We ended up practically snuggling, with me in the middle on the couch, scarfing down pizza. I missed these moments with my friends, my family.
“So Aidan.” Abby brought up the elephant in the room.
“Yeah.” I was resting my head against Abby’s. Jessie’s head was on my shoulder.
“He’s the real deal.”
I felt like I was in the rushing water again. Breathe, I demanded of myself. “How can I? How could we?”
“Well, he would have to put up with a lot. You’re pretty high maintenance,” Jessie teased, but not really.
“It’s true.” I had no problem admitting it.
“He doesn’t seem to mind. I think he would like to do more if you let him. He was really worried about you when you left The Pavilion earlier.” Abby sounded worried too.
“What are you so afraid of?” Jessie asked.
I thought long and hard, trying to put it into words, trying to decide if I wanted to admit it. Silence settled in, but with Abby and Jessie, that was okay. They let it linger for as long as they needed to. I finally decided to let it out. “I don’t want to lose myself. I’ve watched you both do it.”
Abby sighed. “You’re right, but thanks to each other, we’ve always found ourselves again. If you ever got lost, we would bring you back.”
There was nothing left to say. Our tears said it all.
Okay maybe there were some things. “He reads the Bible and I think he might be a spy.”
“What?!” They shouted.
“He denies it, but I’m more bothered by the churchy stuff.” I was secretly hoping he was a spy. I thought it was sexy.
“You know how Blake feels about it, and we make it work.”
“Yeah, but Blake was never married to Mother Teresa,” I countered Jessie.
“Maybe he’s looking for more spice this go around,” Abby suggested.
“He had that with wife number two and it didn’t work out so well.”
Jessie rested more snugly against me. “I don’t think it matters what his first two wives were like. All that matters now is that he wants you. And if you ask me, that makes him a smart guy.”
I wasn’t sure how smart he was.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The old Cheyenne still lived and breathed inside of me. She was stubborn as she had ever been and I loved her. The night of the fundraiser arrived, and it was a gorgeous sight, if I do say so myself. I took a page from the bouquet of Asian flowers Aidan had once given me and had all the centerpieces made to match. The sprays of yellow, orange, and red played nicely against the black tablecloths. The only lighting was the strings of lights strung across the ballroom. It gave the affair an intimate flair even though we were expecting a few hundred people.
Most were coming for the food and entertainment. We only had a couple dozen bachelors to go around. There had been rumors about the special entertainment. Some people thought I had booked a popular indie band out of Denver. Others swore I got one of the country stars who had a vacation home in nearby Evergreen. They were all wrong, and I couldn’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they heard Abby and Aidan. They were better than any of the guesses.
Speaking of Abby, she was a knockout in the black evening gown I made her buy. It showed off her new svelte figure—aka the revenge body—nicely. Shane was coming as her date. I had a feeling he was going to be moving back home soon. I didn’t like it, but she was happy. Happier than I’d seen her in forever. And maybe Shane was proving himself, but I would be watching him like a hawk.
I was making sure the desserts from Jessie Belle’s were arranged and set out the way I envisioned them when Aidan stole up from behind me and whispered in my ear, “I like the cutouts in that dress.”
Shivers ran down my partially exposed body, from the cutouts to the slit that said ‘hello’ and ‘my what fine long legs you have’.
“I’m sure it goes against the Bible or something.” Which is why I wore it.
He laughed in my ear. “I missed you this week.”
I missed him too, but I was still trying to think how it would all work. That, in and of itself, was a huge step for me. But the old Cheyenne was still there. She was still trying to be heard and she . . . she was afraid and more than ticked off. She liked our plan of no men. It was safe. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to play it safe anymore, at least not when it came to Aidan. I turned around and immediately caught my breath.
He was beautiful in his tux, even with his tie undone. His gray-green eyes were telling me that he wanted Cheyenne, every part of her. He stepped closer. “Can you tie my tie?”
I stood almost as tall as him in my stilettos that hadn’t had any use in a while. It gave me easy access to his tie and eyes. “Sure.” My hands went to work tying his bowtie.
