Page 30 of Queen Rose

Nate

Tuesday morning, I get up early to pack for the overnight trip to the lake house. Aria’s a miracle worker. She has two women coming to check on Mom and the kids multiple times a day while I’m gone to make sure they are all fed, and the kids are somewhat entertained and happy. I wasn’t terribly surprised to discover that one of the women is Franny, the housekeeper Aria tells me has been with her since she was in diapers. I’m also willing to bet she knows Aria better than her own mother does.

The second helper was a complete surprise. Melinda runs a women’s shelter. That’s not the unexpected part, though; I had no clue that Aria volunteers there regularly, and has for several years. She made me promise not to tell a soul about it. That part had me scratching my head. Does no one else know that she does this? I mean, considering nobody seems to know the real Aria, I guess anything is possible.

So, here she is again, sharing what I can only assume at this point is one of many secrets—because it would seem there’s a lot she keeps to herself. The question is, did she tell me about what she does out of necessity so that we could set this up, or does she actually trust me that much? I gotta say, I hope it’s the trust thing because I’m in pretty deep. This sassy girl has sneaked her way inside my head, past every wall I usually throw up to keep people from knowing what my life is like. And the crazy part is that she looks at my life, my flaws, and my worries… and none of it fazes her. She sees the hardship and only seeks to comfort and offer what help she can. She doesn’t look down her nose at me for things I can’t control or the circumstances I’ve found myself in, not even for the choices she knows I've made that led to me being here.

She’s in my head all the fucking time. I want to know every last thing about her and wish I could spend every damn day—and night—with her. The more time we spend together, the more we trust each other. And having her trust me like she’s begun to is the key to unraveling the mystery that is Aria Warrington. I’m sure of it.

After making sure Mom and the kids are good and they have phone numbers handy for both Franny and Melinda, as well as giving Becca a refresher on how to call 911 if anything should happen, I take off in my Jeep to collect Aria.

I’m driving us because Scarlett’s uncle is still working on the clean-up of Aria’s Aston Martin. If I were Aria, I’d have insisted Farrah pay for the damages, but she didn’t want to do that. I mean, I guess I get it. It’s just another fuck you to Farrah. You’re a nuisance. If you think your petty retaliation bothered me at all, you’re wrong. Something like that. I’ve never had the kind of money Aria’s family does, so I’m making assumptions about what they can afford, but I’m fairly certain this sort of thing would be insignificant to them.

I pull up out front and shoot Aria a text that I’m here. No more than thirty seconds later, she walks down the driveway, pulling a sleek black roller bag in her wake. She shoots me a wide grin before glancing over her shoulder. I try to follow her gaze, but don’t see what she’s looking at.

As she approaches, I climb out of the Jeep and jog over to her, stopping to curl my hand around the back of her neck and bring her lips to mine.

She jerks at the connection at first, but then melts against me, opening her mouth to accept my tongue. Reaching forward, she grasps my shirt and tugs me closer, moaning softly.

When we break the kiss, I don’t let her go. Instead, I nudge her nose with mine and murmur against her lips, “Let’s get the hell out of here, princess, and you can show me this fancy lake house of yours.”

Her cheeks are pink and her brown eyes sparkle. “Yeah. Let’s go.” She draws in a shaky breath as I take her bag from her and lead her to the passenger side and help her in. I’m stowing the bag in the back when I notice her gaze straying back to the house again. “Aria? Did you forget something?”

She gets a funny look on her face and shakes her head. “I was just thinking maybe I left my flat iron on, but I can text Franny to check for me.” She takes a deep breath and blows it all out.

There’s something odd about the way she’s acting, but I can’t pinpoint it. But with her smiling at me from the passenger seat, I soon let the thought slip my mind, and instead focus on how crazy it feels to be able to get away for a little while, to escape from all the things that weigh me down. And the best part is I’ll be spending twenty-four uninterrupted hours with this gorgeous creature at my side.

