Chapter 23
23
AIDEN
T he metal chain creaked as the wooden swing moved back and forth. Arm tossed around the back with Aspen’s head against my chest and a wide smile on her face as she watched Miles and Jubie playing off in the distance, I wondered if life could ever get better. Fingers stroking down her side, I smirked when she twitched and smacked my hand away.
“Ticklish, are we?” I asked, tone husky. Fuck, how could I want her again so soon after we just had her? But I did. Maybe I’d always have a semihard cock with Aspen in our lives.
“Maybe,” she huffed and shifted to smile up at me. “I can’t believe this is your life. You get to do this every day.” With a sigh, she went back to watching Miles and Jubie. “It’s amazing how this place makes all the stressors that weighed me down in Seattle vanish. I don’t care about social media, world news, or even next week. All that matters is soaking up the moment, right here, right now.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” Using two fingers, I brushed a few stray locks of hair away from her face. “Starting tomorrow, it’s back to work for us, though. We have two clients in the morning and one in the afternoon.” I bit my lip to keep the next words from tumbling out, but they still came despite me knowing deep down I might not like her answer. “Will you still be here when we get back?”
Aspen stilled beneath me. I held a tight breath as she swung her legs around and sat up straight, turning to face me.
“What do you mean?”
“Here at the house.” I stared into her dark eyes, getting lost in the depths. “I like you, Aspen. We like you.” I angled my head in Miles’s direction. “I guess I’m a little afraid of what will happen if or when you walk away.”
She scanned my face, brows pulling in tight. “What are you asking me?”
I licked my lips. “For you to stay,” I rasped. “To give this a chance to be more than a fun week.”
Her lips parted, then closed.
Fuck, what was I doing? It was too soon to bring this up, even if she hinted at it on the hike, but we were running out of time. She would have to leave in only a few days, and that scared me shitless. How could I live without Aspen after knowing her?
“Just think about it. You don’t have to answer right now, but I wanted you to know.”
“Know what?”
“That this isn’t a fling for me or Miles. I knew it before, but after today…” I cleared my throat to ease the sudden tightness. “He opened up to you, Aspen. I’m not saying that you have to stay because my best friend is finally becoming more like the man I remember, but it is a big deal. It means you’re special to him.”
“And you?” she asked. “What about you, Aiden? Do you want me to stay?”
“More than my next breath.” Threading my fingers through her hair, I tugged her closer and pressed our foreheads together. “I didn’t realize that Miles wasn’t the only one not living, just going through the motions. You’ve changed that, changed me, and I never want to live in black-and-white now that you’ve introduced the color that I thought was gone forever.”
“Aiden,” she rasped and held my face between her soft palms. “This is so much, and I feel like at any moment, reality is going to come crashing in and pop this perfect bubble I’ve lived in the past few days.”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if there isn’t a bubble, and we three together really are that perfect? What if all we were missing in life was each other?”
“This is crazy. I don’t even know you. You don’t know me, and?—”
“You know both me and Miles better than any person here, who we have spent years living alongside. And I do know you—the important things, at least. I might not know all the details of your past or even your birthday, but I know who you are. I see you, Aspen Carter, and you are just as beautiful inside as you are out.”
Tears leaked down her face, and I pulled back, horrified that I said something wrong.
“Fuck, I’m moving too fast, and now you’re scared I’m going to lock you in the nonexistent basement if you don’t agree to stay, and?—”
A finger pressed to my mouth, cutting me off. “Um, that was not the direction of my thoughts, but now that you mention it, maybe it should have been?” A smirk tugged at her lips. “These are happy tears, Aiden.”
I slumped backward, pulling her with me. “Thank fuck I didn’t just ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
“You really think that?”
“I do. Just give it some thought, yeah? Every day could be like this. It doesn’t have to end.”
Her hair slid along my cotton T-shirt with her slow nod. I released a relieved breath at the slight movement. Heels pressed to the porch, I shifted the swing back to restart the slow, rocking cadence.
After a few minutes, voices interrupted the comfortable quiet as two people strolled down the street, heading our way. I lifted the hand not wrapped around Aspen in greeting.
“Who is that?” Aspen sat up straight and smoothed out the sides of her T-shirt.
