Stonehill series collect.., p.120
Stonehill Series Collection, page 120
“What if she wants to give them Japanese names?” his mom asked.
He wanted to roll his eyes, but he’d opened this conversation so he could address their concerns. He wasn’t going to mock them. “That’s a decision between my wife and me.”
“She isn’t your wife,” his dad muttered.
“If she becomes my wife and if we have children and if she wants to give them names that reflect their heritage, then that will be a decision between my wife and me. Whether I marry Meg or someone else, our children’s names are our decision. No one else’s.”
“But…I can’t even say her name,” his mom said.
“Meg, Mom. Her name is Meg. You choose to make it more difficult than it is.”
She looked shocked. “I was trying to show her respect by using her name.”
“Well, to be frank, it comes across as if you’re pointing out that she’s different.”
Widening her eyes, she gawked at him. “I told you last night that I’m not racist.”
“I’m not implying you are.”
“The hell you aren’t,” his dad muttered.
Aiden looked at his father. “What’s your problem with Meg?”
“I don’t have one.”
He wasn’t buying this. But he wasn’t going to argue it. “Okay. Listen to me, I’m only saying this once. If you do have a problem, get over it, because if you make her feel uncomfortable, then she’s not going to want to be around you, and if she doesn’t want to be around you, I’m not going to force her. That means you won’t be seeing a lot of me, either. Understood?”
“Understood,” his mother whispered. His father didn’t answer.
“Mom, if you want, I’d like your help buying some things for my house. Are you up for it?”
She blinked a few times before nodding. “I’ll go grab my things.”
Aiden stood and looked at his father, who had returned his attention to the television. “Dad.”
Again, he was met with no answer. He left without another word, guessing he’d probably be seeing a lot more of his mother in the future than he would of his dad.
Chapter 13
Meg hugged Harris more tightly to her chest when Mallory looked at him with puppy dog eyes. “He’s fine.”
“I know. There are bottles in the fridge.”
Meg nodded. “I know.”
“I’ll keep my cell phone on all evening.”
“I know.”
Mallory continued staring at her baby. “Call if you need anything. Anything at all.”
Lifting her brows, Meg turned her attention to Phil. She and Aiden had agreed to keep Harris while the rest of the Martinson-Canton clan went to Jenna’s wedding. This was the perfect excuse for the new parents to get a break, but if Mallory didn’t leave soon, they were going to be late.
Meg sighed and turned her body just a bit so Mallory couldn’t take Harris from her. “Get her out of here so you guys can enjoy the wedding. Please.”
Phil grabbed his wife’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “We’ll be back in a few hours, Mallory. Meg and Aiden can handle it.”
“I know they can,” she whined.
“Go. Have fun,” Meg said. “I promise this little guy will be right here waiting for you to get home.”
Mallory gave her son one more kiss before following Phil out the front door.
Once they were alone, Meg turned to Aiden and laughed. “I give her two hours. At most.”
“I give her half that. She’s probably going to run out of there the moment Jenna and Daniel say ‘I do.’”
Meg giggled as she looked at the bundle in her arms, but she couldn’t deny his assessment. Mallory hated being away from Harris. Meg didn’t blame her. If she could sit and hold this sweet baby boy all day and night, she probably wouldn’t want to stop either.
“Your mommy is crazy, little man. Yes, she is.” Walking Harris to the portable crib set up next to the sofa, Meg eased the swaddled baby down and patted him for a moment before sitting on the couch where Aiden had plopped down and reached for a slice of the pizza that had arrived just minutes before they managed to shoo Phil and Mallory out of the house.
Meg had assumed they’d watch a movie with their dinner, but he sat back and started filling her in on when the furniture they’d selected would arrive. Juggling their opposite schedules hadn’t been easy, but they’d managed to find a few times to meet up and look for the basics for Aiden’s house. They’d selected a gray couch and love seat set and a contemporary coffee table. He had brought his flat screen TV from his old apartment to hang on the big empty wall that the couches would face. He said his mom wanted to help him buy dishes.
Meg didn’t know, and didn’t want to know, if he’d confronted Becca on their joint suspicion that she didn’t like Meg because of her race. If that was the case, Meg didn’t know how she and Aiden could actually work around that. If they did get back together, and she couldn’t deny that’s where this seemed to be headed, a wedge was going to be driven between Aiden and his family. Meg didn’t want that.
He’d been working so hard to bring his family together, she didn’t want to be the reason his mission failed. The fear was on her shoulders, though, and she couldn’t pretend it wasn’t weighing her down.
“Have you seen your parents since Christmas?” he asked as he added another slice of pepperoni and jalapeño pizza to her plate.
His side only had pepperoni. Peppers—any kind, including jalapeño peppers—gave him indigestion, something she used to love to tease him about.
“No, but Mom calls every day. I think she’s worried if she doesn’t, I won’t talk to her anymore. Which isn’t the case. She just calls before I can. I haven’t talked to Dad, though. I don’t know what to say to him.”
He swallowed a big bite before asking, “Are things with Aya still going well?”
She smiled. “Yeah. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her. I hope we can stay on an even keel, but I’m always waiting for something to blow it all up. That’s what usually happens.”
