Cadence had fallen asleep after dinner, but not before giving Aaron careful instructions on what to do with her laundry, which she’d managed to put in the washer but hadn’t quite gotten into the drier before she’d convinced him to force her to go to bed. Clearly, she was exhausted. It had been a very long week, and her emotions had been on a roller coaster.
After tucking her in, he made his way down the stairs to follow through with his promise to throw her clothes in the drier. He passed Elliott and Brandon having a conversation about sports in the living room and steered clear, as he knew both of them would take some cheap shots at him for knowing absolutely nothing about anything they might be talking about. He didn’t even know enough to tell which sport they were discussing based on the few words he caught as he crept by. Now, if they were chatting about soccer or cricket, that’s a conversation he could participate in.
The laundry room was in the back of the house off of the kitchen, and as he approached the doorway, he realized Cadence’s mom was already moving her wet laundry to the dryer. “Oh, Mrs. Findley, I was going to do that,” he said, pausing just outside of the room.
“Mrs. Findley?” Liz echoed. “You’ve known me for a very long time, Aaron. Since when have you ever called me that?”
She had a point. Things seemed different, now that he was marrying her daughter. “Well, what would you like for me to call you?” he asked, as she tossed the last of Cadence’s garments into the dryer. It had been well over a century since he’d called anyone any variation of “mom,” and somehow “Liz” seemed a bit too informal now.
“You’ve always called me Liz before,” she reminded him as she set the dial on the apparatus. “Why should anything be any different now?”
“You don’t find it at all odd that Cadence and I are getting married?” he asked as she leaned against the dryer, obviously not in a rush to get anywhere.
“Oh, I guess I did at first,” she admitted. “But the two of you are perfect together. I see that now. Besides, all of this magic mumbo jumbo kind of makes things like age go out the window, doesn’t it?”
He stifled a laugh and the urge to correct her that what they did wasn’t magic. It must have seemed like it to her, especially in light of their recent conversation about portals and people coming back from the dead. “I guess so,” he agreed. “I definitely don’t feel like I’m a hundred and fifty years older than her.”
“Oh, good grief, when you put it like that,” Liz said shaking her head. He noticed how much her oldest daughter resembled her, especially when she was annoyed or agitated. “Let’s just say, I try not to dwell on it.”
“Fair enough,” he said with a nod. “Well, thank you. I’ll come back and get her clothes when they’re dry.”
“Please,” she said leaning forward and resting her hand on his arm, “let me handle it. I may give her a hard time, but I really do enjoy taking care of my daughter. That’s why I insisted that you all stay here this evening. It does my heart good to have both of my girls home.”
Though he’d already apologized to both of Cassidy’s parents for the incident in Philadelphia that had forever changed their youngest daughter, he couldn’t help but feel as if she was hinting at the sorrow their family had endured at learning of her infection and subsequent Transformation. “You know I’ll always do everything I can to keep both of them safe, don’t you?” he asked, looking her in the eye.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I certainly don’t blame you for what happened to Cassidy, Aaron. That was a combination of bad choices. I could have done a better job of making sure she understood the importance of doing exactly what her sister said, and no one is more responsible than Cassidy herself.”
“Still,” he insisted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, “she was my responsibility. I should have made sure she got home safely.”
Liz shook her head and patted him on the shoulder. “Oh, Aaron, you always carry the weight of the world with you. It was an accident. Cassidy will be fine. It’s taking her some time to adjust, but she’ll make a full recovery. And as much as she loves spending time with Brandon, I haven’t seen her happier in the last three months than she has been tonight having Elliott back. He’s like the big brother she never had.”
He nodded in agreement as she smiled and turned to tidy up the shelf above the dryer. That may have been his cue to leave, but instead, he reminded her, “You know, eventually, Cassidy is going to join our team. Technically, Cadence will be her leader, but I promise you the rest of the team will take good care of her as well.”
“I’m sure you will,” Liz said with a smile, sliding a bottle of bleach into a nicely fitted slot between some dryer sheets and detergent. Then, with a sigh, she put both of her hands on the top of the dryer, and turning to him, she said, “Can I ask you something?”
A bit apprehensive about what the question might be, Aaron hesitated but finally said, “Sure.”
“You know, the longer I’ve watched Cadence perform as a Hunter, the more I’ve regretted not Transforming myself.” Aaron felt his eyes widen, afraid she might be asking to attempt to undergo the process herself now, a feat they’d never tried before and one he’d certainly be hesitant to try. She began to laugh. “Don’t worry. I’m not thinking of going through with it now.” He let go a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “I was just thinking, Eli is eligible to retire soon. Cassidy is more than ready to move to headquarters to continue her training. In fact, she’s ready to get out there on the hunt right now. How would you feel about the rest of the family joining you in Kansas City? Would that make you completely uncomfortable, having Cadence’s parents hanging around? I know Cadence really wants Cassidy to stay here and finish high school, but I don’t think that has the same kind of importance to Cass now that she’s… different.”
Aaron was surprised to hear the question; it wasn’t something he had thought she’d even consider. Lots of families from other Hunters and Guardians lived and worked at LIGHTS, plenty of humans were privy to the secret information due to family relations, and there were even some that had chosen to Transform but didn’t want to actively pursue Vampires who lived there. “I think it would be great,” he finally replied. “I haven’t ever discussed it with Cadence, but I can’t imagine she’d be unhappy about it. I know she misses you.”
“Great!” Liz said with a broad smile. “It might take us a while to tie up loose ends here, of course, but if it’s something you think we could do, then, I think it’s worth discussing.”
“Definitely,” he agreed, hoping he hadn’t misspoken and Cadence would actually be excited about the prospect.
“And then, when we have grandkids….” Liz continued.
“Well, that’s not something I’d mention to Cadence just yet,” he stopped her. “I think she’s hoping to wait a few years on that one.”
Liz sighed as if she was hoping to hear differently. “I suppose she is still young,” she admitted. “But eventually….”
“Yes, eventually, it would be a huge bonus to have you nearby,” he concurred. “Just hold that card for a while, okay?”
“Okay,” she said with a smile and a squeeze of his arm. “It is exciting to think about having something else to do, other than bustling around this place picking up dirty socks and loading the dishwasher.”
That statement sparked an idea in his mind, but he wasn’t willing to say anything just yet. It was too soon. As Liz made her way out of the laundry room, he glanced at the dryer and saw that there was still another thirty minutes left to go. With a sigh, he decided he’d have to go join the conversation in the living room, hoping Elliott and Brandon would show him a little mercy when it came to whatever sports they were discussing, although it wouldn’t be the first time in the last two days he felt like an idiot. Cadence had done quite the job of reminding him he didn’t always know everything.
