Made For Us (23 page)

“You did.”

Anna shrugged. “It wasn’t the same. I was there because I was a neighbor and a friend. If it wasn’t for that, I never would have made it up the driveway.”

“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Darcy. Ask her how many girls her brothers have brought home.”

It didn’t seem possible, Zoe thought to herself, but she definitely intended to find out. “Okay, I’m all Shaughnessy’d out. Let’s get back to you and the fabulous transformation we’re going to make to your home.” Bending over, she picked up her fabric swatches and began moving around the room. “Ready?”

Anna let out a squeal of joy. “You know it! Let’s do this!”

* * *

Zoe sat quietly next to Aidan while they waited for their pizza order the following Friday. “You’re awful quiet tonight,” he said softly. “Are you okay?”

Bringing up what she and Anna had talked about had been on her mind all week, but every time she’d felt like she was ready, she’d chickened out. Now here she was, fewer than thirty minutes away from the middle of a situation she knew Aidan wasn’t comfortable with, and she didn’t know what to do.

Pull
off
the
Band-Aid.

“You know, if you want to go have dinner with your family…without me…I’m fine with that. You know that, right?”

“You don’t want to have dinner with us?”

She shook her head quickly. “No, no…it’s not that at all. I’m just saying that…I don’t want you to feel…obligated.”

“Zoe, you’ve lost me here. What’s going on?”

A small sigh escaped her lips and she looked around the crowded restaurant. This was so not the place she wanted to have this conversation. “You know what? It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”

Aidan reached out and took one of her hands in his. “Uh-uh. Something’s on your mind. Tell me.”

Looking over at him, she felt her heart actually hurt. He was so handsome and he was probably one of the best people she knew and if it wasn’t for this one issue, he’d be damn near perfect. Why was she rocking the boat? He said her name softly again and she caved. “Okay, don’t take this the wrong way but…I get the feeling that you’re not really comfortable with me hanging out with your family.”

She waited a minute and was relieved when the sky didn’t fall.

He stared at her. Hard. “If this is still about the lunch thing with Quinn and Anna, I’ve already apologized. I admit that I handled that badly and all but—”

“It’s not just the lunch thing,” she said quietly and let her eyes meet his. “Aidan, when we’re alone, just the two of us, you’re relaxed and happy and you smile. When we’re together with your family? You’re tense and short-tempered and you never smile. That’s not a coincidence.”

“Maybe it’s them and not you.”

She made a face at him. “Really?” There was no way to mask the sarcasm. “All I’ve heard from everyone who knows you is that you’re all very close and how much you all get along. They all talk about you like you walk on water. But you’re telling me you never laugh and smile with them? Ever?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “It’s just…different. It’s like I’ve been this one guy for so long and now all of a sudden, I’m different. They’re all looking at me differently and I feel different and…it’s weird.”

“Why are you feeling different? I don’t understand why you’re trying to be someone you’re not,” she said sadly as she squeezed his hand. “I think you’re pretty amazing just the way you are. I don’t want you to be somebody else.”

“Easy for you to say,” he mumbled.

“Aidan, I worked with you before I got involved with you. I know you. I saw the good, the bad,
and
the ugly in you and yet I still got involved with you. You can be yourself with me and your family.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m the one everyone comes to. I’m the go-to guy whenever any of my siblings has a problem. Hell, even my father relies on me for a lot. And now they’re all tiptoeing around me because they don’t want to bother me or interrupt our time together. It’s… It bothers me. I’m used to things a certain way and now everyone’s changing it without even talking to me about it.”

“Okay, so set them straight. Tell them you’re still the go-to guy. Tell them they can still call and talk to you. I’m not an ogre, Aidan. I’m not going to get upset because you care about your family.”

His name was called, signifying that their order was ready. He looked at her as he stood. “We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

As he turned to walk toward the counter, Zoe stood and reached for his hand and turned him around. “That’s fine but I want you to
promise
me that you will try to relax at dinner.” His only response was a curt nod.

