Free First to Fall by Carys Jones

tomorrow.’
    ‘Ah, right. Well I’ll leave you with the keys then. Which reminds me, I need to get Betty to cut you your own set. We both have one, makes sense that you do too. Just in case you ever get the urge to come into the office at ungodly hours, not that I ever do, but there you go.’ He tossed a set of brass keys on a Dallas Cowboys keychain over to Aiden.
    ‘Just drop them off on your way home.’
    ‘Thanks, I will.’
    ‘And don’t work too late!’ Edmond called as he retreated to the sanctuary of his air-conditioned car.
    Aiden was lost in his own world as he wrote up reams of notes and scoured the internet for as much information as he could find. As he had suspected, Avalon Pine was a long-established company which had enjoyed moderate success over the years. He needed to get Brandy to open up about her marriage with Brandon. He was definitely missing some pieces of the puzzle and he felt that a majority of them lay with her. When Aiden glanced up at the clock it was 6.30pm.
    ‘Dammit,’ he muttered angrily, hastily switching off his computer and gathering his things together. He was late for dinner and he knew that Isla would not be happy.
    ‘You’re late,’ Isla snapped before he had chance to even come through the door.
    ‘I know, I know.’ Aiden held his hands up defensively. ‘I was busy at work and I lost track of time.’ His wife’s face was set in a harsh glare, her arms folded across her chest. He could tell that she was in the mood for an argument, but feeling tired and hot, all he wanted to do was relax with an ice-cold beer.
    ‘I thought the whole point of being here was that you didn’t have to work late!’
    ‘It was…it is. I just got caught up with stuff. Isla, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.’ He was happy to admit defeat and say whatever she wanted in order to diffuse the situation quickly.
    ‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I fed Meegan but put our dinners in the oven.’ Aiden watched as she removed a whole pizza from the oven. He unbuttoned his shirt nearly halfway down and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. The cool glass felt like heaven in his hands, and when the amber liquid slid down his dry throat he felt himself reach a euphoric state of ecstasy.
    ‘Ah,’ he gasped in satisfaction.
    ‘You know, I slaved over dinner.’
    ‘Babe, it’s a pepperoni pizza, which I doubt you made from scratch.’ Isla was chomping through her first slice and replied to him whilst still chewing.
    ‘No, but still, I had to heat it, and do Meegan her dinner.’
    Aiden just nodded and began to eat the meal that had been so lovingly prepared for him.
    Two bottles of beer and half a pizza later, Aiden was feeling flushed with contentment. He was sprawled out on the couch, watching a baseball match on the television through drooping eyes.
    ‘Daddy!’ Meegan came running in and bounced on his chest.
    ‘Owww,’ he cried in protest as she began using him as a human trampoline. ‘Get off Daddy!’
    After a few more jumps she obeyed. She was wearing a bright pink nightdress and from the minty smell on her breath had just brushed her teeth and so was all ready for bed.
    ‘Will you read me a bedtime story?’
    ‘Sure thing, princess.’ He groggily sat up and shook his head in an attempt to wake up. ‘Where’s Mommy?’
    ‘Right here.’ Isla came down the stairs. She still seemed to be annoyed with Aiden so he had been doing his best to avoid her until she calmed down.
    ‘I had a bath!’ Meegan told her Dad proudly.
    ‘Good girl, at least you don’t smell then.’
    ‘Come on.’ She was tugging on his hand, leading him towards the staircase.
    ‘OK, OK, I’m coming.’
    ‘Aid, I was thinking we could watch a movie or something.’ Isla grabbed onto his arms, her fingertips gently caressing the soft skin, letting him know what she really meant.
    ‘Honey, I’m pretty beat.’ She immediately let go of him and turned away, her shoulders slumping with disappointment.