Just Your Stand-In
Alison stepped forward. "Aidan, give him to me. I'll change his diaper, feed him some milk, and he'll stop crying."
"Okay, here you go. Don't let him cry anymore." Aidan obediently handed Tyler to Alison.
As he watched Alison skillfully change Tyler's diaper, he asked in a low voice, "Didn't you say he was sick?"
Alison's heart sank.
She wanted to explain, but she couldn't find the words.
After changing the diaper, she swaddled the little guy.
His tiny hands flailed at her chest—he was clearly hungry and wanted to nurse.
This made her feel awkward—she couldn't breastfeed Tyler in front of Aidan.
Recalling that she had stored some expressed breast milk in the fridge downstairs, she handed the crying Tyler to Aidan. "You hold him, and I'll hold Lyla. Let's go downstairs."
"Tyler, don't cry. Daddy's here." The man cradled the child carefully, his voice low and full of tenderness.
The two went downstairs.
After taking the breast milk out of the fridge, warming it up, and feeding it to Tyler, he started gulping it down the moment his mouth touched the nipple.
Alison asked, "Aidan, can you tell me why Lucia went into premature labor?"
Suddenly, a large hand shook the bottle, causing it to slip away from Tyler's mouth.
Tyler panicked, reaching for the bottle with his mouth.
He burst into tears with a loud "waah."
Alison took the bottle from Aidan's hand, leaned down, and picked up Tyler.
As soon as the bottle neared his lips, Tyler stopped crying, and he sucked contentedly.
Tyler's crying had startled Aidan awake, but by the time he came to his senses, the baby was already in Alison's arms.
She was leaning down and playing with him, occasionally pulling the bottle out of his mouth, which frustrated him so much that his little face turned bright red and he sucked on the bottle tightly, refusing to let go.
"This kid is really smart," Aidan said.
"Well, his mom's smart, too," Alison replied.
"I remember Lucia's due date was supposed to be in a day or two."
"Yeah, she is."
Aidan paused.
"It rained that night," Alison said, unsure how to continue the conversation.
"Lucia's afraid of thunder," Aidan said, his gaze fixed on Tyler's face.
Alison said, "But it only rained that night—there was no thunder. Aidan, you weren't drunk. I know that. So please, tell me honestly what really happened that night."
Aidan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I've forgotten. I can't remember what happened. All I remember is getting home and Lucia suddenly saying her stomach hurt, so I took her to the hospital. As for what happened after that..."
Alison knew Aidan was lying to her.
He'd never been good at lying, and his tone was slightly uneasy.
"Is that all?"
"Mm-hmm." Aidan took Tyler from her arms. "Let me hold him."
After handing Tyler over to him, Alison didn't bring up Lucia again.
"Aidan, I'll make you a hangover remedy. It'll be ready in a minute. Have a drink to feel better before you leave."
Just as she stood up, a large hand suddenly pulled her back down. "Alison, don't go."
Tyler had finished feeding and spit out his bottle.
Aidan set Tyler down on the couch, turned around, and pulled Alison toward him.
The two were suddenly very close, causing Alison's heart to race.
She struggled to pull away.
But Aidan didn't give her that chance.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but his gaze was hazy and inscrutable; yet, he looked at her with intensity.
"Alison, if he treats you badly…" He stopped mid-sentence. "No, I have Lucia now, and I have Tyler..."
Alison had always known how Aidan felt about her.
If not for Jack, perhaps she would have developed feelings for Aidan long ago.
"Aidan, I'm sorry." She pulled her hand away from his.
"Haha, I was wrong again. He's the only one in your heart," Aidan said with a bitter smile. "But he..."
"Aidan, did you notice something was off with Jack that night?" Alison asked.
Could it be that Aidan had also found out about Gwendolyn?
"No...no, I was mistaken. You just remind me so much of her." Aidan shook his head. "Alison, I have to go. Lucia will be lonely all alone at home."
He stood up, towering over Alison's figure with his tall frame.
She could sense he was avoiding the subject.
It seemed he hadn't had enough to drink yet.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Aidan, let's not talk about Lucia and Jack. Why don't we have a few drinks together?"
Aidan stopped in his tracks. "Great, drinks! I want something strong. It's a shame I can't get drunk no matter how much I drink. Alison, do you have anything here that can get me drunk?"
"Yes, I'll go get it right away." Alison helped Aidan walk to the bar.
The two sat on bar stools, and she gently swiveled her chair.
Before long, she returned with two bottles of liquor.