“You look stunning tonight.”
“Thanks.” I’d been dying to have an event to take my red evening gown for a spin. And emceeing the bachelor auction was the perfect occasion for it.
“Cheyenne.”
I finished up his tie and focused only on his eyes. “Yes?”
“Do you like me?”
He hadn’t asked me for weeks. I was glad for it. I didn’t think I could lie to him anymore. Now the moment had arrived and I wasn’t sure I could tell him. I wanted to, but old Cheyenne was kicking and screaming inside of me. She wanted to admit it too. She really did, but she knew it came with pain. The pain we had so carefully protected ourselves from for years. And wouldn’t he be happier with someone else? When he got on the list of the very few people’s happiness I cared about in this world, I couldn’t remember. “Aidan . . .” Did it sound like I was begging him? I never begged.
He took it as an invitation and obliterated the small distance between us. The heat between us multiplied, and his lips—the lips I had been aching for—hovered just shy of mine, teasing me. “Say the word, Cheyenne.”
I breathed him in, trying to get all of me on board. The internal battle raged. I leaned toward him ever so slightly, a decision almost on my lips. But we were interrupted before I could tell him.
“Aidan, Cheyenne.” The freaking preacher man had the worst—or best—timing ever. The battle within was real and it consumed me.
Aidan swore under his breath and turned around. I seconded the four-letter sentiment. “Nate.” He sounded like he was going to tell his brother off, but then he looked at sweet Kristen by his side. She was killing me in her floral dress; it did nothing for her shape. And I’m pretty sure it matched her couch, but it was her. Her eyes about popped out of her head when she saw my sleek red gown that showed off everything I had. I couldn’t wait for the women’s group to show up. I knew some of them had been protesting my soiree, but I also knew how these women worked, and they weren’t about to miss it.
“I need to go make sure Maddie’s here to sell the raffle tickets for the baskets.”
Aidan caught my hand before I could escape. “Cheyenne, we need to talk.”
“Not now.” I let go of his hand and did what the old Cheyenne wanted to do. Run.
That didn’t work for him; he followed me out into the lobby, but we both got sidelined when Jessie and Blake and Abby and Shane all showed up together with big news. Rachel had the twins. They were four weeks early, but doing mostly well. One of the twins was in the NICU and on oxygen, but they only expected him to be there a few days. Easton was at the hospital with the new arrivals. Rachel was exhausted, but elated. Andrew was apparently on cloud nine and offering to buy all the hospital staff new cars. The babies were being named after their grandfathers, Oliver and Douglas. Those sounded old to me, but hey, they weren’t my kids.
“I guess we’ll have to do her shower when she and the babies come home.” Abby was disappointed it didn’t happen before, but life and Rachel being put on bed rest hadn’t allowed for it.
Shane put his arm around Abby. Abby stiffened—she wasn’t ready for that step in public yet—but didn’t pull away. He got the hint and dro
pped his arm. If ever anyone looked dismayed, it was him. I guess it would be something they could discuss in their weekly therapy session.
Not like I felt sorry for him. I did my best not to cringe when he touched her. I was also trying my hardest not to look at Aidan, who had taken an iron stance next to me. I didn’t know if I was quite ready, the battle was still going on, and for the first time in my life I felt like I would puke over a man.
“It will be fun to have the babies at the shower.” Jessie put a positive spin on it. “Besides, between Andrew, his mother, and Rachel’s parents, those babies are set.”
“How’s Drew?” I asked. It wasn’t because I was a good person, it was because I was buying time.
Everyone stared at me in shock. Hey, I wasn’t that bad. Okay, yes, I was.
“He’s excited, from all accounts,” Abby answered.
That didn’t give me any reason for follow up questions, and people were starting to arrive, so I really needed to find Maddie. “See you later.” I gave no pretense to my departure.
Aidan took my hand again. I didn’t have time or the emotional aptitude to deal with him right now. I wasn’t sure if Abby and Jessie read me right or if something else was at play, but they both gave Aidan an odd look.
