I toss and turn all night, worried about Aiden. I’ve checked his room three times to see if he has come back yet. His bag is still there. Liam said he just needed some time. I don’t want to give him time. I don’t want him to decide that what we shared was a mistake. Miles texted earlier telling me how sorry he is. I didn’t text him back. I’m too angry and I’m afraid I will say something that I regret.
As the sun rises, light filters into my room. I jump out of bed and run down the hall to the guest room, Aiden’s room. I quietly open the door and see that the bed is still made and his bag still sits there untouched. What the hell?
I walk across the hall and knock on Liam’s door. Normally I wouldn’t interrupt them, but I need to know where he is. He’s had time to cool off. I need to talk to him. I hear Liam’s mumbled “come in” so I push through the door.
“Hey, you,” Allison says, sitting up. “How are you holding up?” she asks.
I shake my head no as I bite my bottom lip. Fighting back tears. “Liam, Aiden isn’t in his room. I’m worried. I texted him last night to tell him to at least let me know he’s okay. He texted back that he was safe, but he’s not here and I’m worried,” I mumble through the silent tears that are falling from my eyes.
Liam clears his throat. “He’s not here. He went home last night.”
“He did? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have went to him. I need to tell him that what he saw was nothing. He misunderstood,” I scold him.
“He went home to Charlotte,” Liam says gently.
“Char-Charlotte?” I ask as a sob breaks from my throat. “Oh, God. He hates me.”
Allison puts her arm around me. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s upset. Give him some time to cool off. You guys will work this out.”
I crawl in bed next to Allison. I hear Liam tell her he’s going to give us some “girl time,” and he leaves the room. I’m too caught up in my grief to care. I’m so stupid. How could I agree to let Miles go through with his ridiculous plan? I should have ran after him. I let him walk away from me. I let the love of my life walk away. I didn’t fight for him, now I can’t. I finish my clinicals this week. I have to be there in order to start the nursing program. I sob harder at the thought of Aiden thinking I didn’t fight for him, or that I won’t fight for him. I want to go to him, but I can’t abandon everything I worked so hard for.
Allison continues to sit with me through my tears. I love my best friend. “Thank you, for sitting with me. I’m okay now,” I say, my voice hoarse.
“Give him some time. I know Aiden. He’s angry and he needs to be alone to work through all of this. I can tell you that he’s not over you. I’ve seen this develop with the two of your for months, and I’ve never see him with anyone the way he is with you. Just give him some time.”
“I hope your right,” I tell her.
My mom had made homemade cinnamon rolls before she and my dad left to return the tables and chairs. I’m relieved that I don’t have to face them. We eat quickly then load up our stuff and head towards my condo. Liam pulls into the drive and turns off the ignition. Allison turns around in the front seat to face me.
“So, you’re still coming next week right? I have a ton of things planned for us. I need you with me on this.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there, but maybe I should get a room. I’m not sure how Aiden will feel about me staying there. It’s his house too,” I tell her.
“Not gonna happen. You have your own room and Aiden will just have to deal. You two need to talk anyway, hopefully that can happen while you’re there,” Liam says.
“Okay,” I say softly. Liam gets out and retrieves my bag from the back of his Pathfinder.
“Give me your keys and I’ll take this in while you two say goodbye,” he tells me.
I hand him the keys and turn to find Allison standing there with her arms open wide, waiting for a hug. “Trust me, this will work out. I’ll see you in a week,” she says, squeezing me one last time. Liam wraps his arms around both of us for a group hug.
“I love you, Hales. Everything will work out. You’ll see.” With that, he releases me and I stand there and wave as they pull away.
I make my way inside and it feels empty. I’m all alone again. I take a long hot shower and curl up with my kindle. I read until I can’t keep my eyes open. I’m exhausted from no sleep the night before. I crawl into bed and sleep claims me.
I sleep clear through the night. Thirteen hours. I still don’t feel rested. My emotions are draining me. I pull my hair up in a knot on top of my head, slip into some scrubs, brush my teeth, grab a granola bar, and hit the road. I’m dreading today because I’ll see Macie. I know she feels terrible and so does Miles. He should. I told him it was a bad idea and that I wouldn’t lie to Aiden. He took that out of my hands by completely catching me off guard. Miles is a good guy, but he has shit for timing. I can’t blame him completely. I should have had the guts to tell him no and to tell Aiden how I felt. I should have followed Aiden and made him listen. Now I have to wait four more days to see him and try to convince him that he is who I want, always.
