Page 64 of The Night Ride
I ran the faucet and splashed water on my face, deciding to just wash it entirely.
At the knock on the door, I replied, “Be out in a few minutes.”
“Is everything okay?Are you feeling sick?Do I need to get you back to the hospital?”
This man and the way he looked after me.My heart rolled over in my chest.“I’m just washing my face, everything’s fine.”
“All right.The yard’s done.I’m hopping in the shower and then will take care of dinner.”
I steeled myself, going against my normal, knee jerk response that I would handle it.Because I knew it was what he needed, surrendering my need to control things.Which was nothing more than a trauma response.“That would be great.Thank you.”
When I finally felt like I didn’t look as if I’d been bawling my eyes out, I shuffled into the kitchen and found Aiden at the stove.I sniffed the air.Making grilled cheese sandwiches.
“Hey.”
He glanced over.“How are you feeling?”
“I’m managing.Should be fine in a few days.”
“Good.”He put the sandwiches onto plates and brought them over to the table.“Sit, eat.”
“When are you leaving?”I couldn’t stop the question from coming out.It’s all that had been on my mind since getting home from the hospital last night.Aiden had been the sole of propriety and had taken such tender care of me.“And why did you come back?I mean, you saved my life.I can’t thank you enough for it.But I don’t understand why you’re here or anything that’s going on right now.”
He pulled his chair close to mine and sat so that we were facing each other, with his legs boxing mine in.He took my hands in his and held tight.“I came back because I realized that as much as I loved your brother and wanted to complete this mission, I needed to make sure you understand how much I love you.”
I sucked in a breath at the words I never thought I would hear him say.“You do?”
He nodded with a tender smile, tucking my hair behind my ear.“Yeah, I do.I’m not sure I’m ready to jump all the way in, but I know I can’t live without you.”
I gripped his hands tight.“We don’t have to move fast.We can take our time.The thing is, I’ve been in love with you for so long that I’m willing to wait for you.And I don’t want to miss a step with you.I want to know everything about you, your hurts and losses, along with your victories.”
He lifted my hands and kissed the insides of my wrists.“I do have to return but I’ll wait until I need to report into base.I will try to come back as often as possible.”
“Or what if I came and stayed with you for a little while?I’ve got insurance stuff to deal with, and will need to find a construction crew to rebuild.It’s going to be weeks if not months before I can reopen Sweet Dreams Bakery.”
“You’d do that for me?”
He appeared shocked that I would go to such lengths.“Yes.What wouldn’t I do for you.I meant it when I said that I love you.Don’t you realize I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen years old.That first time you came to our house I fell for you and have loved you ever since.That love has changed of course from a girls love into something so much deeper.And I have something for you."
“You do?”
I nodded and withdrew the envelope with his name on it.“It was inside the one you gave to me.My brother knew by the way I looked at you, that I was in love you, even back then.”
Aiden looked shaken as he took the letter from me.
“I think you need to read it, right now.”Because I knew my brother.And if he had put a letter for Aiden in with mine, it had been for a reason.
Aiden tore into it.I watched his brows rise in disbelief.And then he looked at me and smiled.
“What does it say?”
“You want me to read it to you?”There was a calmness within his demeanor that wasn’t there before.
“If you want, or you can give me the gist of it.”
Aiden nodded and began to read, his deep bass filled the kitchen.
Aiden,
