Page 34 of Aidan

Never one to shy away from food, I lift the lid off the plate. There’s a croissant that smells delicious, along with jam, peanut butter, and a bowl filled with fruit. I pick up my fork and stab a chunk of melon. Sweet juicy flavor bursts over my tongue. “Mmm, this is so good.”

I glance at Aidan and his eyes are locked on my mouth. My chewing slows and I swallow with a big gulp. Heat swirls around my belly and the ache in my nipples grows. Almost subconsciously, I flick my tongue out to gather some of the flavor left on my lips. His pupils dilate and his nostrils flare before he lifts his gaze to meet mine. There’s a fluttery sensation inside my chest.

“Okay,” he says in a husky growl.

“Okay, what?” It’s almost a whisper of sound.

“I’m in this for real.”

The fluttering gets faster as does my heartbeat. Isn’t this what I wanted? “Are you sure?”

“Not really.”

The flutters come to an abrupt halt. Ouch. “At least you’re honest.”

Aidan reaches for my hand and threads his fingers through mine, the slight callouses lightly abrading my skin. “I promised I wouldn’t lie to you again.”

He’s right. I want the truth, even if it isn’t always pleasant. “Thank you.”

“Why don’t you eat and when you’re done, we’ll head into town. I’ll show you some of the businesses we own and I’ll take you to the casino. Introduce you to Finn.”

Since we’re really doing this, I should probably meet the rest of Aidan’s family. “Will the kids be okay here?”

“Of course. Nora will keep them entertained. She’ll have them calling her mhamó before the day is over, mark my words.”

Aisling never knew any of her grandparents and Kellen and Carson only knew our maternal grand-da. He died right before she was born. All the rest of our grandparents were gone by the time I was fifteen. I would love for the three of them to think of Nora and Carrick as their grandparents. Every kid deserves a grand-da and mhamó who spoils them.

“I’ll let you finish eating and when you’re ready come find me. I’ll either be out in the common room or in Da’s office.” Aidan stands and leans across the distance between us to brush his lips across mine. He draws back, his eyes track my face, and then he walks out of the room.

I lift my fingers to my mouth and press them to my lips trying to trap in his touch. God, I’m in so much trouble.

* * *

I runthe comb through my hair one last time and then go in search of Aidan. He’s sitting in the common room with the boys who are already at the video games. I’ll let them enjoy their final days of pseudo-vacation, but by Monday, they’re going to be back in school. I’ll make some phone calls when we return from our trip into Dublin.

Aidan stands and kisses my cheek. “You look good.”

My cheeks heat. When he said he was all in, I guess he wasn’t kidding.“Thank you.”

“You ready then?”

I nod.

“Where are you going?” Kellen asks, barely taking his eyes off the television and the game displayed on it.

“Aidan and I are going to town.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to invite them, but I bite it, for once being a little selfish and wanting time alone with…my fiancé. That sounds so weird.

“Have fun.” He turns his full attention back to the video game.

That was easy enough.

“We’ll be back later,” Aidan tells them and they both wave distractedly.

He and I exchange smiles and leave them to their entertainment. Nora and Aisling are nowhere to be found. My guess is they’re in the kitchen. The weather is mild. Sunlight peeks through the swaying branches of the trees overhead. Aidan and I get buckled in and then we’re on our way.

“I sat out back for a little while yesterday. You’re right about the view. It’s so pretty out here and reminds me of the area surrounding Burtonport.”

“Wait until it rains and then clears out. We usually end up with a rainbow that crosses the entire horizon over the field. If the weather holds tonight, we can watch the sunset,” Aidan says.

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