Page 72 of His to Cherish
Chapter 15
In the time it took for Aidan to arrive, I unlocked the front door, flipped on the outside lights for him, and mindlessly wiped off my already clean kitchen countertops.
When I heard his truck pull into the driveway, my stomach tied into a knot.
Aidan walked through my front door without knocking and stood in the entryway as he closed the door behind him.
As if he sensed not only my hesitation but my unspoken need to be comforted, he spread his arms wide open. “Come here, Chelsea.”
I did. My feet moved quickly until I almost ran into him. He braced himself for the impact, though, and his arms immediately closed around me.
Warm. Strong.
I breathed him in, inhaling his scent, and allowed him to fill me with the strength I knew he had.
“I wasn’t avoiding you,” I told him, thinking of the text he’d sent, and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I didn’t look at my phone all day and I needed some time alone.”
His lips pressed against the top of my head and I squeezed him tighter. It was an intimate gesture, one that said he wasn’t using me for avoidance or distraction this morning. One that said maybe he hadn’t been for a long time, but it was my own insecurities breaking through that had left me doubting him tonight.
“Want to tell me about it?”
It. He meant Shane, and I pulled back to look into Aidan’s eyes to seehow muchhe wanted to know,ifhe wanted to know, or if he was only trying to be nice.
His lips twitched into one of his rare, brief smiles and my stomach flipped.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’d like that.”
He trailed his hands down my arms, unwrapping them from his back until he had each of my hands wrapped in his.
He tugged me toward the hallway to my room. “Let’s go talk in bed.”
—
When we reached my bedroom, Aidan let go of my hands and began pulling off his shoes and jeans. I lost track of all thought due to the fact that this magnificently beautiful man was about to crawl into my bed and hold me in his arms.
Though my entire body warmed, I shivered from head to toe.
I bit my bottom lip, standing there dumbstruck in front of him, taking in every muscular line of his body.
His eyes crinkled with humor and his lips pressed into a smirk. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
“Yes.” I grinned, climbing onto my bed and tossing off my lightweight robe on the way to reveal my teal tank top and matching pajama shorts.
“Did I ask you something?” His voice was slightly amused, and hearing it made me smile wider.
“No, but you were going to ask me if I liked the view, and the answer is yes, I do.”
He shook his head, something slightly larger than a smirk spread his lips wider, and my breath caught as he climbed into bed next to me.
He adjusted the pillows behind his back and pulled me up so I was sitting up next to him, our backs propped against the headboard. His arm fell around my shoulders, pulling me to him.
“Tell me about it.”
I stalled, unsure of how to begin, when his hand squeezed my shoulder more firmly.
As if he himself was uncertain, my heart began to beat faster when Aidan said, “I love that kid, Chelsea. I know he’s hurting and I know I can’t be the guy that he needs me to be for him right now, but I want to know. Honest.”
“He overdosed on sleeping pills at a friend’s house last night.”