This week our clinical rotation is at a local nursing home. I pull into the lot and see Macie standing by the front door. I assume that she’s waiting on me. Taking a deep breath, I grab my bag and climb out of my car. I walk slowly to the door. As soon as she spots me, she starts in my direction.
“Hailey, how are you? I’m so sorry that this happened. Miles feels terrible. Hell, I feel terrible. We both know how you feel about Aiden. I had no idea that he would take it that far. He said he was going to flirt and dance close to you, not attack you in front of him. I ripped him a new ass for you, multiple times. Kaden too.” She stops, taking a deep breath.
“I’m okay, I guess. My heart hurts. I’ve wanted Aiden for years and when he finally says he has feelings for me, not Liam’s little sister, but me, Hailey MacCoy, Saturday night happens.”
“What can we do to help fix this? Miles is a mess,” she asks.
I shrug my shoulders. “He won’t talk to me. I’m going up there Friday night to spend all next week with them. I hope by me being there in the same house, he will finally give me a chance to explain. If not, well, I guess it wasn’t mean to be.”
“Don’t say that. Everything will work out. I saw the way he looked at you. He’s in love with you.”
I laugh. “He wanted me, yes. Loves me, no. Hell, I don’t even think he even likes me right now.”
Macie smiles sadly as we walk through the doors to start our second and final week of clinicals. This is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life. I can’t help but worry about Aiden, about our friendship. Wondering if there is any way he can find it in his heart to forgive me. I send up a silent prayer that he does. He’s all I want.
This week has sucked donkey nuts! Coach has been riding my ass all week. I can’t say that I blame him though, I deserve it. I can’t seem to focus on anything, anything that isn’t Hailey. I’ve had time to cool down, and I’m now pissed at myself for not punching that f*cker and fighting for my girl. Allison and Liam both keep telling me that it wasn’t what it looked like. They both keep urging me to talk to her. She’s going to be staying with us for a week, and will be at our place tonight around eight depending on traffic. I plan to be in bed, or in my room at least, when she gets here. I don’t want her first night to be ruined with us fighting. I want her to feel comfortable here.
“So, Hales should be here in a few hours,” Liam says as we walk out of the stadium.
“Yep.” I keep it short. I feel like he and Allison have talked me to death about her and what happened that night.
“You going to let her explain?” he asks.
“I’m sure we’ll talk while she’s here. Tonight, no. I want her first night with us to be pleasant. I’m going to hide out in my room. Haven’t been sleeping too well this week. I need to get caught up.” Lame ass excuse I know, but it’s all I got.
“You don’t have to do that, man. I know she wants to see you. She’s scared as hell that you won’t talk to her again.”
I feel a ping of sadness in my chest that she’s scared. I’ve avoided all her calls and messages since that night. I wasn’t ready. “I promise we’ll talk while she’s here. Just not tonight, okay?”
“All right, man. Just let her explain,” he says again.
As soon as we get home, I head straight to the shower. I rush through so I have time to eat and lock myself in my room. Allison comes in the kitchen while I’m making my sandwiches.
“Why are you eating when we’re going out?” she asks me.
“I didn’t know we were going out. I thought Hales was coming tonight.”
“She is and we’re taking her to dinner,” she tells me, hand on her hip, just like my momma used to. I smile at her.
“Thanks, but I’m beat. Haven’t slept much this week.”
“You need to listen to what she has to say.”
“I know, and I will while she’s here. Not tonight. I’m exhausted and I don’t have the strength for that kind of conversation,” I tell her honestly.
She nods and I feel myself relax. I hate this. I hate that there is tension between all of us. I hate that no matter how bad she hurt me, I can still taste her. I can still feel her breath against my neck, the feel of her hips grinding against mine. I miss her like f*cking crazy, but she made her choice. I know Liam and Allison say it was a huge misunderstanding, but I saw it with my own two eyes. They didn’t see what I did. If they did, they would understand this pain I feel.
I scarf down my sandwich and a glass of milk. I say goodnight and retreat to my room. It’s seven thirty. She will be here anytime. I can’t deal with it tonight, but I have a feeling that I’ll sleep better knowing that she’s sleeping in the room next to mine, alone.
At eight o’clock I hear Allison squeal. Hailey’s here. I hear voices and they get louder. They’re in the hall outside my door.
“Is Aiden here?” I hear her ask.
