by K E Osborn
“Thanks, that would be awesome.” I lean in to kiss him, and then he hurries to get ready.
We walk outside—the day is much brighter than yesterday. The sky’s awash in the most beautiful baby blue color as the sun glistens its morning rays. Not a cloud blemishes the heavens, and it’s like the angels are singing, it’s that damn glorious.
I smile, how appropriate.
It’s going to be a good day.
Aiden kisses me goodbye with a strong, passionate kiss, which sets my heart aflutter and those butterflies into motion as he slides into Mike’s car. As the car pulls away from the curb, I remember Aiden’s heading back to his apartment, and I realize we still have so much to talk about.
To be honest, I’m not sure if I can go back there.
I know I’ll probably have to if I want to live with him again. But it’s where everything went so terribly wrong for us. It’s where Jason—oh God, I can’t think about that.
I try to extinguish the memories of that night threatening to rise to the surface and decide to get ready for work instead. I may as well, seeing as Aiden’s gone. Getting dressed, I go through my usual routine, feeling the happiest I’ve been in a long time.
Arriving at work, I walk inside. Mom’s eyes dart to my dented car through the window, and she rushes over as I enter. “Jeni, what happened to the front of your car?”
“Got into a minor accident... I crashed into the back of Aiden who was driving to see me.” I grin.
Her eyes widen in shock. “You what? Jeni, I know you’re angry with him, but rear-ending him on purpose is dangerous not to mention illegal. What were you thinking?”
I laugh in response. “No, Mom, like I said, it was an accident. To make a long story short, I went to see Aiden at his office. He told me he was moving to Tokyo, then I left in tears. So, he came after me, but somehow got in front of me on my way home, and I crashed into him at the set of traffic lights near Sarah’s….” I grin cheekily. “Then, we made up.”
Mom’s mouth drops open, her eyes are so wide I feel like they might pop out of her face. “So… are you back together?” The excitement in her voice is contagious.
I hold my left hand up showing her my engagement ring. My heart flutters as I watch the recognition on her face. Suddenly, she shrieks and lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “Oh, honey, I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”
I nod, feeling relieved at myself more than anything. “Me, too.”
She pulls back, looking into my eyes with the brightest of smiles.
It feels good to finally start the workday on a high.
Throughout the morning, I still have a pep in my step and a genuine smile on my face.
After a steady morning, I’m getting ready for my lunch break when I look out the floor-to-ceiling window and see Aiden walking toward the salon. Before I have a second to react, Mom lets out another one of her usual shrieks when she spots him and rushes to the door to give him a giant hug as soon as he enters.
“Ev, how are you?”
“Much better now I know you two are back together.” She hugs him tightly, rocking him from side to side.
“You have no idea how happy I am,” he replies as I step over to them. “I was hoping I could steal Jeni away for an hour for lunch? But only if it’s all right with you, Ev?”
She nods. “Of course, you can, honey. Take her for as long as you like.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Unwrapping my apron, I grab my bag to head out. As we approach the door, Mom gives Aiden a kiss on the cheek and winks, which draws a chuckle from him. Linking his fingers with mine, that familiar spark I’ve missed goes all the way to my toes.
“We have a fair bit to talk about.” I glance up at him on the way.
He tightens his grip on my hand. “Yes, I know.”
Walking into the restaurant that neighbors the salon, we take a seat at a little table for two in the back by the window. A waitress hands us each a menu, all while gushing over Aiden. I roll my eyes because he doesn’t even notice, as usual. She blushes, then quickly scurries away. I giggle as Aiden creases his brows, tilting his head in apparent confusion.
“Never mind.” I shake my head.
He takes my hand on the table, making my heart skip a beat like it does whenever he touches me.
“So…” I murmur, biting my lip. My nervous leg agitates up and down as he gazes at me lovingly with that gorgeous smile.
“I’d really love for you to move back in with me. I miss waking up to your beautiful face every morning.”
And there it is.
