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Gareth actually seemed to be excited about it, which made Aria both excited and nervous. She hadn’t felt like that since her first few dates with Tim. Hopefully, this wouldn’t have the disastrous outcome that her engagement had had.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Gareth paused for a moment in front of the mirror on his closet door to check how he looked. Since they were going to a casual restaurant, he could get away with a pair of jeans and a white cotton collared shirt. It was long-sleeved, but he’d rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.
After making sure that he looked okay, Gareth made his way to the front door. He grabbed his wallet from where he’d left it on the small table by the front door and shoved it into his back pocket. After pulling on his jacket, he picked up his keys and left the house.
Though he’d just seen Aria not that long ago, he was excited to pick her up. Word had spread fast through the family that he’d asked her out. It wasn’t a surprise because he wasn’t sure that any of the family could keep a secret to save their souls.
Well, they could keep professional secrets because they would have been out of a job pretty quickly if they couldn’t. But when it came to family related stuff, they were quick to share news.
Gareth wasn’t upset about his plans being known by all his siblings, especially since no one seemed concerned by the prospect of him dating Aria. He’d even gotten a message from his mom around lunch. As she was inclined to do, she’d offered both encouragement and advice, reminding him to be sensitive to Aria and to take things slowly, among other things.
He understood why she cautioned him to take things slowly. She knew his tendency to get very focused on an issue, which made him move more quickly than perhaps he should. While that could be a good trait for certain things, like tackling medical school, his mom had told him that when it came to dating and relationships, moving too quickly wasn’t always beneficial.
Considering he’d only known Aria for a few weeks and that already he had feelings for her, his mom’s caution might have arrived a little too late. He didn’t want to reveal too much to Aria just yet, in case he scared her off.
When he pulled to the curb in front of the large house, Gareth grinned, even though he was alone in the car. He got out and headed for the front door. When it swung open, Layla stood there with a big smile.
“Uncle Gare!” she called out. “We’ve been waitin’ for you!”
“Have you?” He closed the door, then swung her up into his arms and rubbed his cheek against hers, sending her into gales of laughter.
“You’re cold and prickly!”
“You’re not going with him, Layla,” Charli said as she joined them.
“I want to, though,” Layla whined as Gareth set her back down. “Why can’t I go too?”
“This is just a special dinner for Aria and Gareth,” Charli told her. “No one else allowed.”
Layla crossed her arms and frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“You need to stop with the attitude, Layla Marie,” Charli cautioned. “We told you why you can’t go. Your whining isn’t going to change that. If you keep it up, there will be no television or movies for you tonight.”
That clammed Layla right up. She pursed her lips but didn’t say anything more.
Gareth felt a little bad that his niece was so disappointed, but he didn’t feel bad enough to take her along with them. “We’ll do dinner another time. Okay?”
“Okay,” Layla murmured, then she headed for the kitchen with slumped shoulders and dragging feet.
“Next time, we won’t discuss your dates around her,” Charli muttered with a shake of her head. “And I’m going to remember this when she starts dating. I’ll throw a tantrum when she won’t take me with her.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. I’ll be happy to beg her to go along, too.”
That made Charli laugh. “You’d probably be a lot scarier for a guy dating her than I would be.”
Movement caught his eye, and Gareth turned to see Aria and Janessa coming down the stairs. Aria was dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a dark green, oversized sweater. She looked ready for a relaxed evening, much like he was.
When she glanced up and their gazes met, she gave him a smile that seemed to be a little shy. Gareth smiled back at her, eager to get their evening underway. Since they both had work the next day, they wouldn’t be able to stay out super late, which was why he didn’t want to waste any time.
“You look beautiful,” he said, unable to keep that observation to himself.
“Thank you.” Her cheeks flushed even as her smile grew. “You look very nice as well.”
“You two are adorable,” Janessa said. “I’m so glad I’m getting to witness this.”
“Me, too,” Charli said.
