by Mary Cope
Aidan: You there?
Me: Yes, what do you want to drink?
Aidan: Nothing. Get us a table and sit. I’ll get our drinks.
Me: I can get them.
Aidan: Sit. I’ll be there in five.
The brisk air of the early evening felt cool against my bruised cheek. I buttoned up my coat and took a seat under one of the green café umbrellas. A gentle breeze carried the aroma of coffee through the air. The railings surrounding the harbor looked beautiful. They were draped with decorated garland and holiday bows. The annual Christmas boat parade had been a few weeks ago, so most of the sailboats were covered in twinkling lights. The harbor was bustling with shoppers, couples walking arm in arm, and plenty of tourists.
In anticipation of Aidan’s arrival, I chewed my thumbnail. He’d be here any minute. I was prepared with what I wanted to say to him, but I only hoped my decision was the right one. In the middle of my internal pep talk, I spotted him while he casually maneuvered his way through the crowded walkway. I watched in awe as each female between the ages of fourteen and forty noticed him. Even from a distance, he took my breath away. When he got closer to the café, he scanned the tables, and when his eyes met mine, he flashed me a smile that lit up his face.
Aidan seemed nervous when he approached the table. His hands were stuffed in his front pockets as he rocked on his heels. He hesitated before he leaned over the table and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. His blond hair was slicked back, apparently still damp from a recent shower. He smelled clean, and his breath was minty-fresh.
In a whisper he said, “Hi,” then stood up and glanced toward the coffee house.
“Non-fat latte, right?”
“Yes, please.” I smiled.
He fished in his back pocket, grabbed his wallet, and headed into the café. He returned a few minutes later with two steaming paper cups. He placed my latte in front of me and sat down. The sweet aroma drifted between us. Using the steam from the cup, I warmed my hands.
“Are you cold?”
“A little bit.”
Aidan took my hands in his and rubbed them together. “How are you feeling? You look so much better.” His eyes swept over me.
“Thanks, I feel pretty good. I just wish I didn’t look so beat up.”
“You’re still beautiful, bruises and all.”
I took a deep breath and began the dialogue I’d rehearsed in my head all afternoon, except I decided to change my opening statement after his recent compliment.
“Was I not beautiful before?” I took a sip of my latte. It warmed my insides while it slid down my throat. I glanced at Aidan as he moved his chair closer toward mine.
“You were always beautiful. I was just too stupid to see it.” Aidan was silent for a few minutes and his eyes shifted from mine to his steaming cup.
I took a deep breath and gazed over the boats docked in the harbor. I gave myself a few more minutes before I finally spoke up.
“I thought about everything you said. You said you were scared. I’m scared too.” When I twisted my body toward him, his eyes met mine. “Just look at you. Girls are always going to be throwing themselves at you. We’ve even joked about it.”
Aidan held my hand. “Other girls don’t matter to me. I want you. Can’t you see that?” he countered.
“I came here tonight to tell you to forget about me, about us. That I didn’t trust you, and we’d be better off just friends.”
Aidan eyed me cautiously. Several things ran through my mind, but the most unbelievable was he wanted me. I wanted to trust him because he seemed so sincere, but he had already hurt me and I was so worried it would happen again. Part of my subconscious was screaming Don’t be stupid. Don’t fall for him, and the other part was screaming Don’t be stupid. Go for it.
“I want to believe you, but I’m scared.”
Aidan pulled me into his arms and kissed me on my forehead then whispered, “I’m scared too, but let’s try.”
I felt myself getting caught in his spell. I reached up and pushed him back so I could look him in the eyes.
“Why did you try and kiss Melissa?” I could tell he was shocked I knew about what had almost happened between them.
After a few minutes he answered. “I don’t know. I kept watching how she and Mason were together. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I wanted, ya know, what they have together, but what they have, I want with you.”
He answered me with such sincerity I believed him. Maybe I was being a fool, but I believed him. Aidan pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back.
