He lifted a shoulder like the compliment was no big deal, but the tips of his ears burned red, so I knew it was.
“And you made all this?” I squeaked. “For me?”
“Not the sofa or the soft furnishings. Brooke helped me order those so they would get here in time. And Ryan helped me hide it all on the farm until moving day.”
My feet flew across the floor. Aiden’s hands shot out from his pockets just in time to catch me as I slammed into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him, holding on tight, rising onto my toes, and kissing him until his breaths were ragged.
“I adore this,” I told him. “I adore you.”
His beard couldn’t hide the big white grin stretching across his face.
I walked around the room, touching all the new and pretty things. When I glanced at Aiden over my shoulder, he stood awkwardly by the door, hands back in his pockets, eyes on his shoes.
“Aiden, what Ruth said—”
“Ignore her. She has a terrible habit of always expecting to get her own way.”
“Are you upset that I want to keep living on my own?”
“Of course not.”
“And you know I didn’t make that decision because of you…or us? After Chris…”
After Chris, I was scared. I wanted the freedom to be myself and not worry about living under someone else’s rules every day. Ruth was right—maybe it was a little silly. Aiden and I wereprobably going to spend a lot of our nights together, but it was important to me that one of the options was my own house.
Not forever. But for now, at least.
Aiden didn’t need me to explain any of that. He didn’t always say a lot, but there was a knowing in his eyes. “Where we see each other or spend time together isn’t the important part. Your house. My house.” He shrugged. “Maybe not that motel with only a microwave.” He grinned. “All I need is you. Everything else, we can figure out along the way.”
“I like the sound of that.”
We didn’t speak anymore, just smiled and laced our fingers together as we headed down the hall, through the kitchen, and onto the back porch. Aiden’s hand slipped out of mine, and he grinned at me over his shoulder before hopping down the stairs to the yard.
I paused on the landing.
A fresh shimmer of tears blurred my eyes, but I didn’t blink them away. The feeling was perfect. A moment to be cherished. Everywhere I looked, I saw how much my life had changed.
I’d first set foot in Richmond seven months ago with one suitcase, wearing clothes that were almost rags, not a friend or even hope to my name.
But today…
Brooke perched on Harry’s lap on the bottom step. He nodded as she read out the long list of jobs on her clipboard. They were so young, so in love, glowing with the kind of happiness that made everything around them so much brighter.
My other protector, the farmer, unstacked a pile of outdoor chairs until Ruth’s cane clicked beside me. Ryan jumped up the stairs two at a time to grab the plates and cups stuffed under her arm, and then, after offering her his hand, he carefully guided her down to the pavers. She laughed, and when herhead dropped to his shoulder, his face lit up like the sun. An undeniable connection was building between them, too.
My parents stood with Yolanda, conspiring a trip to Cradle Mountain, and other friends crowded around the yard, sipping drinks and laughing, waving hello when they saw me.
And then there was him.
Aiden.
The man who gave me hope in those early days when I was still waking from a nightmare. The same man who shattered my heart then slowly, piece by piece, week by week, rebuilt what he’d broken, stronger than ever.
Watching Aiden reminded me of the morning we first met. He wore the same red-checked flannel shirt, and his dark brows furrowed to blot out the sun, but there was a lightness to the way he moved now. His past wasn’t crushing down on his shoulders anymore.
And when his gaze lifted, and he saw me still standing at the top of the stairs, he didn’t scowl.
He smiled and mouthed, “I love you.”
