“I have. Here’s the thing, though.” He leaned forward and hooked Tim’s gaze. “I want to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. See, there’s some history there. They don’t know me. They’re real supportive of their daughter but like I told you, she’s divorced and her parents didn’t approve of the guy. He was a real son of a bitch, man, and no, I didn’t just take her word for it. I looked him up… a total sack of shit. Arrogant, a total show-off on Instagram. You can tell he is phony as fuck. Douchebag is written all over his face.”
“Fuck boy status, got it. You said her family was rich, right?”
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, you’re not. I mean, you’re obviously not destitute but you know what I mean. What did the ex do for a living?”
“He was a surgeon.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah, but look where that got everyone? An asshole can be a homeless bum or the president of the country, makes no difference. And don’t forget, they are hardly in a position to judge considering their daughter came to me practically broke and jobless.”
“Good point. But obviously Mr. Surgeon Asshole was taking care of everything.”
“All he took care of was breaking her heart. Anyway, this isn’t about him but I’m just sayin’ Addison had a loser on her arm, so being as close as she is to her family, they might give me the side eye, ya know? I want them to see me, meet me, show them that I’m not some fly by night sorta guy. I’m not like their first son-in-law, I’m not going to hurt Addison, I’m just going to love her and do the best I can by her.”
Tim gave a dramatic golf clap, drawing a smirk from Aiden.
“Beeeaaautiful! Not a dry eye was in sight!” Tim chuckled. “So, do you have a ring?”
“Nope, planning to get one. Hey, I can look for one today, actually. I was gonna go try and reach out to her parents first, but you know, I think I may just cross this off my list. I know the type I want to get her. It’s just a matter of buying it.” He glanced at his watch. “Wanna come?”
“Now why in the hell would I want to come with you to look at engagement rings?! You’re taking this bromance too far.”
“Oh, come on! It’s not like you’ve got something better to do.”
At this, Tim’s lips twisted in annoyance. He patted the rest of the sprayed coffee dry off the table and placed his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.
“All right, but don’t ask me my opinion though. You’ll want to, because you know I have style and great taste, something you lack,” Tim said with a smug expression, the kind that drove Aiden up the wall.
“You’re right about that. I obviously have horrible taste. Look who I have as a friend?!”
“Hardy fuckin’ har! Let’s go.” Tim made his way towards the front door of the establishment with Aiden almost skipping behind. “We’ve got to go blow some money on an expensive rock…”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I’m a Simple Man, With Big Plans
Ho-ly SHIT!
Aiden pulled up to the Blue estate and sat in his car, staring in awe at the house, which he’d already figured would be an obnoxiously large estate. It was the kind of place that rich people with maids trounced about inside. Regardless, he hadn’t expected to see at least four floors, brick walls, a turret, and a winding cobblestone driveway that seemed to go on for at least half a mile. It was simply breathtaking. The house was surrounded by lush evergreen trees and rested against a hill. By the time he’d parked and made his way up the walkway, he was practically winded, mouth open and gasping for air. It was a gorgeous day, and it had been difficult to keep Addison from sniffing him out to take advantage of the prime weather as a duo.
She’d wanted to go garage sale hunting, visit some second-hand boutiques, and then have dinner at Daniel’s Broiler, but he’d concocted some cockamamie lie to go through with his plans. She resolved to go instead with a couple of her girlfriends, or perhaps one of her sisters. He wasn’t certain she’d believed him when he said he’d promised Tim he’d do a Pac – Man competition but could meet her later for dinner, but he hoped his tall tale at least bought him some time.
Rapping his knuckles against the front door, he waited patiently, taking note at the last second that the damn doorbell was right there off to the side. Nerves shot. Rubbing his hands together, he felt the sweat on them and exhaled deeply. Suddenly, the front door swung open, revealing an older Black woman with shoulder length, salt and pepper, curly hair. Her eyes were just like Addison’s, warm and inviting.
“Hello, you must be Aiden. Come right on in.” The woman stepped graciously aside, a big smile on her face.
“Thank you.” He stood in the foyer, looking up at a large, winding staircase. The place looked like a fancy showroom. “I wanna thank you so much for seeing me last minute.”
The woman smiled at him and nodded, locked the door, then stepped in front of him.
“Of course. Please, follow me.” She led him to a large sitting area. The furniture was all cream in color, which contrasted beautifully with the polished mahogany wood. Expensive looking to say the least, so much so, he was almost afraid to sit down on any of it and leave bits of his clothing behind. “Have a seat.” The woman pointed to a couch while she sat opposite him on a loveseat decorated with a few sleek black pillows. “My husband is on his way down. You didn’t have too much trouble finding the house, did you? Some have mentioned that their navigation devices seem to go on the fritz once they hit the forest.”
She crossed her legs, forcing her light gray flared pants to sway, exposing her matching low heels. She smelled of high class, but there was a kindness in her face, one he could appreciate.
“I found it just fine, thank you so much.”
“Would you like something to drink? I have raspberry tea, cold water of course, and hot tea and coffee, too.”
“Um, you know, some water sounds just fine. Thanks.” She got to her feet and disappeared from the room, the clicking of her shoes against the wooden floor fading until he could no longer hear her. Before he could calm his nerves and buy a moment to pull himself together, a tall man wearing a dark green sweater, loose jeans, and fine leather loafers entered the room. He, too, looked kind, though there was a natural seriousness about the way he moved. Aiden quickly jumped to his feet and extended his hand.
“You must be Addison’s father. I’m Aiden Summers. Nice to meet you.” The man smiled and shook his hand.
“I’m Jim. Nice to meet you as well.” The man’s brow bunched as he looked about the room. “I wonder where Meredith went?”
“Oh, she is getting me something to drink.” The man nodded and made his way over to a chair that looked rather comfortable, the only piece of furniture in the room that wasn’t all cream but a rich burgundy shade. When the older gentleman sat down in the chair, he seemed to almost melt into it, looking like royalty.
“Here you are,” Mrs. Blue said. She handed Aiden a cold glass of water chock full of ice, sprigs of mint, and a thinly sliced lime.
This is the prettiest glass of water I’ve ever seen. Looks like a mojito…