“Please, Liz, forgive me. Give me a chance.”
We sat in silence until I whispered, “Just don’t hurt me.”
I felt his body relax. Then he kissed me softly on the lips.
We sat nestled together, gazing over the festive lights. Our coffee was cold, and the café workers started closing down the umbrellas for the night.
“Do you feel up to taking a walk?” Aidan murmured.
“Sure.”
I picked up our cups and threw them in the trash. Aidan reached for my hand and we strolled through the twinkling lights of the harbor. The soft moonlight was shining against the rippling water. Aidan stopped me in front of a railing near the water’s edge. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me from behind.
“I’ve never wanted a relationship before. I promise not to hurt you,” he whispered.
I leaned back into his firm chest while he gave me slow soft kisses from my neck to my cheek. I turned to face him, and his kisses moved to my lips. I reached my arms under his hoodie to feel his warm muscular back. Aidan’s touch was firm as he gripped my back, aligning my body with his. He kissed me more aggressively and accidentally bumped my bruised cheek. I winced back in pain. He released me and lightly traced the outline of my bruise with the tips of his fingers.
“Sorry.” He gazed down at me with a look of concern. “I’d better get you home.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me toward the parking lot. “Time to face the music,” he said with a wry smile.
“What are you talking about?” I cocked my head and tilted it to the side.
“Your brother.” He opened the passenger side door of his truck and motioned for me to get inside.
“I’ll handle Mason. Don’t worry about him.”
“I saw how ticked he was. He’s not going to take out his anger on you because I’ve been such an idiot.”
His assertive tone was firm, and I chose not to argue. “Okay… but, Mason can be pretty stubborn.”
Aidan leaned in and gave me a big smile. “And I can be extremely persuasive.”
Then he closed the passenger side door. I watched him as he walked to his side of the truck.
That’s what I’m afraid of.
Chapter Eleven
Last night turned into an extremely long night. When Aidan and I walked in the door, Melissa and Mason were cuddling on the couch. We were able to tell them both at the same time that we were giving our relationship a chance. Easy or not, it was what I wanted.
Everything was out in the open. Aidan and I didn’t want to start our relationship with lies, so with my hand in his, Aidan confessed to almost kissing Melissa. I was proud of him for wanting to own up to his mistake. Aidan did his best to try and explain his stupidity, and after a tense twenty minutes, the worst part of the conversation was over. There was nothing more to hide.
Aidan apologized to both Mason and Melissa and even said my brother could throw a punch at him. Mason didn’t, of course, but I thought he appreciated the opportunity just the same.
By the end of the evening, everyone had accepted our decision. The last words I heard my brother say were: “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Our relationship was just beginning, so Mason and Melissa were going to need some time to trust Aidan and, if I was honest with myself, it was going to take time for me, too. But, I was happy. For the first time in a long, long time, I was happy.
****
>
Christmas was just a few days away. Aidan and I hadn’t done any shopping yet, so we decided to make our first official date a shopping one. Not the most romantic, but strolling the mall hand in hand with Aidan didn’t sound so bad either. He was going to pick me up at 1:00 p.m. Random Plan was playing later that night, so we had to be back reasonably early.
Surprisingly, my hair still looked pretty good, so I just pulled the sides back and camouflaged the stitches with a few strands of loose curls. My bruise was still prominent in color but, thankfully, the swelling had gone down. The bandage on my arm was bulky, so I decided to replace the large gauze strip with a latex one. Rifling through my drawers, I pulled out a cream-colored sweater, jeans, and grabbed my grey shoes.
I headed downstairs to check on Maggie and drink a protein shake before Aidan arrived. A beautiful arrangement of sunflowers sat on the kitchen island. Even though my parents had been married for twenty-two years, my dad still brought my mom flowers for no reason at all. So seeing the beautiful bouquet didn’t faze me until my mother said the flowers were for me.
“What?” I gasped.
