Read Summer I Found You for Free Online

know she’s worried about me, and feels bad that her life is so crazy. We don’t see each other very often. Her new husband, Stan, works hard as a manager at Home Depot, but doesn’t make a lot. They have three small kids, my half brothers and sister, and a very tiny house.
    “Aidan.” She smiles wide as she opens the door. Same blond as Jen, Will, Aunt Beth, and me. But there are dark circles under her eyes. They probably match mine.
    “Hey, Mom.”
    “Sorry.” She looks down at her old college sweats. “I’m a mess. Trey isn’t sleeping well. I finally got him to sleep, but the twins have stopped taking naps…”
    “I just. I was on post, and thought I’d drop in on my way back to Aunt Beth’s house.” But I don’t know if I just walk in or what. This isn’t the house I grew up in. Mom lost that when Dad died. Got Alzheimer’s way young and was gone in two years. I was thirteen. When a guy loses his dad at an age he needs him most, he either gets pissed at the world, or he learns to accept the shit life throws at him. If it weren’t for Mom, I’d be the first kind of guy. And maybe I still am in some ways.
    The memory of Dad still pushes into me, making it hard to breathe. I don’t have a lot of hope of ever forgetting Afghanistan the way I want to, when after seven years, losing him still hurts this much.
    “Come in,” she whispers. “The twins are…”
    At that moment I hear a baby’s cry from down the hall.
    Mom’s neck goes slack and she stares at the ceiling. “I swear, that boy…”
    “I’ll get him.” I slide my shoes off and start into the house.
    “Can you…I mean…”
    I turn to see Mom’s face redden.
    “You’ve held him before. It’s getting him out…” she stammers.
    “He’s a baby, Mom. I can get him.” I hope. It’s not something I gave a lot of thought to when I offered.
    “Mom!” Lily cries from the kitchen. “Gracen dropped the applesauce!”
    “Aidan.” Mom rests a hand on my arm. “I’m glad you stopped in.” But there’s too much worry on her face for me to just take the nice gesture.
    I move up the hall, step into Trey’s room and he’s settled back into sleep.
    I’m relieved because now that I’m looking at him and his crib, I think getting him out on my own would be tricky.
    “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Mom bustles in whispering. “He just does that sometimes. Come on.” She holds the door open, and takes my arm as we walk back up the hall. “The twins are watching Dora, so we should have at least twenty minutes for you to catch me up on stuff.”
    “Oh, great.” I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but after going to the shrink, and spending another morning under the watchful eyes of my aunt and uncle, I’m on edge.
    “Fine. You pick something. One thing to share with your old mom.” She laughs totally unbothered by my reluctance to talk.
    No one would ever think she was my mom. She’s too young. She had me when she was sixteen, and she made it. Put herself through school and took care of me. My birth dad bailed a long time ago, and I don’t know that we’ve ever heard from him. My dad was the guy Mom married at eighteen. He was twenty-four, and I was two. He’s the only dad who counts.
    The new guy, Stan, is just Mom’s husband. They didn’t get married till after the twins were born when I was almost seventeen. I was in basic training a year after their wedding, and spent very little time at home during that year. He’s still the stranger married to my mom.
    Mom sits in the middle of the couch, and pats the seat next to her. I flop down and let myself relax.
    “I…uh…” I have no idea what to share.
    “Been out at all? More swimming pool, more wishing you didn’t have to go see the dink that’s your counselor,” she teases.
    “I went out the other night,” I say, and immediately think about Kate.
    “Oh.” She pushes a finger into my cheek. “You can’t hide that face from me. Tell me about her.”
    “It’s