Ten

TEN

Paxton

From the moment I stood outside in the driveway with Aria yesterday morning and she agreed to let me take her out to show her around town today, I had no less than half a dozen thoughts about how the day with her might go.

Each of those thoughts had left me feeling hopeful about what the day would bring and where things could possibly go between us.

But in not one of the thoughts I'd had—and there had been a fair amount of variety in them—had I imagined this.

I didn't expect to show up on Aria's doorstep and have her launching herself into my arms before I could even say a single word to her. Of course, that didn't mean I was upset about it. I couldn't have hoped for much more, considering the newness of our friendship. We had only just met, and I liked that she felt comfortable enough with me to do what she'd done, so there was little that could have made her response to seeing me any better than it had been.

But no matter how much I liked what was happening, I was confused by it. There was a part of me that wanted to believe Aria had simply been unable to stop thinking about me and our interaction yesterday morning. It was all I'd thought about when I was at work. In fact, I found I struggled to think about anything else besides Aria.

And to be honest, I liked it.

I liked being at this stage with her.

Because following that encounter yesterday, I could confidently say there was, at the very least, a mutual attraction. Considering it had been more than a year since my last serious relationship, I liked being in this place again. It might not amount to anything romantic, but at least there was something exciting happening. There was something to look forward to in my life, which seemed to have grown very mundane and routine over the last several months. I was happy for the distraction of Aria.

Of course, I was fully aware Aria and I could wind up spending time together and learn we had nothing in common and weren't compatible, but that didn't mean I couldn't hope for the best, enjoy myself, make a friend, and welcome a woman to town until the worst was proven to be the case.

Regardless of how much I wanted Aria's reason for hugging me to be something positive, I already knew that wasn't what was happening right now. I had eyes. I knew what I saw when she flung open her door.

This embrace had nothing to do with her having missed me and being excited to see me again. The utter devastation etched into her expression and the tension obvious in her frame told me as much.

I held on tight to her, wanting to give her whatever comfort she was seeking. At the same time, my mind was whirling with ideas about what might have been causing this reaction from her. And beyond that, there was something that came alive inside me at the thought of her being hurt by something or someone. Maybe it was protective instincts. It could have merely been compassion. But whatever I was feeling, fixing this situation for Aria was all that mattered to me now.

Without releasing my hold on her, I said, "I don't want you to think I'm complaining, because I love what's happening here, but I get the distinct feeling that you're not okay."

How it was possible for Aria's body to tense further was beyond me. And a moment later, she loosened the firm grip she had on me, pulled out of my arms, and stepped back.

Instantly, I felt so much regret, which surprised me, because I didn't think I should have felt that way for wanting to be sure she was alright. But it became clear the only reason she'd stepped out of my arms was because I'd broken the silence and forced her mind back to reality.

"I'm… I'm so sorry about that, Paxton," she murmured, looking everywhere but at my face.

"I don't need any apologies, Aria. Honestly. Is everything okay?"

She closed her eyes and audibly sighed. Following a beat of silence, she peeled her eyes open again, lifted her chin, and asked, "Could we get some breakfast first? "

I offered her a reassuring smile and a slight nod. "Absolutely. How do you feel about doughnuts?"

Some of the tension that had been lingering in her features eased as her brows shot up. "Doughnuts?"

"Doughnuts."

"I love them."

Grinning like I'd just gotten my first victory, I declared, "Then it's a good thing you came to Steel Ridge, because I'm taking you to The Early Bird."

"What's that?"

"Oh, only the best place in town to get breakfast," I declared. "But the only food you'll be getting there is doughnuts, which is why I wanted to be sure you enjoyed them before I took you there."

For the first time since she opened her door to me, a small smile formed on Aria's pretty face. Victory number two. "Steel Ridge is looking better and better with each passing second. If this keeps up, I might contact my landlord about extending my lease for at least another year."

My grin grew. This was working out beautifully, and we'd barely gotten the day started. "We'll give you a few more things to like about this town before you do that."

"That sounds wonderful," she said, more relief spilling onto her features. "Is what I'm wearing okay for whatever we're going to do today? I figured it was best to keep it casual."

Given the question, I didn't hesitate to allow my eyes to wander down Aria's body and over her outfit. It was certainly casual, but that didn't mean I didn't find it attractive. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts, a white T-shirt, and sandals. I noted the pink polish on her toes before my eyes began traveling back up her body. Admittedly, my stare lingered longer on her legs than was necessary to be able to answer her, but a fantasy or two involving having those legs wrapped around my waist and my head had flashed in my mind. I couldn't just pretend they didn't exist.

Returning my attention to her face, I said, "What you're wearing is more than fine for today."

Jerking her chin down slightly, she replied, "Perfect. Let me just grab my bag and give Sasha a quick scratch behind the ears, and I'll be ready to go."

