by Toni Aleo
“I totally judge you,” I say, needing to lighten the mood, but even with her grin and her laughter, this mood is heavy. Raw. Real. No one has ever said these things to me. My parents do, but they’re my parents. They have to feel that stuff for me, but Shelli, she doesn’t. She is choosing to.
“Not too bad though,” she says softly, moving her fingers along my jaw. “But most of all, Aiden, I love you. All of you. To me, you’re it. You fill my empty spaces, and no one comes close to you. So please, don’t worry about me leaving or hurting you in that way. Worry about me talking your ear off or even cleaning something I shouldn’t. Or eating something—I’ll definitely eat that burrito if it’s in the fridge again—”
I laugh hard and shake my head. I was so mad she ate it, but then I wasn’t. Not when she grins at me like that.
“It was rude, Shelli Adler. The amount of guac in that burrito was the perfect ratio.”
“Oh, I know, and it was fantastic.”
“You have no guilt. None.”
She shakes her head, her eyes playful. “None at all.”
I gather her up and roll over so she’s on top of me, her laughter filling the room. Her elbows fall to the sides of my head as she holds my face. I look into her blue eyes, getting completely lost but also feeling all those things she speaks of. If I accepted the L-word into my vocabulary, I would L-word all those things. She makes me laugh to the point I cry. She’s witty and so damn smart. She’s undeniably gorgeous but also kind and perfect. Talented? Damn, she’s so talented. Fuck, she’s perfect to me.
I think I do love her.
Oh shit, I thought the word.
Is it true?
“I know you care for me,” she says, stealing me away from my uncertain thoughts. “I think you may even love me, which is why I can be patient. Some girls wouldn’t be able to handle it, the not-knowing and all, but I can. Because I believe in us. I believe in you, Aiden. So, do me a favor. Believe in me and maybe realize what we have here.”
“What we have?” I ask, my brows coming together. “I know what we have.”
“What?”
“Happiness.”
Her lips curve as she nods. “Yeah, and a damn good thing,” she says boldly. “Be confident in us. In me. In yourself. The rest will come.”
I search her gaze. “How can you be so confident?”
“Because you haven’t said anything to make me think otherwise.”
“Shelli, I said you were just a fuck. Like, twice.”
“Did you believe it?”
“No,” I say softly. “But you didn’t know that.”
She shrugs as she gives me a bashful grin. “I may have been a bit stubborn, but I always believed that you didn’t mean it. That you were just scared, which may make me an idiot and might be setting me up for failure—”
“No,” I say once more, gathering her closer. “You were right. You are right.”
She cups my face, pressing her nose to mine as her eyes stare playfully into mine. “I also love, very much, when you say I’m right.”
“Unfortunately, you’re way smarter than me in the whole relationship zone. I would have cut you out and been lost.”
She grins against my lips, and her eyes capture me. “See, it’s when you say things like that, that makes me so confident in us. You don’t even realize how important those words are to me.”
I stroke my fingers along her hair, pushing it back behind her ears as my heart beats hard and strong in my chest. I love the rosiness of her cheeks and the gleam in her eyes. Her sex hair drives me wild, and I love how swollen her lips are. I especially love how she makes me feel.
I just used the L-word plenty of times and no warning bells whatsoever.
Man, do I love her?
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
SHELLI
I’M CHECKING my messages and emails as Aiden drives toward the arena. We’re in my truck since we’re coming straight from the airport. He’s gonna get a ride home with Wes since I gotta go to my parents’ and act like I wasn’t with him. I’m kind of over the whole hiding thing, especially since Fallon and Lucas already know. I get that Aiden doesn’t want to upset my parents, but isn’t he sick of keeping this a secret?
“So, the gala…”
He glances over at me and then returns his gaze to the road. “Yes, it’s this weekend. I didn’t know Amelia was going—or staying, for that matter.”
