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“Tell me more about this falling,” I tease, even though my heart is practically stuck in my throat.
His head falls forward, but he can’t hide his smile. Running his hands from my hips, up the length of my torso, and then back down again, he finally lifts his gaze to meet mine. His words come out breathless as he says, “To be fair, I didn’t stand a chance.”
“No?” I ask as I adjust my arms, resting them on his shoulders. I’m trying hard not to look like a bundle of nerves, but I know my cheeks are flushed.
Aiden shakes his head, his blue eyes sparkling. “When you flipped me off on that beach, I was done for.”
My head falls back as I laugh, my body relaxing, and it’s such a great feeling. Then I bring my gaze back to his and the way he’s looking at me somehow beats it. His tight-lipped smile only makes my own spread across my face. “I should have known that would be the way to your heart.”
He smiles, a flash of white teeth and dimples, before saying, “So it’s settled then. I’ll visit you, you’ll visit me, and we’ll both hope to god that Mike doesn’t make this fucking awkward.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Mike?”
“Yeah.”
My mind reels, but there’s only one Mike that comes to mind. “As in Mike Murphy from high school?”
“The one and only,” He says with a single nod of his head. “He’s my roommate, and he’s going to be all over this.”
Part of me wants to groan. Mike was always loud, crude, and never as funny as he thought he was, but maybe he’s changed. I know I have. “As long as he doesn’t threaten to take me hostage, we should be fine,” I eventually say.
Aiden laughs, and it’s my new favorite sound. “Don’t worry. He’s no Violet,” he says as his hand slides under my t-shirt and grabs my bare waist. “Think I should be afraid of her?”
“Absolutely,” I deadpan. “I have no idea what she’s capable of.”
His smile grows as his fingertips burn into my skin. It’s getting harder for me to think straight. “So we’re doing this?” he says, and despite everything, there’s still a level of vulnerability behind those blue eyes.
Even though I know my answer, I still say, “I want to hear you say it first.”
Aiden locks eyes with me, his fingers tracing circles on my lower back. “Claire, haven’t you heard?” He kisses me softly, his lips teasing mine. “You’re my next great adventure.”
Then I kiss him.
His lips are soft and warm, and he easily flips us so that he’s hovering over me. What we have is undeniable. My body craves more of him with every touch, and I realize that the reason I can get out of my head with him is because, despite everything, I do trust him.
He makes me feel safe, and cared for, and seen, and that’s enough for me to dive in head first. He saw me for who I was back in high school and sees me for who I am now. The only difference is, now that we’ve found each other again, we’re not letting go as easily.
When it comes to Aiden Lewis, I’m all in.
And I don’t want to share him with anybody else.
Epilogue
A lot can change in three years.
It’s easy to feel a false sense of permanence in our everyday lives. Even when you know things won’t last, you still go to bed most nights assuming tomorrow will resemble today.
Three years ago, Aiden couldn’t picture a day that he would no longer live with Mike.
Claire couldn’t picture a day when she would no longer live in the city.
Chad still can’t cope with the fact that the Natty Shack’s days are numbered.
And yet, as different as their lives have become, three years later they’re together. Ethan, Em, and Chad have flown to New York to visit Aiden and Claire. Even Mike and Violet join everyone at the local brewery to see, the Florida friends, as Violet insists on calling them even though she’s met them countless times.
So many things are coming to an end, but they’re celebrating.
The group lifts their glasses to the newly engaged couple, the clank followed by excited cheers and rushed voices wanting to know everything there is to know about the future wedding.
