Stardust and Kisses

Lines Crossed and Choices Made

Aaron

As soon as we left the party, Heather stormed off to her car, and I was left standing there, still trying to process what had just happened. My dad had completely blindsided me, blindsided both of us, with that bullshit announcement. Marriage? Heather and me? What the f**k was he thinking?

I knew there was no way in hell I was letting this slide. Not tonight.

When I got back to my dad’s place, the house was eerily quiet. The party had wound down, and the only light came from the soft glow of the study. I knew he’d be in there, acting like tonight’s disaster was just another Tuesday.

I pushed the door open without knocking. “Dad, we need to talk.”

He looked up from behind his desk, already pouring himself a drink like this was just some casual debrief. “Aaron. Sit down.”

I didn’t sit. “What the f**k was that, Dad?”

He sighed, swirling his whiskey lazily before setting it down. “I figured this was coming. Look, I admit, I should have told you beforehand, but I ’ve known Heather her whole life. It seemed like she’s right for you given the circumstances.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my cool. “You threw the word ‘marriage’ out there like it was some business deal. Like we’re supposed to just agree because you think it’s a good idea.”

He gestured to the chair again. “Please, Aaron. Sit. Let me explain.”

Reluctantly, I sat down, leaning forward, still seething. He met my gaze, his expression softening in a way that was rare for him. “Aaron, Heather isn’t like the others you’ve been with. She doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve. Her life… it’s wrapped in that office. She’s buried herself in work since her father’s passing.”

I frowned. “What’s that got to do with this?”

“Everything,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. “You know her father was poisoned twice. By that second wife of his—some conniving woman who almost got away with it. Heather saw her father survive the first attempt and then… she watched him trust the wrong person again. It crushed her. She stopped trusting people. She shut herself off from everyone.”

I felt my stomach tighten. I hadn’t known all the details, just bits and pieces about her dad’s death, but hearing it laid out like that hit harder than I expected. “So what? You think marrying me will fix that?”

“No, son. But I think it might help her trust again.” He paused, his gaze steady. “She doesn’t let people in. Not anymore. Not since she saw what happened to her dad. You’re the only person she still lets close. I saw how she worked to get you out of the standee. If she’s ever going to let anyone in again, it’ll be you.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. This was getting too deep, too fast. “That doesn’t mean you can just announce something like that in front of a hundred people without talking to us first. What the hell were you thinking?”

He sighed. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’ll admit that. I should’ve spoken to both of you first. But I know you care about her, Aaron. And whether you realize it or not, you two fit. She’s strong where you’re still struggling. And she trusts you more than she’ll ever admit.”

I let out a heavy breath, trying to absorb what he was saying. “Even if that’s true, it’s still not your decision to make.”

“I know,” he said, surprising me by not arguing. “It’s yours. Both of yours. Look, I’m not going to force you into anything. If you two don’t want this, it’s not happening. Period. But maybe… maybe think about it. You’ve been through hell together already.”

For a moment, the weight of everything felt suffocating. The anonymous call, the pregnancy scare, the constant tension between Heather and me—it was all crashing in at once. I needed to talk to her. There was no way I could even think about what Dad was saying until we figured out the other mess in front of us.

“Dad,” I said slowly, standing up from the chair, “I can’t deal with this right now. I need to talk to Heather first.”

His face softened again, and for the first time in a long time, he looked more like a father and less like a business person. “Take your time, Aaron. And whatever you both decide, it’s your choice. No pressure from me.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered, but there wasn’t as much venom in my voice this time.

He gave me a small, tired smile. “I’ll try to be better about that.”

I didn’t say anything as I walked out, but a million thoughts were racing through my mind. The marriage thing wasn’t happening—not now, anyway. But before I could even begin to think about the future, I had to figure out what the hell was going on in the present.

Heather and I had been through too much together for me to ignore what was coming next. I needed to talk to her about the anonymous call. And, God, I needed to figure out if Veronica was really pregnant.

One thing at a time, I told myself as I headed toward the door.

But I had a feeling we were running out of time.