Page 121 of Skylar

“You’ve told me about your dating life,” Aiden said. “Let me tell you something about mine.”

“I won’t believe you if you tell me you haven’t been dating,” Skylar warned.

“No. I’m not telling you that.”

“Not that I want to hear about the women you’ve dated.”

“Well, babe, I didn’t really want to hear about the men you’ve dated either.”

“Fair enough.” She waved her hand in the air. “Go on.”

“When I was dating, I discovered I couldn’t date women with dark brown hair and eyes.”

“Well, they do say that blondes have more fun,” Skylar said. “So it stands to reason that men would prefer them.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Aiden said. “I couldn’t date anyone that reminded me of you because no matter how attractive they were, they just didn’t measure up to you.”

“So only the blondes were pretty enough to distract you?”

Aiden wanted to sigh in frustration at not being able to express himself well enough. “No, again. I struggled not to compare every woman I dated to you, but at least the blondes were less of a physical reminder of you.”

“How long ago did you date one of these blondes?” Skylar asked.

“It was back before my dad passed away,” he said. “I haven’t really dated since then.”

“Why not?”

“Too many other things demanding my attention, including my move here to Coeur d’Alene and helping Mom with Willow.”

Skylar was silent for a moment, then said, “If you were regretting the breakup, why didn’t you try to contact me to work it out? Or to at least apologize? It wasn’t like you didn’t know how to get hold of me.”

Aiden wasn’t sure how to explain what had been in his mind back then without either digging a deeper hole or sounding like he was making excuses. Because depending on which part of those early years after the breakup he focused on, it could go one way or the other.

He wondered if anything he said would make a difference. Was she just dragging it out to make him pay for what had happened? He didn’t really think so, though he certainly wouldn’t blame her if she did.

The house came into view before he had a chance to land on an answer. However, he didn’t want the conversation to end.

He pulled into the driveway and came to a stop. Before turning off the engine, he rolled down the windows a little. The day had taken on the gray shades of twilight, but it was still warm.

“I wish I could explain what was in my mind back then,” Aiden said. “But all I can say is that I’ve matured enough to realize that what I did was wrong on several levels. I understand why you’re wary of trusting me again. I get it, I really do. I can tell you that if you decide to give me another chance, I will treat you the way you deserve to be treated, and as God would want me to treat you.”

“Like your dad treated your mom?”

Aiden smiled, remembering the times they’d discussed both sets of parents’ relationships. “Yes. Like Dad treated Mom. Since my dad passed, I’ve tried to do a few of the things for her that he used to do.”

“Like what?”

“She loves plants and flowers, and Dad used to bring her a new plant now and then. And in the summer, he’d pick upflowers for her to plant in her garden. She likes bouquets too, but definitely prefers something that lasts. So I’ve gotten in the habit of searching out rare plants that she might like to try her hand at growing. One of them was an orchid that has bloomed beautifully under her care.”

“Do she still have it?”

“Yes. She very carefully transported it back to the house in Serenity.” Aiden reached out to cover Skylar’s hands with his own, where they rested in her lap. “Sky, spending this time with you has made me fall in love with you all over again. I see the tenderness of your heart as you deal with Shiloh and even with me. I admire the strength you had to give Shiloh up and then take a position on the periphery of her life. I know that wasn’t easy at all.”

“Maybe I’m just the easy option,” Skylar said. “The one you already have a connection with. That you already know. The one that’s here.”

Aiden chuckled. “You may be many things, babe, but you’re definitely not the easy option. And before you protest that, I want you to know that that is one of the things I love about you. I don’t want an easy option. I want to be with someone who I know is going to work and fight for our relationship as much as I am. You are that person for me.”

“If I don’t feel the same way, how will things be between us as we deal with Shiloh?”

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