Aiden shuddered and shook his head. “Nope. No beer for a long time, either.”
“I’ll get in the front,” Caleb said as we approached our car. “You two can ride in the back together.”
“I can ride in your car?” Aiden asked. He looked over his shoulder at his parents – parents, I realized, who had just seen their supposedly straight son kiss a man out of nowhere. I peeked at their faces, but to my relief, they didn’t particularly look like they were fazed by it. “Is that okay?”
His Mom and Dad glanced at each other. “We’re all going to the same place, so it’s okay,” his Mom said with a decisive nod. “I can see you two are a little attached at the hip. But when we get to the hotel, you’ve got to at least let us fuss over you like doting, worried parents for a short while, okay?”
Aiden nodded with a wide grin. If his Mom noticed how red my cheeks had gone at the mention of us beingattached at the hip, she didn’t show it.
We got into the car in a rush, and it was a break of only maybe a minute before I could grab Aiden’s hand again – but it felt like forever.
“I wanted to tell you something else,” Aiden said, squeezing my hand back tightly. “I made you a promise on that first day, remember?”
I thought back. “About judging whether what happened with Brody was my fault or not.”
“Right. Well, I’ve spent a lot of time with you, and now I’ve met him,” Aiden said. “And it definitely wasn’t your fault.”
I considered this for a long moment. It was freeing, really. But there was something else. “Wasn’t the deal that I now have to put myself back on the market?”
“Only if you’re going for a closed auction,” Aiden growled possessively. “There’s a bidder here who wants exclusive rights.”
I chuckled, rubbing the back of his hand with my spare, feeling a pleased flush light my cheeks.
“You’re really okay with this, right?” Aiden asked after a beat. He looked worried. His voice was pitched low, so maybe Caleb and my Mom wouldn’t listen. “You’re not just, you know. Putting it on because everyone was watching?”
I half-laughed. “How can you ask me that?” I said, shaking my head in amazement. “You’re the one who has an image you’re supposed to be taking care of.”
“I don’t care,” Aiden shrugged. “If it affects my career, then it’s the sport that’s the problem, not me. I told you, I don’t think I’m making it that far anyway. And if I do, I won’t be the first one. There was a pro player who came out earlier this year.”
I nodded. I had seen the reports. “Well, if you are, then… I’m really okay with this.”
“Yeah?” Aiden asked, his eyes sparkling above his grin.
“Yeah,” I said. The fact that it made him so happy made me want to say more, do more, give him more – always. “In fact, I’m ecstatic. I thought I was going to lose you. I was devastated.”
“You didn’t show it,” Aiden said with a pout. “I was getting my heart broken back there.”
“It’s called putting on a brave face,” I said with a sigh. I chuckled. “Thank god for your habit of speaking your mind.”
Aiden laughed. “I think that’s the first time it’s ever played out in my favor.”
“You should make it a rule going forwards,” I teased, laying my head back against the seat rest as I watched him. I never wanted to take my eyes off him again. “Try to only blurt out good things that are going to make other people happy.”
“Are you happy?” Aiden beamed.
“Very much so,” I said, and I laughed because we were just dug out of an avalanche and happy was an absurd thing to be. “And one more rule for a happy life.”
“What?”
“We arenevergoing on vacation in the snow again!” I proclaimed, prompting agreement from everyone in the vehicle.
Aiden – Six Months Later
“Happy anniversary, baby,” I said, leaning down to kiss Cade on the forehead.
“It’s not been a year yet,” he protested.
“Nope,” I told him. “Six months.”
