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“Wow, Aiden,” she said as she looked up at his red brick Colonial when they pulled into his driveway. “This is beautiful.”
“Thanks. It’s probably not something I would have picked if I’d had the luxury of time. But it was on the market when I moved out, and it’s close to my old house, so it’s what I went with. It works, for now.”
“For now?”
He shrugged. “If I ever get remarried, I’ll let my new wife decide if she wants to stay here or get something new. I’m not attached to it.”
Not like his old house. Aiden had loved that place—until Susan tainted it. After that, he didn’t care if he never set foot in it again.
“What if she has her own place and doesn’t want to leave?”
He couldn’t help but imagine she was talking about herself, and he found he liked the idea.
“I like your house, Sunshine. I could see myself living there.”
And, the funny thing was, he really could.
She let out a flustered, “I didn’t meanme.”
He winked at her to let her know he was teasing—kind of. “Well, I’m just sayin’—in case we ever need to decide where to live, it’s up to you.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a partnership.”
He thought about it as he opened his car door. By the time he’d come around to her side, she’d already gotten out and was opening the rear door.
“You’re right. We’ll have to discuss it first—make a list of pros and cons.”
Her response was an exasperated sigh, followed by a headshake and change of subject.
She gestured toward the door to his house. “I’ll just walk Barney while you change.”
“Nonsense,” he scoffed. “We’re going to take him on ahike, he doesn’t need a walk. Just come in, it won’t take me long.”
“Are you sure? About having him inside?”
“Sunshine, the two of you are staying here this weekend. I’m fucking positive.”
He reached for her hand and pulled her toward the steps to his house. “Come on in.”
He was letting a woman, and her dog, into his home—he hadn’t done that before. He couldn’t help but get the gnawing feeling, maybe he was letting her into his heart, too.
And while they didn’t make sense on paper, he liked how he felt when he was around her. That was enough, for now.
Chapter Thirty-One
Dakota
Their hike was perfect. The right amount of talking mixed with pausing to admire nature and laugh at Barney’s antics as he splashed in the water along the rocks, frantically trying to catch some creature scuttling or swimming about.
There was also the handholding. So. Much. Handholding.
And stolen kisses.
He was the man of her dreams, why was she questioning this?
Maybe her visions were wrong. She’d seen Whitney and Steven with a baby only to have her friend miscarry. And Dakota found out last night they’d also broken up. Maybe she was losing her gift.
Then, as if he’d been reading her mind, out of the blue, he mused, “I wonder if Whitney and Steven made up.”
