I nod. “I’ve never felt anything like it. It was like everything just stopped. Like nothing else mattered.”
She doesn’t laugh or tease me this time, just gives me a knowing smile.
It’s short-lived, because then her eyes light up with mischief. “Was there tongue? Did he use his hands? Oh! Did he do that thing where he cups your face?”
“Bree!” My cheeks burn hotter. “I’m not going to give you a play-by-play.”
Her lips press together, forming an exaggerated pout. “You’re no fun. But fine, keep your steamy secrets,” she teases. “Seriously, though, good for you. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Grumpy is…” She pauses, fanning herself theatrically and pretending to swoon.
I can’t help but laugh, grabbing a pillow and tossing it in her direction. “I can’t even with you.”
“What?” She dodges easily, her grin widening. “I’m just saying. If I were you, I’d need a moment to recover, too. That man is scorching.”
“His name is Aidan, by the way.”
“Aidan,” she repeats, testing the name. “Suits him. When are you seeing him again?”
That’s the question, isn’t it? The one that’s been looping through my head since the moment he walked me to my door last night. Since his hand lingered on mine as if he had more to say but swallowed it down instead.
I finally have his number, but there was no talk of what comes next. No promises. No plans.
That’s the part I keep circling back to over and over because Aidan doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who does things halfway.
I don’t even know how to start this. Do I text him first? Wait for him to reach out? Would he even want me to?
“I…don’t know,” I admit.
Her eyebrows shoot up. “You didn’t make plans? Lucy MacKenzie, have I taught you nothing? This is dating 101. Secure the next encounter before the first one ends.”
I huff out a breath. “It’s not that simple. He’s…guarded. He has a daughter. Plus, he works offshore for weeks at a time. It’s a lot.”
Bree tilts her head, considering. “So, what you’re saying is, he’s an emotionally unavailable part-time mermaid with baggage?”
I give her a look, but she just grins.
“Look,” she continues. “Complicated doesn’t mean bad. It just means you need to figure out if it’s worth it.”
Wanting someone has never been the hard part. It’s everything that comes after. The expectations. The uncertainty. The possibility of getting it wrong.
And Aidan… He isn’t something I can take lightly.
twenty-three
AIDAN
Ikeep saying it, but two weeks at home is never enough. I’m always trying to shove a lifetime’s worth of living into fourteen days that slip through my fingers faster than I can catch them. There’s always something with this damn house—an old creaky floor, a window that won’t shut, pipes that think it’s funny to leak when it rains. I’m constantly knee-deep in repairs, fixing up what’s broken, trying to make this place solid. Something for Isla that she can count on. It almost seems useless, because every time I fix something, another thing falls apart. It’s like the damn place is telling me I’m not around enough. Not doing enough.
And then there’s Lucy. I don’t know how the hell she managed it, but she slipped right into the middle of my world like she’d always been here. That day with her last week turned into me finding excuses to text her, and she’s popped over here a few evenings after work. Nothing serious, just hanging out for an hour or so, her laugh filling the house whenever Isla says something ridiculous, her smile patient when I’m trying too hard to be tough.
Sometimes, it’s like she’s the only thing that lets me breathe, like she’s the calm in the middle of all this chaos. She’s got this way of making me feel like maybe I’m doing something right for once.
Tomorrow, I’m back to work. Yet here I am, up in the attic trying to patch up another leak before the storm hits. The thick, dusty air settles in my lungs, the musty smell of old wood sticking to my skin. Sweat trickles along my temple as I fight this beam that clearly has a personal problem with me. Frustration flares, but I crush it and stay at it.
Then Isla’s giggles drift up from the lower level, bright and sweet, spilling through the floorboards, tangled up with Lucy’s softer laugh. The sound slips right past my defenses, making the tension in my shoulders loosen.
Having Lucy here is strange sometimes, but nice, too. Too nice if I’m being honest with myself. I keep waiting for the moment when she realizes it’s too much and decides she’s had enough. But she hasn’t pulled away. She’s still here, laughing with Isla, wanting to be a part of this.
That’s what scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to start leaning on or depending on her, but there’s no ignoring how damn good it is to have her here.
