Stonehill series collect.., p.123
Stonehill Series Collection, page 123
“I needed you too,” she confessed. “You make me feel whole.”
She was surprised when he choked out a little sob and pulled her closer.
“I’m not going to fuck this up again,” he promised.
“I’m not either.” She hugged him closer, letting him absorb the comfort he needed.
The next morning, Aiden held up two DVDs as Meg filled their mugs with coffee. “Massive destruction by volcano or tornadoes?” he asked.
Meg pursed her lips together and twisted them to the side as she considered the options he’d offered. “Volcano.”
“Sweet!”
He was so thankful for the normalcy of the morning. He had known that he’d have to talk to her about his ongoing issues with the things he’d seen in the city, but he hadn’t planned on telling her last night. Once he’d started rambling, he couldn’t stop. The emotional dam seemed to break. She’d held him for a long time before they were finally able to go back to sleep.
He feared she’d want to talk about his continued struggles, but she was kind enough to let it rest. At least for now. He guessed she felt the same kind of relief that he hadn’t pressed the issue of her depression. They both had struggles and issues they would have to work with as they went, but he was confident they were in a good enough place to face whatever challenges life presented to them.
He was going to make certain they were.
By the time he got the movie started, she was settling on the sofa with their mugs. His heart nearly overflowed at the site of her in his T-shirt and boxer shorts. This was one of the things he’d missed he most. They’d had their first cups at the table while eating pancakes and chatting about how they should spend their day. They agreed the more time they spent on the couch drinking coffee and watching disaster movies the better.
Aiden sat next to where she’d curled up and rested his hand on her knee. They’d developed a love of movies like these long ago. The cheesier the so-called special effects and overacted dialogue, the more they loved them. Borderline B movies had somehow become their thing. If she wasn’t watching cooking shows or shows about people renovating houses, they were likely indulging in some cheap flick about a natural disaster or monster wreaking havoc.
“This is terrible,” Meg said, but she smiled as she did.
Aiden turned the bracelet on her wrist until he could rub the little heart between his finger and thumb. “Should we take bets on who lives to the end?”
“That’s too easy.” She took a sip and then pointed to the overly handsome actor flirting with a woman. “He’ll make it to the end. She’s going to die. She’s definitely going to die.”
He dropped his hand to her knee and drank his coffee as the dramatics on the screen played out. Terrible computer-generated graphics and a worse script kept them entertained through the pot of coffee.
They were about halfway through the first movie when Meg stretched out and put her head on his lap. That was it. Bad movie forgotten. He stroked his fingers through her hair, traced her ear with his fingertip until she giggled and swatted his hand away, and brushed his hand up and down her arm.
“You know when I say that I love you,” he whispered, “I mean I’m passionately, insanely, head over heels in love with you.”
Her eyes filled with obvious affection as she turned her face up to his. “And when I say I love you, I mean that even though you’re an idiot, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Hey…” He poked her stomach, and she flinched, laughing in that way that always tugged at his heartstrings. So he poked her again. And again, until she wriggled out of his lap and jumped up.
“Don’t do it,” she warned.
They both knew he wouldn’t listen. This was one of their favorite games. He charged her, hugging her against him as she squealed. Hefting her up, he put her over his shoulder and carried her back to the couch. He flipped her onto the cushions and stretched out on top of her. She parted her legs, making room for him, all the while playfully protesting the impending attack.
Aiden gently pinned her hands above her head and lifted his brows. “Take it back,” he warned.
“No.”
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her neck and blew a big raspberry against her skin.
“Oh my God! No!” Laughter took away any seriousness to her words. “Aiden! Stop!”
“Take it back.”
“Never!”
“Take it back,” he said lightly, “or I’m going to smother you in kisses.”
Her laughed quieted. “Liar.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Go ahead and try.”
He put his mouth on hers and pushed his tongue into her open mouth. She lifted his shirt while he tugged at hers until they separated long enough to discard their clothing, and then his lips were on her neck. She moaned his name, fisted his hair, and encouraged him to move lower. He didn’t need coaxing; he was more than happy to flick his tongue over one of her nipples.
What he really wanted was to be in her, to be deep inside her, moving with her as she clung to him and called his name as she’d done a dozen times the night before. He hadn’t had nearly enough of her. He’d never get enough of her, but he couldn’t take her just yet. His condoms were upstairs.
Lifting her against him, chest to chest, he gripped her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him.
“You can’t carry me all the way upstairs like this,” she said.
“Watch me,” Aiden countered.
He’d rounded the edge of the sofa and the corner that would have taken him to the stairs…if his mother hadn’t been standing there with her mouth hanging open and a bag from a fast food joint dangling in her hand.
“Mom!”
She took a gasping breath. “You…you didn’t answer when I knocked. I thought you were still in bed. I thought…” She lifted the bag, her eyes still wide. “I brought breakfast.”
“Yeah. Um. Mom, why don’t you just…”
“I’ll leave it here,” she said. She glanced around before setting the bag on the floor and started for the door. “Uh, nice seeing you again Meg-ooh…Meg.”
