What Happens Next

Mother

He was a good looking man, though. Beyond handsome! But that was all he'd ever be to her: a handsome man she could never have.

***

"Happy mother's day, mom!" Aiden walked in to the kitchen of his parents house with a huge bouquet of two dozen yellow roses and a small gift bag.

"Hi, baby, thank you!"

Aiden gave his mom a kiss and handed her his presents. Ava smiled widely at her son as she received the gifts from him.

"Open your present, mom," he told her excitedly.

Ava reached into the bag and found the small velvet box. She opened it and found a gold necklace with a small diamond heart pendant.

"Thank you, baby!" she hugged her son and kissed his cheek.

"You're welcome, mom."

"Hey, hey, hey, what's all this?" Owen walked in and clapped his son's back.

"Look what our son got me," Ava held up the necklace and asked Owen to put it around her neck, which he quickly obliged to.

"Good taste, son. You've definitely learned from the best," Owen joked.

"Well is is mother's day, and I am feeling sappy, so I'll agree that our baby had learned from the sweetest, most loving man."

"Aww, sweets, I'm touched," Owen kissed his wife on the forehead.

"It'll pass, sweetie."

Ava laughed and Aiden couldn't help but laugh along with his mom. His parents had a great relationship. In fact, he and his sister, Ondine, had a perfect model of a loving and lasting marriage. No, his parents' weren't perfect, and their marriage certainly wasn't, but he was a witness to how hard they worked to keep the love alive, how they kept the fire burning. He saw that their love for each other triumphed over whatever trial what Ava and Owen went through as a couple.

He was not ready for commitment now, not even at 28. He wouldn't classify himself as an eternal bachelor, but he certainly wasn't anywhere near ready to be in a serious relationship at the moment.

He just wouldn't have time, and it would be unfair to the woman he would be in a relationship with, whoever she may be.

***

Owen, Ava, and Aiden decided to have dinner at MNL. Ava hadn't been there for a while, and she was really craving for their sisig. It being mother's day, the two Carter men obliged. Aiden drove his parents and had the valet park his car and they walked into the restaurant, undetected. That was one reason why Ava and Owen loved going to MNL: because the paparazzi never follows them. It was really out of the way of the Hollywood hotpots so it was never in the paparazzi's radar. The host led the Carters to their table and as Owen sat down facing the bar, he spotted a familiar face. He excused himself from his parents, where Owen was pulling out Ava's chair for her. Aiden walked to the bar and greeted the bartender.

"I didn't know you bartend as well, Ms. Miller," he said flashing his pearly white teeth.

"Hi! Yeah, occasionally. How are you? Who are you with?" Emily Jane looked behind him.

"My mom and dad. Mom wanted to eat here for mother's day."

"Ah, good choice," Emily Jane winked. "What will you have? On the house."