“Yeah, he’s exhausted. This week has been tough. Coach has been riding him. His focus has been shit this week,” Liam tells her. At least he was honest without completely ousting me.
“I miss him,” she says and it breaks me. I can hear the sadness in her voice and I want to fling open the door, pull her inside, and lock her in here with me. I want to rewind to last Saturday by the pond, when everything in my world made sense. When Hailey was in my arms and the thought of her being mine looked like a real possibility.
I hear Allison showing her around her room. The room that I furnished and decorated for her, to make her feel like this was her home, too. Anytime she wanted to be here, I want her to feel like she can be. I want her to know that she is still a part of us, even though we now live three hours away. I was so excited to show it to her. Instead, Allison gets to. She gets to see Hailey’s face light up with happiness. F*ck my life! I hear their footsteps go back down the hall, and eventually, the front door closing. They’re gone. I hope to be asleep by the time they come back, afraid the will to see her will be too strong, and I won’t be able to resist.
I toss and turn for the next two hours, not able to relax. I hear the front door open. They’re home. They talk for a few minutes and then silence. I hear Liam and Allie’s bedroom door shut and I wait for Hailey’s. I quietly climb out of bed and tip toe to the door and rest my ear against it. Did I miss it? It’s then that I hear her soft voice.
“God, Aiden. I hope I can make this right. I hope I can make you understand. I can’t lose you. I’m in love with you,” she whispers. I hear her walk to her door. I hear her enter and close the door.
I stand there at my door shocked, confused, and angry. Too many emotions flowing through my veins. I slide to the floor and bring my knees to my chest as I run my fingers through my hair. She didn’t know I could hear her. She thought I was asleep. She poured her heart out to my bedroom door. This is the second time Hailey has said those three little words to me. The first time, she was asleep and I wasn’t really sure she knew what she was saying. There was large amounts of alcohol involved. Tonight, well tonight, she was wide awake. Her voice was soft and clear, no alcohol choosing her words for her.
I want nothing more than for her to love me. Love me as much as I love her. For the first time since that night, I feel hopeful. Maybe we can figure this out.
I get to my feet and drag myself to bed. I fall asleep quickly knowing that Hales is next door, safe and apparently she loves me.
I wake up to a quiet house. I use my private bathroom, brush my teeth, and make my way to the kitchen. There is a note on the counter from Allison.
I look up at the clock and see that it’s nine thirty. Holy shit! I never sleep this late. I grab a box of cereal from the cabinet and make myself a bowl for breakfast. Allison comes in just as I’m finishing up.
“Hey, you. Sleep okay?”
“Actually, yes. I’ve been up about ten minutes or so. So what’s on the agenda for today?” I ask her.
“We have the wine tasting at seven. Liam and I have an appointment at the jeweler to look for wedding bands at five, so would you mind meeting us there? Aiden is meeting us there also. He’s at the stadium most of the day. They’re doing a tour for children with special needs and Aiden volunteered to be there for the meet and greet. Liam wanted to, but we have a lot to get done before the season starts,” she explains.
My shoulders sag in defeat. It looks like I won’t get to see Aiden and beg for forgiveness until tonight.
“The rest of the day is open. I thought maybe you and I could go to lunch and go shopping. You know, just hang out. I’ve missed you.”
That sounds perfect. Let me grab a shower and then we can go.”
I quickly finish off my cereal, rinse out the bowl, and place it in the dishwasher before scurrying off to the shower. I’m excited to spend the day with Allison. I’ve missed being able to just hang out with her.
An hour later, we are pulling into the local mall. Allison begins dragging me from store to store, and I can’t help but smile. I really missed this. This is the first time I have smiled since the night I allowed Aiden to walk away from me. On the drive here, Allison told me not to worry, that everything would work out. She and Liam both told me that last night as well. I hope to hell they’re right.
Allison does a great job of distracting me. I think we’ve hit every store in the mall. Okay, maybe not every store, but most of them. We, of course, hit the bridal shop, Victoria’s Secret, and the jewelry store that she and Liam have an appointment at later, just to name a few. We eat a late lunch at the food court. All in all, it’s a perfect day with my best friend. I needed this.
Allison drops me off at the condo. After she makes sure I have the directions to get to the wine tasting, she drives away. I have a few hours before I need to leave, so I decide to catch up on my reading. I don’t know what is in store for Aiden and me tonight, but I hope he lets me talk to him. I hope he listens to what I have to say.
Allison said the wine tasting is thirty minutes from here, so at six fifteen I head out the door, giving me a few extra minutes in case I get lost.
