Ayden's Secret Read Online Free PDF Page A

the street. Tomato was far behind. Pickle turned around and said…” She stomped. “Ketchup.”
    The boys were laughing again. Ayden was sure they didn’t really get it, but it was a joke, and they wanted to laugh. It was so corny he had to laugh, too.
    “I didn’t know you were a comedian.” Ayden looked her over. She was trying hard to fit in, he could tell.
    “It’s the only Grated joke I know.” She shrugged with a smile.
    “Ayden, will you take this out for me and tell the rest of them to get the tables set up?” Evelyn handed him a plate with hamburgers and hot dogs ready to be grilled.
    “Charlie, you wanna come out back with me?” Ayden wanted to talk to her.
    “No,” Evelyn answered for her. “She was just about to tell us what life is like in Vegas.”
    Ayden growled and shook his head. Evelyn had him pegged. He wanted to get Charlie away from the women, before they poisoned her mind against him. He could only imagine what they would tell her. His past three dates had been a disaster. Apparently, he didn’t know much about how to treat a modern woman.
    Charlie felt trapped. She wanted to go with Ayden but was stuck with Evelyn. His little sister was determined to know as much about her as possible. Charlie understood that, but Evelyn seemed a little dangerous. No one bossed Ayden around, but Evelyn pushed him out the door and gave him orders all the time. It was weird.
    Once Ayden was out of earshot with the two threeyearolds behind him Evelyn turned to Charlie. “He doesn’t want you talking to us.”
    “What do you mean?” Charlie watched him walk out the back door. The boys were trailing behind him, trying to walk like him. It made her wonder if he wanted to be a father some day.
    “I’m sure he’s worried about what we will tell you, or what you will tell us. Ayden is a private guy.” Evelyn lifted a shoulder. “But no worries, we won’t tell him we know.”
    “As a matter of fact I think we should do our best to help.” Megan chimed in. “Do you have to be back in Vegas soon?”
    “No. I’m never going back to Vegas.” Charlie shook her head. “If Ayden doesn’t want me, I’ll just go.”
    “Go where?” Grace asked.
    “Leave the country. Go to Sweden. See if I can track down any distant family there.” Charlie hated the thought of leaving, hated being rejected by Ayden. If he didn’t want her, she would leave the country and never look back.
    “God, that sounds so…desperate.” Stephanie propped her head on her fists. “I understand how you feel though.”
    Everyone shifted to look at Stephanie. She was leaning on the counter with her elbows propped up and her chin on her fists.
    “Malcolm asked me to marry him,” Stephanie confessed.
    “Oh my god!” Megan beamed and ran to her pulling her in a big bear hug.
    “Wait.” Stephanie stepped back. “I haven’t told him yes yet.”
    “Why?” Grace entered the kitchen with Logan on her hip.
    “Joshua says I’m too young. He argues with Malcolm all the time over me. I don’t know. You know I’m still a virgin. What if he marries me and then I’m no good?” Stephanie looked at the floor. “I’m nervous about it all.”
    “That’s ridiculous.” Megan pulled at Stephanie’s chin. “You decide if you want to marry him. And don’t worry about the sex, honey. He won’t be disappointed.”
    “Don’t worry about your brother, Stephanie. He likes Malcolm, a lot.” Evelyn smiled. She would have to rein Joshua in. He had no idea his little sister was waiting on his seal of approval. He had no idea Malcolm had asked her to marry him. He knew he planned to soon, so he had been giving the kid hell.
    “If you’re worried about bedroom skills, you should be worried about him disappointing you, not the other way around. You’ve done other stuff, right?” Grace had grown into a very sexual woman. Her first experiences were horrid. Since she met Ethan she had become the authority, and as a writer she outlined