More With You (25 page)

Allison does a great job of distracting me.  I think we’ve hit every store in the mall.  Okay, maybe not every store, but most of them.  We, of course, hit the bridal shop, Victoria’s Secret, and the jewelry store that she and Liam have an appointment at later, just to name a few.  We eat a late lunch at the food court.  All in all, it’s a perfect day with my best friend.  I needed this.

Allison drops me off at the condo. After she makes sure I have the directions to get to the wine tasting, she drives away. I have a few hours before I need to leave, so I decide to catch up on my reading. I don’t know what is in store for Aiden and me tonight, but I hope he lets me talk to him. I hope he listens to what I have to say.

Allison said the wine tasting is thirty minutes from here, so at six fifteen I head out the door, giving me a few extra minutes in case I get lost. 

I make it to the winery with no trouble.  Gotta love the GPS!  I park my car and make my way inside.  I’m fifteen minutes early, but I can wait for the others inside.  Once inside, I’m greeted by a lady in her late fifties or so.

“Good evening, dear.  Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes.  I’m here with the MacCoy – Hagan wedding,” I reply.

“Wonderful. My name is Janice and I will be overseeing your party this evening. I have everything set up in a private room. There will be four in attendance, correct?” she asks nicely.

“Yes. I’m Hailey, the maid-of-honor, sister to the groom, and best friend to the bride,” I say proudly.

“Good, just follow me and I will bring the others back as they arrive.”

I follow her through a huge dining area filled with tables.   Apparently, this is a restaurant as well.  We reach the back of the room and enter a long hallway.  At the end of the hallway there is a door, she opens the door to reveal a private dining room.  There is a round table in the middle with place settings for four.  On one wall, there is a table set up with an assortment of fruit, crackers, and cheese.  On another wall, there is a table set up with several ice buckets and at least twenty different wines.  Each one is labeled and has four small “sample” glasses, one for each of us.

“Wow, this is amazing,” I tell her, because well, it really is.

“Thank you.  Please make yourself comfortable and I will bring the rest of your party as they arrive.” She leaves me. 

I study the elegant paintings on the wall of different vineyards across the world. Allison really did her homework with this place.

The door opens and in walks Janice, followed by Aiden.  My breath stills in my chest at the sight of him.  He looks tired.  His brown eyes that usually gleam with happiness are dull and sad.  Regret hits me hard.  I did this.  I allowed him to think I wanted Miles.  Never Miles, always Aiden.  I hope he gives me the chance to explain.  I rub my sweaty palms against my thighs.  It’s been a while since I’ve been this nervous. Actually, I don’t know if I ever have been this nervous. Everything I’ve ever wanted depends on if he will let me explain and if he believes me.

“Miss Hailey, your counterpart has just arrived,” Janice says sweetly.  “Mr. Aiden, please relax and take a seat.  We can get started as soon as the bride and groom arrive.” She swiftly leaves the room and here we are.  Aiden and I alone.

Before either of us get the chance to speak, both of our phones ping with a message.

Allison:
 
Hey,
guys.  Liam and I are stuck at the
jeweler
. 
Taking longer than we thought.
  Start without us.  We trust you.
XO A

“Shit,” I hear Aiden mutter. Great, that doesn’t sound like he’s too happy to be stuck here with me.

“Aiden,” I say softly. His eyes meet mine and I can’t control the tears that begin to flow freely from my eyes. “Can we talk, please?” I ask as I wipe the tears from my cheeks.

He nods his head and takes a seat across the table from me.

Janice enters the room and I avert my gaze, so she doesn’t see my tears. “I’m sorry but the bride and groom are detained. They have advised me to go ahead and start without them. Miss Allison has assured me that she will be fine with whatever the two of you choose.”

Janice loads each of our plates with fruit, cheese, and crackers.  She pours us both a tall glass of water and cracks open the first bottle.  Aiden and I don’t engage in conversation with each other.  We simply taste the wine and answer Janice’s questions about likes and dislikes. 

Two hours later, stuffed full of cheese, crackers, and wine; I realize I’m beyond a little tipsy.  “I don’t think I can drive,” I say to both of them, not that I expect Aiden to respond. 

“Miss Hailey, you have nothing to worry about. Miss Allison and Mr. Liam arranged for one of our cars to drive you back home. They said you were all staying at the same place. Is that still the case?” she asks, obviously picking up on the tension between Aiden and I. “Either way, he’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

I look at Aiden, not sure if he plans to come home tonight or not.  He addresses Janice.  “Yes, we are still staying at the same place.  Thank you, Janice.” His voice deep.

“Good.  Well then, I think I have all that I need as far as selection.  I will notify our driver that you are ready to leave.  If you would please follow me.”

Aiden and I follow her down the long hallway through the dining room. There are a few people who recognize Aiden and yell out to him. He waves politely and smiles, but doesn’t stop. We follow Janice outside and there is a limo waiting for us. The driver smiles politely and opens the door for us. Aiden motions for me to go first. I turn to Janice and thank her, and then slide in. I hear Aiden thank her as well, and then he makes sure the driver knows where he’s going before sliding in next to me and shutting the door.

The privacy glass was raised when I got in, so it’s just us.  Alone.  The tension is high, so thick you could cut it with a knife.  I’m debating on whether or not I should try to talk to him now or wait until we get back to the house.

Aiden decides for me. “I know we need to talk,” he says, his voice thick and low. “We will, I promise, but for right now, for the ride home,” he clears his throat, “can I just…can I just hold you? Please?”

