“Great!” Aiden gave him a smile that had his stomach acting as if butterflies had just found their new home. He headed to the door and Quinn followed him, Aiden turned and started to jog in place. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.” He grinned and did a slight wave, then he was gone, headed down the driveway.
Quinn finally released a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. He continued to watch Aiden as the alpha got further and further away from him, and Quinn didn’t move until he was out of sight.
Quinn hurried back into the kitchen and finished the last of his work. There was a part of him that screamed he should be gone before Aiden returned, and Quinn refused to look too closely as to why that was.
When he was finished, he left Aiden’s house and headed to his car, and all Quinn could think was he definitely could see himself running with Aiden, and more... Maybe it was because he realized the final thought didn’t worry him and that had him rushing to leave before he did something crazy.
Aiden had done small things every day he was here, making lunch for Quinn when he did for himself, always carrying his things to the car when he was done, even though Quinn was perfectly capable… There was a small voice that was getting steadily louder saying maybe Aiden wasn’t the macho, arrogant alpha-hole jerk that Quinn had initially thought he was.
The alpha had become someone Quinn found he wanted to get to know even more.
8
Aiden
Aiden found himself unable to think about anything but Quinn and his triplets. Yeah, Quinn was part of it now. There was just something about the omega. He was all strength wrapped in a delicate package.
It was Saturday, and Quinn was scheduled for only two hours in the morning. Truth was, he didn’t need Quinn here more than once a week. Aiden was already neat, and being the only one in the house, he didn’t make much of a mess. Still, he wasn’t giving up having the omega over three times a week, and today’s schedule didn’t give Aiden much time to work out a plan, but he knew that it was time to take things to the next level. The fact that Quinn said he was a runner was just the opening Aiden needed.
Aiden wouldn’t have considered himself a runner before he was diagnosed with cancer. It was just another way of taking care of his body, working to be a healthier version of himself. It had nothing to do with the thought of being able to run with Quinn which would give them common ground to grow their connection.
Aiden walked into the living room just as Quinn finished up with the vacuuming. He deftly wrapped the cord around the vacuum as Aiden made his presence known. “Finished up for the day?”
Quinn nodded. “Yep.” He pushed the vacuum over to the closet and put it away as Aiden followed behind him. When he closed the door, he turned around and seemed surprised that Aiden was still there. “Unless you have something else you need me to do?”
“Well, not really, but I was curious if you had plans today,” he said.
Quinn glanced at his watch and then looked up. “Not really. I told the babysitter I’d be home by one, but what’s going on? What do you need?”
“You know you don’t have to leave them with a babysitter on Saturdays. You’re more than welcome to bring them over here with you. There’s certainly more than enough space.” Aiden wanted to smack himself for blurting that out when he saw Quinn’s eyes widen. He quickly added, “I mean if you want to. I just feel bad keeping you away from them. You all can even stay after, you know, if you want.” When Quinn didn’t speak Aiden backed away. “Uh... never mind. I’ll just go.”
“Wait.” Quinn’s voice had him freezing, and a mixture of hope and dread pooled in the pit of his stomach.
Aiden didn’t speak. He was too worried that he would say another thing wrong and push the omega away.
“Did you mean it?” Quinn took a step towards him.
Aiden nodded. “Yeah, I would love that.” He shook his head when he realized what he said. “I mean, yes, if you wanted to bring them over, we can all hang out. Or you guys can hang out while I take care of my work.”
A smile danced on Quinn’s lips. “I may just take you up on that,” Quinn replied with a hint of shyness. The omega took another step towards him. “So, what did you want to ask?”
Aiden smiled. “Right. I thought we could go for that run this morning. I’d love to have someone with me… I mean someone to push me to be better, and I think that someone could be you.”
“Oh…” Quinn glanced at his watch again. “I suppose there’s still time before I have to be home, but I’ll call the babysitter and ask her if she’d mind staying if I run a little late. She probably wouldn’t mind too much.”
Aiden couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. “Great! And afterward, we could grab lunch or something.”
Quinn arched an eyebrow. “Kind of sounds like a date,” he laughed, but Aiden heard the nervous twinge in it.
Aiden’s heart quickened because he liked the sound of that, but he had to say something to put Quinn at ease. “Uh, not a date. Unless you want it to be.” Aiden wanted it to be, more than he realized or expected. “Or it can be just two guys hanging out.”
Quinn shrugged. “I suppose the latter…” He seemed lost in thought for a moment before he shook his head and spoke again. “Let me call the sitter and make sure that she’s free to stay if needed.”
“I’ll give you some privacy.” Aiden tried not to pump his fist as he went into the kitchen and waited for Quinn to make his call. He pretended to busy himself with some papers that were on his counter, but he could hear Quinn speaking in the other room.
“I might be an hour or two late. Is that alright?” Then there was silence before he spoke again. “Okay. Thanks, Helen. I’ll see you then.”
Aiden smiled and went back to restacking his papers, acting like he had no idea how the conversation had gone. Quinn appeared in the kitchen doorway.
