The Chase is Over - Toni Aleo Page 0,16
waiting for you. It’s right through there.”
“Thanks, Shelli,” Aviva says, patting my arm as she walks by, Callie and Nico in tow.
I lick my lips as I turn to Aiden. “Um, let’s go into the hall,” I say, and I don’t wait for him as I head toward the corridor. We’re in one of the large conference rooms at the Luther Arena, the perks of working for the Assassins organization. I go out the back where I know no one is. When I turn, Aiden is there, shutting the door behind us. I cross my arms over my chest as I look up at him. He matches my stance, clearing his throat when our eyes meet. We stare at each other for what seems like hours, though it’s only seconds.
“I should have told you,” I finally say, and he slowly nods. “I just wanted to get through the wedding first so you couldn’t leave me at the altar,” I joke, and his lip curves at the side.
“I couldn’t if I tried,” he says, almost as a vow. “I’m sorry for what I said. I know I’m more than enough in your life.”
“You’re everything,” I promise as tears fill my eyes.
“Same here,” he promises back. “Our dads say I’m spoiled,” he says with a small smile. “That I’ve been privileged with your constant presence.”
I nod. “You have, but I didn’t want it any other way. I love being with you.”
“Right? I just enjoy us.”
He’s blurry since my eyes are wet with tears. “I do too, and I don’t want to leave you, Aiden. I miss you so much when we’re apart, but I can’t deny my need for the stage.”
“I know,” he says softly. “You belong on it, and you’re going to be an incredible Eliza.”
My heart stops. “So, I can do it?”
He brings in his brows. “Shelli, you can do whatever you want—”
“But I don’t want to do it unless you support me.”
His eyes soften. “Shelli, I’ll support you until my dying day,” he whispers, and I immediately fall into him, my chin landing on his chest as he readjusts his arms to hold me. With his lips in my hair, he says, “Will it suck being away from you? Absolutely. Am I struggling with the upcoming distance? I sure am. Which is why I lashed out—also the fact that you kept this all from me.”
“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes, and the tears leak out. “I never truly felt right about retiring, but I did it for us, so we could be together. And I’m not saying that this, us, isn’t enough. It’s more than enough, and if you don’t want me to go, I won’t. But I really miss performing.”
“I can understand that. I would miss the ice, and I won’t ask you not to go. I would never keep you from fulfilling your dreams. I’m just worried.”
“Worried?” I ask, confused as I gaze up into his eyes. “What do you have to be worried about?”
“That you’ll find something better in New York, or you’ll realize you love it there more.”
“If you’re not there, I can’t love it.”
He presses his lips together. “So maybe, I should help out with that. I can ask to be traded—”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. You’ve strived to play for the Assassins. I’m not asking you to trade to a team you won’t like.”
“It would help the salary space here if your mom let me go—”
“I won’t let her,” I promise, my eyes searching his. “When I’m done performing, I don’t want to live in New York. I love living here. I want to buy a house here. I want to raise our kids here and grow old here. I love Nashville.”
His eyes are full of apprehension. “I’m scared you won’t come back.”
I cup his face. “Aiden, where you are is where I am.” I chuckle a little but with no humor. “What is this? You’ve never been like this. You’ve got me. I’m going nowhere.”
He pauses for a second. “I know I’ll never love anyone the way I love you, and it makes me insecure. You make me fucking crazy, and while I want you to live your dreams, I want to be right there to make sure I’m still good enough for you.”
I eye him. “Aiden,” I say as a breath, shrugging my shoulders. “You are it for me.” I cup his jaw, running my thumb along his bottom lip. “Nothing, and I mean nothing or no one, can come