“Finley and Dax, our pilots for the helicopter and seaplane tours. They also make emergency supply runs when needed, which they don’t mind since both would prefer to be up in the air than anywhere else.” Standing, I stretched both arms high overhead before moving toward the steps and leaning against a post, watching as the two drew closer. “They’re best friends, have been since serving in the Air Force together.”
“And now they’re here working together.” Aspen stopped beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Are they… do they have a third?” The grimace that scrunched her face was adorable.
“No, and they aren’t even together that way.” Not yet anyway. They were blind idiots. Neither realized the other was head over heels in love with them. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll even think twice about us.”
“Hey, Aiden,” Finley called out with a wide smile on her face. Dax pushed at her shoulder, making her stumble to the side, and she retaliated by shoving Dax across the street. “You’re such a pest,” Finley said with a laugh. “I’m dumping you out of the plane tomorrow without a parachute.”
Dax draped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a friendly shake. “Don’t tease me with a good time, love.”
“Um, are you sure they’re just friends?” Aspen asked under her breath.
“They seem to think so.”
“Besides, I might jump out on my own,” Dax said, voice having lost all humor. “I’m not looking forward to a few hours stuck with that rich asshole fucker.”
When they paused in front of the porch, I said, “Aspen, these two are the best pilots ever to step foot in Anchor Bay. Finley and Dax.” I pointed to each before gesturing to Aspen. “And this is Aspen. She’s staying here for…” I looked down and laughed at her panicked expression. “A bit.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Aspen said, reaching out to shake their hands.
“Hi. Do you like books and wine by chance?” Finley blurted, cheeks going pink.
“Do not try to wrangle her into your book club,” Dax joked before turning to Aspen. “They don’t discuss books, just drink wine and talk about…” He raised a brow at Finley. “What do you guys talk about?”
“Oh, I know that answer. The first rule of book club,” Aspen said with a shy smile to Finley.
“You don’t talk about book club,” Finley finished. They broke out into a fit of giggles while Dax and I just stared at them, confused as hell.
“It just so happens that I love wine and reading books we might never talk about,” Aspen said, smiling so wide her eyes crinkled at the edges. And fuck if that didn’t make my heart swell in my chest. She looked so damn happy, and instead of being jealous that it wasn’t me or Miles putting that smile on her face, all I felt was ecstatic.
“Awesome,” Finley exclaimed with a loud clap. “Our next meeting is Friday. Will you still be here?”
My held breath burned in my lungs as I waited, gazing down at Aspen, who peeked up through her long dark lashes.
“Yeah, I think I will be.”
Without thinking, I pulled her flush against me and sealed my lips over hers in an all-consuming kiss. Somewhere behind me, one of the pilots whistled, but I didn’t give two shits. After a minute, Aspen pushed back with a palm on my chest, out of breath and lips slightly swollen.
“Aiden.” I glanced over my shoulder at Miles’s voice. He angled his head toward the two men I hadn’t heard approach. For half a second, I worried he was pissed at me for making out with Aspen in front of everyone, but the slow smile and heated expression he shot the woman wrapped in my arms told me otherwise.
Tucking Aspen against my side, I shifted my full focus to Hudson and Oliver. My earlier joy and excitement faded as I took in the stony look on both men’s faces.
Fuck, this couldn’t be good.
My hold on Aspen tightened. “How did it go with the rangers?”
Hudson’s gaze flicked to Aspen before coming back to me. “It’s worse than we thought. We’ll get our notes together and debrief everyone soon. We just wanted to stop by and see if either of you had heard from Caroline.”
I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair, tugging at the ends. Fuck, I was a shit friend. I hadn’t thought about her possibly being missing, too wrapped up in everything about Aspen. Guilt swelled in my gut, making me nauseous.
“Us either.” Oliver shifted on his worn boots. “We’ve tried to locate her boyfriend?—”
“Jasper,” Hudson practically growled, hands curling into fists at his side. “I never liked that fucker.”
“But she did, based on the sounds that came from her cabin at night,” I said under my breath, making my friend snort.
“We haven’t gotten to talk to him yet. Now that we’re back, we’ll both head out to his place to see what he knows.”
“I’m sure Brandon wouldn’t mind you using the four-wheelers to make that trek easier on you both. Jasper’s place is way out there.” I looked down at Aspen to fill her in a little. “You think this is remote? His place is fully off-grid, just the way he likes it.”
