Lost and Found Pieces 2

the lights.”
Laughing, he nodded, lifting her to her feet. “Let’s go pack a bag, my warrior.”

A Family Affair
John and Shannon are reader favorites, and some of my favorites as well. I love returning to them and catching up.
In Lost and Found Pieces, the boys were 6 months old and super cute. Now they’re 18 months old and mobile. And Uncle Aiden can come for a visit like a normal person, rather than sneaking around in the night! Lol!
If you haven’t read Aiden and Angela’s story, Chaos, you should.
And you might enjoy reading Lost and Found Pieces 1 first.


Copyright © 2020 by J.M. Madden A Family Affair
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Chapter One
“Why are you nervous?”
Aiden glanced at Angela, then back at the road, thinking about his answer.
“I can tell you are. The air around us changes when you brood.”
“Really?” he looked at her again. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a downer.”
She sighed, reaching out to rest her hand on his thigh. “You’re not being a downer. This feels heavier than how you normally are, though. We’ve been to their house before and you’ve played with the kids before, many times.”
“I know, but this is Christmas Eve.” He gave her an even longer look, trying to make her understand, but he didn’t think she did. Angela had had a decent upbringing. She wouldn’t understand the gravity of the occasion in his heart.
Aiden flicked the blinker on and pulled through a Starbucks, getting her the crème brulee thing she liked. He ordered himself a venti Pike’s Peak with cream. Then he pulled around the building and into one of the empty parking spots, shifting the car into park but keeping it running for the heat. There was almost a foot of snow outside, though that didn’t stop Denver. They just pushed it to the side, kicked it into four-wheel drive and kept on with their lives. Aiden admired the mobility of the city.
“I don’t remember a lot of Christmases as a kid,” he said thoughtfully. “When I was still with our mother, I think I remember a few things. A tiny little tree with that silver tinsel stuff all over it, a few matchbox toys. I remember getting a box of clothes the year after John left and realizing they were his. I recognized them, kind of. I remember wearing one shirt till it was like, threadbare. Then she pitched it.” He thought he could still remember the feel of the rough fabric, softened by time and many washings. “I don’t know how long she kept me after she gave my brother away, but I remember there being this heavy feeling weighing us down. No matter what we did, she never smiled the same way any more. She never laughed.”
He wasn’t sure when but Angela had taken his hand in her own, interweaving their fingers. Her nails were blunt and no-nonsense and she had a scrape on her knuckles from a scuffle at work she’d refused to tell him about. Probably because he couldn’t help but be protective.
“You know, it had to have been hard deciding to give up her children,” Angela said, her voice soft. “No matter what other things she did in her life, she was a mother and it had to have been hard to let you go. I can’t imagine.”
Aiden looked into her blue-gray eyes and knew that she was a completely different kind of woman from his mother. There was a morality to Angela that he’d never seen in another human being, and it wasn’t just because she was a cop. She would take care of her children, if and when they decided to have them. And no matter what happened to him, she would take care of them, he knew that in his heart.
His mind, on the other hand, was a little slow in accepting that she was as good as she seemed, which made him feel like crap. A couple of times, now, Angela had dropped subtle hints about commitment and as enthusiastic as he’d been about being in a relationship with her, the thought of being tied down was a little terrifying. Angela had moved into the warehouse and they had modified it into a more livable space. Now that Fontana was with Jordyn and Wulfe was with Elizabeth, the warehouse was more than big enough for the two of them. And fucking Chester, Angela’s foul tempered cat. Aiden had taken out most of the proximity alarms and booby traps, but he’d never seen a more bad tempered animal. Twice now he’d stepped into nasty entrails, left at the bedroom door. Angela swore Chester was proving his worth, but he sincerely doubted that. The damnable cat seemed to hate him.
Having the two of them in the warehouse space with him had taken some getting used to. For so many years he’d been alone and he guarded his privacy. Angela made sure not to step on his toes or bother him too much when he was focused on something, and he appreciated her insight. She gave him his space when he needed it and welcomed him with open arms when he craved her. Angela was, literally, the ideal woman for him in every way and he was totally in love with her. Part of him was still waiting for her to open her eyes and realize how fucked up he was and leave. That fear was compounded by the fact that she still kept her apartment.
Aiden knew she was feeling her way along in the relationship, as well. He got that. But her keeping the space signified to him that she was unsure about him and the apartment was her backup. Was he not enough for her?