“Yeah, she wants to come and enjoy the masterpiece I’m putting on. With Chandler going on a road trip, she figured she could have time with my aunt and go baby shopping.”
“Fun,” he says, getting off the highway. “So, the gala?”
“Can we go together?”
He looks at me out of the corner of his eye as a silly grin pulls at his lips. “You got someone else in mind?”
I flash him a dark look. “No, I want to go with you.”
“Well, that was kind of a given. I don’t understand.” He doesn’t have to say that; his face reads his misunderstanding perfectly.
“I mean I want us to go together as a couple.”
He blinks twice and then glances over at me. “Everyone will be there. Your mom and dad.”
“I know.”
“And I like my legs, Shelli.”
I roll my eyes. “My dad won’t do anything to you.”
“You can’t guarantee that,” he laughs and shakes his head. “I thought we said after the play-offs.”
“You said that.”
He ignores me. “They’ll be so happy we won the Cup that they won’t be mad.”
“They wouldn’t be mad anyway,” I insist. “I’m tired of hiding.”
“I know, but it’s only for a couple more months. We know. Who cares about everyone else?”
I feel his gaze on me as I stare down at my phone.
“Okay, you do. But you get where I’m coming from, right?”
“Yeah, but I just want to tell my parents. I don’t want to hide this. I like this,” I say, gesturing between us. “And I know they will.”
He nods, chewing his lip. “I hear you, and I do too. Let me think on it, okay?”
“What exactly are you thinking?” I ask just as I open an email from the casting director.
He parks. “Right now, I’m thinking, if I wear my gear, will it still hurt when your dad takes me out?”
I know he wants to make me laugh, but I’m too engrossed in the email. “‘Ms. Adler, I was pleased and delighted to hear your glorious voice at the audition. You are the first I am emailing because even though you tried out for the part of Roxie Hart, I feel your voice is too powerful for that role. I know it’s not considered the ‘lead,’ but it would be a great pleasure if you would consider the part of Velma Kelly. I happen to think you’ll be the best Velma Kelly to date.’”
It’s always a rush when I get a part, but in all honesty, even though I tried out for Roxie, I really wanted Velma. I think the only reason I tried for Roxie is because she was the lead. I’ve been the lead in the last four shows. I figured I had to, but it’s kind of exciting to know they want me for the part I originally wanted.
I beam over at Aiden, and he has the most handsome look on his face. “I agree. I think you’re going to be the best Velma Kelly. Ever,” he says, and then he takes me by the back of the neck before kissing me hard on the lips. His nose smashes into mine as I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’m so proud of you.”
A wide grin takes over my face. “I should take it, right?”
“Yes, without question.”
“But what about us—”
“No way, Shelli. We’re good. You have to do this, and I’ll be there opening night, cheering you on.”
My eyes search his. “I’ll have to leave this summer.”
“Well, you better make room for me because I’m coming too.”
“To stay with me?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s like living together, you know?”
“So? We practically
live together now.”
“Do we now?”
He gives me a look. “Stop making this weird.”
My lips curve. “So, no warning bells?”
He shakes his head, giving me a little smidge of a grin. “None.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He kisses the back of my hand and then grins as he holds it. “Man, Shelli, I’m so proud of you,” he says, kissing me once more. I savor his kiss, loving the feel of his lips and missing them when he pulls away. “Dinner tonight. Me and you, sushi. Celebration with wine.”
I nod eagerly. “I will do extra cardio since I will be eating my body weight in tuna rolls, and I have to wear a bodysuit where my ass hangs out soon.”
He kisses my nose. “You eat what you want, and if you want to do the cardio, do it. If you don’t, I got you tonight,” he says with a wink, and I giggle like a little girl. I want to scream in his face that I love him, but I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Wait. No, fuck that.
“I love you, Aiden Brooks. So much,” I say, kissing his top lip.
He holds my face close, kissing my bottom lip. He rubs his nose against mine, his fingers tangling in my hair before he deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding into my mouth, needy. When he pulls back, taking in a deep breath, his eyes meet mine. I know he isn’t going to say it, but I almost feel like he wants to.
