Page 45 of Almost True
Whether it was the sense that she regretted having introduced me in the first place, or that the night was now over, my heart squeezed and I needed to reassure her. “You’re an impressive person, Maddie. And I don’t say that because I know your last name now or because I’ve been in your house. Watching you navigate respecting your mom but figuring out how to give yourself space drilled that home.”
She huffed. “If I had any backbone at all, I’d tell her the truth and just deal with it. But right now, this is easier.”
“You’ve been through hell lately. Give yourself a little grace.”
She tilted her head like the words didn’t quite compute. And then she did it. She rose on her toes and pressed a kiss to my lips—soft, sweet, and far too quickly.
“Thank you, Aidan.”
A thrill raced through me, but my words locked up in my throat. I nodded, glancing toward the house, reveling in the odd sense of victory her kiss, her touch, had given me. “I should probably go.”
“Of course. You’re up early for planting, right?”
“Yep. Bright and early so we get it all done. We’re cutting it close this year, but we did the same last year. One of these days, we’ll get an earlier start.” I babbled like an idiot as though she cared, heat and longing still rushing through me.
I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t want to kiss her the way I’d thought about for months with her mother just inside and John likely watching from the truck. And maybe more than that, it’d only leave me with that crushing longing, a feeling I knew so well by now and also couldn’t stand. No use kissing her like that again because after that? It’d surely all come crashing down.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Maddie
Sunglasses in place because the June sun blazed bright, I did my level best to avoid screeching away from the house. I’d left under the guise of running errands before dinner, but my mother’s long look before she went upstairs told me very clearly that she knew I was escaping.
So what if I was? I could admit that I’d met my capacity for her lectures. I needed to recommit to my life in all its facets when I got back. I should consider cutting my time shorter since the stalker situation had “resolved itself.” I must remember that Aidan Wallace wasn’t the kind of man who could make me happy.
She left no stone of my life unturned to her criticism and suggestion. My hair? It needed to go back to a caramel or blond—the darker color with fading to blond made me look like I was trying too hard. Like an influencer rather than a mature professional. My garden was nice, but without a perimeter gate on this property, I could never expect to be truly safe. This little break was aninteresting sojourn, but really, it was high time I returned to work and stopped hiding out in the mountains.
And on. And on. And on.
Something was up with her because while she could be critical, I’d always felt like at her heart, she really did root for us. We might make different choices than she would, and she would make her opposition to those choices very clear, but once made, she’d get behind us and she’d bulldog anyone who didn’t do the same into a corner.
The woman I’d been dealing with the last few weeks and who now occupied my house like a little troll determined to steal any sense of peace I’d cultivated was someone different.
But for now? Freedom. Fresh mountain air and a destination I felt no shame in pursuing: the community park. The morning was burning off faster than I’d realized, and by the time I pulled into a spot, it was just shy of noon. Based on the last time I’d helped, they would be breaking for lunch.
“Maddie, hey!” John waved a hand and flashed a broad smile at me.
“Hi,” I said, nerves ticking up as I followed the paved path toward him.
“You here to get your hands dirty, or just looking for my cousin?” He slipped his gloves off and shoved them into the back of his jeans pocket.
“I—well, either way, I guess.” I laughed at how unprepared I was for that question. I’d had no real plan other thanget out of the houseand obviously I’d wanted to be near Aidan. What I’d actually do or say? No idea.
His smile quirked up on one side. “Great answer. And speaking of, has he asked you yet?”
I gave him a questioning look as we walked slowly into the depths of the garden. “What question?”
A spark of mischief flitted across his face before he shook his head and forced a cough. “Oh, no, never mind.”
“Why do I feel like you weren’t supposed to ask me that?”
He grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, I’ve got to run and help with lunch before Dahlia Price forces everyone into tears over sandwiches, but check in the archways. He’s just giving them a last once-over.”
And like that, John shuffled away in the opposite direction, and I finally took in the space where I stood. I’d ended up on one of the winding pathways, and flowers absolutely burst from the beds around me. These had been nothing but weeds the last time I’d been here. The beds I’d worked on were farther along, metal archways located at most intersections of the paths that wound through these gardens. The main party would take place in a more open space, but I could just imagine couples wandering along these lanes and stealing a romantic moment.
My heart flipped when I caught sight of a familiar work boot and denim at the base of an arch. After an entirely futile attempt to slow my pulse, I approached to find Aidan completely ensconced in the task at hand, which appeared to be weaving a branch through the lattice of the arch.
“Need any help?” I asked, relieved I could offer rather than just wander up and moon at him.
