On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

five-year-old son, Brandon. Nicole was exactly the same age as him. It had been weird at first to have his stepsister in the same grade, but Nicole was a fun-loving, optimistic sweetheart, who always found the good in people, and he could usually count on her to see the bright side of life.
    A blue-eyed blonde with a curvy build, Nicole had always been attractive, especially to his friends. He'd tried to keep them away from her and for the most part he'd succeeded, until Nicole met Ryan. They fell in love at nineteen, moved in together at age twenty, married at twenty-one and became parents at twenty-seven. Unfortunately, their son had been diagnosed with autism two years ago at age three.
    Aiden hadn't seen his nephew in almost a year, and while Brandon had grown about two inches, his eyes were no longer curious and alive but rather dull and dark, his gaze filled with shadows from the world he had retreated to. Aiden had hoped there would have been improvement by now, but it didn't appear that way.
    "Aiden," Nicole said, happy surprise lighting up her eyes. "You've finally surfaced."
    "Had to come up for air some time."
    "I'm so glad. Brandon, do you remember your Uncle Aiden?"
    Brandon didn't answer. He was tugging on her hand, trying to get away, his gaze fixed on the door leading out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
    "Honey," she said again. "Look at your uncle."
    Brandon pulled harder, his expression changing from dull to determined.
    "It's okay," Aiden cut in. "We'll talk later."
    "Good idea," she said, letting Brandon go.
    "Where is he off to?" Aiden asked.
    "He likes the fish in Dad's aquarium," she answered. "It's better than television to him. He loves coming over here to see the fish. And there aren't too many things that he loves."
    He could see the strain in her eyes and got up to give her a hug. She was thinner than he remembered. "How are you doing with everything?"
    "I'm good," she said, but the shadows under her eyes didn't support her answer.
    "Really? You look tired."
    "I am tired, but there's a lot to do. For the record, you don't look much better," she said as they both sat down. "Is that a black eye?"
    "Long story," he said.
    "They always are."
    "So things with Brandon…"
    "Are getting better," she said. "Not as much as we had hoped for by now, but there are small improvements in between the setbacks."
    He admired her positive attitude. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. But she adored her son, and she'd fight for him to the last breath. "How's Ryan?"
    Her smile faltered. "He's… I don't know how he is, to be honest. He works a lot, and he's not as optimistic as I am about Brandon's recovery, so we tend to frustrate each other. He mentioned the other day that maybe we should take a break."
    "You're married. You can't take a break. I'll talk to him."
    "I'm sure he'd love to see you, Aiden." Nicole turned to Lynda. "I came over to ask if you could watch Brandon tomorrow morning. I have to monitor the SAT testing. I'll be gone a little over three hours."
    "Of course, honey," Lynda said. "I'd also be happy to watch Brandon so you and Ryan can get away together. Sometimes parents need to separate from their children and reconnect."
    "I know you're right, but it's hard to leave Brandon overnight. He's not good when his routine changes. And I can't afford a setback. I should probably go see what he's up to."
    "I'll go," Lynda said, waving her back into her seat. "You visit with Aiden."
    "Okay."
    "So what aren't you telling me, Nic?" Aiden asked when they were alone.
    "What do you mean?"
    "Your smile has a lot of cracks in it."
    "It's been a rough couple of weeks, but it's going to be fine."
    "How's the teaching job?"
    "I'm job sharing this year, so it's just one day a week. That's pretty much all I can handle in between Brandon's school, doctor appointments and therapy sessions, but enough about me. How are you? I heard you were hurt."
    Her gaze ran down his body, but she wouldn't be able to see his scars. They were on the inside.
    "I tore some muscles in my leg, otherwise I'm fine."
    "I doubt that. We've been worried about you, Aiden. You didn't come to Kyle's funeral. You didn't call anyone back. Mom and Dad went to the hospital in Redding to see you, and you had checked yourself out against doctor's orders."
    "I had to get out of there."
    "Where did you go?"
    "I just drove around. I didn't come to the funeral, because Vicky asked me not to," he said, referring to Kyle's widow.