Run, Girl (If You Can)

Aaron was busy talking to someone but Keeley needed to warn him of the impending confrontation. She gently nudged him with her hip, making him look towards her. She tilted her head in his parents' general direction.

It was so subtle that no one else would have noticed it but the temperature within a five foot radius of her husband dropped about thirty degrees. He definitely got her hint.

She instantly regretted telling him before they could even approach but wasn't it better than letting him be caught completely off guard? Keeley really wished they could go home already. She was tired even before those two showed their stupid faces.

Aaron's tone remained as it ever was but the man talking to him became so frightened by the atmosphere change that he quickly excused himself. No one else dared approach while Hurricane Aaron was still brewing.

"Why are they here?" he growled.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Probably to give you a hard time," Keeley whispered back.

His expression hardened. "More like to give you a hard time."

He had a point. Aaron had made sure she hadn't run into her in-laws in this life. Aside from that one accidental encounter when she was in college, Keeley hadn't seen either of them in about eighteen years. Even all of that time hadn't been long enough. She had hoped she would never see them again.

"Maybe they won't come over?" she predicted optimistically.

Her hopes were dashed a moment later. Seeing an opening, Alistair and Roslyn took it. if Keeley hadn't pointed out they were here, Aaron wouldn't have gone into ice mode and people might have talked to him for the rest of the night so his parents didn't get the chance.

No use crying over spilled milk. She grit her teeth and put on her best smile though Aaron didn't even bother with the courtesy. He was furious and he wasn't afraid to let them know it.

"What a surprise," he said flatly. "What do you want from me?"

"I can't say hello to my only child?" Roslyn replied in an equally flat tone.

Geez. This entire family was full of icicles. Keeley was covered up more than most of the women here and she was freezing in this little circle of Hales.

Aaron's expression grew even more disdainful. "I'm surprised you still regard me as your child since you never bothered to try and see me in the past ten years."

As much as Aaron claimed not to care about his parents, it was clear he resented their lack of warmth and love. He wasn't as immune as he pretended to be. More than once he had said something offhand about how great a father Robert was and it didn't take a genius to read between the lines.

He obviously wished he had a father like Keeley's since his own was such a horrid excuse for a parent. It was also why he had worked so hard to be the best possible father to his own kids.

"Don't be like that, Aaron," Roslyn snapped, her socialite's composure breaking. "You never tried to see me either."

He shrugged off the responsibility. "That's because I didn't want to see you. My life has been better than ever without your pointless interference."

He acted blasé about it but Keeley could feel the hand she was holding tremble with anger. She tried to silently comfort him but wasn't sure how well it was working.

Roslyn turned towards her stiffly and looked down her nose. "I assume that's because of this crass woman and those half-breeds you call children."

Keeley lost her head and ended up digging her fingernails painfully into that horrid woman's wrist in one swift motion before anyone else could even react. As she winced in pain, Keeley stepped closer to dig her high heel into the top of the woman's foot as well.

"You can insult me but don't you dare insult my children," she said in a low, dangerous voice.

"And I'll have you know, I may be 'crass' by your standards but I'm more intelligent than you could ever dream to be. I'm halfway to curing cystic fibrosis, you judgmental piece of trash. I actually contribute to this world instead of simply squandering countless resources that could better serve someone more useful.

"My children are beautiful, wonderful human beings, just like the son you always ignored unless he suited your purposes. They all add more value to this world than scum like you could ever hope to. Stay away from me, but more importantly, stay away from Aaron you pathetic excuse for a mother."

Keeley let go, stepped away, and smiled pleasantly as if nothing untoward had happened. She was speaking quietly enough that nobody but the four of them could hear.

"The same goes for you, Alistair. You're even worse," she said with a bright smile that contrasted with her words. "Leave my husband alone, yeah?"

He blustered for a few moments, unsure how to respond. Aaron's ice had evaporated because he was completely stunned that his wife actually stood up for herself against the people she feared most.

Keeley turned and dragged Aaron away to talk to someone else before they could come up with a retort. He followed mutely but she could practically feel the bliss radiating off of him.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked in confusion. "You hate dealing with your parents."

"Yes but you defended me," he said dreamily. Well, as dreamily as he was capable of. "Nobody has ever defended me to my parents before."

She clutched his arm tighter. That much was true. No one dared go against Alistair Hale back when he was in power. Even now that he was somewhat of a laughing stock he still had a terrifying presence.

Aaron wasn't the only one in the wrong in their last life. He didn't defend her against his parents but she didn't do the same for him either. They should have helped each other out like they were now.

"Hopefully I won't need to do it again," she muttered.

She really didn't like dealing with those two snobs. Had she gone a bit overboard? Possibly. She was subtle enough that nobody else in the room seemed to have noticed but she never verbally thrashed people like that.

They deserved it though. They were horrible, selfish people who had made their son suffer. And they were the ones who came over specifically to pick a fight.

"I'm not worried even if they do try to bother me again," Aaron said confidently. "I have you."

He looked at her with such genuine affection that Keeley thought she might melt into the floor. If they were alone right now, she would have kissed him senseless. As it was, they still had a lot of people to talk to.