I can’t take the silence, though. “You’re gonna be late.”
He doesn’t move. His eyes just burn into mine, and I know he is struggling. He wants to say it, he wants to tell me he loves me, but he wants to be sure. “I’m really, really, really proud of you, and you blow me away.”
It bothers me that he doesn’t say it, but then, it doesn’t. He’s trying.
“Thank you.” I grip his jaw. “Go to practice.”
He kisses my nose and hands me the keys before getting out. He grabs his bag from the back and heads in. When he reaches the door, though, he looks back at me, tipping his chin at me in that sexy, manly way. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him like that. Not when he has practice and he’ll be thinking of my words constantly. But I want him to think about it. I don’t want to be a distraction, but I want him to realize what he is feeling.
I scoot over to the driver’s side, and I’m about to start the truck when my phone rings. It’s my mom. “Hey, I just got in.”
“Almost an hour ago.”
I laugh. “Stalker much?”
“Maybe,” she teases. “How’d it go?”
“I think it went great,” I say without giving away my big news. I want to tell her in person.
“Wonderful. Hey, where are you?”
“Um,” I say, looking around to make sure I don’t see her. “I’m actually on the roof of the arena. I was going to go work out.” Not a total lie. I am, and I was—but later. I wanted to go home and maybe take a nap first.
“So committed,” she says proudly, and I smile.
“Ya know it.”
“When you get done, can you swing by the office?”
“Your office?” I ask, and for some reason, the tone of her voice is throwing me off.
“Well, yes, sweetheart,” she laughs. “I want to hear about the audition!”
Oh. Duh. “Yeah, I’ll be about an hour. Just cardio today.”
“Great. Gives me time to bitch at some of these players before you get here.”
“What did the guys do now?”
“Oh, you know, normal player stuff. Whoring around.”
Not my man.
“Get them, Momma. Use the Adler iron fist!”
She laughs, but it’s not her normal laugh. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
As I hang up and gather my things to go do the workout I wasn’t committed to, I feel like something is off.
I’m not sure what, but I know something is.
I SHOWER after my workout and put on Aiden’s Willie Nelson tee and a pair of sweats. It’s all I have clean from our trip to New York. After packing up my bag and checking in on practice, which is in full swing, I head to my mom’s office. I wave at the receptionist, and when she doesn’t stop me, I go right in. To my surprise, though, my dad is sitting in one of the wingback chairs. A tight smile is on his face. “Oh hey, Dad!”
“Hey, baby,” he says, getting up to kiss my temple. “How was New York?”
“Awesome. Since you’re both here, I got the part.”
They both light up, which allows me to breathe. “Not Roxie, but Velma.”
“Oh, you’re gonna be a great Velma,” Mom gushes, and I nod.
“It’s the part I wanted.”
“No clue who these people are, but if you’re happy, I am,” Dad says as we both sit down.
“I am. Really happy.”
I cross my legs as Dad glances at Mom. She’s looking down at something, but when she looks up, it’s as if she knocks the air out of my body with those piercing green eyes. I swallow hard as she holds up a paper, though I can’t see it. “Shelli, are you aware how the plane works?”
I blink, confused. “Um, it flies in the air?”
Dad scoffs as Mom glares. “Yes, smartass, but I mean behind the scenes.”
I furrow my brows. “Wait. I paid for gas, and it was clean. I didn’t even eat or anything on the plane. That spot in the carpet is from Quinn! He—”
“Shelli,” she says, stopping me, and I snap my mouth shut. “I know about all that. I mean with the manifest.”
Manifest.
Shit.
“We got the manifest emailed to us yesterday after you landed in New York and again this morning when you landed here,” Dad says, and I can’t look at him. “Shelli Adler is on there, along with the pilot and crew, but also Aiden Brooks.”
