The Road to Finding Us: A Standalone Second Chance Romance (Aftershock Series Book 2)

by Kat Singleton

  His grip tightens on my neck, bringing me a fraction of an inch toward him in the process. His head inches closer and closer until his breath peppers my lips. “I wanted you to regret going because—”

  The sound of the front door flying open reaches our ears and stops his words.

  “Lily, hi!” Selma says from down the hallway.

  Aspen and I jump away from each other so fast it has my head spinning. Or maybe it’s Aspen’s sudden change in demeanor.

  “I just saw your text,” Selma says, finally looking at the two of us. “Hey, Aspen.” Her eyes travel between us, her thick eyebrows pulling together in momentary confusion.

  Maverick walks in behind her, a smile on his face. “Lily, Aspen. How are you tonight?”

  “Got my bag!” I blurt, holding it up to prove to everyone I have a true purpose for being here. “Look,” I reach my hand out like the models on The Price is Right, “bag.”

  Aspen laughs next to me. My eyes dart to him, narrowing. He’s the reason I’m feeling the need to model my bag like it’s going to the highest bidder, seeing as my twin and best friend just walked in on a weird moment between the two of us.

  I think I was about to kiss Aspen. I’m in sudden panic mode.

  “Riiiightt…” Mav says, staring inquisitively between me and Aspen. He gives Selma a look, one she returns with a nod.

  “All right, well,” I glance at Aspen, finding him staring right at me—an expectant look on his face, “I’ve got places to be. Toodles!” I refuse to look at Aspen on my way out, moving as fast as I can manage. “Bye, Mav. Love ya.” I give my brother a swift hug, adjust the bag on my shoulder, and fly out of the house.

  As soon as I get in my car, I let out a shaky breath, hands gripping the steering wheel in front of me before I let my forehead fall against the top of it.

  I think Aspen almost just kissed me.

  And I think I wanted him to.

  14

  Lily

  Present

  “Well, this is not what I expected,” Aspen grumbles next to me, his arm brushing against mine as he strokes his chin in thought.

  “Ya think?” My eyes take in the scene before me. My fingers stroke the soft cotton of the robe the bath attendant handed to me five minutes ago.

  “The website said they were hot springs,” he states, his voice hitching at the end. “I guess they did mention something about the bathhouse…”

  I give him a scowl. He looks almost comical wrapped in a huge white fluffy robe. The bewildered look on his face is even more humorous. “And you didn’t think about looking at what hot springs meant exactly? Or the fact that they said bathhouse?”

  “I thought hot springs meant hot springs. Like natural hot tubs in the middle of cliffs or some shit.”

  “It appears you were wrong,” I snap back.

  Either way, the hot springs are certainly not what Aspen thought they would be. Because in front of us is a small tub built into the floor. The pumps on top of it appear to pump in the water from the springs. It looks a lot like a jacuzzi you’d find at a hotel.

  Roaming over the small room, I find it architecturally beautiful. The tile beneath my feet is a beautiful terra cotta color. The bathtub—or I’m sorry, hot spring—is a creamy white color. Emerald and cobalt tiles line the edge of the tub and make a pattern all the way through it.

  “Yeahhhh,” he mutters, blowing out a breath, “I realize that now.” He too takes in our surroundings while playing with the collar of his bathrobe. We both stare blankly ahead at the small room we just paid twenty bucks to use.

  “Fuck it,” I say, slipping off my flip-flops. The tile is cold against my bare feet. I untie the knot at my waist and let the robe slowly fall off my shoulders. I don’t look at Aspen, but the heat from his eyes on my bare shoulders sends tingles through my body as I reach to hang the robe on one of the few hooks on the wall.

  I hesitantly turn around, not missing the way I feel Aspen’s burning gaze on every bare inch of my body. It’s not like he hasn’t seen all of me before. But for some reason, it feels deeply intimate to be standing here in only a bikini with him, in a secluded room for just the two of us.

  My spine straightens when I watch him remove his sandals. Next, the bottom of his robe sways and I know without even looking that he’s untying his as well. In a matter of seconds, I’m going to be met with a shirtless Aspen—and knowing that sends my pulse into overdrive.

