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“Well, let me—” He tugs his shirt from the waistband of his sweats where it’s tucked inside. “Then I’ll—”
“Fuck.” I make a face. “I’m leaking.”
Aiden pauses what he’s doing. “I shouldn’t be turned on by that, right?”
“Not rightnowyou shouldn’t,” I snort, waving him off. “Go get the door while I use the bathroom.”
“Give me a second, and I’ll come help you clean up,” he says with a sly grin.
“Go,” I laugh.
He turns to hurry down the stairs as the doorbell goes off again, and I make for the opposite direction to duck into the half bath just off the kitchen. I shut the door behind me and breathe out a heavy sigh, a laugh chasing after it as adrenaline rushes through me. I know that there’s an entire floor and a front door between where we were and whoever is waiting on the front porch, but the way my heart jumped into my throat when the doorbell rang felt like actually beingcaught, and my entire body is still thrumming with energy from the surprise of it.
I clean myself up quickly before Aiden can come in after me and make good on his promise to “help”—I’ve been exposed quite enough for one day, thank you—still laughing under my breath as I wash and dry my hands before going back out into the hall. I make it about five feet before I hear her voice, my laughter dying on my tongue as that same rush creeps back inside but darker, trying to brush it away as I remind myself there isno waythat she could have any idea what we were just doing.
I see the face that matches the voice when I step back into the kitchen, Iris sitting on one side of the couch in the adjoining living room as Aiden sits tensely in the chair opposite it. She looks up when she sees me, smiling in a small but noticeable way, and that’s a good sign, right?
“Hey,” I greet, keeping my tone casual. “When did you get here?”
“Just now,” she answers.
“Oh, sorry.” I try for a smile. “I was in the laundry room. Didn’t even hear the doorbell ring.”
I don’t miss the way Iris’s eyes move between Aiden and me, but I do my best to ignore it.
There’s no way she could know.
Her eyes cut to Aiden. “I was surprised you were both here. Don’t you work out in the mornings?”
“Oh.” Aiden shrugs nonchalantly. “Not every day.”
God. We are not good at subtle.
I pad over the kitchen tiles to the fridge, opening it up to grab a water bottle. “Did you want anything, Iris?”
“No, thank you,” she calls. “Actually... I just came to see you.”
I pause by the fridge. “Me?”
“Yeah.” She almost looks embarrassed. “I just remembered us talking the other day in the car... about those photos?”
“Oh!” I shut the door to the fridge hastily. “Right! The ones of you and Sophie and her mom?”
“Right...” She reaches into her purse, rifling around for a moment before pulling out a thick photo envelope. “I went ahead and ordered some prints of a bunch of random photos on my phone.” She holds it awkwardly for a moment as I make my way to the living room before finally turning slightly to offer it to Aiden. “And you, too, I guess. I don’t know. You might not have wanted this many.”
“No, this was so sweet,” I gush, reaching to snatch the envelope from Aiden, who still looks a little stunned. I open the flap and am met with a much smaller, much toothier Sophie, her cheeks round as a beautiful woman hugs her from behind. “Oh my God. Look at baby Sophie. She was such a little doll.” I pause, noticing Iris watching me. “Rebecca was beautiful.”
“She was,” Iris agrees.
“Oh, shit, sorry.” I hand the envelope back to Aiden, remembering myself.
He takes it gingerly, still looking a little out of sorts. “This was... really nice of you, Iris.”
“I can be nice,” she says tersely. Her lips press together before she adds, “Sometimes.”
Aiden actually laughs, shaking his head. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Seriously, thank you for bringing them,” I say.
