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Chapter 21
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Summer Child 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
Summer Child Chapter 2
“Aagghhh!” She immediately ran the tap again and stuck her hand under the cold flow of water, trying and failing to see if she needed anything more than a bandaid. Her uninjured hand made a grab for the lip of the sink to steady herself - barely - as she closed her eyes for a grounding moment. The sight of her own blood instantly made her wobbly and nauseated, just like always, and it was only this that distracted her from immediately looking up to see who’d unexpectedly joined her. Suddenly, that bacon-egg-n-cheese wasn’t sitting so nicely anymore.“Whoa! Sorry, Aiden!” came a familiar, deep voice, usually booming with good cheer but now strained with concern. “Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m really sorry,” he continued, reaching for a wad of paper towels, his usually mischief-filled aquamarine eyes crinkled at the edges with worry. A strong hand wrapped around her arm as she swayed, before Mitch gently guided her to the kitchen table to sit. “Whoa, whoa… easy there, I got you
Summer Child Chapter 3
"So… if you're up for it, wanna come with me?" He glanced at his watch before returning his gaze to hers. "Gotta go in a few to make it on time, either way." But his tone was anything but nonchalant, even hopeful if Aiden was honest. A slow smile crossed her lips and she shoved an errant lock of hair from her face, already feeling a little flicker of excitement at the prospect of spending some solo time with Mitch, as well as seeing Jessie again. It hadn’t been too long; Jessie had dropped in for a weekend a few months before, and Aiden had visited her in Chicago a few months before that. Jessie and her parents were only a few of those she’d stayed consistently in touch with. But it was the first time they were both back home at the same time in ages and, combined with the hours-long ride before her, it was a no-brainer. “I’d love to.” She stood up slowly, making sure her lightheadedness had passed, only to find he’d already stood and taken her arm anyway. “Easy,” he urged, making s
Summer Child Chapter 4
"Gosh, well… there are a lot of them flying around in there right now. But I guess I'm mostly thinking about how much everything's changed and how, for the first time, it's really hitting me. Them selling the house sort of… sends that feeling home."He nodded. "If it's any consolation, I don't think they're ready to do that just yet. They're just feeling out plans, you know? And besides… if they do decide to sell, I'm probably the one who's going to take it on." "You're really planning on staying here then? I have to say, I'm surprised, but I'm not mad about it."He laughed, giving a little shrug. "You know, it surprised me, too. I didn't start out thinking I'd end up back home, but somewhere in the middle of my residency, I started getting real homesick. Not just for my family, but for all of it. The town, the beach, just… even knowing it wasn't the same, I wanted to be back here. So, I did something kind of 'out there' and took some psychic advice. The girl I was sort of, well, ser
Summer Child Chapter 5
"So," he said, giving her a sidelong glance. "What about you? Anyone serious? Any strange tales of woeful breakups heralded from the Great Beyond?" She shook her head with another laugh, blowing out a bit of a sigh of her own. "Oh, no no. Just the regular sort. You know, 'You work too much. You're married to your job. You don't have any time for us.' There were a few more colorful things tossed in, too." She shook her head. "I mean, maybe it was all true, but I didn't think working hard was a bad thing. Clearly, he thought otherwise, even though he worked just as much." She smirked. "Eric ended up being a little too traditional for my tastes." "Ouch. When did all that go down?" "Oh gosh," she breathed out, stalling a bit over how recently it had happened because she felt anything but upset over it and maybe that wasn't the best look, even if it was honest. "A couple months ago. He moved out the weekend I had my latest big project going on. Full three day thing. I come home at the e
Summer Child Chapter 6
Jessie gave a laugh and shook her head. “Okay so… that’s because I wasn’t seeing him then, yet. We’ve been friends for a long time, though. And we got a little tipsy one night at a work thing, went back to mine, messed around, he stayed the night, you know,” she murmured under her breath with raised brows. “And then… he kind of never left?” She shook her head with a grin. “I know its all so fast, but it feels like our whole friendship was leading up to this. He proposed last week!” She let out another giggle. “My parents don’t know yet…no one does, actually. I’m only about 15 weeks along, and I wanted to be sure everything was all good before we told them in person. Actually, I’m kind of glad Mitch picked me up instead of Mom. She would be excited, but… you know.”Aiden nodded. She did indeed know. Cynthia was one of the sweetest women and best moms, but she was a little on the old-fashioned, traditional side. But Cynthia also knew her daughter and her ways quite well - Jessie had alw
Summer Child Chapter 7
“You really are relentless. You know that, right?” At this, Jessie simply shot her a grin.“I know. Its both my most toxic trait and my most endearing quality.” Aiden shook her head and disappeared into the bathroom to scrub her face, reapply some deodorant, and brush out her hair. Already feeling better, she next headed for her closet to see what she had left behind that was both appropriate and comfortable. But Jessie was way ahead of her, up like a shot and sifting through what was there. “Ohhh, this one is perfect!” She exclaimed, pulling out a pretty, fit and flare sundress, pale pink and covered in a delicate flower pattern. It was perfect for the warm summer evening they were headed for. But Aiden shook her head.“Nope. I am not dressing for a date, Jess.”“Oh stop. Its cute, you’ll look casual and sexy, and it’ll give Mitch all the right ideas.”“No thank you!” she said firmly, starting to look through her drawers instead. Eventually, she pulled out a pair of light blue capr
Summer Child Chapter 8
"That could have gone worse," Aiden quipped as she and Mitch headed back out the door a few hours later. "To be honest, I figured once they knew a grandkid was on the way, they'd be alright." "True," Aiden agreed, shaking her head with a laugh.Cynthia had been all geared up to go off on Jessie's lack of notice about a guest, but Jessie artfully intercepted her mother's protests as she pulled Jacob inside to speak with both her parents. Cynthia simply raised her hands to the heavens with a shake of her head and followed them inside after pausing to greet Jacob. Because if there was one truth about Cynthia, she was a stickler for good manners and being a good hostess, and no family uproar would detract from that.Aiden and Mitch had hung back to allow them a few moments, making small talk, and after a happy cry sounded from inside, they exchanged a grin and headed in to find both parents hugging and kissing Jessie and Jacob, their excitement quickly palpable. Cynthia and Paul next ma
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