* * *

It was just the four of them tonight—Zoe, Aidan, Darcy, and Ian. Zoe tried not to focus on Aidan too much as she sat and listened to Darcy chatter on and on about how much she loved the way her “new” room looked. Zoe was glad to help, and truthfully, it hadn’t taken a lot of time. She wished the males in this family would cut Darcy some slack and understand that a girl was definitely different from a boy.

They were almost finished eating, Ian and Aidan arguing over the last slice, when Darcy cleared her throat. “So I got an application for UC Berkeley.” All conversation stopped. “And one for USC.”

Ian dropped the slice of pizza. “Darcy, we’ve been over this a thousand times. There are plenty of great colleges right here. You’re not going to California.”

“Why not?” she snapped. “Why is it that Aidan got to go to Michigan for college? And Hugh went to Massachusetts? And Quinn… Well, he didn’t go to college but he was down in Florida doing his races. You let Riley travel all over the world and Owen…Owen’s gone to so many colleges that I’ve lost count and none of them were local! Why don’t I get to choose where I want to go?”

“Darce,” Aidan interrupted, “we have company. Now is not the time.”

“Zoe doesn’t care!” she cried. “She’s practically family.” Then, turning to Zoe she asked, “Do you think it’s fair that all of the men in this family were allowed to go do whatever they wanted and I’m forced to stay here?”

All eyes were on Zoe, and she knew this was not a discussion for her. “I think that you really need to talk about this with your dad, Darcy,” she said uncomfortably, knowing full well if she had her choice, she’d be siding with the girl one hundred percent.

Darcy looked like someone had slapped her as tears formed in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re siding with them,” she said quietly, rising from the table.

“Darcy,” Zoe said quickly, “I know you’re frustrated and I get it, I really do, but this is between you and your dad. It’s not my place—”

“I’m completely outnumbered here! None of them understand how much they’re stifling me! I’m tired of the double standard! I’m tired of not being allowed to live my life!”

“That’s enough, Darcy,” Ian said firmly. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“Zoe, please! Talk to them! Make them see how they’re killing me!” she cried before running from the room.

Both Shaughnessy men sat back in their chairs and sighed. “I’m sorry you had to witness that,” Ian said. “She’s hell-bent on going out of state.”

“Can I ask…why…you’re so against it?” Zoe asked hesitantly.

“You’re joking, right?” Aidan snapped. “She’s a young girl with no knowledge of how the world really is and you think we should just send her off to another state by herself?”

“And whose fault is it that she has no knowledge of how the world really is? There’s protecting her, Aidan, and then there’s just doing her a disservice. At some point, she’s going to leave home. She’s not going to live here forever. Wouldn’t you feel better if she knew how to handle herself, protect herself, and take care of herself?”

“There are a lot of crazy people out there—”

“And I get that,” she interrupted. “But there are crazy people going to the local colleges too. Just because she’s going to school close to home now doesn’t mean the people are any less crazy or strange or mean than they are in another state.”

“But…” he mumbled.

“You can’t protect her from everything, and if you keep trying to hold her here in this little box you’ve made for her, she’s going to rebel in a big way. I’ve seen it happen, Aidan.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he spat and stood. “And besides that, it’s really none of your damn business.”

“Actually, it kind of is,” she retorted, standing so that she was in his face. “Having
been
a teenage girl, I know
exactly
what I’m talking about! More than you, probably! And I’ve been coming here for dinner for a month now, and I see Darcy almost every day at the construction site. She’s not just your little sister; she’s become a friend and someone I care about.”

“She’s a child, Zoe! You’re too old to be her friend!”

“Aidan…” Ian warned but was swiftly ignored.

“Now you’re going to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with?” She was appalled. “News flash, you don’t get to call the shots for everyone about everything. I get that you take your job as the oldest here in the family seriously and that’s great, but there comes a time when you have to let people go; they’re entitled to make decisions for themselves. They’re even entitled to make mistakes for themselves.”

He shook his head furiously. “No. Why should they have to make mistakes? What’s the point in it when there is obviously a right way for things to get done?”

