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I laugh in response. “No, Mom, like I said, it was an accident. To make a long story short, I went to see Aiden at his office. He told me he was moving to Tokyo, then I left in tears. So, he came after me, but somehow got in front of me on my way home, and I crashed into him at the set of traffic lights near Sarah’s….” I grin cheekily. “Then, we made up.”
Mom’s mouth drops open, her eyes are so wide I feel like they might pop out of her face. “So… are you back together?” The excitement in her voice is contagious.
I hold my left hand up showing her my engagement ring. My heart flutters as I watch the recognition on her face. Suddenly, she shrieks and lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “Oh, honey, I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”
I nod, feeling relieved at myself more than anything. “Me, too.”
She pulls back, looking into my eyes with the brightest of smiles.
It feels good to finally start the workday on a high.
Throughout the morning, I still have a pep in my step and a genuine smile on my face.
After a steady morning, I’m getting ready for my lunch break when I look out the floor-to-ceiling window and see Aiden walking toward the salon. Before I have a second to react, Mom lets out another one of her usual shrieks when she spots him and rushes to the door to give him a giant hug as soon as he enters.
“Ev, how are you?”
“Much better now I know you two are back together.” She hugs him tightly, rocking him from side to side.
“You have no idea how happy I am,” he replies as I step over to them. “I was hoping I could steal Jeni away for an hour for lunch? But only if it’s all right with you, Ev?”
She nods. “Of course, you can, honey. Take her for as long as you like.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Unwrapping my apron, I grab my bag to head out. As we approach the door, Mom gives Aiden a kiss on the cheek and winks, which draws a chuckle from him. Linking his fingers with mine, that familiar spark I’ve missed goes all the way to my toes.
“We have a fair bit to talk about.” I glance up at him on the way.
He tightens his grip on my hand. “Yes, I know.”
Walking into the restaurant that neighbors the salon, we take a seat at a little table for two in the back by the window. A waitress hands us each a menu, all while gushing over Aiden. I roll my eyes because he doesn’t even notice, as usual. She blushes, then quickly scurries away. I giggle as Aiden creases his brows, tilting his head in apparent confusion.
“Never mind.” I shake my head.
He takes my hand on the table, making my heart skip a beat like it does whenever he touches me.
“So…” I murmur, biting my lip. My nervous leg agitates up and down as he gazes at me lovingly with that gorgeous smile.
“I’d really love for you to move back in with me. I miss waking up to your beautiful face every morning.”
And there it is.
He comes straight out with it, his hand rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension he’s feeling. Aiden knows what he’s just said is going to be a big issue for me. He knows what the apartment represents. What happened there.
This isn’t a simple yes-or-no answer for me.
“I’d love to live with you again, but I don’t know if I can handle living at your apartment. There’s a lot of horrible memories there for me, Aiden. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones, too. But… I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Aiden’s eyes light up with that sparkle I haven’t seen for a long time. He grins widely and exhales, seemingly relieved. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
My heart races, and my chest goes tight. “What?” I ask, wondering why he would be happy about me not wanting to move back into his apartment.
Aiden starts to talk really fast like he’s nervous or excited, maybe both. “Before we… um… took some time apart… I’d made plans to build us a house on the land at the Scope. When you left, I didn’t want to be at the apartment anymore either, so I continued with the development of the house. I have plans if you’d like to see them?” he asks, grinning from ear to ear, carefully watching my every move.
“You were building us a home?” My heart flutters as a sudden wave of excitement floods over me.
He nods. “It was going to be your wedding gift.” He hesitantly relays that piece of information, almost like he’s worried about how I’ll react.
My overwhelming feelings of love and adoration for him right now ignites a fire in my soul. Aiden strokes my hand with his thumb as I stare at him lovingly. “I can’t believe you were doing that for me.”