“Something isn’t right, Hudson.” Miles turned his full focus to Oliver. “That father of yours needs to stop denying something is going on here and get some fucking answers. Someone broke into Aspen’s cottage while we were on an overnight hike, and your asshole father tried to convince me that nothing had happened. I don’t understand why he’s pushing back so hard when there is ample evidence to warrant a deeper investigation.”
Oliver ripped the ball cap off his head and rubbed at his temples. “I don’t know either. All I can figure is he feels he’s worked too hard to keep this place safe all these years, and the idea of someone out there hurting people on his watch is easier to deny than accept. Fuck if I know, though. I’ll talk to him. After this trip and talking to the rangers, there’s no putting off opening an official investigation.”
My muscles bunched. Fuck, what did they find out?
“I went into Caroline’s cabin,” Miles said with a shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal. “Nothing was out of place. All her hiking and climbing gear was gone as if she were going out, like she told me she was a few days ago.”
Aspen’s bony elbow dug into my side, making me hiss. “Ouch, angry little?—”
“Can you introduce me?” she asked, brows raised.
And I was a fucking rude-ass moron. “Shit, sorry, sweetheart.” Clearing my throat to stop the three men’s whispered conversation, I waited until I had their attention. “Guys, this is Aspen Carter. Her cabin was the one broken into at The Nest. Aspen, this is Hudson, a friend of our company’s owner and a detective from LA, and Oliver, Anchor Bay’s deputy sheriff.”
Aspen waved at them. “Nice to meet you both.” Before she could say another word, her stomach growled loud enough that all of us hid smiles or stifled chuckles. “Shit, that’s embarrassing.”
“More for these two idiots here,” Oliver said, slapping Miles on the back of the head. “Your girl is hungry. Fix that.”
A wide smile stretched across my face.
Fuck yes, she was our girl.
I locked eyes with Miles. “Dave’s?”
He nodded and jogged up the steps. “I’ll just grab her coat, and we can go.” He let out a sharp whistle, and Jubie appeared from around the cabin and happily trotted behind Miles, disappearing inside.
“Now for the big decision,” I muttered to Aspen.
“Um, yes, we are getting nachos.”
I barked a laugh and kissed her forehead. “Are we walking, biking, or driving to town?”
She shifted to stare up at the still brightly lit sky before smiling up at me.
“Walking. We’re totally walking, and I’m bringing my camera.”
* * *
The couch groaned beneath Miles’s weight as he sat on the opposite end, careful not to disturb Aspen. The movie we turned on after getting home from dinner played on the screen, though neither Miles nor I paid it any attention.
Stroking a single finger along her cheek, I studied her face.
“Something felt off tonight at Dave’s,” Miles whispered. “Did you notice?”
I nodded. At first, I thought it was because the last time we were there, we ran into Jessica, but that wasn’t it.
“I didn’t see anyone in there I didn’t recognize, all locals.”
“Doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a threat, though, if we both felt it.”
We stayed silent for a few seconds, not wanting to voice our mutual fear that the person hurting women and other tourists was part of our tight-knit community.
“Did you find out what Hudson and Oliver uncovered in the national park?” I asked, swallowing down my apprehension. “It didn’t sound positive.”
“I talked with them briefly and got an overview but no details. The basics are that we now know for certain there are more missing female hikers based on what the rangers were able to pull together, and the number of mauled male hikers has spiked too. Exactly what we’ve seen on this side of the trail.”
I blew out a slow breath. “You think Caroline is okay?”
Miles sighed and rubbed a hand over his head. “Fuck, I don’t know. I’m trying to stay positive, but…” He shook his head. “She would’ve reached out. Even if Caroline was out of cell range, we all have sat phones that would’ve worked.” I opened my mouth, but he cut me off before I could even get a word out. “They’re turned off, both her cell and the sat phone, so we can’t trace either.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “Did the sheriff really suggest that we made up the break-in at Aspen’s place?” He nodded, hands tightening into fists on the couch. “That’s fucked up.”
“He also said trouble followed us.” I snorted, and Miles shook his head. “He’s not wrong, Aiden.”