  His feet disappear from the spot on the floor I’m staring at, but I refuse to look anywhere else at this point. Suddenly it feels very hot in here. I’m regretting ever agreeing to his stupid idea to come here. I can verbally spar with him all day, but I don’t think I have it in me to sit a few feet away from him with both of us barely clothed.

  “So, all I need to do to shut you up is take off my clothes?”

  My eyes leave the floor and land on his ever-present cocky grin, his dimples on perfect display. I want to jam my finger in them until it hurts him.

  “Damn,” he snickers, attempting to hide his smile by running a hand over his mouth. “I should’ve taken off my shirt six hours ago.”

  “You would’ve caused a car accident,” I note.

  “Are you saying people would be too distracted by my body?”

  Rolling my eyes, I say, “What I’m saying is they’d be too disgusted by what you’d have on display that they’d veer right off the road.” My gaze lazily drags down his naked torso. The muscles ripple as he shifts his position. I used to spend hours memorizing the freckles that span his chest and abdomen. It was my mission to kiss every single one of them dancing down his body. I could get lost in the lean muscles of his chest, in his chiseled six-pack.

  Now, I want to erase every single one of those memories from my head.

  “Like what you see?” he teases, slowly running his hand down said muscles.

  I make sure to take my time to respond to him. Judging by the way he keeps shuffling his bare feet around, he’s anxiously awaiting my answer. My eyes make the trek all the way back up his body until I’m met with his curious stare.

  My shoulders lift carelessly in a shrug. “Doesn’t do it for me anymore.”

  His mouth drops.

  “Oh, close your mouth, Aspen. You look like a damn dog.” I take the few steps to reach the edge of the bathtub. Then I pump the lever until water comes spilling out, quickly filling the basin while steam tickles my lower body. When I dip my toe into the water, I’m met with balmy hot water. I continue to ease into it until I’m all the way up to my belly button.

  The hot water instantly soothes my muscles. I close my eyes and adjust my position until I’m seated comfortably in the tub, my head resting in the premade space for it. My eyelids start to flutter close as I ignore the looming presence in the room and try to relax.

  I know the minute he steps in because he makes no attempt to keep my peace and stay quiet.

  One of my eyes pops open, and I watch him lower his body into the water. Once he’s settled, he looks across the tub at me. There’s a wrinkle right between his eyes as he thinks deeply about something.

  “Awww, Aspen,” I start, settling deeper into the water. “Does something have you speechless?”

  His eyes snap to me, his face pulling together in a grimace. “Let’s just not talk and enjoy the water, ‘kay?”

  “Gladly.” I close my eyes once again, attempting to forget that my first love is sitting shirtless only a few feet away from me.

  15

  Lily

  Present

  I’m woken up by the lights being turned on. I grumble and throw a pillow over my head, trying my best to block it out. There’s no way I was asleep for more than five minutes before this heinous disruption.

  “Lily?” I hear a familiar voice ask cautiously.

  Oops.

  I throw the pillow off my head and then shoot up out of the bed the next instant. Unfortunately, the sheets have wrapped around me and I end up face planting onto the ha
rdwood floor of the treehouse. Rubbing my elbow, I glance at the clock on the nightstand to check for the time. I guess I’ve been asleep for an hour.

  “Hi. Uh…well…surprise?” I say hesitantly. I try to gauge his reaction by his facial expression, but the man has mastered his poker face.

  “Last I checked this place has two beds, and you’re in mine.”

  “Okay, well, here’s the deal…my room has dolls.” I stuff my hands in the large pocket in the front of my sweatshirt.

  “Dolls?” Aspen asks, his eyes widening.

  “Yes, Aspen—dolls! A whole freaking shelf of dolls that look like they’re plotting my murder. I can’t sleep in there.” My body shudders at the memory. I laid my head down to sleep after Aspen had excused himself for a work phone call, the cell service too spotty in the treehouse for him to hear the other line clearly. I was seconds away from getting up and changing into my pajamas when I noticed the shelf of doom.