“God, do you even hear yourself? You’re not perfect, Aidan!” she yelled. “You make mistakes too, no matter how much you think otherwise. You’re making one right now. Keep going like this and she’s going to hate you and want nothing to do with you. Is that what you want?”

He went to walk around her, but she reached out and grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Is it?”

Aidan yanked his arm free. “She can hate me all she wants, but I’m not letting her go off into the world where no one is around to help her.” His words were said through clenched teeth.

“I don’t believe that’s your decision to make,” Ian said, coming to his feet. “I know we’ve talked about this before, Aidan, and we’ve always been on the same page, but ultimately, the decision is mine to make. Darcy is my daughter and I’ll handle this.” He lowered his head and shook it sadly. “I didn’t realize how much I put on you over the years. It wasn’t your responsibility to play the second parent, and yet I can see now it’s exactly what I let happen.”

He sank back down in his chair and ran a hand through his graying hair. As he looked up at his son, all of his sadness and disappointment in himself shone through. “I’m so sorry, Aidan. I’m so sorry that you felt you had to carry the burden of taking care of all of us. You deserve to have a life of your own, one where you’re not obligated to…come and have dinner every Friday night or that you don’t go out and date because your family commands so much of your time. Your mother would hate me for doing that to you.”

“Hey,” Aidan said calmly, kneeling next to his father’s chair. “It’s not like that. I wanted to help. You never asked; I jumped in where I was needed, just like I was raised to do. Mom taught me to take care of people. It’s what I do. You didn’t force it on me.”

Ian shook his head. “Maybe not, but I certainly didn’t pay attention to how much you were missing out on by running interference around here.”

“Dad…”

“It’s a Friday night and you’ve got a beautiful woman with you. You should be out dancing or having a romantic dinner, not sitting here arguing with your father and sister.” He reached out and put a hand on Aidan’s shoulder. “You know I love spending time with you, Aidan. And you have been nothing but a blessing to me since the day you were born. But it’s time for you to have a life of your own.”

“I have a life, Dad,” Aidan protested. “And my life is fine.”

Ian shook his head. “It’s not, but it will be.” Coming to his feet, he looked around the room and smiled at Zoe. “This is our last Friday night pizza fest.”

“What? Why?” Aidan asked, confusion written all over his face.

“Because you should be out with Zoe. Darcy should be out with her friends.”

“And what about you? What are you going to do?”

Ian shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s about time that I learned how to do some things for myself. Maybe I’ll join a bowling league or go out with some friends or something. They’ve been asking for about ten years now, so maybe I’ll give them a shock and finally show up.”

“No need to do anything drastic,” Aidan said lightly. “What about Darcy? What are you going to do?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, and that’s okay. I don’t have to have the answers right now. Maybe there’s a compromise in there somewhere, but I’m never going to know if I keep letting you handle it for me.”

“I don’t think I’m handling everything, Dad. I want to help. I need—”

“To be a son and a brother and stop trying to be everyone’s father,” Ian said as he pulled his son in for a hug. “Go take this pretty lady out for a moonlit stroll or something. I’ll handle the cleanup…and your sister.”

Zoe stood back and watched as Aidan clearly struggled with this turn of events. She knew this was not the way he wanted things, and if what Anna had said was any indication, the change was not going to go smoothly.

Without a word, Aidan walked out of the kitchen and picked up his keys and cell phone by the front door. He stood there waiting for her. Zoe smiled at Ian and walked over and hugged him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to have it turn into all of this.”

Ian shook his head. “I think you did us a favor. Aidan may not see it that way right now, but believe me when I say I’m thankful for you, Zoe. Don’t let him make you think otherwise.”

Easier said than done
, she thought. She could already see the walls going up and knew there would be no moonlit stroll anytime soon, if ever. “Take care of yourself, Ian,” Zoe said softly and forced herself not to cry. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home. I’ve enjoyed our dinners together.”

He studied her for a moment. “I don’t like the way that sounds,” he said quietly, knowingly. “That sounds suspiciously like a good-bye.”