As Aria turned to handle what she'd just indicated, I found myself feeling quite a bit of relief. With just a few seconds of conversation, most of the tension that had been present from the moment Aria opened her door had since vanished. I intended to discuss whatever was bothering her, so long as it was something she wanted to share, but after seeing how quickly we turned things around, I wasn't so worried that whatever was going on with her would ruin our day together.

The drive to The Early Bird was a quick one. And since I wasn't quite sure what had prompted the reaction from Aria this morning, I used the time on the drive to point out some noteworthy spots in town. I figured it was the best way to fill the silence without risking things getting awkward for either one of us. It seemed to work, because Aria was engaged in everything that I was telling her, even asking questions along the way.

We made it to our breakfast spot, and I quickly rounded the car to open Aria's door for her. She seemed surprised by the gesture, but she didn't hesitate to place her hand in mine so I could help her out. Once she was steady on her feet, my hand went to the small of her back and urged her toward the doughnut shop.

Aria and I stepped inside and made it halfway to the front counter when I heard, "Hey, Paxton."

My eyes landed on the woman behind the counter just as we came to a stop in front of her. "Hi, Tarryn. Looks like we have good timing."

"You do. There was a bit of a rush that cleared out about ten minutes ago, and I suspect there will be another in the next fifteen."

I offered a nod of understanding and said, "Tarryn, I'd like you to meet Aria. She's my new neighbor."

Before I could get another word out, Tarryn's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I'm so happy to finally meet you, Aria. I talked to Mallory the other day, and she was telling me about you working at the deli with her."

Confusion washed over Aria's face, so I jumped in to explain. After pressing my fingertips into her back slightly, I shared, "Tarryn is the owner of The Early Bird, and she and Mallory know each other well because Tarryn's married to Nixon's cousin, Royce Blackstone. Royce happens to be the owner of Harper Security Ops."

Understanding dawned on Aria's features, a hint of surprise lingering there. "It's nice to meet you, Tarryn. Apparently, Steel Ridge really is a small town."

Tarryn laughed. "That's for sure. So, what can I get for the two of you today?"

Aria and I ordered half a dozen doughnuts, and while I grabbed a coffee, she asked for tea. We sat down at a table in the front corner of the shop, and neither of us hesitated to pull a treat from the box.

But since I already knew what to expect when I sunk my teeth into this morning's breakfast, I wanted to pay attention to Aria's reaction. She lifted her doughnut to her mouth, took a bite, and chewed. It was like I was watching in slow motion as the flavors hit her tongue.

And while I thought the most important thing that could come of this would be Aria immediately declaring she wanted to stay in Steel Ridge forever just to have these doughnuts whenever she wanted, I couldn't say it bothered me to wait. Because I got to keep my eyes on her mouth. Her undeniably gorgeous mouth with those perfect lips, beautiful smile, and single dimple.

I was lost in the sight of her mouth that I nearly squashed my doughnut in my hand when I heard the moan escape from her. "Oh my God. I feel like I could spend the rest of my life cleaning your house or mowing your grass for you, and I'd never come close to repaying you for introducing me to this place. This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

I cocked a brow, unable to ignore the unintended innuendo, and quickly brushed it off. Instead, I forced myself to focus on what was right in front of me. This had been another victory. "I'm thrilled to hear you like it. And for the record, I don't expect you to come to my place to do any chores to thank me. I'm simply happy to have you here. Plus, we're patronizing a local business, so we're doing a good deed there, too."

Right before she took a second bite, Aria warned, "I hope you weren't expecting me to be shy about eating in front of you, because even if I was, I would not be holding back this morning. I intend to eat more of what's inside that box."

I laughed. "Have at it. That's why we bought them. "

For the next few minutes, I simply sat back and ate my breakfast while I watched Aria enjoy hers. And once we'd both gotten through a second doughnut, I thought it was time to broach the subject that had been on my mind since she opened her door to me this morning.

"If you don't want to discuss it, I understand, but I was curious if you wanted to talk about what happened this morning," I said, keeping the tone of my voice casual.

Aria dropped her gaze from mine, sadness washing over her expression. Instantly, I wished I could take back my words.

"I got an unexpected call from home this morning," she finally confessed. "It was my dad."

As soon as she said it, I understood. "Ah. You're feeling homesick."

Her lips parted as she offered a slight shake of her head. "No. It's not that. I… well, I didn't exactly leave on great terms with my family. They don't even know where I am right now."

Okay.

So, I'd gotten this all wrong.

Not in a million years would I have anticipated Aria would share what she just did.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Where do they live?"

"Birch Creek. It's about two and a half hours southwest of here."

"I've never been. Did something specific happen this morning that led to you feeling upset?" I asked, hoping I wasn't pushing for more than she was willing to share.

"I'm sorry. I really don't want to ruin our day today with all of this," she lamented .

I reached out my free hand, placed it on her arm, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "You're not ruining anything. I'd rather sit and listen to you talk about what's upsetting you, so you can work through it. We can still have a great day together, and at least you will have gotten it off your chest."

