Chapter Twelve

AIDEN

It was an odd feeling waking up in a big bed all by myself. It had been years since had I slept alone if you don't count the night before last. Even in high school Cato and I would have sleepovers almost every night, his home life wasn't the best.

A shiver of disgust ran through me as I frowned, sitting up from the bed. 'All this time I thought it was just my mind. My imagination making up impossible scenarios, like when I dreamt, I was in a secret relationship with Papa.' I cringed at the thought of that one awful dream. I shook my head to get myself to focus, 'Okay, time to think about Jay.' I got out of bed and opened one of my bags to grab my notebook. 'I only write recipes in this, but I guess I can make an acceptation for Jay' I grabbed the pen that was attached to the book. I flipped to the back of the book and wrote:

Dating Jayvee Haddox

Pros

Good in bed

Nice

Funny

Hot

Strong

Caring

Not Cato

Smart

His family has a bakery

I smiled at the last one. I wrote a column for Cons, but my hand froze in the air just above the page. I couldn't think of one, not a single bad thing about Jayvee came to mind; at least not a serious one.

'Pro/Con list is done, time for the next step. Dad and Papa.' I thought while setting the notebook and pen down, leaving the book open. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and open up my Dad's contact. I bit my lip while pressing the call button.

"Aiden! Hello, monkey. As much as I love hearing from you, you never call this early so. What did you do?" Dad answered with a chirp to his voice. He always sounded so happy, especially after he woke up from the coma.

"Hey Dad, I didn't do anything. But I do need to talk to you and Papa about something, you got a minute?" I waited while he got Papa and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey, kiddo. What can we help you with?" Papa's voice came through my phone instantly making me smile.

"I broke up with Cato," I stated simply. I took the phone off my ear and looked at it to make sure the connection was still there. "Hello?"

"Sweetheart, why did you break up with him?" Dad said, he sounded worried.

"I found out something that happened. Something he did in high school; I don't want to talk about it." They were silent for a few minutes, so I continued. "I met someone. He is in my business management class, he's really nice and I need your guys' input."

"Alrighty. I know what that means, I'll need his full name and where he was born." Dad said cracking his knuckles.

"Ok, I'll get it to you. Love you guys, thanks, Dad. Thanks, Papa." I said before hanging up the phone. I got out of bed and took a deep breath before opening the door.

I peeked my head out to see Jay's bedroom door open and I heard talking coming from the kitchen. Holding my breath, I walked out of the room and made my way to the kitchen.

I saw Jay sitting on the barstool closest to the hallway, so I walked to him and gently put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey" I whispered before sitting next to him on the middle stool.

"Jayvee Forest Haddox! You didn't tell me that you had a guest. I would've dressed nicer before coming out." A small man, probably Jay's Dad, said from inside the kitchen. He was standing in front of the stove, cooking breakfast. He looked a lot like Jay, put on a smaller scale. He was around my height, he had the same skin, hair, and eye shape as Jay.

I giggled at what he was wearing. A long sleeve shirt and sleeping shorts that ended mid-thigh. "I guess we have similar taste in sleep-wear, sir," I said as I stood up. I revealed that I was wearing the same thing but in different colors.

He grinned happily before turning to Jay, "Alright he can stay." He spoke.

"Woah, am I seeing double?" A tall woman said walking into the kitchen making Jay's face scrunch up.

"Ew, Mom! Please never say that again." I ignored Jay's comment and asked a question. I sat back down next to him and rubbed his back for support.

'Gotta be rough having your mom say that your crush looks like your Dad' I thought, smirking to myself.

"Your home is beautiful, thank you so much for allowing me to stay until I can get a place. Have you guys always lived here?"

"My family has been here for generations. I know it doesn't look it, but this place is almost a hundred and fifty years old." The woman answered causing the man to perk up. I made a mental note to text Dad the info when I got the chance.

"A lot of our older members were born in the house!" He said happily like he had said the fact hundreds of times before and is more than willing to say it a hundred more. I grinned at him, he seemed so happy.

"Honey, don't overshare." The woman said she seemed to be saying more without saying it.

"I would love to learn more about the house if you don't mind sharing," I said, Jay's Dad smiled so bright it could match the sun. "I'm Aiden by the way." I smiled at both of Jay's parents.

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"I didn't find much about him, at least nothing bad. What made you like this guy?" Dad's voice rang through the speaker on my phone. I was working on the project with the phone sitting next to me on speaker. The door was closed so I wasn't worried about anyone hearing.

"I don't know. At first, I didn't, I thought he was an ass just wanting to get mine. But then, when Cato told me, Jay helped me, distracted me. We played 'Questions' and his answers were so sweet and true."

"You know who you sound like right now?" I could hear the smile in his voice

"Who?"

"You sound like I did when I met your Papa." That statement made me freeze. I was acting like my Dad? He had always said that he fell for Papa the moment he laid eyes on him.

Was I in love with Jayvee?