Mom was emptying the dishwasher. “They were delivered earlier this morning when you were sleeping.” My mom stopped what she was doing, gave me a huge grin, and handed me the card. I ripped it open and read the note.
Elizabeth,
I’m looking forward to officially meeting you.
I hope you’re feeling better soon.
Spencer Hayes
I stared at my mom in surprise and handed her the card. She read the short message, smiled, and handed it back to me.
“How sweet. Your dad and I can’t wait to meet him. Mason says he’s great.”
I grabbed a protein shake from the fridge and my mom left to go back upstairs. I drank my shake and reread the card again.
I’m looking forward to officially meeting you.
I downed the rest of my shake, picked up my flowers, and carried them upstairs to the bedside table. Maggie barked as the doorbell rang. I walked downstairs, gave Maggie a few gentle rubs, and opened the door. The adorable smile of my boyfriend made my heart beat a little faster.
“Ready?” he said, reaching for my hand.
“Yep.” I gave Aidan’s hand a squeeze, then he guided me to the truck.
When he opened the passenger door, he held my gaze as I leaned inside. He smiled before he softly brushed his lips to mine. I reached my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, allowing him to deepen the kiss. My insides trembled when Aidan’s body was firmly pressed against mine. I felt the seat behind me, and, without breaking our kiss, he effortlessly lifted me so I was now sitting with my legs apart, and he was between them. His hand found its way to the small of my back beneath my sweater. I stilled at the contact, and then he kissed me again.
Aidan backed away then murmured, “We’d better stop, or we’ll never get out of here.”
I nodded and exhaled a breathy “Okay.”
My heart was pounding, watching Aidan get into the truck. He turned his gaze to mine and winked before he put the key in the ignition. No doubt about it… I needed to talk to Aidan. My innocence was already hanging on by a thread, and it was only our first date.
****
“That was insane!” Aidan sounded exhausted. He carried all my packages up the stairs to my room, dropped them on the bed, and eyed the sunflowers on my bedside table.
“From your parents?” he asked while taking a sniff.
“Not exactly.” I give him a half-smile.
“Oh?” He sounded surprised. “May I?” He raised an eyebrow and picked up the card.
I shrugged. “Sure.”
Aidan studied the card. “Who’s Spencer?”
“He’s the new guy in charge of the band at church.”
“What’s he like?” Aidan approached me while I sat on the edge of my bed.
“I haven’t met him yet, but Mason likes him a lot.”
Aidan moved the bags aside then gently laid me down. “Well, as long as you don’t like him a lot, we’re good.”
I giggled when Aidan crawled up beside me and covered my neck in kisses.
****
Aidan leaned against his truck as I drank in the sight of him. “You’re sure you don’t want to drive together tonight? I can come back and pick you up.” He pulled me into his chest and planted a quick soft kiss on my lips.
“I need to go to church and pick up a few packages. I’ll just meet you there.”
“Okay, gorgeous girl. I’ll see you tonight.”
I smiled and watched him as he got in his truck and drove away.
****
It felt like I hadn’t driven in forever. I cranked up the volume and sang along with the music then headed to church.
Lance had sent me a text earlier in the day. He’d wanted to let me know he had left Mason and me a Christmas gift. With all the chaos of his last night, he’d forgotten to give them to us. His text said to pick them up in the music room.
I pulled into the empty parking lot and entered through the back door. It seemed eerie to walk the halls of the church when no one other than the staff was there. I walked quickly toward the music room.
When I approached the door, the sound of an acoustic guitar and a man’s soulful voice overwhelmed me. I reached up to knock but stopped. Not wanting to disturb whoever was behind the door, I took a step back to walk away. But the voice was drawing me in. Curiosity had my hand on the doorknob, and, with a click, it was open. The music became louder when I stepped inside the small room.
His voice was filled with such emotion. The pitch was smooth, yet when he hit the high notes, there was a roughness in his tone, making it sound seductive. His back was toward me, so I continued to watch him unnoticed.
