by Gina Azzi
“Breathe, Dais,” Finn says from the entrance to the kitchen.
“I’m trying.” Daisy sniffles and Everly chuckles.
“Hey there, little love.” I catch Olivia as she zooms around the corner and jumps into my arms.
“Daddy, I’m so happy you brought Everly,” she whispers in my ear.
“Do you think Daisy can handle it?” I ask her.
She turns and looks at Daisy’s face, bright red with embarrassment, wearing a goofy-ass grin, her eyes wide and unblinking.
“Nope.”
“Me either.” I kiss my daughter’s forehead before putting her down.
She walks over to Everly and offers her a simple hug. “I need to show you my new ballet routine.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Everly bends down to Olivia’s height and pulls some nail varnish from her purse. “New colors for our pedicures.”
“Ooh, they’re so pretty and sparkly!” Olivia beams, taking the bottles from Everly’s hand. “Thanks, Everly.”
“See? How normal people act?” I tell Daisy, gesturing toward Olivia and Everly.
“You don’t get me at all,” Daisy responds as Finn chuckles.
“Aaron, is that you?” Aunt Jenni calls out, walking into the foyer, wiping her hands on her apron. “Hi dear,” she greets me, kissing my cheek. Turning toward Everly, she smiles warmly. “And you must be Everly.” She takes Everly’s hands in her own. “It’s so good to meet you.” She steers Everly out of the foyer and into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink? Water? Tea? Something stronger to deal with those crazies?”
Everly’s laughter, warm and sincere, floats behind her, spilling into the foyer.
At the sound, some of my doubts and assumptions subside.
Just enjoy dinner.
12
Everly
Aaron’s family is pure warmth.
Like the caring, thoughtful, generous kind who make room for you at their table and insist that you always have a place there. Aunt Jenni and Uncle James—I’ve mentally adopted them as my own—are lively, welcoming, and straight up my aspirational couple for my retirement years. Not that Uncle James is retired but… still.
“Oh, thank you so much for bringing dessert.” Aunt Jenni places the pie I brought down in the center of the table.
“You’re taking over Daisy’s job,” Uncle James jokes, patting the top of Daisy’s head. “Don’t forget to bring those cupcakes I like to the office on Monday.”
“Done,” Daisy agrees. “Everly, you have to try these cupcakes. They are amazing.”
“Here we go,” Finn groans. “Dais, you can’t pretend the places that have American owners have better baked goods.”
“Of course she can.” Aunt Jenni grins.
Daisy rolls her eyes. “I’m not, Finn. I really think Everly will love the cupcakes.”
“What place is it?” I ask, taking a sip of the coffee Aunt Jenni prepared.
As Daisy launches into a story about the bakery she frequents and their incredible cupcakes, Aaron catches my eye. His smile is subtle, but his eyes speak a million truths. They’re bright, happy, and filled with a hopeful contentment I haven’t experienced since we were in college.
Having him look at me so purely is a punch in the gut, a quick reminder of what was, what we once shared and squandered. People always say it won’t last when high school sweethearts marry or college students fall in love, and maybe it wouldn’t have with Aaron and me.
Maybe that’s why the universe kept us apart for so many years. So that we would have the time to explore and dream and achieve our goals. But tonight, sitting with his family, around a large harvest table with him next to me, his hand drifting to my thigh, I feel hopeful, too. Maybe this is our second chance, a fresh start, the do-over I desperately want.
“I’ll definitely try them.” I grin at Daisy, the cupcake aficionado.
“Hey, anyone home?” a voice calls from the doorway.
“Oh!” Aunt Jenni jumps up, clasping her hands together.
“It’s Lach,” Livvy yells, running from the kitchen to greet Aaron’s cousin. “I missed you, Lachy!”
“There she is,” Lachlan exclaims, walking into the kitchen a few moments later, Olivia hanging off his hip like a Koala bear. “What’s going on here?” He grins, bending to kiss his mom’s cheek and stooping to wrap an arm around Uncle James’s shoulders in a half-hug.