He comes straight out with it, his hand rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension he’s feeling. Aiden knows what he’s just said is going to be a big issue for me. He knows what the apartment represents. What happened there.
This isn’t a simple yes-or-no answer for me.
“I’d love to live with you again, but I don’t know if I can handle living at your apartment. There’s a lot of horrible memories there for me, Aiden. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones, too. But… I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Aiden’s eyes light up with that sparkle I haven’t seen for a long time. He grins widely and exhales, seemingly relieved. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
My heart races, and my chest goes tight. “What?” I ask, wondering why he would be happy about me not wanting to move back into his apartment.
Aiden starts to talk really fast like he’s nervous or excited, maybe both. “Before we… um… took some time apart… I’d made plans to build us a house on the land at the Scope. When you left, I didn’t want to be at the apartment anymore either, so I continued with the development of the house. I have plans if you’d like to see them?” he asks, grinning from ear to ear, carefully watching my every move.
“You were building us a home?” My heart flutters as a sudden wave of excitement floods over me.
He nods. “It was going to be your wedding gift.” He hesitantly relays that piece of information, almost like he’s worried about how I’ll react.
My overwhelming feelings of love and adoration for him right now ignites a fire in my soul. Aiden strokes my hand with his thumb as I stare at him lovingly. “I can’t believe you were doing that for me.”
Aiden’s face alights, he’s looking pleased with himself. “You deserve a nice house. I want to give you something you’ll think of as ours and not mine.” He smiles. “We can get a dog and maybe… raise a family? What do you think?”
I’m filled with so much joy, I’m beyond elated. I can’t believe he was planning this for me. To think I nearly gave all of this up makes me tingle in a cold sweat. For some reason, I want to jump over the table and into his lap, but I stay seated. I don’t want to overwhelm him since we’ve only just started talking. “Aiden… I… I don’t know what to say.”
He grins widely, pulling some papers from inside his jacket pocket and lays them on the table. The movement so quick, I hardly have time to focus on what they are.
“Don’t say anything. Take a look at the plans and tell me what you think.”
I stare at him, suppressing my urge to smile. The current of excitement flowing through me is electrifying. Quickly, I roll open the plans of the two-story, luxurious, open-plan-living home. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a study, two living rooms, a game room, a theater room, and a giant combined kitchen, dining, and living area which opens out to a deck with a water feature. The deck leads to a giant pool and spa. The main bedrooms have ensuites and walk-in closets, and there’s a centerpiece staircase in the main entrance. Our bedroom has a balcony which will overlook the city.
“Aiden, this is huge.” My breath is completely taken away as I study the plans.
“I know, only the best for my girl.” He pulls out another plan and lays it on top of our house plan.
I tilt my head, looking at him with my brows furrowed. “What’s this?”
He seems excited, his eyes are bright, and his s
mile isn’t fading. “It’s a smaller house I want to build on another part of our property that we can use as a guesthouse.”
I glance at the plan in front of me and can’t help but feel excited about this house as well. “I love it! All of it! You’ve done a great job, Aiden.”
He inhales a deep breath. His knee agitates as he takes my hand over the table. “Good, because the foundation has been laid, and they’re about halfway through the construction phase,” he tells me in quick succession. He looks at me with an intense stare.
The reality of the situation hits me. “When will our house be ready?”
Aiden’s body tenses, his eyebrows furrow, and his forehead creases. “About a month. I’ve a team of men working around the clock to make sure it’s finished quickly.”
Wow! We’re going to have our own home.
A mansion like Callie and Niall’s.
Well, just Niall’s now, but still, my own home where we can have pets and a garden. It’s going to be fantastic. My nerves wash away with another round of undeniable excitement. I grip onto his hand tighter. “Aiden, thank you so much. I can’t wait to see it.”
With a loud exhale, I’m assuming from relief that I’m on board, he takes his hand from mine as he puts away the plans. “No, thank you for coming into my life and filling it with love.” He rubs his thumb across my hand.
