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“Hello, Aiden. So nice to see you, too,” I joked, trudging after him while sidestepping Holly’s prancing feet.

Aiden wrinkled his nose. “Sorry, Aunt Jen.” He stopped and wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed tight.

“So, Uncle Tyler lives here? Does anyone else?” I asked. Might as well try to get the scoop from the one source that wouldn’t be suspicious of my curiosity.

“Just him,” he answered.

Interesting. It definitely did not match the ‘single’ image I had accused him of regarding his car. “It’s an awfully big house for just one person,” I commented.

Aiden just shrugged and pulled me through the front door he’d left slightly ajar.

I stopped short to take in my surroundings. The house might be older, but it was in beautiful condition. Maple hardwood floors gleamed throughout the open floor plan. An impulse to explore was put off by a moan from down the hallway.

“Aiden? Are you okay? I thought I heard the front door. ” The weakness in Tyler’s voice was alarming, as was the awful retching sounds.

“See what I mean?” Aiden said, staring in that direction. “Do you think you can help him?”

“Not sure I can do much, but I’ll try,” I answered. I suspected Tyler wouldn’t appreciate being seen in such a vulnerable state, but he’d just have to get over it. Aiden was inclined to worry about the adults in his life after he’d lost the two most important people to him just about a year ago. I would do whatever I could to reassure him that Tyler would be fine. I grabbed a small bottle of ginger ale from one of the bags I’d brought and started out of the living room toward the back of the house. It didn’t take long to track the source of the noise behind a closed door. I glanced back at Aiden, and his nod confirmed I was in the right place. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I sucked in my breath at the sight before me. Tyler slouched on the tile floor with his arm propped up on the toilet seat. His eyes were closed as his forehead rested on his forearm. His hair curled up in the back where it was damp with sweat.

“Aiden, I’ll be fine,” he whispered. “I haven’t forgotten my promise. Just go back and watch some TV a bit longer.”

Sympathy whelmed up inside me. He was obviously miserable, but still not forgetting whatever promise he’d made to Aiden. I grabbed a washcloth from a pile on a shelf and stepped to the sink and ran some cool water over it. I turned to face Tyler and saw his eyes crack open as he became aware of a presence.

“Jen?” He sounded confused as he lifted his head. “What are you doing here?”

“Shhh,” I soothed, kneeling down in front of him. He leaned his head against the wall as I blotted his face with the damp cloth.

His hand grabbed my wrist but didn’t pull away from my touch. “Why?” His eyes burned into mine.

“Aiden called me. He was worried about you.”

He released my wrist and closed his eyes again. “I see.” He drew his legs in closer. His stomach made a gurgling noise, and his face blanched even paler. “You should go,” he choked between clenched teeth. “I’ll be fine in a bit.

I stood up and rinsed out the washcloth. Tyler groaned and jerked toward the toilet. In between his dry heaves, I held the cool cloth to his forehead and rubbed his back. When his stomach finally settled, he sat back and looked at me. “You should go home, Jen,” he mumbled. “I think it’s leaving my system. I won’t let anything happen to Aiden.” He emphasized Aiden’s name.

“No.”

Against the paleness of his face, his amber eyes glowed more than ever.

“No,” I repeated. “You misunderstood earlier. I know you’d protect and take care of him no matter how bad you feel. But he was scared something bad was happening to you. So yes, for that reason I came for Aiden. But I also came for you. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Despite the impression I gave you, I do care.”

“So you’ve seen, and now you can go. I’ll be fine.”

I stared at the man in front of me, curled up in an almost fetal position, pale and miserable. Typical man, I grumbled to myself, stubborn to the end. I stood up with my hands on my hips. “Tyler, stop being such an ass. I know we don’t always see eye to eye, and we have some unresolved issues, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. You need help, and like it or not, I’m here, and I’m not leaving. And since you’re in no position to make me, I suggest you just suck up whatever feelings you’re having about me right now.” He glared at me during my speech, but I could have sworn I saw the beginning of a little gleam in his eye and his mouth twitched just a bit.

“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled.

“Good. Now, do you think you can stand? I know you’re the doctor, and I’m not, but I think you’d be more comfortable in bed. We also need to keep you hydrated.”

He nodded. “I’ll try. There’s a bathroom in my bedroom. I just couldn’t make it that far earlier.” Two red spots appeared in his pale cheeks. I understood he didn’t want to be perceived as weak.

We slowly made our way up the stairs to his bedroom. I briefly took in a shirt tossed lazily in a corner and the unmade bed. Maybe a typical guy after all, I mused. He sat on the side of the bed, and I knelt in front of him to work on getting his shoes off. I glanced up at him while I peeled his socks off. His eyes had lost some of their coldness, and a smirk hovered around his mouth. “Nice,” he whispered.

I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Is that all you guys think about?” I commented as I reached for his belt.

“It is when there’s a beautiful woman kneeling at your feet.”

I scowled at him and smacked his leg lightly. Pretending he was just another patient, I reached for the snap on his jeans.