“I’m glad things are getting better. I, um…”
“What?” she asked hesitantly.
“I talked to my parents.” He glanced at her and shifted in his seat, letting her know he was uneasy sharing this with her. “I told them that someday I’m hoping you and I will be a couple again, and if they had a problem with that, they needed to get over it.”
“And how did that go over?”
“Mom heard me. She said she doesn’t mean to call you Meg-Meg-Meguma.” He smiled when Meg laughed. “She thought she was showing you respect by using your full name. Even if she can’t figure out how to say it.”
“And your dad?”
Aiden dismissed the mention of his father with a shrug. “He’s never heard me in the past. I don’t expect this to be any different.”
“Aiden.”
“It’s fine.”
She searched his face. His eyes were sad. Determined but sad. “No, it’s not. You came home to—”
“Get my life back on track, and a huge part of that was making us better. You and me.”
“At what cost?” she whispered.
Putting his hand on her knee, he held her gaze as he said, “At any cost. I didn’t realize it before, but I think the real reason I came home was to fix this. This is what matters to me. You are what matters to me.”
His words warmed her heart but didn’t ease the guilt settling in her stomach. “You don’t know how hard it is to be estranged from your family, Aiden. It’s like a shadow that hangs over you all the time. You don’t want that. I don’t want to—”
“I gave them the choice to accept us or not,” he stated, cutting her off. “I think Mom will try. Dad… Dad is who he is. Stubborn and narrowminded. He’s going to do whatever he wants. But so am I.” He put his hand to her cheek and gave her a soft smile. “And what I want is sitting right here next to me.”
Meg returned his smile as he leaned in. He kissed her lightly, not with the passion they’d shared the night before, but she felt the exchange all the way to the pit of her stomach. This was happening. She and Aiden were happening. Again. And she couldn’t stop it if she wanted to, but the thing was, she didn’t. All she could hope for was that she didn’t live to regret it.
He broke the kiss and sighed. “You taste like jalapeños.”
“That’s not the jalapeños, sweetie. I’m just too hot for you to handle.”
Aiden grinned. “I’m not going to argue with that.” Taking her plate, he set it on the coffee table and wrapped his arm around her so he could pull her closer. He dipped his head down and kissed her again. This time, he jumped right into a heated kiss.
Meg was tempted to crawl into his lap, straddle his thighs, and delve into a pretty serious heavy petting session, but Harris let out a little wail, reminding her they weren’t alone. Laughing quietly, she put her finger to Aiden’s lips. “Behave, or I’ll send you home.”
Aiden eased his hold on her and sat back. Meg grabbed her plate and took a big bite of her pizza. The heat of the peppers was nothing compared to what she was feeling for the man sitting next to her, though. She wanted him. More than she wanted to admit. More that she wanted to want him.
“How are things going with your mom and Kara?” she asked, hoping to distract them both. She ate as he told her about the trip the museum the women took and his mom’s hopes of helping Kara distract her toddler. He sounded hopeful, and Meg was happy for him. By the time they both finished eating, most of the pizza was gone, and they’d again fallen into easy conversation.
They’d been sitting there just about an hour when keys jingled in the door. Aiden smirked, looking cocky, but Meg didn’t call him on it. He’d been right. Mallory had lasted less than two hours. As soon as the door opened, she practically ran in. She barely acknowledged them before rushing to the crib and scooping up the still-sleeping baby.
“Well,” Meg said to Phil, “looks like all is right in the world now.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the scene of his wife checking on their newborn. “Seems like it.”
“How was the wedding?”
“Very nice,” Phil said. “Marcus didn’t even glare at his new brother-in-law once.”
“Because Mom would have killed him on the spot,” Mallory said, nuzzling Harris.
“Did you even make it to the reception?” Meg asked.
Phil shook his head. “Jessica stayed. Annie and Marcus will bring her home later.”
Meg sighed. “Mally, he didn’t even wake up. Go back and have some fun. We’ll call if we need you.”
“No. And you guys just leave me alone,” Mallory said before pressing her lips to Harris’s head. “I missed my baby.”
Meg hadn’t voiced her concerns, but she knew in that moment it would be a long time before Mallory was ready to return to work. She missed having her best friend and co-conspirator in the office, but she couldn’t begrudge Mallory’s unspoken decision to stay home with Harris. Meg would probably do the same thing if she had a family of her own. “Do you want this pizza?” she asked Phil as she stood.
“Leave it. We might have some,” Phil said.
Aiden followed Meg to where they’d hung their coats by the front door. “It’s early yet. Wanna go grab something to eat?” he asked as they bundled up.
“We just had pizza.” She looked back but didn’t call out to Phil and Mallory. They were already lost in their little world. Stepping out into the cold, she looked up at the night sky, wishing there would be a break in the cold winter.
“How ’bout a drink?” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
A few weeks ago, that nervous habit of his made her want to kick him in the shins. Tonight, she found it adorable. Too adorable. And a little irresistible. “You’re a doctor now, Aiden. If you get caught drinking and driving, you’re going to be in a world of trouble.”