  I don’t know how I missed it when I first put my things in the room, but I did. After looking at the overflowing shelves full of dolls with beady eyes and creepy smiles, I hightailed it out of my room so fast I didn’t even think to grab any of my belongings.

  I was half-expecting to look back and find one of the dolls chasing me with a knife.

  “You’re half-naked and sleeping in my bed because of dolls?” he asks, exasperation dripping from his voice.

  I take the moment to get a good look at him. He looks exhausted. His hair sticks up in different directions, as if he’s been running his hand through it. There are bags under his eyes. My curiosity is piqued. I want to ask him what’s going on, but I keep my questions inside. “Half-naked?” My eyes drop to my body.

  “The sweatshirt. My sweatshirt,” he deadpans, a noticeable husk to his voice. His eyes slip to where the sweatshirt engulfs my body, before I’m met with his green gaze.

  “Sooo….” I start, racking my brain on how I can logically explain to him why I’m wearing his sweatshirt. “I was in my room, changing out of the clothes I wore to dinner and into my pajamas, when I looked across the room. Then BAM—creepy dolls staring right back at me. I panicked, Aspen. I ran out of that room as fast as my legs would take me and I darted right into your room. I didn’t want to get in your bed with dirty clothes on so I just uh, well, I just went into your bag and borrowed something of yours. It’s—” I catch myself before I continue to ramble, snapping my mouth shut.

  I begin to pull one of my arms through the armhole before he steps closer to stop me.

  “Are you even wearing pants?” Aspen challenges, his gaze flicking down. I follow his line of sight to look down at my legs, seeing where his question has stemmed from. It does sort of look like I’m not wearing anything underneath.

  I pull up the sweatshirt to show him I have something on and I hear his breath catch.

  I’d rolled his boxers a few times so they didn’t completely fall down my hips. I don’t know if he’s staring at the tiny bit of skin I have exposed or staring because I’m wearing his underwear. I quickly let the sweatshirt drop, looking back at him to see his eyes aimed on the ceiling.

  He takes a big breath. “Keep the sweatshirt.” I watch curiously as he walks to the bed and fixes the pillows I had messed up in my sleep. After fixing them, he tugs the blankets back and pulls off his shirt, only remaining in his joggers before crawling into bed.

  “All right, then. Well, I guess I’ll go sleep with the murderous dolls.” I force a smile and begin to tiptoe backward out of the room, my heart racing at the thought of those dolls staring at me all night.

  I expect to wake up surrounded by little doll gremlins sacrificing me like a lamb. Or something of the sort. Whatever’s happening in scary movies these days.

  “Don’t be like that, Lily. You already said you can’t sleep in that room. This bed is big enough for both of us. Just stay on your side.” He rolls over and faces the opposite wall, paying me no extra attention.

  Oh, this is bad. Bad, bad, bad.

  My heart slams against my chest, but I don’t think it’s because of the dolls this time. It’s because Aspen just offered for me to sleep in the same bed as him, so nonchalantly. As if it isn’t a big deal. It was barely something we did in the small time we were…together. My head is aware of where I stand with Aspen, but it’s my stupid lady bits (and what appears to be the mind of their own) I’m afraid of. I’m terrified the closer I get to him—if I allow things like this to happen—that lines will get blurred and I will end up heartbroken all over again.

  “Stop overthinking this,” he says, his words muffled by the blanket he has pulled up to his chin.

  Yeah, overthinking this. Totally.

  “Why don’t you sleep with the dolls? It’s not like you’ll find them creepy.”

  One of his eyes opens as he looks over his shoulder, and he quirks an eyebrow. “You’re going to force me to sleep in that room? When you won’t even do it?”

  Shuffling my feet on the ground, I shrug. “You’re a lot braver than I am. Big strong man, remember?”

  He laughs, moving deeper into the bed. “Big strong man? That might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me in years.”

  “Great. Does that mean you’ll take the creepy room?”

  He pulls the blanket tighter against his chin. “I’m good right where I am.”