We sit chatting, and the waitress comes back to take our drink orders.
“What do we do in the meantime?”
Aiden raises his eyebrows and seems deep in thought. “We can stay at the Intercontinental in the penthouse suite.”
I scoff at him. “Ah… no. A month in a hotel room would drive me crazy.”
His eyes lift to the ceiling as he takes both my hands in his. “We could stay at Sarah’s, if she’ll have us?”
“I can ask, but… would you really be happy there?”
His lips turn up in the most dazzling of ways. “I’m fine anywhere you are. Living with my girl and my best buddy sounds fucking awesome to me.”
“Okay then, I’ll ask. I guess we should start talking about our wedding?”
“Anything you want, you can have. And I mean anything at all. I want this to be your dream wedding. Nothing is out of the question.”
“To be honest, I’ll be happy with a garden wedding, and maybe a nice place for the reception. How about you?”
“That sounds perfect. But Jeni, I want this to be a day you’ll remember forever. I want you to have the best of everything. Whatever you want.” Aiden takes a sip of his soda, and his attention remains focused on me. “Are you happy?”
I tighten my grip on his hand as I stare longingly into his gorgeous blue eyes. “Ecstatically, but don’t forget this is your wedding, too.”
My reassurance makes his eyes sparkle. “So, we’re doing this, then? Getting married? Building a house and starting our lives together?”
“Definitely.”
The corners of his mouth turn upward as his whole face beams.
I know this feels right. Aiden’s the man I’m supposed to marry and be with until the end of time. Nothing can shake this good mood I’m feeling, not even the idea of having Niall back in my life. And I know one day soon, I will have to face that asshole again but not now and not today.
Right now, I am celebrating with Aiden.
Niall is tomorrow’s problem.
Aiden follows me home after work, so we can ask Sarah together if Aiden can stay until our new house is finished.
We both walk toward the dining room and notice Chris sitting at the table in his boxers playing on his phone.
“Been really busy today I see, Chris.” I giggle as we walk past.
“Yeah, flat out. Can’t you tell?” He smirks and continues to play on his phone.
We walk to my room and kick off our shoes as Sarah comes rushing in. Her eyes sparkle, and her face is beaming. “Aiden, are you staying for dinner?”
“Actually, there’s something Jeni and I would like to discuss with you guys over dinner if that’s all right?”
Sarah raises an eyebrow in curiosity. “Yeah, no worries.” She runs back out of the room as quickly as she entered, causing me to snort out a laugh as we sit on the edge of my bed.
“Are you sure you want to move in here? You won’t have much private space or an office to work in.”
“Jeni, anywhere you are is perfect for me. It’s only for a month, and since being with you, I’ve learned what’s truly important to me. Luxurious living means nothing if you don’t have someone important to share it with.”
My heart sinks a little knowing he was as lost without me as I was without him. Leaning in, I kiss him on his cheek. He winks at me, and at this moment, I know that Aiden and I are truly made for each other. We gaze in each other’s eyes, and his bright orbs sparkle, giving me goosebumps all over my body. I lean in and kiss his lips softly, then stand and grab my gray sweat pants and pink tank top to get changed.
Aiden takes off his jacket and tie and starts unbuttoning his shirt. “I was thinking of asking Chris to be my best man. What do you think?” he asks out of the blue.
“That’ll be great because I already asked Sarah to be my maid of honor at our engagement party.”
I pull him up from the bed, so he’s standing before me. His arms wrap around my waist, mine around his neck. We start to kiss, and tingles flitter all through me, just like every time I’m alone and kissing Aiden. It never changes. The chemistry, the way we feel, the way our bodies react to each other, we just belong together.
Sarah eventually comes in disturbing our moment by telling us dinner is ready. We walk out to the dining room and sit at the table waiting for Chris to dish up another one of his masterpieces. He brings us homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and it smells delicious as always.