“Nice seeing you, Becca,” she said, her voice light with laughter.
The door closed behind his mother, and Aiden eased Meg’s feet to the floor. She crossed her arms over her breasts as if his mother was still there. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks bright pink. “What the hell just happened?”
Aiden tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop a chuckle from slipping through his lips. “Um. My mom walked in unannounced and very nearly caught me having sex with my girlfriend.”
“Oh, man,” Meg moaned. “I’m going to die.” She dropped her face. “I’m so glad she didn’t show up five minutes from now.”
Leaning forward, he tilted her face up and kissed her. “I need to shower. I feel icky.” Turning her toward the stairs, he guided her up to his bathroom. He didn’t have to ask if she wanted to continue where they’d left. It was pretty damn obvious his mother had clearly killed the mood for both of them.
Chapter 16
Meg could barely stop laughing long enough to tell Mallory about Aiden’s mother walking in on them as they were headed upstairs. “I didn’t see her face, but I can totally imagine.”
Mallory put her hand to her chest as laugher roared from her. “Oh my God. That is hilarious!”
“No,” Meg said around her giggles, “it’s not. It’s really not. She already hates me. Now she has all the more reason.”
“Oh, please. Aiden is a grown man with his own house. She’s the one who walked in unannounced. That’ll teach her.” Still laughing, she stirred her coffee. “Remember when I walked in on Mom and Marcus’s heavy petting session when I moved back home? Lord. That taught me to always knock before entering. Now Becca knows. Life lessons aren’t always easy.”
Meg’s laughter eased as she shook her head. “Poor Aiden. I can only imagine the conversation they’re having his afternoon.”
Mallory smiled warmly. “I’m just glad that you guys finally got back together. I’m so happy for you.”
Meg huffed out a breath as she looked at the bracelet on her arm. “I missed that big old fool.”
“I know you did. Are you still worried about him leaving you?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, not much. I mean, he just bought a house. He can’t very well walk away from that, can he? He could break up with me anytime, but at least he won’t be disappearing without notice anytime soon.”
“Relationships don’t come with guarantees,” Mallory said. “You just have to trust in them.”
“Not the easiest thing for me.”
“I know. But you’re going to try, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to try. And I’m going to try to make things right with my parents. It’s not going to be easy, but I have to. I see Aiden trying so hard with his that I have to do the same.”
Mallory patted her hand. “As long as you don’t let them tear you down again. You’ve come a long way. I don’t want to see them take away from all the strides you’ve made.”
Meg smiled. If anyone knew how much Meg really had grown in the last few years, it was Mallory. She’d been through all the ups and downs with her.
Mallory grabbed her phone when it chimed.
“What?”
A wide smile spread across her face. “Jenna’s in labor. She’s already dilated to seven.”
“Go.”
Putting her hand to the bundle secured against her chest with a wrap, she shook her head. “No. I’ll go visit after she has the baby.”
“Put your child down and go,” Meg stated firmly.
“I can’t.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “How are you ever going to come back to work if you can’t even leave him long enough to go visit your aunt in the hospital?” Her heart kicked in her chest. She had suspected as much, but the words hadn’t been spoken. She pouted dramatically. “Mallory. You’re not coming back, are you?”
Mallory shrugged. “I’m not ready. Phil and I have decided that I’m going to extend my maternity leave. Indefinitely. I’ve already talked to Mom and Marcus. I told them to give you my office so you can get out of that dinky space we stuck you in when you started. They’re going to talk to you about it Monday.”
Meg stuck out her bottom lip even farther. “It’s not going to be the same without you.”
She kissed Harris’s head. “I’ll go back sometime. Just not right now.”
“Okay. I get that. I do. But right now, your aunt is having her baby, and you should be there. Give him to me.”
Mallory sank back in her chair before huffing out a breath. “Just wait,” she said. “Someday, when you and Aiden have kids, you’re going to feel the exact same way.”
Meg smiled. Not only because she suspected Mallory was right, but the idea of having Aiden’s kids filled her heart even more than it had been already. Pushing herself up, she went to work on extracting Harris from his mother’s clutches.
Aiden opened the door to Phil and Mallory’s house and spotted Meg with baby Harris on her shoulder. She turned and pressed her finger to her lips to warn Aiden to be quiet, and he swore he saw his future. He felt as if his chest had erupted like the volcano in the horrible movie he and Meg had never finished watching.
She was a natural with Harris. And with Jessica. She was going to make an amazing mother. She bounced the baby and lightly patted his little back, keeping him calm as his weary eyes fought to stay open. His cheeks had filled out, and thin dark hair covered his head, allowing Aiden to imagine what their child might look like.
Damn. He was up to his eyeballs in fantasizing about Meg. Funny thing was, his fantasies had very little to do with sex. He guessed that’s how he knew he’d finally grown up.
He set the bag of carryout he’d brought on the table. He had one thing on his mind as he moved across the room to her. Resting his hands on her hips, he kissed her lightly. The only reason he didn’t hug her was because he didn’t want to crush the baby.
“Have you heard from Mallory yet?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Nonstop,” she whispered. “She’s seriously going through baby withdraw. Jenna’s still in labor.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Okay as far as I know.”