I hold my breath and nod my head yes. Aiden scoots closer and pulls me into his chest. I rest my head over his heart, and I can feel its steady rhythm as his chest rises and falls rapidly. He places a kiss on top of my head and tightens his arms around me. He doesn’t say another word, and I don’t dare ruin this. This may be the last time he ever holds me. Hell no, I’m not saying a damn thing. I release a breath and relax against him as I battle the tears that are, for the second time tonight, threatening to fall.

The last two hours have just about killed me.  Watching Hailey and those lips tasting all that wine.  I’m as hard as a damn rock.  I may be angry at her, and myself, but I still want her, more now than ever before.  I know how those lips feel against mine, how her skins tastes.  The sounds she makes when she’s coming undone in my arms.  Like I said, it’s just about killed me.

I slide into the limo and her scent engulfs me. The privacy glass is up. I’m not sure if Hales did that or if it was the driver. It’s just us, and I’m scared to fucking death. I know she wants to talk, and so do I. I also know that Liam and Allison have been telling me all week that what I saw was taken out of context. What I don’t know is if she wants me or him. I’m not ready to hear her tell me that it’s him she wants.

I break the silence and tell her I know we need to talk and we will.  Then my heart speaks before my brain has a chance to keep up, and I ask her if I can just hold her.  My hands shake at the thought of her in my arms again.  The thought that this could be the last time I hold her.  I swallow back the lump in my throat and focus on my breathing to slow my racing heart. 

Hailey nods her head yes and I feel my body relax just a little. I scoot closer to her and pull her down against my chest, wrapping my arms securely around her. I kiss the top of her head and hold her as close and as tight as I can. My mind keeps racing with the thought that this could be the last time. It’s now that I decide, it doesn’t matter what she says. I’m going to fight for her. I can’t breathe without her. I’m irrevocably in love with this girl, and I can’t let her walk away without a fight. I should have stayed and fought for her the first time. I won’t make the same mistake twice.

The limo stops in front of the condo and I release the hold I have on her. She lifts her head and I gently stroke her cheek with my thumb. “We’re home, angel,” I say softly.

Her eyes well up with tears. “Aiden,” she chokes out.

I crush her in a hug that I’m sure is painful for her, but I’m afraid of what we will become outside of the privacy of this limo. The driver opens my door, which means I have to release her. I grab her hand and lace our fingers together as I pull her out of the limo behind me. I tip the driver and thank him. Then I lead Hailey to the front door.

Just as we enter the door, I get a text for Liam.

Liam:
 
Hey,
man.  I heard you just got dropped off.
Allie and I are staying at a hotel tonight. Take care of Hales and fix this shit. See you in the morning.

I chuckle. I never thought I would see the day that Liam voluntarily leaves me alone with his little sister, knowing that I want nothing more than to bury myself deep inside her. Well, I haven’t told him that exactly. What I did tell him is that she’s my Allison, so yeah, he knows.

I sit down next to Hailey on the couch.  “That was Liam,” I say, holding up my phone.  “He said that he and Allie are spending the night at a hotel.  He gave me strict order to ‘fix this shit’ and said they would see us in the morning.” I wait to gauge her reaction.  She’s biting on her bottom lip, which is sexy as hell. 

Without looking up at me, she asks, “Are you ready to talk now?”

Am I ready? No, I’m so fucking scared that she’s going to choose him that my insides are twisted. “Yeah, I guess we need to,” I say softly.

Hailey looks up and her eyes lock with mine.  “What you saw,” she takes a breath, “it’s not what it looked like.”

“Really?” I say, trying like hell to hold back the sarcasm in my voice.  By the look in her eyes, I failed.

“Really.  Aiden, I would never do that to you.  You told me right before you walked away from me that what we shared meant something to you, that I meant something to you.  My mom interrupted us before I could respond.” 

She turns sideways on the couch and I do the same, we are now facing one another. I grab a pillow and place it on my lap so I can hold onto it. I’m hoping the distraction will keep me from touching her. I really just want to touch her, hold her.

“Before I tell you what I would have said before we were interrupted, and what I’d hoped to tell you later that night before you walked away, I need to start at the beginning.”

“We’ve got all night,” I tell her.

“Miles was trying to help me.” She wrings her hands together, and I can hear a slight quiver in her voice. She’s nervous. “Macie, Miles, and Kaden all three have become fast friends of mine.  The first night I met Miles, he hit on me, but I didn’t take the bait.  He asked me who
he
was.  He wanted to know who the guy was that held my heart.”  She stops to collect her thoughts.  She reaches out, grabs one of my hands and places it on her lap.  She laces her fingers through mine.  I instantly feel myself relax just from her touch.  “I laughed it off, and we continued to dance and have a good time.  The next time we hung out, that same question was asked again.  I’d had a few drinks. I wasn’t drunk, but loose and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.  I had to tell someone.”

“Tell them what, angel? Did someone hurt you?” I ask her. I’m confused as to where she’s going with this.

She smiles at me, and I want to lean in to kiss those lips.  “No, no one hurt me.  But I’ve sorta had a thing for this guy for as long as I can remember, and it’s hard to keep it in and not talk to anyone about it.  I figured since none of them knew the guy, I could open up and talk about him, about how I fell head over heels in love with him and was too afraid to tell him.”

I try to pull my hand away, but she holds tight.  “I thought you said Miles was helping you.  How the fuck is he helping you by kissing you like that when you…when you love someone else?” I barely choke out the last words. I’m sick at the thought of her with someone else.

“I’m getting there. Just hang with me a little while longer. So, I open up to the three of them and they all agree that the guy in question really does have feelings for me.  He’s just too afraid to show it due to our mutual acquaintances. Miles got this crazy idea to flirt more and try to make the guy jealous whenever he was around. He thought if the guy thought he was losing me, he would step up and make his move.”