Matchplay A New Adult Romance - By Dakota Madison Page 0,43
around me.
“I need to see Sunshine.” He was slurring his words a bit.
Olivia looked puzzled. She didn’t know about his nickname for me.
Aaron blinked a few times then stared at Marney. “Who’s that guy?”
Olivia pointed a finger in Aaron’s face. “That is my girlfriend.”
Aaron’s head titled a bit as he continued to stare at Marney. “That guy is a girl?”
“I think you need to leave,” Olivia said sternly.
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving until I see Sunshine.” He crossed his arms over his chest as defiantly as he could in his drunken state.
“You do realize it’s the middle of the night,” Olivia said. “The sun won’t rise for a while. Maybe you’d better go home and sleep.”
Aaron shook his head again. “No, I won’t go. I won’t ever go. I need a mulligan.”
“Do we look like we’ve got beer in here? Besides, you don’t look like you need anymore.”
Marney chuckled. “A mulligan is like a do-over in golf.”
Aaron went wide-eyed. “Do you golf?” he asked Marney.
Marney gave a hearty laugh. “Do I look like I golf? My brother is on the school’s golf team. He’s been golfing since he was a kid.”
It looked like Aaron was trying to process this information then he said, “I need Rainy to let me have a mulligan.”
Olivia glanced over at me and shrugged. I shrugged back. I didn’t know what to do either.
I stepped closer to the door so Aaron could see me. His face brightened when he laid eyes on me.
“There you are, Sunshine.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Aaron?”
“There are three things I need to say to you. Will you come out here so I can say them?”
“If I come out there and listen to you, will you then go home and get some sleep?”
Aaron nodded.
“Fine,” I said as I stepped out the door.
Olivia and Marney closed the door to give us some privacy.
When I glanced up at Aaron, he looked so sad and vulnerable and the pain in his eyes was so evident, I could feel it to my core.
“I know I fucked up. And I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me or if I even deserve it. But there are three things I need to say to you.”
The seriousness of the moment seemed to sober him up considerably. He continued, “First, I want you to know that I love you. I’ve wanted to tell you that for a while but I wanted to wait for the most special and perfect time. Since I may never get another chance to tell you, I just wanted you to know.”
I could feel the tears welling in my eyes but I tried my best to hold them back. I didn’t want Aaron to see me cry.
“Second, I want you to know that you’re an incredible person. You’re beautiful, passionate, intelligent, strong, even courageous, and tenacious. I know you will do great things and leave your mark on the world. And I know I don’t even come close to deserving someone like you.”
Before I could stop it, a lone tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. Aaron smoothed it away with his thumb and then left his hand on the side of my cheek.
“Third,” Aaron said softly. “Even though I don’t deserve it, I hope you’ll consider giving me another chance to prove I can be everything you deserve in a man.”
Then Aaron leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. My heart skipped a few beats. Aaron stared into my eyes. “I love you, Rainy. And I always will.”
Then he turned and walked away.
***
I spent Thanksgiving Break with my dad. He wasn’t quite up to making a turkey, and I wasn’t sure he even knew how. My mom had always been the one to cook the big holiday meals. We decided to just get Chinese take-out and watch movies.
We tried to watch a comedy but neither one of us laughed. I was thinking about how Aaron and I had left things: completely in the air. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do or even what I wanted to do.
My dad stopped the movie and gave me a serious look. “What’s going on with you and Aaron?”
I shrugged. I didn’t have any idea where to begin. “Things are complicated.”
My dad put his hand on my shoulder. “Things were very complicated when your mom and I first met.
We never told you this but I was engaged to someone else when I met your mother.”
My dad’s words shocked