Page 114 of Vain

“What interview?” Greyson asks from beside me.

“Come sit down and you’ll find out,” Aiden tells him, holding his hand out to me. I walk over, and when he sits, I climb into his lap.

Kellen hangs up and joins us on the sofa. “I ordered a bunch of pizzas and sides. Sometimes only pizza will do, and I have a feeling that this is one of those times.”

“Shh, it’s starting,” Marley tells him as I lay my head on Aiden’s shoulder and watch while I finally reveal my truths.

Chapter Forty-Three

AIDEN

The tide of public opinion turned swiftly in Tilly’s favor. By the time she’d tied up all her loose ends on Friday, #AidenandTilly was trending on social media worldwide. It was a mind-fuck having people recognize me everywhere I went, but the outpouring of support was a beautiful thing to see. Late-night talk show hosts were talking about it and condemning both Cora and Hattie as money-hungry whores. It was brutally savage, and I can’t say I regretted a second of it.

Images of Hattie, and even Cora, had been taken, each more unflattering than the last, proving that karma does come for everyone.

“How does it feel to be done finally?” I ask Tilly as we pull out of the studio lot for, what I hope, is the last time.

“Fucking amazing.” She laughs, and the sound is light and filled with joy.

“Congrats, Matilda. This is epic and deserves to be celebrated,” Kellen declares.

“I have another reason to celebrate, but I want to wait until we’re back at the hotel.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Okay, color me intrigued.”

“My lips are sealed for now.”

“Are you ready to see the house tomorrow?” Kellen questions. I look at him in the rearview mirror with a scowl.

“I am. It’s just a house. It can be rebuilt. The people I love are safe. That’s all that matters to me.”

“I get that,” he says quietly, his hand reaching over to squeeze her shoulder.

She covers his hand with her own. “I know you do.”

We’re quiet the rest of the way back, but once we’re in the elevator, she starts getting excited again, hopping from foot to foot. She practically drags us into the hotel suite and points to the sofa. Kellen sits, but I move closer, needing to ask her something before I chicken out.

“Before you say anything. I have something I want to ask you.”

“Um…okay, sounds serious.”

I slide my hands to her hips and blow out a deep breath. “How would you feel about buying a house together…in Tempest?”

She says nothing for a moment before taking a step back. I close my eyes in defeat, but quickly shake it off. Fuck it. It’s like she said, a house is just a house. It doesn’t matter where we live.

“I can’t buy a house in Tempest with you, Aiden.”

“I get it. It’s okay.”

“No, you don’t get it,” she whispers, a tear trickling down her face. “I can’t buy a house with you because I already bought one.”

It takes a second for her words to hit me. “What?”

“Tom has Alzheimer’s. They caught it early and he’s receiving treatment, but he knows there will come a time when it won’tbe safe for him alone. He’s moving into a residential facility, the same one as June. He says he’s ready to start his final adventure, but his house deserves a family living in it. He told me, though he may lose his memories, the house won’t. Each laugh, each cry, every dream, and heartbreak are etched into those walls. And now it’s our turn to give it more. Yours, mine, and Zoe’s. If you’ll have us?” she asks tentatively.

“Zoe?”

“Like I was always supposed to be yours, she’s supposed to be ours.”