Save the Date (Modern Arrangements, #1)

"Aidan, go to bed. I sleep near dad," she turned away but then turned back. "But thanks." She smiled softly and continued on to the kitchen.

I turned to Donald.

"Goodnight, Donald." He waved me over to him and I walked to the side of his bed. "Yes, sir?"

"You care….for her?" he breathed out raggedly. I was sort of dumbstruck. I didn’t know how to answer.

"Um...yeah." I smiled.

He nodded.

"You know…Dixon?"

I nodded before he could answer. "Yes, I know Dixon, very well actually."

"Hurt her…I’ll…have…him—"

I hated to make him speak more than he had to.

"Donald, Dixon already told me that he would rip off my balls and feed them to me," I chuckled.

"Good," he croaked and smiled large. "Take…care…of…her," he rasped.

Lilli entered the room looking at Donald and then at me, questions written all over her face.

"Goodnight," I said quickly then headed toward the stairs.

"What was that about?" I heard Lilli ask Donald in a hushed voice.

~

Lilli

Donald gave me an innocent look.

"Oh, I am so not buying that!" I smirked at him. "Spill it!"

"Just…a…warning."

I shook my head.

"There's nothing to warn him about, he’s just a friend," I shrugged.

Dad raised his eyebrow at me in question. I sighed and sat down next to him.

"Can we wait till you are stronger to talk about this?" I gave my best puppy dog eyes.

He shook his head and gave me the now eyes.

"Fine," I breathed.

I spared him the gory details of the arrangement, however, I gave him the gist of Aidan and I marrying for financial reasons for both of us. I could tell as I spoke that he was getting angry.

"Don’t….do this…for…" I stopped him.

"I'm doing this for both of us, for Aidan and his family and for the people that work for him," I sighed and stood up. I leaned over Donald and kissed his forehead. "It will be fine," I spoke to his forehead so that he wouldn’t be able to read my face as I said it. He would see that I didn’t believe what I just said.

"Lilli…" he rasped.

"Dad, please don’t speak anymore today," I brushed the hair from his face. "Get some sleep." I smiled and then went to the couch and got comfortable. "Goodnight, Dad."

~

The next morning, snug in my flannel pajama pants and long sleeved tee, I headed to the kitchen to make coffee. With the coffee started, I began to make breakfast; French toast, turkey bacon and strawberries. With everyone else still asleep, I placed the ear buds from my iPod in my ears and turned it on while cutting up strawberries.

Thinking I was alone, I began to sway to the sound of Maroon 5. Spinning with the strawberries to place on Donald’s tray, I came face to face with Aidan.

"Jesus!" I put the bowl down and grabbed my chest, pulling out the ear buds. "Can you not scare the shit out of me, please?" A laugh, mostly at myself, bubbled out of my chest.

"I didn’t mean to," he shrugged. He stood in the doorway leaning on the frame, arms crossed over his chest. His hair was freshly mussed from sleeping but, if I hadn’t know better, I would say he just went a few rounds in bed with some lucky girl.

"Hungry?" I asked quickly, before he realized I was checking him out.

"A little, you need any help?"

"Ummm…no, no help needed." I turned toward the cabinet, grabbed a couple of coffee mugs and sat them on the counter. "Coffee?" I motioned to the mugs going back to finishing the French toast.

"Thanks," he walked over and poured some into a mug.

"Sugar is on table, milk in the fridge if you need them."

"Is this where you grew up?" The chair squeaked as he sat down to the kitchen table.

I shook my head.

"My mother left with me when I was five. We moved across the country to Nevada until I was fifteen. I decided to move in with Donald when my mother got divorced from John – husband number two. Besides, it was around that time he started to get sick." Putting a plate in front of him, I sat down across the table with mine.

"So, your mother is in Nevada?"

I shook my head, again.

"No, not anymore; after the divorce she decided to move to Canada and start over. She wanted to take me with her but I came here." Leaning over my plate, I took a bite. While chewing, I noticed he hadn’t touched his food yet. "You not hungry now?" I covered my full mouth as I spoke.

"Oh, no…I mean, yeah, I’m hungry. I was just thinking…sorry." He picked up his fork and began eating.

I swallowed. "Thinking about what?"

"I just don’t know if you mind answering my questions, that’s all. You’re very difficult for me to figure out." His brow furrowed.

"You can ask just about anything you want." I shrugged. "So, what else do you want to know?" I placed another bite into my mouth.

"Do you have any other relatives, like—?”

"Nope," A sip of my coffee washed the food down. "I had a grandmother. She passed away shortly after I moved back to Winter Harbor."

"I’m sorry," he mumbled then took another mouthful of French toast.

"It’s okay," I smiled and then took another bite.

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