Page 30 of Wait for the Dream

I’ve been quiet since we got back from the store today, and I know Aiden can tell. I cannot stop thinking about that moment when the cashier said something about Little Bear being wrapped around her daddy’s finger. I wanted to just let her think that he was her daddy. I truly didn’t want to correct her, but then in the split second I had to decide, I ended up doing just that. I didn’t know how Aiden would feel about people thinking Rowan was his. I know he loves Rowan, but being mom’s best friend and loving her is very different then her being his and loving her.

“Nothing, what do you mean?” I say, knowing full well he is going to see through my innocent act. I just need a few minutes to figure out a believable lie, or work up the nerve to be honest. Both are real possibilities at this point.

“Nope, you keep looking over here like you want to say something. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

He walks over to me and takes the knife I had been using to chop veggies out of my hand. He places one hand on either side of me, caging me against the counter, his chest pressed against my back.

I turn around, and we are so close, my chest is brushing his with every inhale. “I just feel like things got awkward after that woman at the store called you Rowan’s daddy. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

His jaw works back and forth at my words, his face unreadable. “I wasn’t uncomfortable for the reasons you may think, Blue.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, “I know I’m just your best friend, and that you love me and Rowan, but I don’t want to put you in an awkward position every time we are out in public and people assume that this baby is yours.”

“Bailey let me make one thing perfectly clear.” I gasp at the intensity on his face, the raw emotion I see there, “You are not just anything. You are my best friend, the light of my life, my everything. When people assume that I’m her dad, I’m not uncomfortable because I don’t want people thinking she’s mine. I’m uncomfortable by how right it feels when people assume you both are. How much I want you both to be mine.” He crowds impossibly closer to me. “I didn’t want to spring this on you in the kitchen, while we are making dinner, minutes before all our friends come over, but I’m not going to sit here while you’re thinking that I hate the idea of this baby being mine.” He places a gentle hand on my rounded belly, “Douchebag Daniel might not want to be her dad, but I do.”

Someone pinch me, I think I’m dreaming. Aiden Baker, my best friend, favorite person, the person who takes every single side of me and has accepted them all wants me?

I stand there in silence at the raw honesty he just gave me. There is so much I want to say, but the words don’t seem to want to come. I am stunned, frozen in this moment, not wanting to wake up if this is a dream. Trying to comprehend how it’s possible that Aiden feels the same way. That the part of my heart I have kept locked away, dreamed about in secret, might just be the same way he has always felt.

“Please say something,” He whispers, cupping my face in both hands, trying to decipher what I’m thinking. I can see the worry clouding his eyes, thinking I’m about to reject him.

“I love you,” I breathe three little words we have said countless times but hold so much more meaning right now. It’s probably too soon to be saying them. It’s definitely too soon to be saying them, but holding them in feels wrong. He needs to know I feel the same way.

“Fuck.” He releases a heavy sigh. Tears shining in his eyes. “Do you really?”

I take his face in my hands, “I’ve loved you for so long Aiden Baker.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He chuckles.

“Why didn’t you?” I retort.

“I was scared. Scared you wouldn’t share my feelings, that you would reject me. Scared things would fall apart and we would no longer be friends. I was so scared.” He leans in, so close that his breath fans against my cheek, “Can I kiss you? God, I feel like I need to kiss you, Blue.”

Instead of answering, I press my lips against his. His lips are warm and soft. We start off slow, exploring each other’s lips. This kiss is nothing like the one when we were fourteen. This kiss is all-consuming, life-altering. I feel his tongue tease the seam of my lips, and I open for him. His tongue immediately thrusts into my mouth, tangling with mine. A groan comes from deep in his chest. My hands tangle in his hair, and his go to my ass, lifting me up. My legs wrap around his waist. He turns us around and lifts me onto the island behind us. He settles his body between my spread legs, and I feel his rock hard length pressing against the center of my jeans. I am going to need to change my underwear, these are well and truly ruined. I moan when he rocks into me. It’s like he is trying to push years of lust and longing into this one kiss. The taste of him is almost too much for me to handle.

The front door opens and I hear Magnolia say, “Oh shit.”

Aiden presses his forehead to mine. Both of us breathing erratically, our cheeks flushed. I look behind us, toward the door and see Maddox, Magnolia, Chloe and Dallas have all entered our apartment, all of them trying to hide shit eating grins.

“It’s about fucking time!” Maddy says with the biggest smile on his face. He turns to Dallas “You all owe me a hundred bucks.”

“Dammit! You guys couldn’t have held out until after Little Bear was born?” Dallas says with a laugh.

I turn back to Aiden and bury my face in his chest, trying to hide the flush in my cheeks.

Sebastian opens the front door and walks right into Chloe, “Why is everyone standing by the door? Why is Bailey trying to hide?”

I push Adien away from me and hop down from the counter and go back to chopping vegetables. Maybe if I pretend nothing happened, they’ll drop it.

Of course Chloe isn’t going to let it go. “We just walked in on Aiden and Bailey making out.”

Sebastian lets out a bark of laughter, “Took them long enough!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I can practically hear the smirk in Aiden’s voice.

“Every one of us has had some sort of conversation about when we thought this was going to happen.” Maddox gestures between the two of us. “We had a little pool going on when you guys would finally cave and kiss for the first time. I had you holding out until twenty-two weeks. Since I’m closest without the week passing, I will get the money.”

“Technically our first kiss was seven years ago right before high school.” I say, “so I guess no one won.”