“I’ll have a soda. It’s not even nine o’clock yet. I’m not ready to go home and ignore my parents.”
She looked at the house, debating. They were walking on thin ice here. They’d both admitted to still loving each other and had shared a few hot kisses. She didn’t want to jump in too fast, but damned if she wasn’t tempted to do just that.
“Want to go to Sam’s?” she asked. They used to frequent that bar in college, but she hadn’t been there in a long time. She doubted the dark, dingy scene had changed much though.
Aiden’s eyes lit with excitement. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
She nodded toward her car. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Last one there has to buy.” He practically ran in his SUV to try to beat her.
Meg chuckled to herself. Damned if she wasn’t tempting fate right now, but it felt oh so right.
Sam’s was just as Aiden remembered—loud, dark, and smelled like stale beer. Being there brought back a million memories. The bar had been one of his favorite places in college. Sitting with Meg now, he couldn’t help but remember how most of those nights ended—with them naked and moving together in a sensual dance that still made his body react when he thought of it.
He was convinced that no one had ever looked better in a pair of faded jeans and a fitted T-shirt than Meg. He’d had a hard time keeping his attention off her body while babysitting, but now it was nearly impossible to not steal glances at her whenever possible.
“What?” Meg pulled him from his memory.
“Huh?”
She grinned slyly, as if she had read his thoughts. Sipping her iced tea, she stared him down over the rim of the red plastic cup. Aiden was certain they were the same cups the bar had used four years ago. When she lowered her cup, she licked her lips and grinned at him.
He couldn’t resist temptation any longer. He needed to touch her. If they were a couple, he would slide into the seat next to her and warp his arm around her. He’d kiss her head and whisper in her ear. But they weren’t a couple. He thought that might happen sooner rather than later, but for now, he had no right to invade her space so intimately.
Taking her hand in his, he squeezed it tight. That would have to do for now, and since she didn’t pull away, he was perfectly content with the contact. Looking around the bar, Aiden couldn’t quite remember what it was about this place that had been so alluring to him just a few years ago. The air was too thick, too heavy, and the music was so loud that everyone was screaming just to be heard. He’d much rather they were sitting in a quiet restaurant. Or even better, on the couch at her apartment since his place still didn’t have furniture.
This scene certainly didn’t have the appeal it used to. Of course, he wasn’t the same person he used to be. Instead of yelling over the music to Meg about how he was going to just play one more game of pool with his buddies, he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to hear her soft voice and feel her warm skin.
He almost laughed at himself. Yeah, he certainly had changed. The last time they’d been in this bar, he’d been so intimidated by his feelings for her that he was secretly trying to find a way out of their relationship. Tonight, he’d give anything to be able to say they were in a relationship.
She said something, but Aiden couldn’t hear her over the music and yelling around them. He leaned across the table and cupped his ear. “What?”
“Stop looking at me like that,” she said slowly so he could read her lips.
He smirked. He didn’t really know how he’d been looking at her, but he imagined it was with amazement or tenderness or…longing. “No.”
Meg laughed at his blunt answer and shook her head. Taking another drink from her glass, she turned her attention toward the dart board, where a group of guys were taunting each other mercilessly. That used to be Aiden and his friends. He had no idea how damned annoying he used to be.
Leaning even closer, he called out Meg, “Didn’t we used to like it here?”
“We did.”
“Why?”
She nodded toward the pool tables where a group of younger twenty-somethings were hanging out. Oh. Right. He used to hang out there too. With his friends while Meg sat at the table with hers. They used to come here together, but then they’d part ways until it was time to go. Another pang of regret hit him. He sure had wasted a lot of time.
The small dance floor stopped hopping when an Ed Sheeran love song started filtering from the speakers. A few dancers booed and headed for the bar, but most paired up and started moving to the slower beat. Standing, Aiden pulled Meg with him, leaving their half-full glasses on the table. She didn’t resist, but she did give him a sarcastic smirk as he aimed for the small opening in the sea of bodies.
They had been doing a proverbial slow dance around their feelings for weeks now. Pulling her against him was just one more way they would be adding fuel to a slow-burning fire. He guessed she knew that as well as he did by the way she would grin every time he sprinkled a little gasoline on the embers.
His body remembered the feeling of holding her the moment she slipped into his arms, as did his heart. Meg still fit so perfectly against him, like she’d been made to fit there. She draped her arms over his shoulders, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. Swaying slowly, he felt like his soul was mending a bit more with each move they made. Hugging her more closely to him, he cupped the back of her head and squeezed her tightly.
There were still so many things he needed to share with her. So much he needed to tell her about his time away. About why he couldn’t cut it in the city. About the emotional wounds he was still trying to heal. The way the events that had unfolded before his eyes had stayed with him even now.
He was going to have to find the strength to tell her more than how sorry he was that he left her.
“I’m not sure this is a dance as much as a hug,” she said in his ear.
Aiden chuckled. “Close enough.” Turning his face into her hair, he inhaled her scent. Not the same as he remembered, but just as soothing to his battered soul. The loud bar and stale beer smells disappeared, and all that was left was Meg. He was lost in her, and he would have stayed that way if she hadn’t pulled back.
