Chapter 8

"That could have gone worse," Aiden quipped as she and Mitch headed back out the door a few hours later.

"To be honest, I figured once they knew a grandkid was on the way, they'd be alright."

"True," Aiden agreed, shaking her head with a laugh.

Cynthia had been all geared up to go off on Jessie's lack of notice about a guest, but Jessie artfully intercepted her mother's protests as she pulled Jacob inside to speak with both her parents. Cynthia simply raised her hands to the heavens with a shake of her head and followed them inside after pausing to greet Jacob. Because if there was one truth about Cynthia, she was a stickler for good manners and being a good hostess, and no family uproar would detract from that.

Aiden and Mitch had hung back to allow them a few moments, making small talk, and after a happy cry sounded from inside, they exchanged a grin and headed in to find both parents hugging and kissing Jessie and Jacob, their excitement quickly palpable. Cynthia and Paul next made a fuss over Aiden’s return, as always, and soon enough they were all catching up over dinner and dessert. In between Cynthia and Jessie going back and forth about wedding and baby details, of course, much to Aiden's amusement.

After they'd lingered for far longer than she realized, happy to be soaking up the familiar family atmosphere, Jessie stood up and announced she was simply falling down exhausted. Dishes had been cleared and cleaned, dessert had been finished for a while, and Aiden hadn't even registered that the sun had long since set as they sipped at their drinks and continued catching up.

After giving everyone a hug and a kiss, Jessie grabbed Jacob's hand and tugged him upstairs with her, but not before flinging an arm around Aiden with an exaggerated wink before cooing out "Beach day tomorrow! All four of us!"

Aiden couldn't help but laugh and nodded in agreement. "Yes. Not sure how much swimming Dr. Mitch will let me do, but it's a date."

Mitch cleared his throat with a raised brow before Aiden glanced at her watch.

"Speaking of! We've got some evil exes to toast to down at Red Sky.” And with that, ignoring the surprised look on Paul’s face, she’d kissed them both goodbye and thanked them for dinner as they headed out.

“Want to walk?” Aiden asked as they breathed in the still-warm night air. At Mitch’s nod, she flashed him a smile, which only grew as he offered his arm. Without hesitation, she slipped her own around his and headed left down the sidewalk, back toward Ocean Avenue. It was only about a ten minute walk, which would be more than enough time to feel out the intentions of the evening and let dinner settle, too.

“So I guess this means they’re putting a pin in that European tour, huh?”

Mitch gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know, Mom was pretty close to convincing Jessie and Jacob to wait until after the baby comes to get married. I can see both sides, honestly.”

“I don’t know. It would be kind of romantic for them to plan a last minute thing here on the beach this summer, but I think your Mom would lose her mind.” Mitch laughed at that, giving a knowing nod.

“She might, but that actually sounds like it would be a lot of fun. You should float it to Jessie tomorrow. Even if Mom freaks, it’s Jessie and Jacob’s day to plan, not hers.”

Aiden pulled a surprised, but agreeing face at that. Mitch had always been a good, doting son, though he hadn’t ever really had trouble putting his parents in their places when needed. It was good to see that hadn’t changed. Especially when it came to how flighty his sister could be.

“You’re right,” she said quietly, not quite beginning to register that a summer wedding would mean way more time spent at the cottage than she’d planned and how that would work. But she was getting ahead of herself; no one could ever predict what Jessie would decide in anything. “Did she tell you how they got together so quickly?” She asked, still surprised but extremely happy with how everything had fallen into place for her friend.

"She sort of touched on it when we went to bring some dishes into the kitchen. All I know is they were friends and coworkers for a while and hit it off."

"That's the gist of it, yeah," Aiden said as they turned the last corner onto Ocean, with Red Sky visible just up ahead.

"I'm happy for her. I mean, it was a surprise, but the best kind. And now I get to be an uncle just in time for Christmas." A soft smile touched his lips at the thought.

They made more small talk as they made their way to the stalwart bar that had been around far longer than they had, and stepped inside of what felt like a time capsule.

The inside was dark as one would expect, small lights dotted here and there over some of the tables and the bar itself. Faux candelabra decorated the walls and provided even more soft ambiance. The smell of the ocean air swept into the open windows, keeping the old, scrubbed pine walls coated in the finest layer of salty brine. The place had always been a tavern and dated back to the early 1800s, with the ghost stories and local lore to show for it, along with the photos - some of them ancient-looking - placed haphazardly between the lights and other random sea-faring decor.

As Aiden recalled, her Nan had met her Grandad right there in the shadowy tavern when he was new to town and just starting a long, successful career as a carpenter and volunteer firefighter. It wasn't at all love at first sight, either, and she had to stifle a laugh at the memory of that particular story.

"What's so funny?" Mitch asked, ever observant as they headed for a quiet high top in the corner. Aiden was about to answer before a familiar - and loud - voice boomed from across the tavern floor.

“Hey heyyyyy, long time, no see - both of you!”

“Hey Jerry, how goes?” Mitch asked as Aiden bumped fists with him and took her seat. Jerry had graduated almost a decade before either of them and was as local as a local could get: he’d bought the Red Sky when his uncle was ready to sell, and had been there ever since.

“Ah, you know, man. It goes,” he said with a drawl that brought Aiden right back to the weed-smoking and drinking nights of her late teen years. “What can I get you guys?”

“I’ll have your craftiest IPA, please,” Aiden said.

“Make it two,” added Mitch.

“You got it,” Jerry said and headed off. With a smile, Aiden turned back to Mitch.