Chapter Thirty-Four

Bec

E llie: Anyone hear from Bec yet? Dom has spent the entire morning harassing me about how her date with Aiden went. He’s gossiping like a preteen. I’m going to chuck my bagel at him if he wakes Luca before I finish my coffee.

Carissa: Last I heard, Aiden took her back to the hotel bar where they met before your wedding.

Dee: Romance at that level is BJ worthy in my book. It’s basic math.

Carissa: Kind of a fucked-up math problem if you ask me.

Ellie: Dom can’t control the volume of his voice. He’s whisper-shouting with excitement. Emphasis on shouting.

Ellie: Give me something. Anything. Please, I beg you.

Abby: Bet that’s real close to what Bec was saying to Aiden last night.

Dee: Abby, you’re my new favorite. Don’t ever change.

Ellie: His excitement is devolving into panic. My marriage is at stake here.

Bec: Tell Dom he needs to get a hobby.

Abby: Proof of life received. But that’s not what we asked for…we need DETAILS. What happened? Did you get to see his baseballs ?

Dee: She *strikes* again.

Ellie: You know Dom already has a hobby. There are four unfinished puzzles lying around my house. He’s working on one right now and it hasn’t helped. Answer the question, Miller.

Bec: No comment. I plead the fifth. Please direct all media inquiries to my agent. (picture attached)

Carissa: Bec…is that Hopper?

Dee: Holy shit, are you at his place? Are you playing with his baseballs right now? How big is his bat?!

Bec: I hate that I’m even playing into this, but ladies…home fucking run.

Dee: THAT’S MY GIRL!

Abby: Uh…we’re going to need a lot more information.

Ellie: I can’t even explain the shriek Dom just let out. Dom wants to host the next book club at our house. Fair warning—he’s going to eavesdrop when we talk about your date. He said he promises he won’t tell Aiden anything.

Carissa: I’m so happy for you, Bec. Aiden seems like a really nice guy.

Dee: I repeat—how big is his bat?? Bec?!

* * *

“Uh-oh, I’ve seen that look before. No good comes from a look like that. You causing trouble in here?” Aiden is leaning on the door frame of his bedroom, his arms crossed against his chest, watching me with a smirk on his face.

I smile and raise my hands up in surrender, dropping my phone in my lap onto Aiden’s soft comforter. Comfy as fuck bedding. Green flag.

“Busted. The girls are begging for an update on our date. I’d like to say you’re off the hook and I’ll handle it, but apparently Dom is nosey as fuck, too, so you should prepare yourself for that.”

Aiden walks over casually, palming the back of my head and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before sitting on the edge of his bed, facing me. The simple act sends my heart tumbling, but I ignore it, trying to appear unrattled. “I should have known this was coming,” he says. “Dom wouldn’t stop texting me before we met up last night. He keeps sending me dating tips , which are embarrassing enough it’s made me question Ellie’s judgment for giving him a second date at all, let alone marrying the guy.”

“Trust me, I’ve heard all about their first date. I make Ellie retell the story all the time. Dom always takes over because he is so damn proud of his moves, he can’t help but try to defend them. It never gets old. But I have to admit, it was a good call to completely ignore his suggestions.”

“Does that mean I did okay without them? Do I get to hear your review of our date or is that only for the girls, and Dom, to know and for me to guess?”

“I’m waking up in your clothes, in your bed, with an obnoxious smile on my face. Obviously, it was terrible. Swing and a miss, big guy. I thought you played baseball or something.”

“Yep,” he says, attempting to hide his smirk and nodding his head. “I had a feeling you were trouble. And now, I find out you’re a liar too. I see you, Miller.” His hand finds mine and he lightly runs his calloused fingers over the pulse point at my wrist while he stares at the point of contact. “What are your plans for today?”

“I’ve just got a few things to catch up on for work. A couple errands.”

His eyes light up and I’m stuck staring, unable to look away. That inexplicable pull I feel toward him grows stronger every moment we’re together. My insides twist, my heart warring with my head—one telling me to slow down, the other telling me to let go, give in, and enjoy whatever this is between us.

“What if I proposed a…first date extension?” Aiden asks.

“Hm…what would that look like?”

“Well, there’s breakfast and coffee in the kitchen.” He lifts my wrist to his lips and presses a soft kiss there.

“Can’t say no to free breakfast from a man in boxer briefs.”

“You missed the cooking show, I’m afraid, but you’re invited anytime.” He continues kissing up my forearm and up to my shoulder, speaking into the crook of my neck. “And after breakfast, I can take you home so you can get what you need from your place for today and tonight.”

“Tonight too? A little greedy, don’t you think?” I ask, a bit breathless from the way his mouth feels against my skin.

Sitting back to look at me, Aiden asks, “What if I wasn’t ready to let you go just yet?”

“What happened to one date at a time?”

“This can be a first date extension or a second date, you decide. Either way, I want you in my bed tonight…if that’s what you want. Nothing has to happen, I just…I leave for Spring Training soon. I’m being selfish. I want more time with you before my schedule gets crazy. I’ll need a few more memories to distract me when I should be focused on my job,” he jokes as he smiles at me. He pauses and lifts his hand to palm my cheek, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’ve worn out all the memories I had with you while I was waiting for this second chance.” For as confident as he seems, there’s an undercurrent of vulnerability too. It’s a relief to hear my own uncertainty reflected back to me, to know we’re both swimming in unknown waters makes it a little less daunting. I like being on equal footing, and I like that he’s asking for what he wants instead of leaving me guessing.

“Last night probably gave you some new material to work with,” I say, and we both laugh .

“Yeah, you bet your fine ass every detail is permanently etched in my mind. Let me help you today with work. Give Hop and me a job.”

“Well, I’ve never had an assistant.”

With a wink he says, “Look at that, I’ll be the best you’ve ever had.”

He is. No contest.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that? You don’t mind tagging along? I have to run to the store and then get a few things prepped at home. It’s nothing exciting. You probably have way better things to do with your day.”

“Bec, trust me when I say I can’t think of a better way to spend my time. I don’t care what we do. Just try and bore me, baby. I don’t think it’s possible. But first things first, breakfast,” Aiden says over my lips, stealing a soft kiss as he gently pushes my chest back onto the bed with the weight of his own body. He slowly drags his T-shirt up from my waistline toward my collarbone, exposing me to the cool air. He kisses his way down my stomach, causing my pulse to quicken and heat to trickle up my thighs.

“I thought you said breakfast was in the kitchen,” I say in a breathless whisper.

“Your breakfast is, but mine is right here. And I’m fucking starving.”

Okay, Aiden isn’t just the best I’ve ever had. He’s the best I’ll ever have.