“What the fuck does that even mean? It’s not our fault that Jessica turned out to be some obsessive stalker who wanted to chain us to beds and ride our dicks like her own personal pogo sticks.”
He blinked at me, mouth opening and closing.
“What?”
“That’s… dark.” Miles smirked. “The shit you watch, man, it’s getting to your head. Stick with your damn birds. They’re less…”
“Murdery?”
“Likely to add to your violent imagination.”
I arched a brow his way. “Pretty sure you like my imaginative ideas occasionally, though last night around the campfire was certainly the best you’ve ever had. Fuck, that was hot. And then getting to sleep beside her all night… It feels right, all of this. You, me, her, out there doing what we all love.”
Miles’s smirk fell. “I heard her on the phone with her mom earlier.”
The leather groaned as I shifted, careful not to wake Aspen. “And?”
“And she’s old-school, thinks it’s a woman’s key role in life to get married and have a family.” I nodded along with his words. It aligned with what Aspen shared with me. “I’m just saying that if this between the three of us works out, it will be difficult to get her mom on board with accepting our relationship. I don’t think she’d ever approve of her daughter being with two men.”
I winced. “Do you think that would make Aspen change her mind about us?”
Miles shrugged. “I fucking hope not.”
“You know how bad I want that, though,” I rasped. “A family. Kids.”
His features softened. “I know. You could always borrow Hudson’s kid when you’re feeling all ‘family man.’”
I barked a laugh. “Yeah, because that doesn’t sound creepy as fuck. ‘Hey, can I borrow Sam for a while to play daddy? But don’t worry, it’s not what you think. I really want a kid of my own, but I won’t steal yours. Pinkie promise.’ Pretty sure Hudson, or hell, even Calista, would have me skinned and my heart ripped out before I even finished the question or got to explain.”
As if the idea entertained him, Miles grinned. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Don’t listen to me.”
“The thing is, now that I’ve met Aspen, I don’t want a family with just anyone, Miles. I want it with her. Only her.”
His lips pursed, and a concerned expression flashed over his features. “We need to take it slow, not scare her off. There are two of us and only one of her.” He glanced out the window. “I’m glad Finley invited her to their wine club?—”
“Book club,” I corrected with a chuckle. “And why?”
His gaze shifted back to Aspen and lightened. “I think she’s been alone for a long time, and I like the idea of her having people other than us to lean on. Even though I want to be her everything, I know she’ll need more than us.”
A soft sound came from Aspen, freezing both me and Miles. Long dark lashes fluttered as she slowly woke up. Pushing off the couch, she looked from me to Miles with a dreamy smile on her face.
“Sorry I fell asleep,” she said around a yawn.
“You had a long day, sweetheart,” I offered.
“I’m exhausted in the best way possible.” She shot us both a sly smile. “Wonder why?”
“We aim to please around here, sweetheart. As much as you’ll allow us to.”
Miles stood and held out a hand to help her off the couch. Once she was in his arms, he lowered his lips down to hers in a gentle kiss. My cock stirred, watching them as the kiss deepened into something more. With a frustrated groan, he pulled back and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead.
“Good night, baby girl.”
“Wait,” she called out. “Are we not all sleeping together?”
He shook his head. “Someday maybe, but not tonight.”
I nodded, totally understanding. Despite him sharing his past, he still worried he’d hurt her. I didn’t think he would, but I also didn’t want to push my friend faster than he was ready.
Interlocking our fingers, I led Aspen, who still looked over her shoulder with a sad little frown on her lips, to my room and quietly closed the door, cutting off her line of sight to Miles’s room.
“You’re positive he’ll be okay?” she asked, shifting from foot to foot. “I don’t like him being alone.”
“Yes, he’ll be okay tonight, but I’m sure he won’t turn down snuggles in the morning.”
She arched a questioning brow. “Just snuggles?”
“Or more, of course. Though right now, that’s exactly what I want. It killed me last night, not getting to hold you.” I pointed toward the bathroom. “All your stuff is still in there from earlier. Once you’re done, come crawl into bed with me so I can spoon the shit out of you all night long.”
“Spoon the shit out of me, huh? Such a romantic.” Soft giggles echoed through the room as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.
And after she was done and in bed with me, despite my dick attempting to stab her in the back, that was exactly what I did—and I loved every second of holding her through the night.