“The Michelin star restaurant downtown. That place is impossible to get into.” Aaron hasn’t mentioned it’s my family’s restaurant. I realized between working and our time together, he probably hasn’t had much opportunity. We needed to schedule that dinner.
“I appreciate you asking about the cap. You didn’t have to, but it shows you are a good man.”
“River, I must be honest with you. Everything I am as a man was taught to me by Uncle Aaron. He is the best man I know. I love him fiercely.”
“Me too,” I said without thinking.
“Oh!” I swear I heard a giggle.
“Please don’t tell him I said that. I’m waiting for the right time to say it to him.” I couldn’t believe I just blurted that out.
“Your secret is safe with me. I was going to say I am so glad Uncle Aaron found you. It's changed him. He has always been a great person and is as much my father as anybody could be. His last relationship broke him. It feels like his pieces are back together, and I know it’s because of you.”
I had a tightness in my chest as my heart squeezed and expanded simultaneously. “That’s nice to hear.” I managed to croak out on the verge of tears.
He thankfully went on to another subject. “At least let me pay to put it in the display box. Let’s get that dinner set up too. I would like you two to meet Jeremy.”
“I’ll let you pay for the display case if you want. Bring that ball cap any time, and I’ll get a hold of my guy.” It felt nice to do something for Aaron’s nephew. Honestly, it’s something I would have done and would always do for my family.
“That’s very nice of you, and I appreciate it. I understand why my uncle is so into you.”
I needed to cover one more thing. “Rodney, about your reason for not playing baseball, I’d like to say you are wrong, but I know you aren’t. I know you have started down a different path, but just in case you change your mind. I know people who combat that kind of behavior. I know lawyers, advocates, at least one decent sports agent, and people within the NCAA and MLB who would shut down problems. It wouldn’t be easy, but I would be behind you the entire way. I just wanted you to know that.”
“That’s amazing and something I will give real thought to. It’s much different when you have an army of people behind you than when walking into the lion’s den alone. Thank you for that and the memorabilia. I’m looking forward to dinner together. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up laughing.
I finished my workday and was happy to have Aaron and Daisy back home. We enjoyed dinner together and crawled into bed, and we planned to watch a movie. His hand worked its way up my thigh, and we forgot about the movie. He enjoyed worshiping my hard body, running his tongue over the individual muscles on my abs.
We didn’t have set roles in the bedroom. I enjoyed it when Aaron pushed me around as much as I relished when he controlled me. We fell asleep sticky but satiated for the moment. Morning came around early. I had a whole pile of phone calls waiting for me. I needed to get moving if I worked only half a day on Thursday, plus taking Fridayand the weekend off. No matter how tempting Aaron was, I must get through the day.
Lunch got canceled on Tuesday when Sarah had to deal with an emergency at the job site. Aaron and I fell asleep on the couch and dragged ourselves to bed around 11:00 p.m. We didn't mind working hard these few days so we could enjoy our weekend together. It was wearing us both out, though.
Wednesday evening, we were exhausted again. When we got home around 6 p.m., we decided to do a little workout at home: pushups, crunches, and sit-ups. Aaron kept up with every set. We had been exercising in the bedroom, but targeting specific muscle groups felt good. We ordered a pizza and cuddled on the couch. Although Aaron warned me not to give him too much, Charlie loved the pepperoni. We had a lovely little family, and it made me incredibly happy.
On Thursday morning, Aaron had a little pep in his step. “You seem happy today.”
“I am. I will take you for a wine tasting then to my home. I love it there, and I suspect you will too by looking around here.” He waved his arms around my bedroom. “You are going to be happy there too. Make sure you pack a bag for the weekend. I should have everything Charlie needs, so just take his harness, leash, and travel box. We’ll need that for Sunday dinner.”
“I like how you just worked my family tradition into your life. It makes my heart happy.”
“That’s a very romantic notion. I like it.” He pulled me to him for a quick kiss.
“It was true, though. I always wondered what would happen if I got involved with someone who would ask me not to spend Sundays with my family.”
“Anybody asking that of you wouldn’t be worthy of you or your family. I feel I should be candid with you. At least ten people had invited me to return as their guest. They love me.” His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
Chapter thirty-two
Aaron
I finished my day, and I waited next to my truck. I saw River coming across the parking lot with Charlie and his bag. My heart pounded, and my stomach dropped. River wore jeans and a nice button-down. He looked sexy as hell, as always. I had changed from the clothes I worked in, putting on the same jeans I wore the day we met. He commented how amazing they made my ass look. I pulled on cowboy boots and had a polo-type shirt on.
We were a handsome couple, and he made me look good. It reminded me how much I thought of myself. It should be embarrassing, but I worked damn hard to get out of those foster homes, find my sister, keep my body fit, and build both companies.
When he got near the truck, I pounced on him. I dragged him tight against me and kissed him hard. “Hi, you!” Then I kissed him again passionately. I let him go so he could breathe.
“Hi you.” He said with a beautiful smile. “You seem happy to see me.”
“I am always happy to see you. You make me feel like a kid.” He looked towards the trailer. He still hadn’t met Sarah. The timing seemed against us.
