Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” I take her hand and twine our fingers together, catching Gia and Colton heading toward the exit. I grab my hoodie and water bottle never letting her go. When we get outside, they’re standing next to their truck waiting for us, so we head that way. “Aria told me about dinner. We’re going to stop at her place to shower, then we’ll be over.” At the mention of a shower, I feel Aria’s fingers flex against mine, so I give them a squeeze.
“We’ll see you in a few.” Gia grins at Aria, and Colton lifts his chin at me before he walks Gia around to the passenger door, opening it for her to get in.
I open the door for Aria, and once her ass is in the seat, I shut it and head around to the driver side and get in behind the wheel. “Did you have a good time with Olivia?” she asks while I back out of the spot.
“Is that really what you want to talk about?” I glance at her, sure that’s the last thing on her mind, given that I talked to her off and on throughout the day today and every day for the last week. “You don’t want to talk about you and me being in a relationship?”
“You didn’t exactly make it seem like that was up for debate.” My lips twitch at her snarky reply, and I reach over, taking her hand and dragging it to my thigh. “Why now? I thought you wanted things casual.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re the one who said we could keep things casual. I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“No, I wanted you, so I told you what I thought you wanted to hear.” I squeeze her hand. “I knew you had reservations about being with me, but I hoped with time you’d see we could make this work.”
“So you lied.”
Fuck, I want to deny it, but it’s true. “I did, and as fucked up as it makes me, I’d lie again to be where we are right now.”
“Where we are?” She tries to drag her hand out from under mine. “I didn’t think I was good enough to be with you.”
“Tell me, Aria. When over the last few weeks have I ever made you feel like you were not good enough to be with me?” I meet her gaze when I stop at a red light. “Was it when I introduced you to my best friend and his wife? When we went to the movies, out to eat, and to the store? Or maybe it was last weekend when my mom called and you talked to her for twenty minutes after she found out I stayed the night with you and we were up having breakfast?”
“Well….”
“The answer is never.” I shake my head and put my foot on the gas when the light turns green. “I know now I should have been honest about what I wanted, but can you tell me that you would have been open to that?” I see her out of the corner of my eye as she shifts in her seat, and I know when her fingers relax that she realizes she wouldn’t have been. She would have fought me the entire way, even if she wanted to give in. “I want to be with you, Aria. I might have gone about shit the wrong way, but I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you too. I’m just worried,” she says as I park in her driveway and shut down the engine. When she unhooks her buckle, I pull her over the middle console and wrap my arms around her waist once she’s settled on my lap.
“Tell me what you’re worried about.”
“My parents.” She ducks her head and focuses on my hand where she turns it over, smoothing her fingers over the calluses there. “I know they’re going to do or say things to upset you, and I don’t want that.”
“I don’t care what your mom or dad think about me, Aria. I care about what you think.” I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Anna knows about you and me.”
“What? How?”
“Someone she knows probably saw us in town.” My lips tip up as her eyes drop to my mouth. “I haven’t exactly tried to hide the fact that I like touching you or being with you.”
“Oh…” She licks her lips then clears her throat. “What did she say?”
“Not much, because Olivia was there.” I lift my hand and skim my thumb over her chin. “She did ask if I was going to introduce you to Olivia, and I told her that I was and I would let her know when that was going to happen.”
“You… you want me to meet Olivia.”
“I want to be with you, so yeah, I want you to meet my daughter. I also want to make sure you’re ready for that, because I’ve never introduced her to anyone, so you need to be sure about us before we take that step.”