“You,” he continued, eyes locked in on my lips, “did not come into my life slow or steady.”
I smiled.
“Because of that,” Aiden whispered, “it became something I felt like I needed to resist. Something too intense for what I was capable of in this second chance of my life.”
Slowly, I nodded. All of that made sense. And my heart, it breathed just a bit easier understanding it.
We were on borrowed time in this conversation, and I didn’t know how much longer I’d have. My fingers trailed the edge of his jaw and followed the line of his lips.
“My sister must’ve given one hell of a pep talk,” I said lightly.
Those lips curled up at the edges, and Aiden kissed the tips of my fingers as he drew my hand away. “She just affirmed what I was a little slow in figuring out for myself.”
“What’s that?”
His eyes held mine, the intensity in them making my stomach weightless. All the butterflies from the first day I met him whooshed back into place. “That if I could see you in my future, I needed to take my chance.”
The way he said it sounded so simple, so sure.
“She’s very smart,” I answered seriously.
Aiden wrapped his arms around me, and I did the same around his waist.
“Just making sure she didn’t make this a pity date,” I spoke into his chest. “Because if you are here because of my mommy issues, I will kick you in the balls.”
Aiden pulled back in laughter. With a grin still playing over his lips, he slid his hand over my cheek, weaving his fingers through my hair until he cupped the back of my head. He lowered his mouth, his lips brushing mine in tantalizing slowness when he spoke. “The very last thing I feel for you is pity.”
I might’ve said something like, hey, that’s wonderful. But it was all I could do to keep from falling as he deepened the kiss into something brimming with unspent tension. His lips moved harder, and my breathing picked up when his hands slid over my body. He and I, we’d need a week locked in a hotel room to feel like the need was sated. It was all I could do to keep my feet planted, my legs holding me up as his tongue swirled around mine.
And right now, all I wanted to do was wrap those around his waist.
One of the twins called my name from the other garden, and I whimpered. Aiden pressed a hard kiss against my lips, then another one.
“Family pictures and then I’m done.” I slid my hand under his jacket and sucked his bottom lip into my mouth. His fingers curled around my hip, and the hot press of him against my stomach had my toes curling up in my shoes.
“Okay.” He pulled back and smiled.
“Don’t smile at me like that,” I said, staring at his mouth.
“Why not?”
My hand curled into his belt, the heat of his hard stomach coming through the material of his shirt when I pulled him closer and spoke against his neck. “Because I’ll end up missing from my family pictures when I start ripping your clothes off.”
Aiden hissed out a slow breath. “You are dangerous, woman.”
I kissed the edge of his jaw. “Just wait.”
“Go,” he said in a rough voice.
Without a backward glance, I did. Because whoo, okay, I thought we were potent in that utility closet or in his bedroom. Apparently, we really found our stride at garden weddings.
Lia smirked as I approached. I gave her a look right back.
Jude was bouncing Gabriel in his arms, and I picked up his chubby hands and kissed each of them.
“How’s my boy?” I cooed. His big blue eyes and shock of dark hair had me grinning as did his gummy little squeals. Dropping a kiss onto his cheek, I laughed when he yanked on a chunk of my hair. “A little help, please.”
Jude carefully extricated Gabriel’s fist from my hair. “Savage little child we’ve got.”
“Then he fits right in,” Bauer interjected as he approached. He kissed Claire on the top of the head.
“Hi,” she said with a smile. “You were almost late to the wedding.”
He grinned. “I was exactly on time, thank you very much. Traffic was a little heavy coming down from Vancouver. I got to sit next to Isabel’s new boyfriend.” Bauer paused thoughtfully. “He’s huge and intimidating, and I find that I approve of him wholeheartedly on the basis that he could probably snap me in half.”
The twins laughed, Jude smiled, and Bauer held out his fist for me to tap.
“Nice work, Iz,” he said. “I think you finally found one who can keep up with you.”
The photographer called us over, and I was saved from having to respond. Jude and Bauer stood off to the side while the four girls gathered around the couple, and we were shifted around Logan, Paige, and Emmett.
I found myself tapping my foot in anticipation while the photographer worked.
Gabriel cried and squawked in Jude’s arms once the guys joined us, which made all of us laugh, but through all of it, I felt a push, an urgency to be by Aiden. The wedding planner pulled us out of the frame so she could set up some shots for Molly, Noah, Logan, and Paige.
Logan appeared next to me while the photographer’s assistant fixed the back of Molly’s dress. At first, he didn’t say anything, and we watched together in silence.
“Looks like we had a surprise guest after all,” he commented.
I smiled. “Looks like.”
He glanced over at me. “Do I need to pull him aside and have a talk with him?”
A hysterical laugh almost burst out of me. If my big brother—the most protective man I’d ever known—knew that my first date with my older-by-a-decade boss would (fingers friggin crossed) end up with me losing my virginity, he’d have a coronary.
“Not to warn him off,” Logan amended.
Turning slightly, I raised an eyebrow. “No?”
He wrapped an arm around me, and I let my head rest on his shoulder. “If you want this one, there’s a reason.”
That had my heart going all warm and gooey, and I tried to smother my pleased smile. “No I can’t believe another one of you picked an athlete sermon?”
“Nope.”
“Did Paige yell at you about that after you said it to Lia?”
“Yup.”
I laughed. “What would you tell him in your little talk then?”
Logan took a deep breath and tightened his grip on me for a moment before turning me gently so we faced each other. “For better or worse, you’re a lot like me, kid. You always have been.” He smiled. “We hold back until we don’t have a choice. Paige is the exact right person for me because she ripped through that reserve like a battering ram.”
I laughed.
His face went serious. “But you, Isabel, you are braver than I ever was at your age. I hope he knows that you choosing him means he’s getting one of the best gifts in the world because the way you love the people in your life …” His voice trailed off. He cupped my face. “It’s a privilege to be one of them.”
My eyes burned hot, and the bridge of my nose tingled. “Thank you.”
Logan cleared his throat, dropping a kiss on my forehead. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him like I hadn’t in a long time. Wasn’t that funny? When you saw someone all the time, it became so easy to forget how much you might need their hugs. And nothing, at that moment, felt more like a blessing to move forward than a hug from my brother.