Chapter Forty

Bec

B ec: Is this another gag gift?

Aiden: Another? When have I ever sent you a gag gift?

Bec: The vibrator, Aiden. Now this?

Aiden: That was not a gag gift. That was a genuine gift I was hoping you’d enjoy using. It’s not my fault you can’t follow directions and you’re gagging yourself with it. There are other toys specifically made for that. Sounds like user error.

Bec: I’m choosing to ignore that last text.

Bec: I can’t believe you’d send me a plant. This poor innocent thing will be dead before you get back. It’s doomed to join the others in my windowsill graveyard.

Aiden: Look closer, Bec. It’s fake. I’m not willing to be an accomplice to murder. Let the real plants live in the wild.

Bec: You might be onto something there.

Aiden: I’d rather be on you.

Bec: Honestly, same.

* * *

It’s been almost two weeks since Aiden left for Spring Training. Thankfully, between training classes and my time spent at New Hope, I’ve been plenty busy. If I wasn’t falling into bed exhausted every night from overworking, I might have more time to think about Aiden and how much I miss him. I can’t hide from my own feelings forever, and as much as I’d like to avoid getting attached to a new relationship too quickly, I know he’s dug in deep already with how often my thoughts are fixated on him in the rare moments of quiet.

Is he thinking about me too? Does he miss me the way I miss him? Is he losing interest with the distance between us?

If I’m not racking my brain with questions fueled by insecurities, then I’m snapping myself out of flashbacks of him looking up at me from between my thighs with a smirk on his lips, or looking down at me with a hooded, hungry stare as his hands wander all over my body. It’s enough to distract me, and despite the embarrassingly very regular use of my vibrator, I’m still left unsatisfied. After only a few nights together, I’m completely addicted to Aiden Price.

I’m sitting at the front of the training room, my eyes unfocused on the clipboard in my hand, lost again in thoughts of Aiden, while I wait for the next class to arrive. Hopper and Aiden’s class. They won’t be here of course. I know Aiden made other arrangements for Hopper while he’s away, and I’m trying not to take it personally that he didn’t ask me to watch him. I really did love having a dog around the apartment again.

When I catch myself in another daydream of what Aiden could be doing at this very moment, I look up to find all of the families and their pets seated and ready to begin. Ten minutes later, we’ve discussed the new skill for the week and I’m now making my rounds to assist as the attendees work on the cue for the first time.

The door flies open, catching my attention, and I watch as Hopper bounds into the training room, his leash trailing behind on the ground like a snake. He does a large circle and greets two dogs before spotting me and running to lie in front of me, presenting his belly for scratches.

“Please promise not to tell Aiden how much I let Hop get away with while he’s gone.” I recognize Aiden’s sister from the restaurant and immediately feel better knowing he asked her to watch Hopper and he didn’t choose a dog boarder over asking me.

“Your secret is safe with me. I’m Bec. Evie, right?” I ask.

“Yep, the most obnoxious dog aunt you’ll probably ever meet. And also, the least punctual. Sorry we’re late. Hop got a hold of one of my shoes and it turned into an all-out battle in my living room.”

“Been there…” I mutter to myself, not thinking.

“He destroyed your shoes too?”

“Uh, yeah, something like that.” I nod, tuck my hair behind my ear, and quickly change the subject. Not really a story I want to revisit with Aiden’s sister. “No worries about the time, we just got started a little bit ago. I’m glad you and Hopper were able to make it to class today. Aiden didn’t mention you’d be in.”

“He doesn’t know,” she says with a devious look on her face. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to introduce myself and see if you’d be interested in teaming up for a little…surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“Want to meet for a coffee later? We can get to scheming.” She shoots me a wicked grin, and I know that Aiden isn’t ready for whatever Evie has planned.

* * *

An hour later, I’m sitting on the heated patio at the coffee shop next door. Hopper is lying underneath the table between Evie and me, exhausted from his class. I guess ignoring Evie’s instructions for an hour zapped the energy right out of him .

