On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

left."
    "That's not all that's left between us."
    "Yes, it is. This time it's my decision, Aiden. Not yours. Now, if you'll drive me back to my father's house, I will get the photos, I will confront him, and then I will go back to New York where I belong."

Chapter Twenty-Two

    Sara didn't say a word during the drive across town. Aiden glanced at her every now and then, looking as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he stayed silent. She was relieved. It took every bit of strength she had to stay strong, because despite her words she was in deep physical and emotional pain. She hadn't just had fun with Aiden, she'd fallen in love with him again. In fact, she'd never stopped loving him, which was probably why she'd never been able to really love any of the other men she'd dated. He'd always been the standard against which all other men were measured.
    But Aiden didn't love her. He liked her. He found her desirable. But that wasn't love, and she couldn't settle for anything less, not from him. She was in too deep to be casual.
    When he parked the truck in front of his house, she took her bag, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Goodbye Aiden."
    He stared back at her, his blue eyes filled with dark shadows.
    She waited for him to say goodbye back, but in the end, the tense silence was too much to bear, so she turned and walked away. She wondered if he'd call her back. He didn't.
    She entered the house, set down her suitcase and let out a breath. Tears blurred her eyes, but she wasn't going to let herself cry, not yet anyway. She had to see her father. She had to confront him, and then her time in San Francisco would be over.
    She went upstairs. The photos were on her bed where she'd left them. She picked up the picture taken at the park. Staring at the face of her big brother felt strange and awkward, but she could see her father in this child's face. She'd always looked like her mother.
    Wishing again that her mother or her grandparents were still alive to answer questions only reminded her that they'd had years to share the truth with her, and they never had. She'd talked to her mother right before her death and what had she said?
    Take care of your father, Sara. He needs you more than you'll ever understand.
    Why hadn't her mother taken that moment to explain why her father needed her, because it certainly wasn't apparent? And why hadn't she taken that chance to tell her about the brother she'd never known and the family unit she'd never been a part of?
    Had her father begged her mom to remain silent?
    She must have kept the secret because of him.
    That secret now made her feel less close to her mom, made her question if there were other things she didn't know.
    It was time to face her dad. Gathering the photos together into a neat stack, she put them in her bag, grabbed her car keys and left the house. As she crossed the lawn, she took a quick glance at the Callaway house. Aiden's truck was parked out front, and there were two other cars in the driveway. She could see shadowy figures in the kitchen. She wondered if Aiden would do as she suggested and come clean with his family. It was certainly a risk. Burke and Jack might not be willing to keep quiet. They would want to defend Aiden, just as she did. Not that anyone wanted to hurt Kyle's memory, but no one wanted to protect Kyle at Aiden's expense.
    Unfortunately, it wasn't up to her. Aiden would make his own decisions. And she had other things to worry about.
    "Here I come, Dad," she muttered. "Ready or not."

    * * *
    It was almost seven when Aiden made his way into the main house. He hadn't expected to find half of his family seated around the kitchen table on a Tuesday night. Not only were Jack and Lynda there, but Burke, Emma, Nicole, and his grandfather were also present. At first he thought the worried, strained expressions were about him, but that didn't ring quite true.
    "What's going on?" he asked.
    His grandfather, Patrick Callaway, gave him a pained look. "I was just telling the family that I took your grandmother to the doctor today, and they've admitted her to the hospital. They think she has Alzheimer's."
    The diagnosis wasn't a total shock after what Aiden had witnessed the day before, but it hurt just the same. He'd been through such an emotional storm the last few hours, he wasn't quite ready for another. "I'm sorry. How long will she be there? I'd like to go see her."
    "We're all going over in a bit," Lynda told him.
    "As for how