“And Jess?”
“She’s in her room doing homework.”
He took a step back. “I’ll go grab her so we can eat.”
Gripping his wrist before he could leave, she narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s this wistful look about? You’ve had it since you walked in.”
He closed the gap between them and rested his forehead to hers. “I could get used to this, Meg. To coming home to you.” He smiled and covered the hand she had resting on Harris’s back. “To this.”
She tiled her head back, eyes widened a bit. “Slow your roll, buddy. We’ve been back together for like two minutes.”
“That’s long enough,” he whispered. He gave her one more light kiss before heading down the hall to get Jessica. He had to knock on her door three times before she finally heard him. Her music was way too loud. He knew Phil and Mal didn’t let her get away with that, but Meg was the “fun aunt,” so he guessed Jess knew she wouldn’t mind.
He wondered if that was a flash to their future too. Would he be the rule enforcer while Meg was the fun one? He thought that was probably going to be the case, but he didn’t mind. Maybe he would when they actually had kids, but the idea of working through those parental problems was something he thought he would actually look forward to. As long as he was working through them with Meg.
“Hey,” he said when Jess finally opened the door. “I brought burgers. Hungry?”
She blinked, and a big fat tear rolled down her cheek.
“Whoa,” Aiden said, concern interrupting his dreams of the future. “What’s going on?”
“I’m stupid.” Her voice cracked and her lips quivered. “I’m so stupid.”
Aiden didn’t think twice about pulling her to him. He hugged her tight. “That’s not true. What’s going on?”
“I can’t do my math.”
If she weren’t so upset, he would have laughed at the dramatics. Although if he had learned one thing about Phil’s daughter, the girl was a natural at overreacting. “Well, you know what? I am awesome at math. Want some help?”
She sniffed and nodded. When she leaned back, his shirt was covered in tears. She looked at the wet spots and shrugged apologetically.
“Come eat,” he said. “Then we’ll take a look.”
He followed her to the dining room, where Meg was pulling their dinner from the bag. Her face instantly sagged, but he held up his hands to stop her before she could get worried.
“She’s having a bit of trouble with her homework, but we’re going to worry about it after dinner. Right, Jess?”
She nodded but didn’t have an ounce of her usual spunk. Dropping heavily into a chair, she accepted a sandwich with a muttered thanks and pouted as she unwrapped it.
“Meg’s pretty good at math too,” Aiden offered. “She used to help me when we were in school.”
“You should have asked for help instead of getting so upset,” Meg gently told Jess.
Her shoulders sank into an exaggerated slump. “You were too busy with the baby.”
Aiden cast a glance at Meg, who flicked her eyes in his direction as well. He guessed she was thinking the same thing he was. There was more to Jessica’s tears and downtrodden expression than her homework.
“I can help you and look after Harris,” Meg said. “Just like your mom and dad do.”
She huffed a little. “All Mallory does is hover around the baby.”
Mallory? Aiden hadn’t heard Jessica call her by name since the adoption was finalized in December. Poor kid must really be feeling the new baby blues. Biting into his sandwich, Aiden let Meg take the lead on reassuring Jess of her role in the family. As she did, kindly reminding Jessica of all the things her parents and grandparents still included her in, his notion that she was going to be a great mom was cemented.
She was patient and understanding but also pushed back when Jess wallowed a bit too much. But the time they finished eating, Jess was happier. Not as chipper as she usually was, but she seemed to be less out of joint about the fact that Harris needed a bit more attention than she did right now.
“We should talk to Phil and Mal,” Meg whispered when Jessica went to get her homework.
“Yeah, but this is normal,” he said. “I think all older siblings go through this at some point. We should remember that when we have kids.”
He chuckled at the surprise on her face. Before she could retort, Jessica came back with the tablet she used for her online homework. Scooting close to her, he made it a point to keep his attention on her and her homework. He’d have to stare longingly at his girlfriend another time.
Chapter 17
Meg was going to kill Aiden. There had definitely not been a long enough span of time between his mother walking in on them very nearly having sex and this little lunch he’d organized. Smiling across the table, Meg searched the furthest corners of her mind to try to find something, anything, to talk to Becca Howard about, but all she could do was shrink more and more as the woman stared at her with the same deer in the headlights look Meg imagined was on her face.
“Meg,” Aiden encouraged, “how was your morning?”
“Um, good. Good. I’ll be, um, showing some houses this afternoon. So, you know, I was getting all that lined up. For a client.”
Another stretch of awkward silence fell over the table. Aiden looked at his mom. “And how was your morning?”
“Um. Okay. I, um…” She leaned back and smiled when the waitress set her lunch in front of her. After they all agreed that everything looked wonderful, Becca focused on cutting her chicken.
Aiden bumped his knee against Meg’s, and she glanced at him. Oh, yes. He was going to pay for this. If he’d waited a month, or even a week, the weirdness of this situation could have died down, but no. He just had to get it over with. Like ripping off a bandage, he’d said. It wasn’t like ripping off a bandage. It was like drowning in pudding.
