Page 152

THIRTY-THREE

LENNOX

Despite Aiden’s orders, I run for the bathroom as soon as we get off the Jet Ski. There is no way I can spend the rest of the day with his family, friends, and teammates with his cum dripping out of me.

For a moment, I press myself up against the locked door and just breathe. When I’m a little more grounded, I step in front of the bathroom mirror and study myself. I look wild. Carefree and happy.

Beautiful.

My cheeks are flushed, my lips are plump, and my eyes are brighter than they’ve been in years.

I look like a woman falling.

For all my concerns about Aiden, I’m the one at risk of getting in too deep.

With a shake of my head, I push the thoughts aside and take a few moments to fix myself so that my slutty, slutty ways aren’t so obvious and change into a pair of shorts and a tank.

As I’m stepping into the hall, voices echo against the empty walls.

“This place is seriously beautiful.” Aiden.

“Thanks.” That must be War.

“What’s up with your brother and Ava?”

War is grimacing as I turn the corner and find them standing in front of another closed door. When he sees me, his eyes light up and he lets out a relieved sigh, like he’s happy he doesn’t have to answer that question. “Need anything?”

“I’m good, and I agree with Aiden. This place is truly gorgeous. Are you going to miss being in the city, though?”

War shrugs. “Maybe, but then I can pull an Aiden and crash on your couch.”

Aiden dons his signature dopey smile. “No more couch surfing for me. Right, Lex?”

I lean into him and allow myself to sink into his hold when he wraps his arms around me. It’s far too comfortable. Far too easy to slip back into being his.

“What’s in this room?” Aiden asks, pointing to the shut door.

War shrugs, though his eyes dart from side to side. “Nothing. The previous owners left a bunch of furniture.”

With a curious hum, Aiden pushes open the door. When the beautiful pink room covered in music lyrics and little purple birds comes into full view, we suck in matching sharp breaths.

“Holy crap, it’s like my dream,” I whisper.

Aiden nudges War. “You got a secret family you aren’t telling us about?”

With a roll of his eyes, he shoves his hands into his pockets. “I told you, it came this way. But, uh—” He squeezes the back of his neck and eyes me, wearing a look of concern. “It’s nice, right? Like if you were a little girl, you’d like it?”

I cough out a laugh. “As an almost thirty-year-old, I like it. As a child, this would have been my dream.”

War’s cheeks have gone a shade of red that can’t be blamed on the sun today. Something is going on, and if I didn’t have a million other things to worry about, I’d be dying to find out.

Aiden is like a dog with a bone, though. He steps inside, hands on his hips, and spins slowly. “You sure?—”

“Lennox!” Sara shouts from downstairs.

War heads straight for the bedroom door. “Coming,” he hollers. Without turning around, he books it down the steps.

“That was weird, right?” Aiden says to me.

I nod, surveying the room again. “Yeah. So weird.”

He slips his hand into mine and tugs me out into the hall, closing the door behind us. “Let’s see what your crazy friend wants.”

Downstairs, Sara is standing in front of War, arms crossed over her chest, interrogating him about our whereabouts.

“They’re right behind me,” he says, thumbing over his shoulder.

“Guilty,” I mutter as we step into the kitchen.

Ava, Xander, War, Daniel, Fitz, Brooks, and Sara are all standing around the oversized island. It’s butcher block and covered in an array of cheeses and crackers, fruits and salads. The ceiling is vaulted, with a huge wooden beam down the center of it that’s stained to match the chocolate brown cabinets.

Beyond the kitchen is a view of the lake. In the yard, Millie and Gavin are chasing Winnie, Finn, and Addie in what looks like a game of tag.

“Where’s Vivi?” I ask, scanning the yard for our littlest bestie.

Sara points to the stroller in the living room. “Napping, but the better question is where were you?”

I squirm under her scrutiny, my thoughts instantly turning to our activities. Dammit. I will my mind to focus on something, anything, but where we were. On the Jet Ski. Practically naked. Writhing beneath his touch.

In my periphery, Aiden smirks. Fuck.

Sara points at me, her mouth popping open. “On the Jet Ski. Bedazzled penis. In the mouth.”

War, who has just shoved a cracker into his mouth, sputters and coughs. With his fist over his mouth, he asks, “Is this a sick version of Clue?”

I glare at my best friend. “Do not use my superpower against me.”

Head dropped forward, Brooks groans. “Crazy girl, how many times do we have to go over this? No talking about my brothers’ schlongs.”

Our friends all watch our interaction with amused smirks, clearly used to Sara’s ridiculousness. Xander, on the other hand, is wearing a concerned grimace. Beside him, Ava is pressing her lips together to keep from laughing. Clearly, he still believes she’s a demure thing. I mean, she is, but we’re working on corrupting her.

“It’s not my fault your brother is dating my best friend,” Sara throws back. “Pretty sure I get to talk about Aiden’s dick as long as I’m talking about it in the context that he is Lennox’s boyfriend.”

Brows lowered, Brooks shakes his head. “No.”

“Wait, you’re brothers?” Xander asks, pointing between Aiden and Brooks.

“They’re practically twins,” Sara says, frowning at the guy. Her tone is laced with an irritation she rarely exudes. Clearly, she doesn’t like him.

“No, we’re really not,” Brooks says.

“I’m definitely better looking.” Aiden puffs out his chest and grins in a way that makes his dimple pop.