“Family dinner,” Livvy says, clasping his face in between her palms and forcing him to look at her. “Dad invited Everly. We’re supposed to be on our best behavior, so we don’t scare her away.”
Lachlan throws his head back and laughs. “Did Daddy tell you that, princess?”
Livvy shakes her head. “No. Daisy.”
Across from me, Daisy blushes and ducks her head, avoiding Finn’s gaze.
Standing from the table, I extend a hand. “Hi. I’m Everly.”
Lachlan ignores my hand and scoops me into a hug with his free arm. “I know who you are. It’s good to finally meet you.”
“Listening to that country twang on the side, Lach?” Finn teases.
Lachlan grins, depositing Olivia on her seat, and gripping the back of her chair. “Hardly.” His eyes cut to me, open and friendly. “No offense.”
“No worries, it’s not for everyone,” I agree.
“I’m here on a secret mission,” Lachlan admits, slipping into an empty chair. “Thanks.” He accepts a glass of wine from his step-dad.
“What’s that?” Aaron asks curiously. “Something happening in the London office?”
Across from me, Daisy busies herself with eating her second slice of pie, her eyes trained on the plate.
“Uh-oh,” Finn mutters. “Daisy Kane?”
Daisy shovels a forkful of pie into her mouth.
Lachlan, Olivia, Aunt Jenni, and Uncle James laugh.
Next to me, Aaron squeezes my knee. Nerves begin to skate up my spine. What’s going on? Is this some type of prank that I’m missing? My skin flushes, and I feel heat crawl up my neck.
“What’s the mission?” I ask Lachlan.
“You,” he says simply. “And Aaron.” He reaches over and takes a bite of my pie like it’s the most natural thing in the world, like we’re old friends. Returning my fork to my plate, he picks up my napkin and wipes his mouth. I decide I like him and his unapologetic boldness. “Excellent choice on the pie. Sierra will be pleased that it’s apple.”
Aaron groans next to me.
“Someone fill me in?” I ask, my eyes darting to Daisy.
She blushes tomato red and mouths, “Sorry.”
Lachlan wraps a hand around the back of my chair, leaning closer and dropping his voice. “That girl,” he says, pointing to Daisy, “is my sister’s best friend.”
“Sierra,” I confirm.
“Yes, the two of them should be in their eighties, at a senior club, playing bingo and bitching about their health issues, with the way they gossip.”
I crack a grin, finally understanding where this conversation is headed. “So you’ve been sent to scope me out.”
“Exactly.”
“You know, I could be the enemy, right? Why are you so open regarding your mission?”
“Because,” Lachlan’s tone is serious, his expression giving nothing away, “you brought pie. Everyone knows pie is my favorite.” At this, he grins, and the rest of his family laughs.
“Lachlan,” Daisy whines, throwing a napkin at him. “Way to throw me under the bus.”
Lach shrugs. “That’s what you get for riling my sister up with all this chatter about Aaron dating a famous singer and his ‘rekindling’ a relationship.” Lachlan tosses air-quotes around “rekindling,” and Daisy drops her forehead to the table in embarrassment.
Next to her, Finn shakes with laughter. “You got caught, love. Best to own it.”
“Sorry, Everly.” Daisy’s voice is muffled.
“I’m flattered, really.” I let her off the hook, grinnin
g at Aaron. Because the truth is, I am. Aaron’s family welcomes me not because of my career or wealth, but because they want Aaron to be happy. And if that isn’t the definition of family, I don’t know what is. “You know, you should report back with something scandalous,” I mock whisper to Lachlan, whose eyebrows rise with amusement.
“I’m listening.” He dips his chin toward me, swiping my entire plate of pie and digging in.
Livvy giggles next to him, and he turns and taps her nose with his finger.
“Something good and juicy,” I say.
“Tell Sierra that Everly is moving here permanently, and her and my brother are eloping,” Finn suggests as Daisy’s eyes nearly fall out of her head.
Aunt Jenni gasps and a long moment of awkward silence hovers over the table. Aaron jerks next to me before his body goes still.