I make it to the winery with no trouble. Gotta love the GPS! I park my car and make my way inside. I’m fifteen minutes early, but I can wait for the others inside. Once inside, I’m greeted by a lady in her late fifties or so.
“Good evening, dear. Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes. I’m here with the MacCoy – Hagan wedding,” I reply.
“Wonderful. My name is Janice and I will be overseeing your party this evening. I have everything set up in a private room. There will be four in attendance, correct?” she asks nicely.
“Yes. I’m Hailey, the maid-of-honor, sister to the groom, and best friend to the bride,” I say proudly.
“Good, just follow me and I will bring the others back as they arrive.”
I follow her through a huge dining area filled with tables. Apparently, this is a restaurant as well. We reach the back of the room and enter a long hallway. At the end of the hallway there is a door, she opens the door to reveal a private dining room. There is a round table in the middle with place settings for four. On one wall, there is a table set up with an assortment of fruit, crackers, and cheese. On another wall, there is a table set up with several ice buckets and at least twenty different wines. Each one is labeled and has four small “sample” glasses, one for each of us.
“Wow, this is amazing,” I tell her, because well, it really is.
“Thank you. Please make yourself comfortable and I will bring the rest of your party as they arrive.” She leaves me.
I study the elegant paintings on the wall of different vineyards across the world. Allison really did her homework with this place.
The door opens and in walks Janice, followed by Aiden. My breath stills in my chest at the sight of him. He looks tired. His brown eyes that usually gleam with happiness are dull and sad. Regret hits me hard. I did this. I allowed him to think I wanted Miles. Never Miles, always Aiden. I hope he gives me the chance to explain. I rub my sweaty palms against my thighs. It’s been a while since I’ve been this nervous. Actually, I don’t know if I ever have been this nervous. Everything I’ve ever wanted depends on if he will let me explain and if he believes me.
“Miss Hailey, your counterpart has just arrived,” Janice says sweetly. “Mr. Aiden, please relax and take a seat. We can get started as soon as the bride and groom arrive.” She swiftly leaves the room and here we are. Aiden and I alone.
Before either of us get the chance to speak, both of our phones ping with a message.
Allison: Hey, guys. Liam and I are stuck at the jeweler. Taking longer than we thought. Start without us. We trust you. XO A
“Shit,” I hear Aiden mutter. Great, that doesn’t sound like he’s too happy to be stuck here with me.
“Aiden,” I say softly. His eyes meet mine and I can’t control the tears that begin to flow freely from my eyes. “Can we talk, please?” I ask as I wipe the tears from my cheeks.
He nods his head and takes a seat across the table from me.
Janice enters the room and I avert my gaze, so she doesn’t see my tears. “I’m sorry but the bride and groom are detained. They have advised me to go ahead and start without them. Miss Allison has assured me that she will be fine with whatever the two of you choose.”
Janice loads each of our plates with fruit, cheese, and crackers. She pours us both a tall glass of water and cracks open the first bottle. Aiden and I don’t engage in conversation with each other. We simply taste the wine and answer Janice’s questions about likes and dislikes.
Two hours later, stuffed full of cheese, crackers, and wine; I realize I’m beyond a little tipsy. “I don’t think I can drive,” I say to both of them, not that I expect Aiden to respond.
“Miss Hailey, you have nothing to worry about. Miss Allison and Mr. Liam arranged for one of our cars to drive you back home. They said you were all staying at the same place. Is that still the case?” she asks, obviously picking up on the tension between Aiden and I. “Either way, he’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
I look at Aiden, not sure if he plans to come home tonight or not. He addresses Janice. “Yes, we are still staying at the same place. Thank you, Janice.” His voice deep.
“Good. Well then, I think I have all that I need as far as selection. I will notify our driver that you are ready to leave. If you would please follow me.”
Aiden and I follow her down the long hallway through the dining room. There are a few people who recognize Aiden and yell out to him. He waves politely and smiles, but doesn’t stop. We follow Janice outside and there is a limo waiting for us. The driver smiles politely and opens the door for us. Aiden motions for me to go first. I turn to Janice and thank her, and then slide in. I hear Aiden thank her as well, and then he makes sure the driver knows where he’s going before sliding in next to me and shutting the door.
The privacy glass was raised when I got in, so it’s just us. Alone. The tension is high, so thick you could cut it with a knife. I’m debating on whether or not I should try to talk to him now or wait until we get back to the house.
