Is a gift of love enough to open Aiden’s heart and let Tris back in?<br><br>After the car accident that killed his parents and left his sister paralyzed, Tris is left with nothing. His family is destroyed. His reputation is shot. And all he has is the guilt of knowing it was all his fault. People in town know he’d been drinking that night, and know he should never have gotten behind the wheel. And even Aiden, the man he thought he’d be with forever, blames him too much to stay.<br><br>But Tris can’t let him just disappear. After months of loneliness and isolation, Tris brings Aiden a gift on his birthday, a hawk he’s carved from a chunk of wood they’d found in the forest during an afternoon of love. A small chink seems to open in Aiden’s heart, the first sign of forgiveness. With renewed hope, Tris takes a job renovating one of the older homes in town and tries to rebuild his life. But the townspeople have long memories, and when his sister’s condition worsens, forgiveness -- and Aiden -- seem to slip even further out of reach ...

Without Aiden

Aiden’s snort of laughter halted him. “Fat chance! Kevin’s pretty, but who needs the drama?”


Tris gazed at his clasped hands. There was so much he wanted to tell Aiden, to explain. Maybe here in the darkness his darling would listen.


Aiden spoke before he could form the words. “I haven’t slept with anyone else. Wanted you to know that.”


A soft cry reached them from the house, and Tris bolted out of his chair. He rushed inside, Aiden on his heels, and stopped in Candice’s doorway. His sister reached for him, and he saw the tears on her face in the soft light of the lamp.


“What is it, honey?” he asked as he knelt by the bed and took her hand.


“I missed you today. Will you stay with me a little while?”


“Of course,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion. He glanced at Aiden hovering over them. “Thank you again for staying.”


Chapter 11