Sarah pours us some wine and hands the guys a beer, then sits. “What is it you wanted to talk to us about?”
I grin, but let Aiden do the talking. “As you know, we’re back together—”
“Yay,” Sarah interrupts, clapping her hands enthusiastically like a small child. She can’t help herself, and I giggle.
“We want to live together again, but for obvious reasons, we both don’t want to go back to the apartment—”
“You can stay here,” Chris interrupts this time.
Sarah’s face is all smiles. “Yeah, for sure. Stay here with us. It’ll be cool having you guys around. It’ll be like a permanent double date.” Sarah’s voice is high-pitched and bubbly.
“It will only be for a month or so while our house is being built,” Aiden informs.
Sarah and Chris’ mouths drop open in their obvious surprise. “Shit, you’re building? Where?” Chris asks.
“On the outskirts of town at the top of Commitment Hill.”
“Is that what it’s really called?” Sarah asks with a smirk.
Aiden chuckles. “Yes, strange name, I know, but that’s what it was called when I bought it. But Jeni and I call it the Scope.”
“I think it’s a fitting name. It’s where we went on our first date and slept under the stars,” I reminisce as Aiden winks at me.
“That’s so cool. When do you want to move in, Aiden?” Sarah asks casually through a mouthful of dinner.
“Tonight? If that’s all right with you guys?”
“Yeah, dude, I need a little more testosterone in this house.” Chris puts his beer up for Aiden to clink, then they both take a sip. “Is the wedding back on, then?” Chris asks matter-of-factly.
“Yes, we haven’t decided when, but I’ve decided on who I want my best man to be.” Chris looks up, his interest piqued. “So, Chris, you interested?”
His eyes widen. “Of course! Thanks, you won’t regret it.” He stands, a giant grin beams across his face. He leans in and gives Aiden a man hug, back-slapping included for good measure. “I’m going to throw you a killer bachelor party, man.”
“Now, now, nothing too dramatic,” Sarah warns. “We want
him to still be in one piece on the day.”
“No way. It’s going to be fucking epic,” Chris chimes, high-fiving Aiden.
I take Aiden’s hand under the table, and he gently strokes my skin with his thumb.
Sarah and Chris continue to mock-argue over the bachelor and bachelorette parties, eventually agreeing to disagree. They continue to talk about our future plans and ideas for the wedding and how they can help. The buzz and energy in the room is energizing, and I can’t help but feel so freaking elated right now as Sarah suggests that our mothers do our hair and makeup, to which I quickly agree.
We continue talking over dinner, but eventually we need to leave so we head to the car.
Arriving at the parking garage, we make our way to the elevator. My heart pounds when the doors finally open, and the color drains from my face.
Aiden glances at me. “Baby, you don’t have to come up if you don’t want to.”
“I know, I’m fine.” I’m lying, of course. I’d be happy if I never stepped foot in his apartment again.
But I take a deep, steadying breath.
I can do this.
Aiden takes my hand, and we enter the elevator. My breathing becomes shallow the further the elevator travels to the apartment. It seems to take forever. The doors open, and I tighten my fingers in his.
The last time I was here was that heart-shattering day when my world ended, and we broke up. He was a mess on the floor, and I walked out feeling like I was completely broken. I gnaw on my bottom lip trying to push those thoughts from my mind.
We step out of the elevator and proceed through to the living room. He turns on the lights, and instantly, memories fill my head of Jason and the incident. My heart pounds harder and faster, and I feel like I’m going to be sick or faint. I’m not sure which one is worse. To distract myself, I walk as quickly as possible into the bedroom with Aiden following closely behind.
I make my way into the closet and start grabbing at his clothes frantically. I need to get this over with as quickly as possible.
I don’t want to be here.
Suddenly, Aiden’s arms wrap around my waist, and I sigh, instantly feeling a calmness wash over me. His chin rests on my shoulder, and I bask in his warmth, taking a deep breath. His scent surrounds me as I lean my back into his front.