“Congrats on the adoption event. Aiden told me it went well. Almost cleared the shelter of all the animals needing homes, right?” Evie asks before sipping her drink.

“He mentioned that?”

“Are you kidding? He went on and on and on about it. He begged me to come and adopt a dog. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. Like I told him, I’m ready for the responsibility of a dog aunt , not dog mom . He was trying to describe some kind of board or something that you made? He went on for like five minutes before he remembered he took a picture and showed me that instead. Zoomed in on all the details and then spent another five minutes telling me about the dogs he met.”

My shock must show on my face hearing how much Aiden has told Evie. Like the day meant as much to him as it does to me. The thought warms me from the inside.

“He and his teammates sure drew a crowd. It wouldn’t have been nearly as successful if they hadn’t shown up,” I say.

“My brother is pretty smitten. And by smitten, I mean he’s acting obsessed and driving me nuts.”

We both break out into laughter, mine sounding a little nervous and hers genuine and unreserved. I feel my stomach flip at the thought of Aiden driving his sister crazy talking about us .

“So, you want to surprise the hell out of him?” Evie asks.

“What’d you have in mind?”

“Come with me to Arizona. Aiden has a preseason game next Saturday. We can take a quick flight out there, stay the night, and fly back the next day.”

“I don’t know…won’t he be annoyed if I show up unannounced and uninvited? Can friends even go to those games?”

“ Friends? The way he talks about you sounds like a lot more than friends.”

“You could say that,” I say, unable to keep eye contact with Evie. My face heats remembering all the ways we are absolutely more than friends, but we didn’t talk labels before he left, so I’m not exactly sure what to call us at the moment. “I mean…what about Hopper?” I change the subject, looking for an out. Anything to avoid facing the uncertainty of how Aiden would react to an unexpected visit like this. I don’t want to come off as needy.

“Way ahead of you. Dom agreed to take him for the night. I guess Aiden has been over there a few times with him already, and Dom said he’s great with the baby. It’s just for one night too. I told Dom I’d buy him and his wife dinner to pay them back. Plus, the cost of anything Hopper might destroy while he’s staying there, but fingers crossed there aren’t any destructive incidents.”

“I’d need to ask one of my coworkers to cover my classes. You sure it wouldn’t be overstepping?”

“Listen, Bec. I don’t know you, but I know Aiden. And when he talks about you, he’s…happy. I want that for my brother. I want to see him happy.” The heartbreak behind her words strikes me. With everything Aiden has told me about his past, I know there’s a lot of hurt there. I want happiness for him too. I’m not sure I’m capable of giving it to him, but I hope I am. This growing flame between us feels consuming, reinvigorating. The distance we’ve had between us for the past two weeks has only helped me realize how strongly I crave being in his presence. His name lighting up my phone has my pulse racing. I hope he feels the same way.

“What makes you think he wasn’t happy before?”

“You can’t see it, because the change is you . Aiden is the best brother I could ever ask for. He’s spent the last twenty years trying to take care of our mom and me. I want him to find someone special and make that work. Please don’t get freaked out or anything. There are no hard feelings if this is too much, too soon. I just got excited when I heard your date went well and that you two were still talking. I wanted to go to a game to support him, anyway, and I know he’d love to see you. Plus, I thought this would be a fun way to get to know you.”

Before I even have a chance to process what she’s said, she’s already pulling back, rubbing her palms over her face, doubt evident in her posture. “Sorry, this was a dumb idea,” she says. “I’m probably coming off all wrong, the annoying younger sister dragging you out to coffee and asking you to hop on a plane to see a guy you just started dating.”

“Evie, wait.” I shove my nerves down, the ones that make me want to decline her offer. I decide the risk is worth it. Time and time again, Aiden has me pushing past my comfort zone, because I know he’s worth it. “I have three older siblings. No offense, but compared to the way they hover, you’d have to try a lot harder to outdo them. I would love to get to know you, and I can’t think of a better way to start. When do we leave?”