  A small gasp leaves my lips when I realize the man isn’t freaking moving.

  I can sleep with Aspen without things being weird. Right?

  I’m fucking cool as a cucumber.

  This is fine. Everything’s fine.

  It’s not like I’ll even accidentally touch him with how large his bed is. And there is no way in hell I’m sleeping in a room with homicidal dolls.

  “Seriously, stop thinking too much into it. I don’t care where you sleep but stop standing there being just as creepy as the dolls that got us into this situation,” he says in a groggy voice.

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can get a rein on them.

  His hand slaps the blanket down as he focuses on me. “Lily, do you think I’d be offering for you to sleep in the same bed as me if I had a girlfriend? Or better yet, traveling just the two of us if I did?”

  I take tiny steps closer to the bed. “Well it’s not like anything is going to happen between us.”

  “I didn’t say it was.” He’s got me there.

  I tentatively climb into the bed, lying on the very edge. There’s no spare inch between me and the edge of the mattress. If I shifted to the left, even slightly, I’d be hanging off the bed.

  I don’t move a muscle for a few minutes, trying to be as little of a nuisance as possible.

  After I don’t know how long, Aspen turns to face me. The moon shining in through the window illuminates the right side of his face perfectly.

  The two of us stare at each other silently. Both our eyes slowly roam over the features of the other. It appears he might say something, and just when I think I might be seeing things, he opens his mouth to talk.

  “Thank you for riding with me, Lily. It feels good to be with you again.” And then his eyes drift close, and I’m too stunned to even respond.

  16

  Aspen

  Past - Age Twenty-One

  “Guys, we shouldn’t be doing this,” Selma complains as we walk through the woods that surround the perimeter of the park.

  “It’ll be fine, Selm,” I try to encourage her, squeezing her shoulder in support. She takes her eyes off Maverick for a moment, looking over at me and giving a timid smile.

  “If you don’t want to do this, that’s fine. We can just go home.” The words come from Maverick. He motions for Lily to stop in front of him, who gives Selma a reassuring smile in the process.

  “I think I’m just nervous,” Selma says, tentatively rubbing her elbow as her eyes bounce between us.

  The four of us were at the apartment when Lily had the bright idea that she wanted to break into
the park near our apartment and go drink by the lake.

  Because drinking at the apartment or at Lenny’s wasn’t quite good enough.

  “We’ll just go home, then,” Maverick offers, leaning down to kiss her on the head.

  Selma nods her head. “I’m sorry, you guys. I’m too much of a rule follower.” She gives a defeated shrug.

  “That’s why we love you, Selma,” I tell her, taking the few steps until I’m standing in front of her. I rub the top of her head playfully to try to ease her worry.

  “I’ll break the rules enough for the two of us,” Lily adds, wagging her eyebrows.

  “We’ll catch the two of you later. Have fun,” Maverick throws out, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. They both utter goodbyes one last time before they disappear through the tree line.

  “You still in?” Lily asks, straightening the backpack on her shoulder.

  “I’m in if you’re in,” I tell her, searching her face for any discomfort. This has suddenly turned into a bad idea. A very bad idea. I shouldn’t be alone with Lily, especially alone and drinking with her. A man only has so much willpower.

  Her blue eyes dart around the dark forest. She takes her sweet ass time to decide, but finally she gives me a hesitant nod, then starts to walk in the direction of the lake.

  I stare at her back as I follow her, my mind racing with how the fuck I’m going to handle the possibilities of what could happen. My blood starts to pump quicker as I stare at the way the muscles in her legs move. She has a pathetic excuse for a pair of shorts on, showing so much skin that it’s all I can focus on right now.

  I didn’t used to stare at her longingly. I’ve always wanted her, sure. But I knew I couldn’t have her—in any way. That was always clear to me, kept me turning me away from her. But after she started dating Blaine last year, the less I cared about bro code. Lucky for me (maybe), Blaine had to move back home unexpectedly almost a year into their relationship. I thought it would leave Lily distraught but she handled it well, claiming everything was okay and she was fine.