Aria's eyes shifted to my hand still resting on her arm. They lingered there for a bit, and I considered pulling away. But something told me to keep my hand where it was, and when she didn't yank her arm out from beneath my hold and lifted her gaze to mine instead, I knew I'd made the right choice.

"There are some things that happened that I'm far too embarrassed to talk about, but here's what I don't mind sharing. Five years ago, my parents, my sister, and I received the biggest shock of our lives when we found out my mom had cancer."

My fingers twitched on her arm. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. She's okay now, but it was very difficult for a long time. For just over a year, we all struggled. Between the illness, the treatments, the fear, and the costs, it was a lot to deal with. My mom and my sister, Jasmine, have always been the two who tend to fall apart in the family. My dad and I were the opposite. But that cancer diagnosis scared the crap out of my dad."

Somewhere in the midst of her sharing her story, I'd started stroking my thumb along her arm. I continued to do that when I asked, "What about you? Weren't you afraid?"

"I was. But I tend to keep things bottled up all the time anyway. And since everyone else in my family was falling apart, someone had to step up and get us through it. So, I did what I could do to make sure everyone was taken care of."

I wanted to ask who was looking out for her in the process, but I had a sneaking suspicion I already knew the answer. There was no need for me to throw salt on an open wound.

"It must have been really hard to take all of that on your shoulders," I reasoned.

She shrugged. "I managed okay. And in the end, my mom beat the cancer."

I smiled. "That's what matters most, right?"

"Exactly."

It dawned on me that Aria had said this occurred five years ago and that it was rough for a little over a year. "So, your mom made it through okay, and it seems your family is very close. How did you end up getting to a place where you wound up leaving your hometown while being on bad terms with your family?"

She winced. "Part of that is something I'd rather not share. Let's just say that after my mom got better, things were pretty good for a few years. They only went downhill about a year ago."

Aria paused and looked away, her eyes fixed on something outside the window. I didn't look in that direction. Instead, I kept my gaze trained on her, and what I saw surprised me. This woman, this gorgeous woman, was filled with so much pain, it was crushing her.

Was she that good at hiding it before that I hadn't noticed? Or had I been so caught up in other things I liked about her that I missed what was staring me right in the face?

All I could manage to do was continue to run the pad of my thumb along the skin on her arm, hoping it offered her some comfort.

Eventually, she looked back at me and shared, "There had been some lies and betrayals that I was made aware of about a year ago. What was done couldn't be undone, but things could be rectified moving forward. So, I demanded that. I demanded that things be fixed in a year."

"I can only assume they weren't."

She shook her head. "No, they weren't. And I couldn't stick around knowing that I was compromising myself in more ways than I care to admit by doing so." She shrugged, a look of indifference in her expression. "So, I left."

"And now you're here."

Aria nodded. "And now I'm here."

I took a moment to allow all that she'd shared with me to sink in. There were certainly some questions still lingering for me about what precisely happened, but I could understand her reasoning for not wanting to share. We didn't know each other that well yet. If she was truly embarrassed by whatever it was, I didn't expect she'd want to share something like that right now anyway.

But based on what she had shared, I felt for her. She'd clearly been through something horrible, and that pain that was etched into her features was consuming her from the inside out.

I thought she deserved to have someone wanting to cheer her up.

"You know what?" I asked.

"What?"

"I had a couple of ideas for things we could do today, but I think I've just had a change of plans," I shared .

She shot me a questioning look. "Okay?"

Following a beat of silence, I asked, "When was the last time you went roller skating?"

Confusion turned to shock. "Roller skating?"

"Yeah."

"My tenth birthday party."

My lips twitched. "It sounds like you might be overdue for a visit to the roller rink."

She swallowed hard. "You want to take me roller skating?"

Grinning, I nodded. "I do."

Aria glanced down at her lap briefly, returned her focus to my face, and said, "I don't have any socks."

Laughter spilled out of me. "I'll buy you a pair."

"Well, I mean, I can buy a pair. I just meant that I wasn't wearing any."

"I know. But I want to buy them for you."

She licked her lips, her eyes pinned on mine. "Okay," she whispered.

"Should we take the rest of these doughnuts home with us, or are you still hungry?"

"We can take them with us."

I grabbed the box with one hand, slid my other hand down Aria's arm, and linked my fingers with hers. Then I stood, urged her from her seat, and led her to the door.

The moment we were both back in my car, I glanced over at her and said, "Thank you for sharing all of that with me this morning. I'm sorry about what you've been through, but I'm honored you were willing to share it."

She sent a small smile my way. "Thanks for asking and listening. It means a lot to me. "

"You're welcome. Now, are you ready to have a good time?"

"I already am."

Unable to resist, I reached across the center console and rested my hand on Aria's arm again. And not long after I started driving did I feel the soft touch of her opposite hand as it covered mine.

Victory number four.