“You just said we weren’t having car sex. Why are you throwing sex toys in my lap?” I say, stretching the mask over my face.
He growls. “Okay, one-track mind. I need you blind so I can surprise you.”
“Fine. But if you wanted to touch me, I’d be okay with that as well.”
“You will be the death of me, woman.”
“Don’t die. I need your dick tonight,” I counter, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt.
“You’re relentless,” he replies, making a turn. I can feel when he puts the car into park.
“And it’s been a really long time since you’ve touched me,” I say, knowing his hands aren’t busy now that the vehicle isn’t moving.
His hands touch my face. My whole body prickles. Aidan runs his fingers across my jaw and turns my face to the side. When my lips meet his, the electricity kicks into overdrive. It’s the first kiss we’ve shared in months that has the passion to tell me we’ll move past second base. His tongue is languid as he relishes the connection. Just as my hands reach out for him, he ends the kiss.
I lick my lips, tasting him. “More,” I say, making a move to remove the blindfold. “I want to see you.”
“Keep it on just a little while longer. And as for more, I’ll give you all that you want later tonight. Stay put, I’m going to open the door for you.” I hear him tap out a text and send it. I’m hyperaware being blinded. The car door opening and closing seems loud, and my own breaths resemble a gusting wind I can’t control. The passenger-side door opens, and his hands are helping me up.
“Blinding a cripple is probably not legal. Can you please let me take off this mask before you make me walk?”
Aidan helps just enough to let me walk on my own without my cane. “Ten more seconds,” he says, forcing us forward a few more steps. “I want to see your face.” His tone is low. If I could confirm by sight, I’d say he was nervous.
He removes the blindfold, and like I suspected, we are in the downtown area of Bronze Bay. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been here for a while, but more than likely this building has had so much work done, it takes me a full five seconds to realize what I’m looking at. This house has always been decrepit and old. The realtors said whoever bought the land would tear down the structure and build something new.
I tear my gaze from the beautiful, completely remodeled Victorian-style house to meet Aidan’s gaze. He’s staring at me, biting his lip, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of his face.
“Do you like it? I know it’s not the same as Magnolia’s Steals, but I matched the shade of paint, and it looks amazing inside,” he explains, gesturing with his free hand, the one that isn’t wrapped around me for support. “It’s pretty much empty because, as you know, everything was a loss at the old store, but I went to a couple of auctions and bought a few things. You know, I thought maybe I could pick some stuff out that you’d like to sell. Things I saw in the store before or packaged for shipping. It’s probably all wrong, I know. I wanted you to have something to come back to. I worked with the insurance adjusters and handled everything for you. There’s nothing to worry about, Magnolia. This is yours, and if you hate it and you’re mad that I didn’t consult with you, I understand completely.” He’s shaking. Aidan’s whole body is vibrating—waiting for my assessment.
Tears spring to my eyes as my gaze lands on the storefront window. He draws my attention back to his face. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. It’s perfect, Aidan. I can’t believe you went through all this trouble. It’s stunning.” I laugh a short burst. “I love it more than I loved the old store. How is that possible? This is too much.” Suddenly I’m struck with how large of a gesture this is, and my heart aches.
His hazel gaze is wide. “Magnolia,” he says, choking up. “It will never be enough. I’ll never be able to do enough for you. Not in one lifetime.”
I sniffle, and he guides me closer to the window, the one that he definitely had put in because the old house didn’t have a window this big and this beautiful. There is a display set up, I now realize. It resembles the scene I set up for Christmas, and my stomach sinks. The fire. The reminder. I close my eyes and blink away several tears. It’s different, though. It has little houses lining a street that resembles the downtown in Bronze Bay. In front of the purple house is figurines of a man on his knee extending a ring box, and the woman is standing, both hands clasped against her chest. My breathing quickens when I recognize what’s happening in the display. I’m so intent on focusing on every other detail that I lean forward to put both hands on the window.
Slowly, I turn my head and find Aidan kneeling on the sidewalk, ring box extending up to me. “Hi, I’m Aidan Mixx,” he says, words shaky, hand trembling.
I know this game. Through tears, I say, “Hi, I’m Magnolia Sager. It’s nice to meet you.” He grins.
“Reset button?” Aidan asks, his questioning eyes full of hope. He removes the sparkling diamond from the box and turns his palm up, requesting my left hand. I give it to him.
“Reset,” I reply as he slides the ring on my finger. He looks so dashing and handsome. The picture of love and respect. He stands, taking me in his arms. Seeking out his lips, I kiss him deeply.
Clapping starts mid-kiss. I turn in his arms to see a crowd of people smiling wide and cheering. Jenny is in there, and so are Kendall and Juliet. Andrea’s family looks tearful as they witness Aidan’s act of selfless love and the proposal. Everyone who means something to us is here for this moment. All of Aidan’scohorts are in uniform, fists in the air. An older woman breaks off from the crowd and walks toward us.
Aidan squeezes me once. Then I realize who it is. It’s his mother. She visited me once in the hospital, but it was when I first arrived, so the meeting was very foggy. Her smile reminds me of Aidan’s, and I feel the sharp pang of sympathy for Aidan. “Mrs. Mixx,” I say, slipping from Aidan’s tight hold. “It’s so nice to see you.”
She shakes her head. “No, seeing you two is nice. Thank you for letting me be here to see this, son.”
Aidan swallows hard, running a hand through his hair. “I moved my mom here,” he says, meeting my gaze. “It wasn’t permanent when I first brought her over, but she’s happy here, and I think it will be a good thing.”
I open my eyes, shocked. “A good thing? It’s a great thing. An amazing thing. I’m so happy for you,” I say, locking eyes with Mrs. Mixx. “For both of you.” Aidan told me he visited her and that things were choppy but improving. I didn’t push the boundaries by asking for details, but I’m so proud of him. For overcoming. For being the man I always knew he could be, and by doing the world’s hardest act: forgiving.
“Sometimes all we need is the grace of a reset button,” she says, squeezing her son’s arm, then meeting my gaze. “It’s the greatest gift of my life.”
Aidan’s tearful gaze is soft as he leans over to hug her, and my heart swells. Mrs. Mixx pushes away. “You two enjoy this moment. I love you. The both of you.”
When she returns to the crowd, I’m visibly shaken with emotion. Aidan brushes the tears from under my eyes. “That was a yes, right?”
