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19
AARON
Aaron’s gaze roamed over the busy dining room of Atlantis as he rested his arm over the back of Brynn’s chair. The fire from the candle in the mason jar at the center of the table danced, casting her in a warm glow. His hand pressed onto her silk-covered shoulder of the green dress he’d picked out for her, slowly running it up and down the soft material. She shivered.
“Are you cold? Do you need your jacket?” he asked.
She shook her head before she leaned back in her seat. The enormity of her trust in him, to be this close and let him touch her wasn’t lost on him. He might have been taking them out in public as often as possible just for the excuse to get closer to her.
“I love my necklace, Aaron. Thank you so much for the dress too,” Dani repeated for the second time that night from her seat across from them. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes glittered with excitement as she plucked the pink gemstone heart pendant from her chest.
“You’re very welcome. A young girl deserves to have something special every now and then.”
He got so much joy from taking care of them. The more he learned they’d been deprived of, the more he wanted to give. He so badly wanted to erase the pain in Brynn’s eyes and tempt her to give in to the connection between them.
“Did you always live here?” Danielle asked, filling her fork with a bite of mashed potatoes.
“No, I actually grew up down south in Georgia.”
“Is that why your parents sound different to us?” Dani asked.
“Danielle,” Brynn scolded.
Aaron chuckled and continued his lazy circles up and down her arm. “It’s fine, really.” He focused on Dani across from him. “Yes, my parents have strong Southern accents.”
“Why isn’t your accent as strong?” She took a drink of her iced tea.
“I kinda lost it when I moved away. It comes back if I spend some time in the South for a little while.”
“That’s cool. We used to have to say a bunch of things where we lived before, but we don’t say them here.”
Brynn stiffened beside him.
“Sometimes it’s good to leave things behind and move on into a better future.” Aaron wanted to press, but using her child for information was wrong. “Are you excited about seeing the doctor in Boston?”
Brynn tilted her head to gaze at him, so he offered her a reassuring smile.
“Yes. I can’t wait.” Dani bit her lip while swirling her fork around the mash potatoes on her plate.
“Are you nervous?” he pushed.
She swallowed and nodded.
“That’s normal. I’m sure your emotions will fluctuate throughout this process,” Aaron assured her before returning to look at Brynn. “What is it?”
She swallowed and jerked her attention away. “N-nothing.”
“I have to go to the bathroom.” Dani placed her napkin on the table and stood. “If they ask, I would like their peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for dessert, please.”
Aaron waited until Dani slipped into the women’s restroom across the busy restaurant before he leaned in towards Brynn, inhaling her sweet scent. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
A small smile turned her mouth upwards before she tipped her face to him again. “Yes.”
“Do you believe me?”
Her eyes widened before she blinked, as if caught off guard. “I . . . I feel special in this dress.”
“That isn’t an answer.” He dragged his knuckle over her cheek because he loved the way she responded to his touch. And there was so much more of her he wanted to explore. Each inch she gave him felt like a treasure.
