Page 80 of His to Cherish
Paige waved her hand dismissively in the air. “Details.” Then she leaned forward. “Hey, David. Are you single?”
He grinned. “Why? You interested?”
She snorted and lifted her left hand, showing off one hell of a large diamond ring. “Married. But I have this friend—”
“Who is also not interested,” I interrupted, skewering Paige with a glare before turning to David. “Don’t mind her.”
David frowned at the odd conversation before sliding a Goose Island beer across the bar and into Aidan’s waiting hand.
When he walked away to help a customer at the far end of the bar, Paige and I both checked out his backside.
He really was so attractive that it was unavoidable.
Nice.
“Should I be worried you’re checking out his ass?” Aidan said next to me. His bottle rested on his bottom lip as if he’d frozen in midmotion when he caught me checking out his friend, but his lips were tilted into a grin.
“No harm in looking,” Paige chirped, waggling her eyebrows playfully.
“I just think his ass is nice.” I shrugged and then smiled wide when Aidan’s eyes cut to mine and narrowed. “But yours is way better.”
He made a choking sound and set down his beer. “Thanks, I think.”
“No probs.”
“How much have you had to drink?” Aidan asked.
“Not a drop, actually.” I leaned into his side again. Paige watched me with a silly, happy grin on her face like I’d just told her unicornswerereal. “I just have this feeling.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said, letting the word hang in the air.
“You going to tell me what it is?”
I thought about it, unsure I wanted to, but then I decided to go for it. I really didn’t have anything to lose.
I smiled wistfully. “I just think things are looking up.”
A flash of sadness occurred in eyes and he looked down at his beer. His fingers tightened around the bottle before he loosened his grip and splayed his hands flat on the bar.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Maybe they are.”
He nodded once, as if he believed himself, and then took another drink from his bottle.
By the time Paige and I were done with our dinner, Aidan had also eaten a burger and a full plate of fries. David stopped by to talk to us whenever he had a few minutes.
I left Fireside Grill after saying good night to Paige with a genuine, large smile on my face, and Aidan’s arm wrapped around my shoulders as he walked me to my car. A feeling of peacefulness replaced the thick haze of sadness that had been clinging to me for months.
For once, I felt lighter…happier. Settled.
And I was determined to do whatever it took to feel this way for as long as I could.
“See you soon?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.
I slid into my seat and looked up at Aidan, who was bracing his arms over the door to my car.
“Follow me,” I whispered.
He shut my door, but right before it closed, I swore I heard him mutter, “I’ll follow you anywhere.”
When we got to my house, and into my room, Aidan proved that he wasn’t so much a follower, but taught me that despite my hesitancy to follow someone ever again, when we were in bed, I had no problems letting him lead.
