“Of course.” He grins, giving Gia a kiss to her cheek and Colton a pat on his back. “I’m glad you could all make it.”
“Thanks for having us,” Colton says, and her dad nods before moving around the table to his wife and tossing his arm around her shoulders, causing her to stumble slightly to the side.
“Really, George? You’re already drunk?” Beatrice removes his arm and takes a step away from him.
“I’m not drunk. I’ve had a few drinks.” He shrugs, then adds, “I have some clients I want you to meet.” In an instant, her expression changes, and she wraps her hand around his bicep.
“Of course.” She looks at Josh and holds out her hand. “You should come with us.”
“I’ll be with you in just a moment,” Josh says, and Beatrice nods before her husband leads her across the yard to the group of men he was talking to earlier. With them out of earshot, Josh turns his attention to Aria. “Can we talk?” He glances through our group. “Someplace private?”
“No,” I answer for her, not giving a fuck, and he transfers his gaze to me.
“Sorry, friend, but this has nothing to do with you.”
“If it has to do with Aria, friend, it most definitely has something to fucking do with me.”
“I beg to differ,” he dismisses me to focus on Aria—the pompous dick. “We need to talk, if not now, before I leave town on Tuesday.”
“Like I said, that’s not happening.” I hold his glare when his eyes come to me and curl Aria deeper into my side.
“Josh, we really have nothing to talk about.” Aria rests her hand against my stomach, and his jaw twitches. “Just go enjoy the party.”
He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something more but stops when Beatrice calls his name. After looking over his shoulder, he straightens the lapels of his tux and adjusts the button on his jacket, giving Aria one last look before he walks off.
“Well that guy’s a douche,” Colton mutters, and Gia giggles, her dancing eyes going to Aria.
“Does your head hurt?”
“What?” Aria asks, sounding confused.
“I was just curious if it hurt when Tide bonked you over the head with his club to stake his claim on you.”
“A little.” Aria laughs along with Gia, and Colton and I both shake our heads at the girls.
With the mood a lot lighter than it was we finish our drinks, grab some food, then walk around to talk with a few people who we know before we go back to the bar to get topped up. Once we have fresh drinks, Aria leads us through an arched gate that leads to the pool that is cut off from the yard and the party. With no one else around, we settle in on a couple of loungers to enjoy our drinks and chat.
“Do we need to cut you two off?” Colton asks, grinning at Gia and Aria, when both girls start to giggle. What the fuck they are laughing about is anyone’s guess, but I’m sure it has something to do with the four drinks they have both had in the last hour.
“No.” Gia leans into her husband, grinning. “But you could dance with me.”
“Dance with you?” Colton frowns, and she rolls her eyes.
“Yes, you know, that thing you do standing close together while moving to music….”
“Baby.” He shakes his head, and she holds her hands up in front of her like she’s praying.
“Please.” She pops out her bottom lip. His eyes slide over her face. “I really want to dance.”
“Fuck me. Fine, but you owe me as soon as we get home.”
“Yay,” she says quietly, and Colton’s face softens as he wraps his arms around her and ducks his head to say something next to her ear, and when she nods and laughs, he looks at me.
“We’ll be back.” He pulls her up with him, and I lift my chin, then watch them walk past the pool and head back through the gate.
I drop my gaze to Aria, finding her chewing her bottom lip as she watches them go. “Do you wanna go dance?” I ask, even though I have no desire to step foot on the dance floor. I think the last time I danced I was probably fifteen.
“Not really.” Her nose scrunches, making her look way too fucking cute.
“You sure?” I turn her toward me and cup her jaw before moving my hand to the back of her neck.
“Yes.” She licks her lips and meets my gaze. “But can I show you something?”
“Yeah,” I say, and she stands and holds out her hand to me. I take it, and she leads me back through the gate and party, then a moment later, we are entering the house and going through the kitchen, bypassing the men and women who are still working away.
We head up a dark staircase, then down a dimly lit hall, and she pushes open the door at the end and flips on the light. When we enter, I look around, a white iron-framed bed is set up in the middle of the room with fancy side tables and lamps on either side. Posters of boy bands from years past are mixed with framed quotes from authors. When she closes the door behind us, I turn to find her leaning against it. “This was my bedroom growing up.”
“I guessed that,” I say as she steps toward me. “Your parents kept it like it was when you lived here.”
“There’s about twenty rooms in this house. They didn’t keep it like this for sentimental reasons. It’s just a room they don’t need and have probably forgotten about.”
“Baby.” My chest aches from the pain and disappointment I hear in her voice.
“This is just a house, a place where people live. It’s not like the home you grew up in, a home filled with love and memories, most happy, some sad, all important.” She looks around. “I try to remember the good times here, but there aren’t many. Growing up, there was never a day I wasn’t expected to be perfect. Every memory I have here is filled with expectations.” She drags in a breath, shaking her head. “You’re the first person in my life who hasn’t ever expected anything from me.” Her hands land on my chest, and I grab hold of her hips. “You like me for me.”
“Baby.” The word sounds gruff over the tightness in my throat, and I lift my hand to cup her jaw. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“I know you believe that.” She leans up on her tiptoes so she can place her lips against mine, and I pull back just out of reach and lock my eyes on hers.
“It’s true, Aria.” I slide my fingers through her hair and palm the back of her head. “You’re everything, baby, and I swear to God that one day you’ll see what everyone else does and realize the only thing I want from you is you.”
“Tide.” Her eyes get wet, and I tip my head to the side so I can kiss her like she should be kissed. When I pull away, her fingers are grasping the front of my tux, my arms are around her, and we’re both panting. Shaking her head, she slides her hands up my chest, then wraps her arms around the back of my neck and drops her forehead to my chin. “I love you.”
Hearing those words from her, my arms get tight and my chest gets warm. Fuck… I never expected her, never dreamed I could be this happy. Then again, everything good in my life has come when I’ve least expected it. “I love you too, baby.”
“You love me?” she whispers, looking surprised, and I grin.