Grabbing the pile of sheets from this godforsaken bed, I head toward the laundry room, doing my best walk-hobble with the cane. A buzzer sounds in the kitchen, and I make my way to check on the chicken. Being relinquished to the house has made me a better chef over the past few months. I turn off the oven and move to the freezer to see if we have any ice cream for dessert.
My phone chimes with a text in my back pocket. It’s from Aidan.
Tell Kendall dinner is ready and come outside.
I stare at the message, then look out the window. I can’t see the driveway in the front, and I’m not fast enough at the moment to check. I tap back,
Okay. Everything okay?
His reply bubbles back.
Perfect
I tilt my head to the side and shake it. “Why are they being so weird?” I whisper to myself. I don’t have to tell Kendall dinner is ready. She and Juliet are coming downstairs and are in the kitchen in the next second. Kendall grabs the potholders and pulls the chicken out of the oven.
“Aidan is outside, Mom. We can serve ourselves. Lots of homework anyway.” Juliet waves a thick textbook to make her point. “I’ll leave a plate for you.” Kendall smiles so wide, it makes me smile.
“Are you guys okay?” I shake my head.
She nods, a wistful look in her eye. “Go, Mom.”
Aidan calls out from the mudroom, his head appearing from above the swinging doors. “It was sort of an asshole move to ask you to come outside. Let me help you,” he says, hazel gaze shifting between me and Kendall. Aidan is in his uniform. Full whites, his cover clutched in his hand. I lose my breath.
He walks over, winks at Kendall, and links his arm in mine. “You feeling okay today? Okay enough to get out of here for a little while?”
“Of course I’m okay to get out of here. You are all acting like madmen! Where are we going? Why can’t we eat dinner with the girls? You’re so fancy, and I’m wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.” I lift the slouchy pink material and let it fall. “Do I have time to change?”
Aidan turns to face me. “You look beautiful, Magnolia. Perfect.” Leaning forward, he takes a section of hair and winds it around his fingers. He presses a soft kiss against my mouth and pulls away too soon.
The girls catcall from behind us. My stomach flips. Every single time he touches me. The anticipation is wild after months of being separated by injury. We both decided it would be best to wait until my recovery in a more stable place before we attacked each other with our clothes off. Me moving up to my room today means more than just switching beds. “Let’s go,” Aidan says, smiling.
“Stay home. Do your homework,” I say, unable to hide my red cheeks from Kendall.
Kendall smirks. “I’m spending the night at Juliet’s tonight. We came here to eat dinner because you cook better than Ms. Jenny. Hope that’s okay.”
I’m about to argue, it’s a school night, but then I remember Aidan’s lips against mine. “Jenny knows?”
Juliet grins. “She knows.”
“Okay then. Drive safe and text me when you get there.”
Aidan wraps an arm around my waist and waves his free hand at them. “Be good,” he says.
“Be good?” I say once we’re out of earshot. “That’s like telling them to open a meth lab and get pregnant with twins. You have so much to learn,” I say, shaking my head.
“Next time should I say, ‘be bad and do whatever you want’?” Aidan asks, helping me into the car and arranging my cane in the back seat.
“Probably,” I say, sighing. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Where are we going?”
Turning out of the drive, he heads for the main road that leads to downtown. His smile is palpable. “There’s something I want to show you, that’s all.”
“You’re so excited. I hope when I see this, I offer the proper amount of excitement,” I tease, laying a hand on his leg. He flinches a little. We’ve avoided physical contact for too long. “Can we make plans for later on tonight?”
“Magnolia, you’re killing me. We start talking about tonight, and I’ll pull the car over right now. We both know your crippled status isn’t conducive to backseat fucking.” A wave of desire hits me as the crude images come to mind.
“You’re right,” I agree.
Aidan laughs. “Glad we’re on the same page. I’m going to need you to put this on,” he says, handing me a black blindfold he pulled from under his leg.