The hour to the lake house passes quickly, and as we drive the road that winds around the lake, I get more and more amazed by each huge house visible through the trees. Each is built on a sizeable plot of land and is set off the road with a private driveway.

I cast a quick look at Aria who is swaying a little to the beat of the music pumping out of the speakers. We’ve got the windows down, and her hair is wind-whipped, a reminder of the day I spotted her while I was doing roadside cleanup. She’d had the windows of her beautiful red car down that day, too. She’d grabbed my attention and hasn’t let go since. My mouth pulls into a smile as I glance at her again. She’s turning my entire life upside down, and I’m not sure there’s a way to go back to what it was like before. And I don’t really want it to. Aria makes me think. Like, really think. She makes me want to be the man she needs. I wish I knew exactly who he is, because I’d become him in an instant if I knew for sure. Maybe I’ll have better insight after we’ve spent this time together.

I shake myself in an attempt to clear my head of thoughts that are way too deep for a quick getaway with friends. “So, each of the places has lake access?”

“Yep.” Aria nods, shimmying her shoulders. “Private access. When you pay what these houses cost, people expect it. There are houses further down this road that they’re just now starting construction on, but there are probably twenty in the finishing stages, already sold.” She continues to dance in her seat, now mouthing the words to some Doja Cat song she likes. I let her control the radio, or we’d probably be listening to the eighties rock station.

She’s in a really good mood. Granted, we’re on spring break, so I suppose that’s to be expected. I do find it interesting how leaving River Rock behind has resulted in a girl who is happier than I’ve ever seen her. “Well, they look amazing from what I’ve seen so far.”

“I’ll tell Dad you thought so.” She quirks a little smile at me and shrugs.

“It must be nice to have a second home you can go to. A nice place to get away,” I murmur, drumming my fingers on the wheel. “How much farther is your family’s place?”

“It is nice.” She hesitates, turning in her seat and looking decidedly twitchy. “So, this is actually the third home my parents own. They also have a beach house in Nantucket.” She shoots me an apologetic smile and points to the next driveway. “It’s that one.”

I turn down the driveway and am immediately struck by the Craftsman style, the amazing stonework, and the wood detailing. “Damn. I think I was expecting a log cabin or something.” My gaze roams over the property. It’s a sprawling one-story home. On one end, there’s a garage with room for three cars, plus a larger bay, which I can only assume houses a boat of some sort in winter. I press my lips together, taking it all in. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ve probably got a lot of expensive toys.

Aria holds up a garage remote, clicking one of the buttons. “You can park in there.”

I nod. My Jeep has never stayed somewhere quite so posh before. I snicker at how ridiculous it’s going to look and brake outside the garage, unsure if she really wants my piece of crap Jeep in there. I heave out a sigh, side-eyeing her.

“What’s wrong?” Aria wrinkles her nose at me.

“I was just thinking that my Jeep doesn’t need to hog up one of these spaces. I’m sure your friends have some pretty amazing vehicles.”

She shakes her head, laughing. “I mean, they do, but I’m pretty sure Xander, Scarlett, Daph, and Micah are coming together in Xander’s Escalade. And Beau likely has the Urus, but Griff and Max are with him and Lyla. There are only three cars total for the weekend. Three garage bays. Let your Jeep be pampered, for once.” She gives me a slow wink.

Funny how she’s able to read my mind. Blowing out a breath, I give her a sheepish grin and take the Jeep into the bay she’s opened for me. Holy shit. I blink, looking around. If this garage is any indication of what the rest of the home looks like, it’s going to be amazing. The interior is completely finished and everything stored inside is immaculately organized. It’s unlike any garage I’ve ever seen before. I give myself another shake. Get used to it, Nate. Your girl has money.

Aria is all smiles as she pops open her door and climbs out, so I follow suit. Circling to the back end of the Jeep, I pull out my duffel bag and her roller bag. I keep both in my hands and gesture toward the door, which I’m sure leads into one spectacular room after another.

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