3. Aiden

3

AIDEN

I stalk back out to my seat and sit down. There's no hiding that I'm pissed and probably way more than I should be. Yeah, that was the way we started. It was just for fun. We agreed on friends with benefits, but she should know that after two years and everything that we've done together that there should be more than this.

And fuck, yeah, I used to be a player, especially when I was in the Army. But I was younger then, and I've settled down now. Obviously, I'm off my game if May had no idea how I was feeling about her. She's the one. I know she's the one.

Colt turns to me when I sit down. “I thought you had to go.”

And even though a part of me is ready to just storm out of here, I know that I'm not leaving May here at a bar. Her brother is protective as fuck, but I'm still not chancing it.

“Nah, my plans fell through,” I tell him.

I can feel May’s eyes on me, but I'm not looking at her. I can’t because I know I won’t be able to resist pulling her into my arms and doing whatever I have to do to make her realize this is the real deal.

Colt just laughs and slaps me on the back. “She found out she was one of five women or something? She dumped your ass,” he laughs.

Dammit. I clench my fists because I'm over all this talk about how I’m some player. I used to just laugh it off and let it be because I didn’t care what people thought. But I'm not willing to do that anymore because obviously May is believing everything that is being said about me, which is fucked up.

“What the fuck, Colt? I'm not a player. You make it sound like I'm hopping from bed to bed or something. I haven't been with anyone—"

May interrupts me with her hands up. “Okay, so not everyone wants to hear about your sexcapades.” She turns to the side to look at Kinsey. “What did you two need to talk to me about?”

Colt gives me a look with a creased eyebrow as if he's trying to figure out what is wrong with me, but I ignore him and look at May.

I see Colt shake his head beside me and then look at his wife. “You didn't tell her?” he asks.

Kinsey looks at May almost apologetically and then shakes her head. “No, and you know, maybe it's not a good idea. Let's just talk about this later, Colt.”

He laughs. “Are you kidding? This guy is perfect. You know if I'm saying he's perfect, then he's perfect.”

I grip the edge of the table, wondering where this is going. I already have an idea, and I know I’m not going to fucking like it.

May looks between her brother and sister-in-law. “What are you talking about?”

Colt leans forward dramatically. “We would like you to come to dinner tomorrow night,” he says.

May nods. “Sure. I’d love to see the kids anyway.”

Colt gets a smirk on his face, and I swear for the first time in my life I want to rearrange his face. He’s nodding his head like he just came up with some fantastic idea or something. “The kids will be at the babysitter's.” He leans forward in his seat and hits the table in front of his sister. “May, I met a guy at the gym.”

Instantly, May starts to laugh. Normally, I would too, but not now. Not when I know what is coming. “You met a guy? And Kinsey’s okay with it?” May is laughing, and she still doesn't have a clue what’s happening, but I do.

Colt rolls his eyes. “I met a guy for you.”

Her eyes get big, and she shakes her head like she can’t believe what she just heard. “Wait? Did I hear you right? Did my overprotective brother that never approves of any man I’m dating just say he found me a man?” She acts like she can’t believe what she's hearing, and quite honestly, neither can I.

Colt lifts his drink and takes a swig before setting it down. “Yeah, he's a great guy. Kinsey's met him. She agreed he'd be perfect for you.”

May is doing her best not to look at me, which I know has to be hard because I'm staring a hole in her. In my head, I’m telling her—damn, I’m begging her—to tell him. I’d do it myself if I thought she’d talk to me afterwards. I'm sitting on the edge of seat, and I'm about to say something. She's literally looking everywhere but at me. “I don't think—” she starts, but Colt interrupts.

“Look, he’s a good guy. You know I wouldn’t steer you wrong. You’re my baby sister, for goodness’ sake, and it's not like you have to marry him or anything. It's just a low-key meal. You guys can get to know each other. There’s no pressure at all.”

May shakes her head, and it's only then that I start to breathe a little because she's going to say no. Thank goodness because I don't even know if I could hold my reaction if she said anything else.

“No, I don't think that's a good idea,” she says, shaking her head with her nose crunched up like she just smelled something really bad.

That’s right, baby. No dating unless it’s me. I’m about to pump my arm in the air when Colt reaches across the table and grabs May’s hand. His voice drops low and is thick with emotion while he stares at her. “Look, sis, all I’m saying is it’s just us now. I promised that I’d look out for you, and that's what I plan to do. If something happened to me, I need to know you won't be alone, that you'll have somebody.”

He stops, and I can see it's sinking in with May. She and her brother have always been close, and they are the only family they have left. I know that Colt takes looking out for his little sister seriously, but what he doesn't understand is that I've also been looking out for her for two years now. She's mine to look out for now.

Kinsey grabs on to Colt’s hand because I know that she can feel the emotion too, and I understand what he's saying. We do have a dangerous job. I'm right there with him all the time, every step of the way. I want to know she's protected too, but I want to be the one to do that.

Even I can hear the weakening in her response. “I get it. I do, Colt, but you have to understand, I can take care of myself.”

With his forehead creased, Colt asks her, “We haven’t seen much of you lately. I know your job as a nurse is demanding, but you have to have some time off. Are you seeing someone? You haven't been around a lot lately. Is that what this is about?”

Her face flushes, which is a definite tell when she's hiding something or not telling the whole truth. I'm still staring at her, almost begging for her to tell him. I want to come clean about this. I’m about to do it myself when she shakes her head. “No, nothing serious.”

Her words hit me hard. I physically put my hand up to my chest like I need to check that my heart is still in there and still beating. I push back from the table, and Colt looks up at me. “Where you going, man?”

“Home,” I tell him, and now it’s me that’s avoiding looking at May. I can’t believe she said we’re not serious. If I wasn’t sitting here and heard it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’m in love with May, and she’s telling her family it’s nothing serious. Fuck me.