my,” she said, quirking her lips at me as she headed for the back room, “you sure are fun to look at.”
Aiden’s cheeks tinted, and Adela visibly melted. “Oh, Jesus. Dump her gorgeous ass and take me out. But first, tell me, do you like hands and Cheetos?”
Aiden wiped a hand down his cheek. “I’m so lost right now.”
Adela and I both laughed, and she patted him on the shoulder. “Probably for the best. Later, lovebirds.”
I was still smiling when she’d left, then I turned that smile to Aiden, who was watching me with that electrifying intensity. Grabbing the flowers by the window, I walked around the counter and set them in a pot with matching arrangements.
Try as I might, though I didn’t exactly try too hard, I couldn’t erase the feeling that threatened to burst in my stomach whenever I thought of our weekend together. Whenever his eyes were upon me.
He was a gentleman, sure, but his filthy, sweet words as he got to know my body and helped me get to know my body in ways I didn’t know existed haunted me.
I didn’t know why I hadn’t expected that. And I didn’t know they—that he—would affect me so entirely. In ways so consuming, even when we weren’t in the same room.
To distract myself, I fiddled with a cluster of petunias and daisies. “No class today?”
“Everyone’s cramming, and besides, Tuesday’s aren’t the same, knowing you’re not on campus.”
“You should still be there, but I won’t lie. I like having you here instead.”
His arms came around me, and courtesy of my messy bun, he could rest his lips in the crook of my neck. “What can I say? You leave a lasting impression every time I see you.”
“Still?” I pressed, leaning back into his hard body.
“Still.” The warm silk of his lips pressed into my skin. Once, then twice. “I fear it’ll soon be everlasting.”
I think I sighed loud enough for him to hear, judging by the way his arms tightened around my waist. “I missed you too.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Another kiss, then his hand reached out and his fingers caressed the petals of a sunflower. “What is it about these flowers, besides the obvious, that you love so much?” If it weren’t for the soft way he’d said it, I’d wonder if he were jealous.
I ignored the residual pang that made its ugly presence known at the familiar question. “I guess something about them makes me stop, and I’m not just talking in the physical sense. I’m talking about those moments that make us truly stop and take a proverbial seat. The ones that cause the whirring in our minds to fade into a distant hum.” I drew in a sharp breath, admitting similar words I’d said to another man, a boy, all those years ago. “Does that make sense? I feel at peace. Grounded. Alive. Happy.”
Aiden’s chest rose and fell against my shoulders, and when he spoke, his voice was drenched in quiet affection. “I’ve never heard anything make more sense in my life.”
We stood there for several minutes, his arms around me, as rain started to fall outside. Drops splattered on the window and in the mulch in the flower beds and pots outside. “So…” I cleared my throat, turning in his arms, but my voice was still scratchy. “How do you feel about meeting my mom?”
“Fucking ecstatic.” And judging by the way his eyes sparkled, corroborating his words, I knew he wasn’t lying.
“Are you sure I look okay?” Aiden ran his fingers through his already beautifully mussed hair. “Not too overdressed?”
I adjusted the lapels of his charcoal dress shirt, then eyed his dark denim jeans. “You’re perfect, as always, so stop fussing.”
“But I need to be better than perfect.” I laughed, and he released a breath, nodding to himself. “Christ, I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since I asked out India Peters in the second grade.”
“Ha! I knew you started early.” I rose onto my toes to steal a quick kiss.
We left the car and approached the café where I’d told Mom I’d meet her. She didn’t know I was bringing Aiden until last night when I called, so we agreed to have coffee before he ditched us so we could shop.
Aiden stopped right outside the door, his hand clammy in mine. “You’re sure about this?”
I was about to laugh again, but then I saw the paler hue to his face. I reached up, rubbing my thumbs over his cheeks. “She’s going to love