Page 23 of Vain

“I think my mama didn’t raise no fool. I knew Tilly was special the second I laid eyes on her. I might be young, but I wasn’t born yesterday. A man worth his salt doesn’t waste time playing games. Tilly deserves better than that.”

He turns his head so he can look at me, a sparkle in his eye. “I’m one lucky fucker that she’s even looked at me twice.”

“You don’t own a mirror?” I joke, making him wink at me before he faces Greyson once more.

“My point is, she can do so much better than me. I know this, you know this, hell, I’m sure the world out there is ready and waiting to tell her that for themselves. But I’m willing to putin the effort and show her every day why taking a chance on a nobody like me will be the best decision she’ll ever make.”

Marley presses the back of his hand to his forehead. “If that doesn’t make you swoon, nothing will.”

I giggle as Greyson sighs and looks at him. “Nobody swoons anymore. You’re getting old.”

“You’re older than me,” Marley huffs as he doctors the mugs of coffee, handing one to me first, then to Aiden.

“I know I am. That’s how I know you’re old, too.”

“Whatever, old man. Let’s leave the young’uns to soak up the sun while I make some breakfast. You can keep me company.”

“I can barely contain my excitement,” Greyson deadpans as we head out to the backyard with our drinks.

“Are those two always like that?” Aiden laughs as he places his coffee on the table before sitting down in one of the chairs. I move to take the other, but he guides me to sit on his lap, taking my cup from me as I get settled before handing it back.

His hands slide to my hips. I tense, but when they stay above my clothes, I relax a little. I sip my drink, looking out over the lake that’s calm and placid today.

“It’s pretty out here. Reminds me a little of home.”

I turn to look at him before placing my drink down and curling up into his lap. “Tell me about it.”

“What, Tempest?”

“That’s where you’re from?”

I feel him nod as I tuck my head under his chin. His hand comes around and rests on my thigh as he starts talking about the town he grew up in.

“It sounds like something out of a Hallmark movie.”

He chuckles. “I guess it does a little. We have some interesting characters for sure.”

“How long have you worked for Price Security?”

“I was twenty-two, so about three years now. I’d finished my EMT training and was thinking of joining the fire department when the opening at Price Security came up. At the time, I thought it would be temporary, something to give me time to figure my life out a little, but I loved it there, and the rest is history.”

“You never wanted to leave? Tempest, that is.”

“I never really had the bug to leave like so many of my friends did. I don’t know, maybe it was how I was raised. I was, along with my brother. Seeing the love and acceptance my parents had for each of us, regardless of our backgrounds, had a profound effect on me. In a way, it made me want things most men my age don’t want until later on.”

“Like what?”

“A home, a wife, a family of my own. That’s a lot to put on anyone, but someone in their early twenties?” He lets it hang for a minute, so I lift my head and look him in the eye.

“You didn’t find someone who wanted to give it a try?”

“I thought I had. Turns out she was willing to try with just about anyone.”

I wince.

“Yeah, glad I found out before we went any further. And now I’m here with you, so I can’t complain shit didn’t work out. Clearly, it didn’t work out for a reason.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Aiden, but your ex was a fucking idiot.”