“We need to speak to you, Aidan,” Jessie sounded all business.
That was odd to me, but I didn’t question it. I left my best friends to him and headed for the bathroom. I felt like I was going to lose it, just like the night of the accident. On the way, I ran into Maddie and Connor. Let’s just say Connor was wearing more of Maddie’s lip gloss than she was.
I had to stop the delinquents before they ran into their parents. “Yo, lovebirds, I hope you have some lip gloss in that bag of yours.” I grinned at Maddie. “And Connor, hit the john before you go anywhere else. Peach isn’t your color, and your hair looks like exactly what you’ve been doing.”
They both grinned stupidly. Connor hightailed it to the men’s room and Maddie hugged me. I held on to her for longer than I normally would. “Be careful,” I whispered in her ear.
“I will be. I have big plans, and not even Connor will get in my way.”
“That’s my girl. Your pink strip needs a touch-up, by the way.”
“Can we do purple next?”
“Sure.” I squeezed the crap out of her. I needed it. “Now go sell tickets and tell Connor to make sure no one gets in without a donation of food or money for the food pantry.”
Maddie scurried off. I headed to the bathroom to decide whether or not to change the course of my life. I kept staring at myself in the mirror. The old Cheyenne was reminding me of all the reasons we had given up on men, but she couldn’t deny how she felt about Aidan, how we felt about him. Can you really make him happy? Does he make you happy? I make me happy. Are you happy? With him? Yes. But how could it last? Breathe, Cheyenne. Breathe.
It was show time.
The ballroom was filling up. All my bachelors were there looking fine, but I only cared about the one. The one by the dessert tables that was still deep in conversation with my best friends. I couldn’t pay too much attention to that oddity, because I had a million questions being thrown my way about order and where everyone should be. We had already gone through the order of bachelors a hundred times. Some of them were dense, though. Very pretty, but not much going on upstairs.
And then Veronica walked in. What? She wasn’t supposed to be coming because the divorce settlement hadn’t been as favorable as she had anticipated. Maybe she was just there to make a fool out of herself, because wow, she was in the most hideous get-up she had ever worn, and that is saying something. Someone get me my phone because this was going to be the new cover for my Bimbos on Parade album on Facebook. The bright orange, ruffled dress made her look like one of those large brushes in a car wash that rolled over your car. I had no words. No one did. Everyone in the lobby was staring at her. She sneered back. She didn’t look all that happy to be there. That made no sense at all. She lived and breathed to make a fool out of herself and to come to these types of events. So if she didn’t want to be here, why?
A thought hit me. What if she was coming for Aidan? I really might vomit. But wouldn’t she look happier about it? I was waiting for her to taunt me, but she didn’t. She dropped off her canned goods and threw me a dirty look before blowing into the ballroom like a hot mess.
Next came the church women that had sworn on a stack of Bibles they weren’t going to come. After all, how could they support such a sinner as me? Some of them were still convinced I was pregnant. I would think my dress tonight would finally put that to rest. But no. One lady commented how she couldn’t believe I wasn’t showing yet. It sounded a lot like sour grapes. I let them all think what they wanted. So maybe I greeted them with my most dazzling smile and my leg angled out enough to really show off the slit in my dress.
Their fake shock and dismay was hilarious. I’m sure they marched straight in to find the preacher man to tattle on me. It wasn’t going to do them any good. For some reason, the man liked me. He saw me as a good partner for his brother. He was crazy. But truth be told, I kind of liked the preacher man, too. Not that I would admit it.
Aidan and I never had a moment alone before the event started. Maybe he had given up. There were a lot of beautiful, single women in the audience, several of them wealthy socialites from Denver and the surrounding metro area. Maybe one of them was even a nice church going kind of woman. I really hoped so when I saw an auction paddle in Veronica’s hand.
