Epilogue
EPILOGUE
“No.”
I wanted to strangle him. I genuinely wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and shake until he complied.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“That’s a bullshit excuse,” I snapped.
“Rosalinda. I’m not wearing my peacoat at our wedding.”
“But you’d look so handsome,” I cooed, running a hand up his chest. We stood in front of Juanita’s truck, our last meal before we headed off to Tennessee tomorrow morning. “For me?” I batted my eyelashes at him, but he shook his head.
“Not going to work this time.” He kissed my forehead. “Your mother would have my head if I did that.”
“So what? You’re not marrying her.”
He snorted. “As if I’m going to risk disappointing your mother. I do that, then we can say goodbye to the alfajores she’s been sending us.”
I groaned. The wedding was only a week away, and Aiden had refused to grant my one bridal wish of him wearing his peacoat.
Aiden proposed a year after we got back together. I came home from work one day, and he had shipped roses from the shop in downtown Rogersville and scattered them all over his brownstone. He was waiting for me in candlelight on one knee, Taylor Swift playing softly in the background.
“Did you send the latest revision to Jeanine?” he murmured, rubbing my arm. We had spent the year revising our novel before querying and striking luck with our agent.
“I thought you were supposed to do that.”
“No, you were.”
I straightened, frowning. “I sent it last time.”
“No, you were supposed to send it last time and forgot. So I sent it and we agreed you were next.”
I squinted at him, knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit it. “What happened to me winning every fight?”
He looked down at me fondly. “We’ll never publish a book that way, baby.”
Jeanine was pretty flexible with deadlines anyway. After reading our book, she knew how easily we bickered and how much time that took up.
“Fine. I’ll send it— if you wear the peacoat.”
Aiden looked toward the sky. “Lord, help me.”
I laughed, nudging him with my shoulder. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’ll send it later.”
“Here you go.” Juanita held the tin foil wraps out for us. “Mateo and I are finishing our food prep, and we’ll see you both in Tennessee later this week.”
With the stress of wedding planning, I told him I wished Juanita and Mateo could just cater for us. He offered them a ridiculous amount of money and to pay for their flights and accommodations down there. I think he did it more because I’m still desperate for them to get together.
“Thanks, Juanita.” I smiled up at her. “Maybe while we’re all down there, you two could talk a little more.”
She blushed. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
My phone buzzed with incessant texts. I glanced at our group chat now titled raiden weekend
Logan: which of ur cousins are hot rosie
Jess: don’t ask her that! the bride doesn’t care about ur weekend hookups
Logan: i’m doing this for HER. SHE’S the one that likes romance
Tyler: Logan, stop.
Rosie: leave my cousins alone
Rosie: you’ll get along well with carla
Logan: LOVE YOU ROSIE see you in tennessee!!!
We walked from the park toward Aiden’s brownstone, eating our burritos. Aiden was excited to see Cori, Maria’s daughter. He thought it was adorable how everyone called him T í o Aiden already. At first he’d thought it was weird since he wasn’t Hispanic, but I assured him, “I call my uncle on my dad’s side T í o Sean. No one cares, trust me.”
In Aiden’s living room, which was soon to become our living room, boxes of my stuff were piling up. We kept saying we’d unpack it later, but neither of us really wanted to.
Aiden cast me a sidelong glance. “You know, we could knock this out in a few hours. Then we’d come home from the wedding to our place.”
I nodded. “You get the box cutter, I’ll handle the music.”
So for the next few hours, deep into the night, Aiden and I unpacked all my boxes, melding my stuff with his. We’d get distracted every so often, laughing at photos we found or chasing each other around the house or when Aiden sat me on the kitchen counter, his face cradled in my hands.
Aiden was still skeptical about Happily Ever Afters. We’d gotten in plenty of arguments about Max and Hunter’s future. Eventually, he agreed they were meant to be. But honestly? I didn’t care what happened to Max and Hunter. Because I knew what my future with Aiden held.
People say there’s a thin line between love and hate, and you know what? They’re right.
— Excerpt from WHAT LIES BETWEEN by Rosie Maxwell and Aiden Huntington