Oh shit, I shouldn’t have said anything at all.
Luckily, Daisy knows how to handle these situations, even if she has to throw herself under the bus. “Can you imagine?” She leans forward over the table, tucking her honey-brown hair behind her ears. “Then, we would be sisters!”
Crickets.
“Oh please, Finn. One day, you will propose. How could you not want to marry me?” she adds, and the laughter starts up all over again.
“Are you sure Olivia wants to sleep at Finn and Daisy’s place tonight?” I ask Aaron hours later, settling back against the couch cushions in his living room.
After dessert at Aunt Jenni’s, the guys all retired to the den to watch rugby while I helped Daisy and Aunt Jenni clear away the plates. We chatted easily, with Aunt Jenni and Daisy leading the conversation and gushing over Sierra’s new baby girl, Luna Mae. Everything about the experience was comforting and natural and more than I anticipated.
The only downside is knowing I won’t have many more family dinners like that. I need to return to Nashville soon, and the more I entwine my life with Aaron’s, the harder it’s going to be. My chest aches at the thought of having to say goodbye at all.
“Are you kidding me? She jumps at any chance to sleep at their flat. Finn will build a huge fort with her, and Daisy will polish her nails and toes with the new varnish you bought her. And sparkles.”
“Sparkles are the holy grail when you’re seven.”
“Tell me about it. Here you go.” Aaron hands me a tumbler with three fingers of whisky.
“Cheers.” I hold my glass up to his, as he leans forward in the chair next to the couch.
“To all your success and all your future dreams.” His eyes hold mine as he sips his whisky, and I flush at his words, my skin heating under the intensity of his stare.
“Thank you for tonight. Your family is really special. I had a good time.”
“Me too. It was better than I thought,” he admits.
“Right?” I agree. “I was so nervous but everything seemed so…”
“Natural.”
“Organic.”
We grin at each other, and a zing zips through my body at the spark in his gaze, a slow burn of heat I want to melt into, a flicker of longing that feeds all the malnourished parts of my soul.
“I could lose myself here,” I admit, smacking my lips together, the whiskey smooth as it rolls over my tongue.
“Lose yourself?”
“You know what I mean. Reinvent myself. Start over.”
“Are things really that hectic for you in Tennessee? I mean, I know your career must be go-go-go all the time, but it’s what you want, isn’t it?” He leans forward again, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes boring into mine like he needs to know that yes, my career has been fulfilling.
“Most days, yes.”
“And the other days?”
“The other days, I wish I chose a different path.”
“Like what?” he asks, but his tone holds an edge, like he already knows he’s not going to like my answer.
“Why’d you really do it? End things between us?”
Aaron’s expression darkens, his jaw clenching. Regret flickers in the centers of his eyes, an icy blue, the part of the flame that lures you closer, but burns you the worst. “I wanted you to pursue the career you’ve always dreamed of.”
“And you didn’t think that was possible if I was dating you? You know, loads of people in the music industry manage to have relationships.”
“I know. But we were young, you were starting out, and I was always going to come home and work at Anderson. What did you want me to do? Ask you to forget your dream and move to Edinburgh? Country music doesn’t really have a scene here.” He throws his arm wide to encompass his apartment, his city, the entire country of Scotland.
“I know,” I admit. “It’s a relief, I guess.”
“What is?”
“Knowing you broke my heart for me and not because of me.”
His brow furrows, anger blazing across his features and turning his jaw to a razor’s edge and his eyes glacial. “You thought I didn’t want to be with you?” His words are whispered, but they’re anything but soft.
“I was nineteen, and the boy I loved shattered me.”
His arm reaches over the couch’s armrest, so his fingers can encircle my wrist. “I was so fucking in love with you, Lee, I couldn’t see straight. But I didn’t want you to ever resent me, resent us. Maybe you did anyway. But forgetting your dreams, ignoring your calling, throwing all of your hard work away to follow a boy at nineteen was never supposed to be your story.”
“How do you know my story turned out the way it was supposed to?”
“You were nominated for a Grammy.”
“I didn’t win.”