The song was sexy, far too sexy to be played in the music room at church. Listening to his soulful voice and the provocative lyrics made me feel like I was invading his privacy, rather than casually observing. My gaze was still fixed on him while I backed away to walk out of the room. I reached behind me to grab the door handle, but my hand slipped, causing a thud. My head bumped against the door, and I heard myself cry out in pain.
Abruptly, the music stopped. He spun around, and our eyes met. Within seconds, he was up on his feet. The next thing I knew, he was at my side. Gradually, I sunk to the floor.
“Are you okay, Elizabeth?” Anxious grey eyes were locked on mine. I was tongue-tied for a minute, trying to process all the information spinning around in my head.
“I think so.” I reached up to touch the back of my head to make sure my stitches weren’t bleeding.
“Here, let me.”
He kneeled down and carefully examined my wound. The proximity of his body next to mine, combined with his warm subtle scent, was making me nervous. From my peripheral vision, I could see his chiseled jaw was covered in light stubble and his full bottom lip was tense with concern. He sighed a breath of relief.
“No blood. I think you’re good.” A dimpled smile crossed his face, then he sat down next to me. Both of us were leaning against the wall, my knees bent, his legs outstretched.
“Do you feel dizzy?”
I could still hear the concern in his voice. I was lost for a minute in the unusual color of his eyes.
A part of me wanted to laugh. Looking at this Adonis of a man? I’d say I’m dizzy. All I could squeak out was “A little bit.”
He nodded and scanned my face with those beautiful grey eyes.
“You’re Spencer? You’re my… neighbor?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “Finally, I get to meet the mysterious Elizabeth Ryan.” Usually I preferred the name, Liz, but the way his sultry voice caressed my full name, I didn’t mind.
“What? Mysterious?” I answered.
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried to meet you?”
“Well, no, not exactly,” I shyly responded.
He twisted his body to look at me. “You were sick the first week I got here
. After the Christmas concert, I came backstage to meet you. One minute you were singing on stage, and the next you were gone. And then, the dog attack.”
“Wait. You were there?”
“I was there.” He nodded. “I just wish I’d been able to get to you sooner. If I had, maybe all this,” he motioned to my injuries with his hand, “wouldn’t have happened. I had to kick the mutt to get him away from your dog.”
I glanced down at Spencer’s feet. He was wearing heavy, black motorcycle boots. I shuddered at the thought of being kicked with them.
“Anyway, after the Christmas concert, I knew who you were, so when the ambulance came, I told them your name. I felt terrible I couldn’t stay to make sure you were okay, but I had to leave town. I got back yesterday, sent you the flowers I’m assuming you got today, and well, here we are.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in on you while you were singing.” I cocked my head to look at him. “By the way, what was the song you were singing?”
“Oh that.” Now he was embarrassed. “It’s a song called ‘Unbroken Promises.’ Like it?”
His dimpled smile made me blush. “Yes. Not sure the song is right for church.” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well, I thought I was alone.” He smiled while he held out his hand to help me up.
I glanced at his muscular arms, knowing his tattoos were hidden under the long-sleeved thermal he was wearing.
The wrapped Christmas presents were on the table. “This is actually what I came here for.” I checked the tags, picked up the packages, and gave him a small smile. Spencer grabbed a well-worn, brown leather jacket from the back of a chair, put it on, and reached out to take the packages from me.
“Let me hold those for ya, darlin’.”
Clearly he wasn’t Southern, and hearing the term of endearment coming out of this tatted-up guy made it sound all the sweeter. Spencer juggled the gifts in one arm so he could open the door for me. We walked down the hallway toward the parking lot together. He was Aidan’s height, and their body types were almost identical, but that’s where the similarities ended. Aidan was a blond, pretty boy with delicate features. Spencer, with his dark brown hair and strong facial features, was more masculine. Although, when he flashed his dimples, there was a boyish quality about him. They were both ridiculously attractive… seriously.