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“You said red wine?” I asked, lifting my brows. He shook his head a few times as he cleared his throat.
“Yeah,” he breathed as he looked toward the bar. “I need something stronger, though.” I grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, making him wince.
After getting the drinks and taking them back to the girls, David stopped looking at Danica. She didn’t seem to notice or care, which was a relief. I didn’t know what I would do if she was upset about it.
It shocked me that Danica had several glasses of wine. Other than the wedding, I hadn’t seen her drink. Her hands shook every time she brought the glass to her lips. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I’d figure it out.
We spent a few hours mingling with everyone, then it was time to open gifts. It only took half an hour to get through everyone’s name, and I realized Danica hadn’t apologized to anyone for not having their gift. Everyone seemed to have gotten one, including her, so I was confused as fuck.
“Are you almost ready?” she asked, leaning her head on my shoulder. I kissed her head and wrapped my arm around her waist.
“Whenever you are,” I murmured against her hair. It was strange being like this with her in public, around our coworkers, but it made me feel better knowing she didn’t care about anyone knowing. She didn’t want to keep us a secret.
She tipped her head back, her eyes glassy as she smiled. “I think you’re ready.” I huffed out a laugh and squeezed her before sliding from the stool and holding my hand out for her. “We’re going to head out,” I told the table. Candice smiled and waved as she took a sip of her wine with her other hand.
“Good luck,” Sadie said, giving Danica a wicked smile. “Have fun. Wear pro–”
“Shush,” Candice laughed, swatting at her. “Stop teasing. Have a good night, Dani. And Aiden,” she added quickly. They couldn’t meet my eye, which was weird. They hadn’t had a problem before, but now they were struggling with it.
“See you after Christmas,” Sadie called when we turned around. Danica stuck her tongue out at her, and I laughed, mostly in shock. She was never anything other than perfect in public.
“What was that for?” I asked as we made our way to the door. She shrugged as she pressed into my side. I wrapped my arm around her, holding her close.
“She deserved it,” she muttered as I pushed the door open. She hissed as the cold wind hit us and I pulled her closer.
“Why didn’t you give anyone a gift?” I asked as we walked toward my car. “I thought you went shopping for one.”
“I did,” she said. “I drew your name, so I figured I’d give you your gift later.” I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“My name? Really?” She shrugged as she slid into the car.
“Yeah, it was weird to me, too.” I huffed a laugh, the air clouding in front of my mouth.
“When do I get this gift?” I asked, leaning into the car. She twisted her lips to the side, thinking.
“Maybe tonight,” she said. “Maybe I’ll make you wait for Christmas. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Tonight,” I said, kissing her. “I don’t like waiting.” She lifted her brows and gave me a look I couldn’t read. I kissed her again then shut the door and rounded the car, excited for whatever gift she was going to give me.
28
DANI
Aiden glanced at me again. We were sitting in the media room, watching another one of my favorite movies. I knew he wasn’t paying attention, and, truthfully, I wasn’t either.
The wine I’d drunk for liquid courage had long since worn off and I was left feeling tight with anxiety. I hadn’t thought I’d be this nervous when Sadie and I were in the lingerie store. I hadn’t thought I’d be nervous giving this to him, but I was.
What if he rejected me? What if I wasn’t good at it and he realized he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life with someone so mediocre at sex?
He had no idea what I had planned, and I knew he was waiting for me to bring up the gift, but I just couldn’t. Not yet.
“So,” I said, my voice tight. “Do we have any more cookies?” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Yes,” he said slowly. I nodded a few times. “I’ll get you–”
“It’s fine.” I didn’t know why I asked. I didn’t want a cookie. I wrung my hands together in my lap. “I’m going to take a shower.” I stood abruptly.
Weird.
