Troublemaker (Goode Boys Book 1)

by Sean Ashcroft

  A lifetime of joy and happiness written all over him. Joy and happiness that I’d had some part in.

  I liked to imagine us in bed on a Sunday morning—maybe with a dog at our feet. Waking up together, trading sleepy kisses, talking quietly under the covers about plans for the day. Like we did now, only… settled.

  It wasn’t that I couldn’t wait to get old, exactly, but I couldn’t wait to get old with Aiden. And enjoy every minute between now and then.

  Dad was starting to drop hints about retirement, which I guessed meant he was priming me to take over the business—but I didn’t plan on losing any time with Aiden in exchange.

  Nothing meant more to me than he did. Nothing came close.

  “You’re getting good at this,” Aiden said, dropping his forehead onto my shoulder. “Dancing, I mean.”

  “Thanks. Had a great teacher. Patient, kind, understanding, sexy…”

  Aiden chuckled. “You know you’re getting laid tonight anyway, right? I love weddings. You don’t have to be on your best behavior for me to tear your clothes off the minute we get home.”

  I never did have to be on my best behavior, but Aiden deserved it anyway, so he always got it. Well, always when I could manage it.

  We were good at being gentle with each other when we needed it.

  “Dance with me a little longer, anyway,” I said, that question still sticking in my throat.

  This was my chance.

  “As long as you want,” Aiden promised.

  “So…” I said, stomach flipping over as I thought about what I was going to say. I was glad now that I hadn’t decided on a whole big thing, because I might’ve died of nerves before I could get the words out.

  “Thinking about doing this yourself one day?” I asked, and I could feel my palms sweating.

  Aiden looked up at me, lips just parted, eyes searching my face.

  “With, umm. With me. Maybe?” I forced out, lungs tight.

  What if he said no?

  What if he said yes?

  “Are you, uh. Are you. Asking? Me. To marry you?” Aiden stuttered.

  At least that made two of us struggling with words right now.

  I nodded, since it was the best I could do while my heart was climbing up my throat. My head was spinning, and my stomach hurt, and I was starting to think this was a huge mistake.

  Aiden nodded, too, and all of those feelings went away in a rush, leaving me unsteady on my feet.

  “Is that a yes?” I asked, mouth still dry.

  Aiden nodded again, then surged forward, both hands sliding into my hair as he held me still to kiss me, hard and eager.

  A wave of uncontainable joy rolled through me, escaping in a laugh into his mouth as I lifted him clear off the floor and twirled him around.

  Aiden was right. I was getting good at this.

  “Yes,” he murmured against my lips. “Yes, whenever you want, however you want, with as many fucking Christmas lights as we can cram in. If you want.”

  “I want,” I said, voice still rough.

  Getting everything you’d ever dreamed of turned out to be a pretty big deal. All I’d ever dreamed of was someone to love me like Aiden did.

  Wholly, unconditionally, gently, and for exactly who I was.

  “The lights,” I said. “But mostly you. I’d trade all the Christmas lights in the world for you.”

  Aiden laughed, swooping in for another kiss, and my whole world settled back into place.

  I could hardly wait for the next part of our story to begin.

  Bonus Scene

  Wondering whether Carter ever got that tattoo? Grab your free bonus scene and find out ;)

  Troublemaker Bonus Scene

  A Letter From Sean

  Hello, gorgeous,

  You’ve reached the end of the book!

  Troublemaker has been quite a journey to write, and Carter and Aiden have been wonderful companions for me—I hope you feel the same way!

  As you may have guessed, there are more books coming in this series—and there’s a lot more to hear about Slow Falls and the people who live (and love) there.

  I’ll see you for the next book, and until then, take care of yourself!

  Love,

  Sean ❤️