Page 121 of High Stakes
She gives a small shrug, “Well, he’s trying hard.”
I smirk. “Wow, Aria, are you warming to Aiden?”
“We’ve reached an understanding,” she says, pulling out her makeup bag. “I won’t kill him if he doesn’t hurt you.”
I scoff, “Fat chance of that happening, Ari, he’s not interested in me like that.”
“Say’s who?” she asks, dabbing foundation on my skin with a beauty blender.
“We both know Aiden, if he wanted to be with me, he’d have made it clear.”
“Perhaps he’s doing things differently this time.”
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “I should speak to him about it, see how he feels. But it scares me.”
“Why?” she asks.
“I don’t want to remind him that he’s got a life back in London. I’m not ready for him to leave.”
“I thought he told you he’s staying wherever Braiden is.”
“How long can he do that realistically? His life is in London. His businesses. He fought so hard to keep that club, he isn’t going to let it go.”
“The club practically runs itself,” she says, shrugging. “Besides, he can hire a manager. And he can’t parent Braiden whilst being back in London. That’s not practical.”
“Shared parenting is a thing,” I tell her. “I looked online. He could have Braiden in the holidays.” I sigh heavily. “Although I hate that thought.”
“You could just tell him how you really feel.”
I shake my head. “No way. If Aiden wants to be with me, he’s got to come to me. I can’t put myself out there again.”
“Let’s go for lunch and then I can watch the baby and you two can talk.”
Half an hour later, I stare at my reflection. “Wow, I look . . . pretty,” I say.
Aria grins beside me. “Stunning,” she agrees.
“It’s a little much for lunch.”
“Nonsense. You just had a baby; you deserve to feel nice. And, I had a message from JP, Braiden took the bottle no problem.” It’s our second attempt at offering Braiden breast milk from a bottle, I wanted to give Aiden a chance to help with feeds.
“Those two were acting odd this morning,” I comment, “Don’t you think?”
“They’re always up to something,” she mutters, grabbing my hand. “Now, let’s head over and meet them for lunch.”
We step out into the sunshine, and as I turn to head up the path, my step falters at the sight of Aiden standing in the gateway. He’s dressed in a suit, which confuses me momentarily, although before I can question it, he pulls out a bouquet of flowers. My frown deepens as I head towards him, gently encouraged by Aria who offers me a reassuring smile.
I take the flowers and he kisses me on the cheek and offers me his arm to hold. I take it, smiling. “What’s going on?”
“All in good time,” he says, and I can see the mischief in his expression.
“You’re up to something.”
“I wanted to show you how much you mean to me.”
My heart rate picks up with excitement. “Now I know you love the cottage, it’s perfect. So I approached the owner, Mr. Limes. And guess what, he agreed to sell it to me.”
I gasp, “You didn’t bully him, did you?”