We all talked about it, and we think you’re the only one who can get through to him. We even took up a collection to get your plane ticket and shit.”
“We?”
“Me, Lo and Mo, Lance—everybody,” he said. “We all saw the same thing in him that night you guys were here. We all saw how different he was with you. Lance said you all were even getting it on in the jeep, and that’s just unheard of for him. You really mean something to him, girl.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t seem to even open my mouth.
“He’ll open up to you,” Redeye continued. “I know he will.”
“I…I don’t know,” I said quietly.
“He needs you, Chloe. He fucking needs you.”
“I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. The image of Aiden, broken and alone, continued to invade my mind. I felt pressure behind my eyes and blinked a few times.