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Auras versus aortas, he reminded himself for what felt like the hundredth time that weekend. Yet, in that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care about how different they were.
Chapter Twenty
Dakota
She woke to the sound of her phone dinging with an incoming text.
Whitney: James and Yvette are making dinner. Will you two be joining us?
Dakota glanced at Aiden, who blinked back at her.
“What’s up?”
“Whitney was just asking if we were going to eat with everyone.”
“I’m hungry; what about you?”
“Starving.”
Her admission made him grin. “Tell her we’ll be right out.”
Minutes later, they walked into the kitchen where Yvette and James were busy preparing dinner.
“Did you lose a bet?” Aiden quipped as he took in James standing at the island, cutting up a watermelon.
Yvette was on the opposite side of the island, slicing apples.
“We volunteered,” Yvette said, then stole a glance at James, and they exchanged shy smiles.
It was adorable.
“Everybody’s out back,” James said before he wiped his hands on the towel and stirred something on the stove.
“Seems like everyone has made a love connection this weekend,” Dakota murmured as they walked toward the French doors leading to the patio.
He stopped and tilted his head with his eyebrows raised. “Aloveconnection? Everyone?”
Dakota rolled her eyes and kept walking. “You know what I mean.”
Aiden hustled to catch up with her.
“Do you think we should”—he paused as if trying to find the right words—“when we get back to the city, what if we—”
Dakota held her breath at what she thought he was going to say next.
A volleyball landed at their feet, and Hope jogged up to retrieve it.
“Hey! Just the guy I was looking for! I’m trying to get a little practice before Evan gets here. Do you mind serving a few to me?”
Aiden glanced back at Dakota, and she nodded her encouragement. Anything to buy her a little more time before he asked her his question.
“You guys need the practice!” she teased, trying to keep the mood light.
His mouth tightened as he stared back at her, then he forced a smile before looking Hope’s way. “Yeah, sure. Come on.”
Dakota felt her shoulders sag with relief as he walked ahead of her toward the beach. If he asked to see her after this weekend, she didn’t know how to answer. She’d been warring with herself ever since Whitney suggested it earlier.
When she’d opened herself up to the possibility of this being more than a weekend fling, an image of Aiden, dressed in a suit, walking away through double doors while Dakota stood crying on the other side popped into her head.