Aiden decides for me. “I know we need to talk,” he says, his voice thick and low. “We will, I promise, but for right now, for the ride home,” he clears his throat, “can I just…can I just hold you? Please?”
I hold my breath and nod my head yes. Aiden scoots closer and pulls me into his chest. I rest my head over his heart, and I can feel its steady rhythm as his chest rises and falls rapidly. He places a kiss on top of my head and tightens his arms around me. He doesn’t say another word, and I don’t dare ruin this. This may be the last time he ever holds me. Hell no, I’m not saying a damn thing. I release a breath and relax against him as I battle the tears that are, for the second time tonight, threatening to fall.
The last two hours have just about killed me. Watching Hailey and those lips tasting all that wine. I’m as hard as a damn rock. I may be angry at her, and myself, but I still want her, more now than ever before. I know how those lips feel against mine, how her skins tastes. The sounds she makes when she’s coming undone in my arms. Like I said, it’s just about killed me.
I slide into the limo and her scent engulfs me. The privacy glass is up. I’m not sure if Hales did that or if it was the driver. It’s just us, and I’m scared to f*cking death. I know she wants to talk, and so do I. I also know that Liam and Allison have been telling me all week that what I saw was taken out of context. What I don’t know is if she wants me or him. I’m not ready to hear her tell me that it’s him she wants.
I break the silence and tell her I know we need to talk and we will. Then my heart speaks before my brain has a chance to keep up, and I ask her if I can just hold her. My hands shake at the thought of her in my arms again. The thought that this could be the last time I hold her. I swallow back the lump in my throat and focus on my breathing to slow my racing heart.
Hailey nods her head yes and I feel my body relax just a little. I scoot closer to her and pull her down against my chest, wrapping my arms securely around her. I kiss the top of her head and hold her as close and as tight as I can. My mind keeps racing with the thought that this could be the last time. It’s now that I decide, it doesn’t matter what she says. I’m going to fight for her. I can’t breathe without her. I’m irrevocably in love with this girl, and I can’t let her walk away without a fight. I should have stayed and fought for her the first time. I won’t make the same mistake twice.
The limo stops in front of the condo and I release the hold I have on her. She lifts her head and I gently stroke her cheek with my thumb. “We’re home, angel,” I say softly.
Her eyes well up with tears. “Aiden,” she chokes out.
I crush her in a hug that I’m sure is painful for her, but I’m afraid of what we will become outside of the privacy of this limo. The driver opens my door, which means I have to release her. I grab her hand and lace our fingers together as I pull her out of the limo behind me. I tip the driver and thank him. Then I lead Hailey to the front door.
Just as we enter the door, I get a text for Liam.
Liam: Hey, man. I heard you just got dropped off. Allie and I are staying at a hotel tonight. Take care of Hales and fix this shit. See you in the morning.
I chuckle. I never thought I would see the day that Liam voluntarily leaves me alone with his little sister, knowing that I want nothing more than to bury myself deep inside her. Well, I haven’t told him that exactly. What I did tell him is that she’s my Allison, so yeah, he knows.
I sit down next to Hailey on the couch. “That was Liam,” I say, holding up my phone. “He said that he and Allie are spending the night at a hotel. He gave me strict order to ‘fix this shit’ and said they would see us in the morning.” I wait to gauge her reaction. She’s biting on her bottom lip, which is sexy as hell.
Without looking up at me, she asks, “Are you ready to talk now?”
Am I ready? No, I’m so f*cking scared that she’s going to choose him that my insides are twisted. “Yeah, I guess we need to,” I say softly.
Hailey looks up and her eyes lock with mine. “What you saw,” she takes a breath, “it’s not what it looked like.”
“Really?” I say, trying like hell to hold back the sarcasm in my voice. By the look in her eyes, I failed.
“Really. Aiden, I would never do that to you. You told me right before you walked away from me that what we shared meant something to you, that I meant something to you. My mom interrupted us before I could respond.”
She turns sideways on the couch and I do the same, we are now facing one another. I grab a pillow and place it on my lap so I can hold onto it. I’m hoping the distraction will keep me from touching her. I really just want to touch her, hold her.
“Before I tell you what I would have said before we were interrupted, and what I’d hoped to tell you later that night before you walked away, I need to start at the beginning.”
“We’ve got all night,” I tell her.