My heart jumps into my throat as I look up at my mom, who is watching me intently. Her face is set in stone, and my mind is going crazy. Do I lie? Do I make something up? Well, one thing is for sure, the cat is out of the bag.
“Um, yeah?”
She narrows her eyes, and still, I don’t look at my dad. “So, Aiden went with you to New York?”
I swallow hard. “Yes, he did.”
“He missed practice for charity business. I mean, I appreciate his dedication to the foundation, but I’m unsure what y’all could have been doing foundation-wise.”
Absolutely nothing.
I take a deep breath. “We didn’t do foundation stuff.”
I feel Dad’s gaze on me. “Then why did he go?”
I lick my lips as I look down at my phone. If I opened it, there would be a picture of Aiden and me at dinner in New York. He’s looking at me with this goofy expression on his face, and I’m laughing. It wasn’t supposed to be the picture we had taken, but the girl who took it took so many that I lucked out and got that shot. It’s my favorite. He’s my favorite. I turn my gaze to my father and exhale just as harshly as I inhaled. “He went because he wanted to see me audition, and he wanted to take me to dinner at his favorite place in New York.”
Dad’s face is stony. “Why would he do that?”
I bite my lip as I pray for my dad’s angina. “Because we’ve been seeing each other since I left New York.”
Yup, he’s speechless. I look back to my mom, and she doesn’t look surprised or speechless.
“At first, we didn’t want to tell anyone because we wanted to make sure we were good. We know now, but he’s worried Dad will kill him and you’ll trade him, so he wanted to bring the Cup home to smooth that over.”
“I would like a Cup, but I also don’t like being lied to,” Mom says, and I nod.
“I don’t think we lied, just kind of kept it from you,” I say, trying to go the least-guilty route.
“This is unlike you. You usually tell me everything.”
I nod, and though I notice my dad hasn’t said a word, he seems to be breathing, so that should mean he’s okay. Ish. “I know, but with Aiden, it’s different. You know I’ve liked him for a long time—”
&nbs
p; “You have?” Dad asks, and I nod.
“Yeah, like, since I was a kid.”
“Why? He’s goofy as shit.”
Mom laughs as I shake my head. “Because he’s driven, gorgeous, and so smart. I love how he makes me laugh. How his smile hits me in the gut. He’s really sweet—”
“Shelli, I love the guy. Don’t get me wrong. But he has a reputation. It’s not a good one either, even if it appears he’s changed—”
Mom cuts him off. “You’re right, Shea, but he also has worked hard to clear his name. He is a good kid, always has been, and got himself in a shit situation. If I remember correctly, you did the same.”
He has? Dad gives her a dark look. “That’s unfair. I was young, and that girl was trying to trap me.”
“You just said the same thing Aiden said to me,” Mom says, but Dad’s comment steals my attention.
I look over at my dad. “What happened?”
“Girl tried to claim she was pregnant when I was on my way to the NHL. Real spotty. Aunt Grace beat her up.”
I nod. “Sounds like her.”
He throws up his hands. “But that’s not the point. The point is, I don’t want my daughter with someone with that black mark on his name.”
“Doesn’t really matter who you want me with, Dad. I get to choose, and I choose Aiden,” I say confidently. “I love you, so much. You know that. You also know I’m smart. Aiden is a great guy, and he didn’t do those things. He wouldn’t do them. He treats me with such kindness—and respect. I love him, Dad.”
Mom takes in a quick breath as my dad gawks at me. His brows come in, and he shakes his head. “He has a man bun. You’re in love with that?”
I grin. “Yes. All of him.”
Dad looks to Mom, and she’s smiling. “Well, then, that’s settled.”
“What is?”
“This. Now we know. Even though I’ve known since the puppy shoot.”
My eyes widen. “You have?”
“Oh yeah. Fallon told me, and to be honest, I was trying to hook you two up.”
“I didn’t approve that.”
Mom sets Dad with a look. “When do you ever approve anything?”
