Can't Let Go by Jessica Lemmon Page A

hair for as long as she’d let him. Sadie was strong. She could handle this.
    How had he convinced himself differently?
    “Once they’ve calmed down, they’ll see that chemo is the right thing,” Landon stated.
    Aiden found himself offended on his parents’ behalf. “They’ve known a week, you guys. They’ve made up their minds.”
    Landon shook his head. “She’ll listen to you. Bring it up, tell her the benefits. Even six months is better than three.”
    Bring it up? Tell her the benefits? Why was this Aiden’s responsibility? Why couldn’t his parents fight their own battle so he could fight his? Why wasn’t he in Sadie’s arms baring his soul instead of downing the nastiest drink ever fermented in his parents’ burgundy-and-forest green den? He groused at the border—hunting dogs in the woods—unable to put his thoughts into words.
    “We won’t tell them about you and Harmony,” Landon said, still crafting his plan of attack. “When you talk to Mom and Dad, be sure and call me. Tell me their plans, and yours. I’ll help in any way I can.”
    Evan poured another glass of scotch for himself and chuckled, stuck on the former topic of Aiden’s divorce. “Dude, congrats on ditching Harmony. For real.”
    Aiden opened his mouth to tell Evan he was a jackass…if for no other reason than both his brothers seemed to think the conversation about their mom was over, but his phone buzzed, alerting him to a text message.
    It was from Sadie. A photo of an actor from the motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy hugging her against him appeared on his screen. But Aiden’s focus was a hundred percent on her—the woman he missed, the woman he needed—more than the air he breathed.
    He’d forgotten she wasn’t home. He couldn’t go to her tonight, much as he wanted to, so he’d have to wait until Saturday.
    Then he’d tell her everything.
    *  *  *
    Sadie loaded her bags into the back of her car and tipped the valet, pulling away from the hotel-slash-convention center and heading home. She’d managed to send Aiden only one text message while she was away. A feat, considering how badly she missed him. She glanced at the clock on her dash. She’d be home in plenty of time to stop by the grocery and come up with a decent meal for Aiden by tonight. She wasn’t the best cook in the whole world, but sort of felt like she owed him after a week of dodging and circumventing.
    How could she have mistrusted him?
    During the convention, the lonely nights spent on the downy duvet in her hotel room, Sadie gave herself a pep talk. Aiden was different from any man she’d ever met. And part of her, the part not between her ears busily crafting horrific outcomes, knew that Aiden was different. He wouldn’t go back to his cheating ex-wife. Not when he had Sadie.
    She smiled to herself. She wanted him to have her. To stop denying their time spent together was more than dating. New territory for her for sure, but what choice did she have? Dating someone other than Aiden was not an option. He’d come to mean far too much to her. Seeing someone in his place would make her feel as if she were cheating on him.
    She called to tell him he’d be dining at Chez Sadie this evening, and apologize for her absence this week. Tonight would be about dinner, wine, and kissing on her couch. And maybe more. There was a thought that kicked her pulse into high gear.
    Aiden’s deep, resonating “hello” buoyed her heart. She sped down the highway, grinning like an idiot, and not caring how silly she looked.
    “Hello, beautiful,” she said, using his words against him. He didn’t laugh. Or if he did, she didn’t hear it. Oh, well. It was a dorky joke anyway.
    “Hey.” His voice was muffled. A female voice echoed in the background. “Yeah, Mom.”
    Sadie’s heart swelled. She’d seen her. She’d heard her. Soon, she’d meet her. And she wanted that, she realized. Wanted to meet all of Aiden’s big, beautiful family. “That was your