“Miles was trying to help me.” She wrings her hands together, and I can hear a slight quiver in her voice. She’s nervous. “Macie, Miles, and Kaden all three have become fast friends of mine. The first night I met Miles, he hit on me, but I didn’t take the bait. He asked me who he was. He wanted to know who the guy was that held my heart.” She stops to collect her thoughts. She reaches out, grabs one of my hands and places it on her lap. She laces her fingers through mine. I instantly feel myself relax just from her touch. “I laughed it off, and we continued to dance and have a good time. The next time we hung out, that same question was asked again. I’d had a few drinks. I wasn’t drunk, but loose and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had to tell someone.”
“Tell them what, angel? Did someone hurt you?” I ask her. I’m confused as to where she’s going with this.
She smiles at me, and I want to lean in to kiss those lips. “No, no one hurt me. But I’ve sorta had a thing for this guy for as long as I can remember, and it’s hard to keep it in and not talk to anyone about it. I figured since none of them knew the guy, I could open up and talk about him, about how I fell head over heels in love with him and was too afraid to tell him.”
I try to pull my hand away, but she holds tight. “I thought you said Miles was helping you. How the f*ck is he helping you by kissing you like that when you…when you love someone else?” I barely choke out the last words. I’m sick at the thought of her with someone else.
“I’m getting there. Just hang with me a little while longer. So, I open up to the three of them and they all agree that the guy in question really does have feelings for me. He’s just too afraid to show it due to our mutual acquaintances. Miles got this crazy idea to flirt more and try to make the guy jealous whenever he was around. He thought if the guy thought he was losing me, he would step up and make his move.”
“I’m still a little lost here, angel,” I tell her. My mind is racing. Is this other guy me? If not, who? “Was this guy there on Saturday night?” I ask, trying to work this out in my head.
“Yeah, he was.” She smiles at me and grips my hand a little tighter. “He actually asked me to go for a walk with him down by the pond. Turns out that he has, or had, feelings for me too. We shared the most earth-shattering experience of my life. He gave me a first for the history books. He was gentle and sweet, and then we were interrupted by my mother.”
I can feel the back of my eyes burn. All the emotion from the last week is swirling inside of me. She’s talking about me. All I want to do is grab her and kiss her until we are both breathless, but I hold off. I need to hear everything she has to say, and if I kiss her now, there will be no more talking. “What happened next?” I say, my voice hoarse and thick with the love I have for this girl.
“Well, we headed back to the party and he stopped me outside the tent. He told me that what we shared was special to him, that I was special to him. Before I could say anything else, my mom interrupted us. I wasn’t too worried though, because after I said goodbye to my friends, I planned on telling him exactly how I felt.”
“How do you feel?” I ask softly, my eyes never leaving hers.
Hailey sits up on her knees and leans towards me. She takes both of her tiny hands and rests them on my cheeks. “I’m madly in love with you, Aiden. I have been for as long as I can remember. I’m sorry Miles was trying to make you jealous, it was stupid, and I hurt you. I’ll never forgive myself for it. I need you to hear me when I say there is nothing going on with us. Miles is a good friend who thought he was helping. He didn’t know that we had a break through. He just saw you behind us and acted on it.” She leans in closer, her lips hovering close to mine. “I love you, Aiden Emerson. With everything in me, I love you. Please, forgive me,” she pleads.
I lean in the rest of the way and gently press my lips to hers. I pull her into my lap and caress her face. I feel the wetness of her tears. I rest my forehead against hers. “I love you too, baby, so damn much it hurts.” Then I crash my lips to hers, taking everything she’s willing to give.
After we are both breathless, I slow the kiss and hug her tight. “So what does this mean, angel? Tell me what you want. Where do we go from here?” I fire question after question. My mind is racing, and so is my heart. I’m surprised I can even form a question, let alone get one past my lips.
“Well, I hope it means that we’re together now. What I want is you, only you, and where do we go? Hopefully, we move forward together,” she says, still resting her head against my chest. “What does this mean to you, Aiden? Tell me what you want. Where do you think we go from here?” She turns my questions around on me.
“This means you’re mine. What I want is you, only you. Always you. Where do we go? Well, that’s even easier. We move forward together and build a life together. You’re it for me, angel. I’m irrevocably in love with you. You’re stuck with me,” I tease as I tickle her side.
She squirms until she is sitting up, straddling my lap. “I have very fond memories of us this way,” she says with a wink.
“Really? I don’t think I remember, you might have to demonstrate,” I say, slipping my hands up under her shirt.
“Oh, I think that can be arranged,” she says, melding her lips with mine.