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“Have you picked a date?”
“What do you want your dress to look like?”
“Open bar?”
Followed by a resounding chorus of, “Congrats!” and “We’re so happy for you!”
Aiden can’t take his eyes off Claire as she gushes over the rock on Em’s hand. He’s glad for Ethan and Em. They’ve always been two of his favorite people, and they deserve a lifetime of happiness together.
As he watches Claire, still holding Em’s left hand in hers, his wheels turn.
To be fair, they’ve been turning.
They’ve been turning ever since he closed on the house that Claire loved in Beacon, promising to fix it up for her.
For them.
She moved in as soon as he got the keys, and every morning when he wakes up next to her, the thought is there. And every night when she falls asleep with her arms wrapped around him, the thought is there again—a persistent buzzing that makes his heart race and his hands sweat.
But in a good way.
In the best way.
Chad’s familiar arm falls heavily over Aiden’s shoulders. “So, you’re next right?”
Snapping out of his daze, Aiden looks over at Chad. “What?”
Chad holds his hand up, wiggling his fingers to show an empty ring finger.
Trying to shrug off his arm, Aiden mutters, “For fuck’s sake.”
Chad’s grip only squeezes tighter. “What? Didn’t you already buy her a house?” Instead of waiting for Aiden to answer, Chad looks over at Claire and calls out, “Hey! He bought you a house, right?”
Claire’s cheeks flush as she laughs. “He bought himself a house. I’m just the freeloading roommate.” When Aiden shakes his head at her response with a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, she playfully sticks her tongue out at him.
She’s been dropping hints.
They’re subtle and seldom—mostly just commenting on what she likes and doesn’t like as it applies to jewelry.
But it’s enough.
It’s enough for Aiden to have a list on his phone of what to shop for when the time comes.
And enough to have Claire daydreaming about their life together.
“Aw, come on. Double wedding? Think about it!” Chad exclaims loud enough for Claire to hear—for everyone to hear.
She shakes her head, but her cheeks burn brighter.
Finally succeeding at shaking him off, Aiden says, “Why don’t you find someone to walk down the aisle with?”
Chad immediately turns to Violet, giving her a pointed stare, his hand outstretched to her like an invitation.
“Um, no,” Violet says sternly.
Mike sighs with a shake of his head. “I’ve been barking up that tree for years with no luck, man.”
Chad’s shoulders slump, his face falling. “What’s wrong, Vi? Don’t want to give Mikey a chance?”