“You will next time,” he says the words with so much certainty that I can’t stop the small smile from spreading across my lips.
“You’ve always believed in my dreams, sometimes even more than me. I love music; it’s in my blood, and songwriting is my greatest passion. But sometimes, when your passion becomes your work and is funneled into a business that you can’t control, it’s exhausting.”
“Do you have to go back?”
“Yeah. My tour kicks off in January. The fact that I’m still here is… concerning. My manager is desperate for me to return to Nashville, mainly to get my ass in gear for the tour, but also because she’s my best friend.”
“Addison?”
“Yeah. Addi is pretty amazing. We’ve been a team for a long time.”
“How long is your tour?”
“Three months. Across the entire US with some stops in Canada.”
“Are you allowed visitors on this tour?” He stands from his perch on the chair before shifting into the space next to me. His fingers reach out, tracing the feather tattooed on my hand.
“Don’t even get my hopes up.”
“Because Olivia and I have some free time in February.”
I grin at him, my heart cracking wide open at the realization that he is invested in us, wants to explore our possibilities for real. “I would love nothing more than for you guys to crash my tour. If you come, I’ll even bring y’all up on stage.”
Aaron chuckles, his fingers leaving my hand to toy with my hair. I shift my weight, tucking my legs underneath me, and turn my face toward his. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” His breath caresses the shell of my ear, causing a shiver to shimmy down my back.
Biting my lower lip, I study his gaze. “We’re really doing this?” My voice is breathier than I intend, as the heat in Aaron’s eyes expands, his face drawing closer.
“We’ve been doing this since I first saw you at The Fringe.”
“Aaron, I sprained my ankle at The Fringe.” My fingers hook under his collar, my thumb tracing the top button of his shirt, skirting upward to press against his Adam’s apple.
“And we got the chance to get reacquainted,” he continues, dropping his hands to my hips and tugging so I slide down the couch, my body spread out under his.
“At the hospital.” I snort, glancing down at our ph
ysical position, Aaron’s knee settling between my thighs.
He chuckles, the sound warm and rich, but his eyes blaze as they drink me in. “It doesn’t matter how it started; it matters that it’s real. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Lee. I knew the moment I tasted you.” He dips his head, brushing his lips against mine so faintly, I arch upward to chase his kiss. “I’d want it all,” he admits on a breath that hovers for a millisecond between us until his mouth crashes back down over mine, putting me out of my misery, and dousing me in desire so strong, I’m not sure it could ever burn out.
Gripping his biceps, I squeeze until he shifts back. My hands slide up to his shoulders, entwine behind his neck. I pull myself up until he’s forced to shift his weight, so I can slide into his lap. Aaron tugs me into his frame, never breaking our connection, until I’m straddling him, my inner thighs gripping his hips, his fingers scraping against the back of my head.
Our mouths clash, at war with each other, our tongues waging a massive assault.
“Goddamn I’ve missed you.” He breathes.
“It’s only been two days.”
“Two days too long.”
Sighing into his mouth, Aaron nips at my lower lip. His hands squeeze my waist, his fingertips digging into my hips as I grind against him. My hands tug his hair, my elbows hooking over his shoulders. I bite down on his tongue and he yelps, pulling back slightly, a gleam in his eyes.
Moving us to the floor, he lays me down, right in the center of his living room, sheltered between the coffee table and the couch. Pressing kisses down the column of my neck, my body craves his touch, my soul his caress.
The first time, on his dining table, our connection was like a homecoming, sweet and soulful and pure. Since then, it’s been everything in between. But right now, this, this is anything but sweet. It’s passionate and desire-filled, with his hands claiming me as his and my mouth branding him as mine.
His moves are surer, his hands steadier, but the way he lights me up, makes me burn and yearn and crave, is the same wildness I’ve only ever felt with him.
Goosebumps skate over my skin, followed by blazing heat. Arching into his touch, I rain open-mouthed kisses over his jawline, down his neck, across the top of his chest. His groans fill the air, spurring me on and healing other wounds, other hurts, in the same breath.