While they have similar features, Brooks has inches on his brother, along with pounds of muscle. He’s practically a giant. And his hair is much longer. Aiden is tall and muscular. His curly hair is well-trimmed yet long enough for me to tug and run my hands through. As I survey them, I suppose they do look a lot alike, but Aiden is always so smiley in comparison to his stoic brother.

“And you’re dating best friends?” the guy asks, flattening his palms on the quartz top of the island.

“Wild, right?” Sara replies. “Gavin is one of their older brothers, and Millie is a close friend too. These two, though, were high school sweethearts.” She sighs, hearts dancing in her eyes. “Aiden was actually engaged to someone else, and then he saw his one true love again?—”

My stomach twists as she embellishes our story. “That’s not exactly how it went.”

Aiden pulls me against his chest. “It was, actually. When I discovered Lennox was our wedding planner, I dumped my fiancée on the spot. A week later, I asked this one to be mine again.”

Despite the decade apart, I know Aiden better than I know anyone else. I know when he’s lying. His genuine smile turns stiff, brittle, and his voice takes on a more authoritative tone—he turns into Aiden Langfield, star center of the Boston Bolts, the persona he and his PR team have spent years perfecting.

Right now, though, his smile is that dopey one I’ve been seeing more and more of. His voice is warm, and his eyes are gooey, like a chocolate sundae, as he gazes at me.

My heart pangs. Because suddenly, I’m wondering how close he is to speaking the truth.

Sara rubs her hands together, drawing our attention again. “Since we all agree that when asking about Lennox’s boyfriend, I’m allowed to ask about his bedazzled peen?—”

“We don’t agree,” Brooks mutters.

Sara ignores him, instead zeroing in on me. “Did you get the scoop on what Aiden’s truth was? What he wouldn’t admit that led to him being forced to Lisa Frank his peen?”

Ava’s face contorts in confusion. “Lisa Frank?”

“Ya know, because it’s colorful,” Sara explains, like this conversation isn’t the least bit bizarre.

“Jesus Christ,” Aiden mutters, covering his mouth and eyeing his brother. “Do you tell her everything?”

Brooks chuckles. “Aiden wanted to get pierced because War and I had already gotten ourselves roped into it. War asked him an easy question, and Aiden chose not to answer because he wanted to be like us.”

Aiden is vibrating beside me. “That’s not what happened.”

Bothered by the uneasiness in his tone, I study him. His brow is furrowed and he wears a frown that looks foreign on his face. “Then what did happen?”

War rolls his eyes. “All I asked was why he hated shamrocks.”

A lead ball settles in my throat. I can’t speak. I can’t look at Aiden, even as the heat of embarrassment, humiliation, and maybe anger radiates off him.

“It’s weird, right?” War goes on, absolutely clueless to the turmoil rolling through Aiden. “The man nicknamed the Leprechaun getting quiet every time a fan gives him a shamrock as a gift. Almost as dumb as his fear of bunnies.”

“It’s their eyes,” Aiden grits out, his body rigid.

Though my heart is pounding loud in my ears, I school my expression and shrug. “I had a bunny when we were growing up. It bit him. Let the kid live.”

I grip Aiden’s hand and squeeze. When he doesn’t immediately squeeze back, my heart sinks. I need to get the both of us out of this conversation stat, then figure out how to make him smile the way he was only a few minutes ago.

That’s only a Band-Aid, though. To the outside world, we look perfect. The second chance everyone thinks we deserve. But the truth is, if this were a real relationship, we’d have to have some serious conversations before we even had a shot at forever.

Is that even what I want?

Divine intervention does its thing in the form of a phone call.

“Oh,” Ava says, “it’s the hospital.”

My heart lodges itself in my throat. Across from me, Sara is instantly wringing her hands, looking concerned.

“I gotta take this,” Ava says, stepping out onto the deck.

We all watch as she paces across the wooden planks, practically holding our breath. She nods a lot, bites her finger, nods some more, and stops and takes a few deep breaths. Eventually, she comes back inside, her eyes welling with tears.

Worry settles like a blanket over the room as Sara and I rush her.

“What’s going on? Is Josie okay?” Sara asks.

Nodding, Ava blinks tears from her eyes. “Yeah, it’s good.” She swipes at her damp cheeks. “They found Josie’s birth mother.” Her words are choppy, broken up by sniffles. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, then continues. “I guess she was sixteen when she had her. She gave her up for adoption, figuring Josie would have a better life. She never imagined—” She shakes her head, pressing her lips together.

She doesn’t need to go on. I can guess. Josie’s mother never imagined someone would care for her child for years, only to put her back into foster care when she became seriously ill. It’s tragic, and it’s haunted all of us for months and months. This beautiful little girl deserves all the love in the world.

I pull her into my chest. “It’s okay, babe.”

Ava sniffles against my shoulder. “It’s good. I shouldn’t be crying. Why am I crying?”

Sara eyes me over Ava’s head, rubbing circles against her back. “Because you wanted to be her mom. And because you love her. But this is a good thing.”

“I’m going to miss her so much.” Ava pulls back and wipes her tears with the back of her hand. She sucks in a ragged breath. “She’s still coming to the party tomorrow, but then Maria is taking her to meet her mother. I guess the mother hired Maria to help with the transition. As a nanny or something.”

“Wow,” Sara says, that single word echoing my thoughts.

Ava nods, lowering her gaze. “So tomorrow has to be amazing.”

There’s no doubt I’ll make that happen. “It’ll be the best birthday party any little girl has ever had.”