Page 73 of Surviving in Everton

I pull her blankets back before I lay her down, covering her up after she rolls over and gets comfortable. I kiss her forehead and step back.

“Good night, Angel. Sweet dreams.”

“Love you too, Ayden,” she mumbles from the bed just as I get to the door.

I freeze and turn to face her. I didn’t say that. I didn’t want her to feel pressured to return the words. I stand there in shock for too long before finally finding my voice. “What was that, Violet?”

“I said, I love you too, Ayden.”

“I didn’t… I mean, Ido, but I didn’t say that,” I stutter.

“I know. But youfeltit. That’s much more important than saying it. I just wanted you to know, so you don’t try to hide it anymore. I know. I love you too.”

There’s no way I can leave with her thinking I’m trying to hide my feelings for her. I guarantee her asshole father didn’t tell her he loved her. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the same. I walk back to her and sit next to her on the bed.

“I love you, Violet. I love you with every fiber of my being. I love you like the daughter I wish I had. You may not be my blood, but you’remine. I will never stop loving you, no matter what. I will spend every day showing you what a good dad is. I may not be your father, but I will treat you like I am,” I vow.

“I want you to be. You and the others. I want you all to be my dads,” she confesses so softly, I almost don’t hear her.

“Oh, sweet girl. We would love nothing more. You sleep now and we’ll talk more about this later, okay? You’ve got school tomorrow and it’s way past your bedtime.”

“Okay, Ayden. Good night. I love you.”

“Good night, Angel. I love you more.”

I kiss her forehead again and leave the room, softly closing the door behind me. Entering Rowe’s room as quietly as possible, I admire her sleeping form as I strip off my clothes. I carefully pull the blankets down and crawl into bed with the love of my life for the first time since we admitted our feelings for each other. Not exactly how I imagined our first time sleeping together, but I’ll take whatever I can get.

Chapter 30

Rowen

Iwake up sweating, feeling like I slept on a furnace all night. Blinking my eyes open, I realize that I did. A human furnace, that is. I examine the hand that’s flung over my waist, trying to discern who stayed last night. I feel like I passed out long before everyone left. Looking closely, I see the arm is tanned and the fingernails are short… ripped or chewed off. I’ve been trying to get Ayden to stop that for years. That means it’s him who’s causing me to wake up in a puddle of my own sweat

I wiggle, trying to put some space between us. It doesn’t work. He just wraps his arm even tighter around me, pulling me flush with his bare chest. If I weren’t burning up and didn’t need to pee, likerightnow, I would probably enjoy that, but I can’t at the moment. Elbowing him in the ribs I try to move away again. He’s not having it though.

“Ayden! I have to pee! Let me go!”

“Uh-uh.” Is his mumbled response. Ayden is not a morning person. It’s going to take a lot more than that to get him to wake up and get off of me.

“Ayden! I’m gonna pee on you!”

“Mmhmm.”

Ugh! Fine, I’ll just have to figure out another way to get him to let go of me. I close my eyes, picturing a ball of water above his head. When I open them, it drops, splashing all over me and the bed, but I don’t care. He’s awake.

“God damn it, Rowe! I would have gotten up if you justasked! You didn’t have to drop water on me! You know I hate that!”

“I tried to get you to wake up twice. You know if I have to ask a third time, you get the water.” I shrug, unrepentant.

He grumbles unintelligibly under his breath and I snicker as I climb out of bed and head to the bathroom. On my way I catch the time on my alarm clock.

“Oh my god! Violet’s late for school! How did I sleep so late?!” I start freaking out, looking around for some clothes to throw on really fast.

“Calm down, Doll. Declan came by and took her to school. Everything’s fine. You needed to rest, so we let you rest.”

My breath rushes out of me as I realize the guys took care of everything for me. I plop back down on the bed, absolutely exhausted from that mini freak-out. It’s only when my bladder reminds me I still have to pee, that I jump up and rush to the bathroom. When I walk back into the room, Ayden is sitting up, leaning against my headboard.

“You look mighty comfortable there, Ayd.”

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