I got the party started. I stood with my mic in hand on stage looking like a million bucks, but feeling more like a hundred. Was I really going to stand by and let Aidan go? Was it the right thing? I had twenty-three bachelors to get to before him. Part of me was wishing I had put him first, but I was saving the best for last, and when I started this thing, I thought I knew for sure who would be getting him. I hadn’t expected his subterfuge. There were so many things I hadn’t expected about him.
Focus, I told myself. I did all the introductions and thanked everyone who had volunteered time, money, and donations. I explained what the funds were being used for and what an important service the church provided for the needy in our community. I could even say it all with a straight face and mean it. Then it was time for the fun stuff.
Our first bachelor, Derek Johnson, was up. He walked across the stage and showed off his stuff while I read from his bio. “Derek Johnson, tight-end for the Stallions. Graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in communications. He loves animals and has a yellow lab named Skipper. And he can be yours for one night at the right price. Let’s start the bid at $100.”
It quickly escalated to $1,000. There was a major bidding war for the professional athlete. There was even a little cat fight between two women I didn’t know. It worked. Derek earned us $3,000.
The professional athletes all brought in the big bucks, $2,000 to $3,000 each. The kitchen was a done deal, and that pantry was going to be stocked for a long time to come. I enjoyed playing Vanna White and selling off the men. It was much more fun than turning letters on a game show. That was, until the last bachelor.
I stood off to one side of the stage, and there I could see Aidan waiting for his turn. He wore a mixed expression of ‘do you really want me to do this’ and ‘I still plan on going home with you tonight’. I took a deep breath and tried not to let it out into the mic. I held my stomach.
“Aidan Bates is almost forty-two years old. He calls Merryton home and works for an undisclosed company, but likes to be called Bond, James Bond, with his martinis shaken, but not stirred.” I added that in myself and got a huge laugh. And a smirk from Aidan, who refused to strut around on the stage. He was glued to my side, making me nervous, but I pressed on. “You can take what you want from that. He does have a master’s degree in analytics. Again, read what you want into that. He’s multi-talented and will be showing off some of those talents momentarily. And as you can see, he’s
fine. And yes, ladies, his hair is just begging to have hands run through it, and thanks to me it feels fantastic. And I should probably mention.” I made eye contact with Aidan. “I’m not having his baby.” Aidan didn’t seem happy about my confession. Or all the uproar it caused in the audience. Lots of conversations erupted. I turned from him and blurted out, “We are going to start the bid at $1,000,” before I lost my nerve. That got the audience to settle down. I started high so Veronica wouldn’t have a chance. She hadn’t bid on anyone and I figured she didn’t have that kind of cash to burn.
Like a lot of things as of late, I was dead wrong. Her paddle—and several others—went up. With each increase of the bid, her stupid freaking paddle went up. Though she didn’t seem to take a lot of pleasure in it. By the time we got to $3,500 she was in a bidding war with what looked like a skanky socialite from the city. Everyone else had dropped out, to my alarm.
Aidan was looking smug, though. What? No. He wasn’t supposed to be happy. He was supposed to . . . He was supposed to . . . He was supposed to be going home with me!
I took matters into my own shaky hands. “$5,000,” I shouted into the mic. “The bid is over.”
An audible chorus of shock went through the crowd before deafening silence reigned. All eyes, including Aidan’s more than happy ones, were on me.
What had I done? No! the old Cheyenne screamed inside. I dropped the mic, making a terrible noise echo throughout the ballroom. I walked as fast as I could in stilettos and on a not perfectly healed leg out into the lobby. I had to leave. What had I been thinking?
“Cheyenne, stop,” Aidan ran after me pleading.
I headed for the exit.
He wasn’t having it. He made it to me and reached for me, wrapping me up until he held me so close I could hear the beating of his heart. It was pounding as hard as mine. He kissed the side of my head. “Why did you do that?” His heart picked up the pace.
“Why do you think?”
“Say it, Cheyenne.”
I relaxed in his arms, his saving arms. There was no use hiding it anymore. “I . . . I want you. Okay, I said it!”
Cheyenne (The Women of Merryton Book 4) Page 22