Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
O n the day of the auction of my mother’s dream house, it rained. My windshield wipers were on full blast as I drove down Everview Road, which had quickly become mud as the rain mixed with the dirt road. Water pooled in the potholes, making each bump a mud-slinging splash, no doubt painting my car in a layer of grime.
This would’ve been an annoying drive if I had to do it every day.
I’d been expecting several cars parked, but as I pulled into 1442’s drive, I only found two. I frowned as I bumped along the drive. Had they delayed the auction because of the rain? Surely more than two people would’ve shown up to the auction—or, really, one person, if one of the cars would’ve been the auctioneer.
I flipped my wipers to a lower setting, sitting still as heat pumped through the vents. The front door of the house was open, and whoever was inside didn’t care about the rainwater that dripped in. Now I felt awkward—it wasn’t like I could just blend in with a small crowd. My presence was obvious now, a girl who’d come to an auction to shed a few tears in the back with no intention of bidding.
This was the house I was supposed to have, and now would no longer be mine. I had a feeling that if I called Aaron and told him to buy it, he still would’ve. Heck, I might’ve been able to convince Grant, too. But despite everything falling apart with Aaron, I never once regretted letting go of Mom’s dream house. Not even a little. And that was when I realized I’d strayed so far from who I was—and who my mom would’ve wanted me to be. She’d never wanted me to have this house; she’d wanted me to have the cello.
There’s always tomorrow.
I just came to see who the highest bidder would be. I wanted to imagine their life on this property, to imagine them living out my mother’s dream, even if it was just a fantasy I could cling to in my head. It’d make me feel better to see who would replace me in the life I’d envisioned—to see someone else carry the weight I’d been holding for so long. Except to them, it wouldn’t be weight. It would be something exhilarating. The start of a new dream.
A part of me thought I’d be more conflicted. That the idea of someone taking over would’ve induced a panicked sort of dread within me. Instead, it left me with nothing but hope. Hope for a bright future, for them and me.
It wasn’t too late to turn around now. Whoever was inside hadn’t seen me yet. I found myself looking at the two cars, making sure no one was inside either—and then squinting. The red car was the realtor’s car, I was pretty sure—the same one that had been waiting for us when Aaron and I had toured. But the black one on the other side was also familiar. As if I’d seen it before.
No way , I thought with narrowed eyes, shoving open my door, hopping out straight into a mud puddle. I barely noticed, and barely noticed the heavy rain, either, gaze now laser-focused on the door.
And so I saw the exact moment someone stepped into the doorway after hearing my car door slam shut.
Aaron Astor walked out onto the porch of 1442 Everview Road as if stepping out of a dream. His cream-colored quarter-zip jacket was half-hidden by a navy coat, and, almost unbelievably, with a baggy pair of jeans to finish it off. Jeans . The stupid thought of I didn’t even know he owned jeans flitted across my mind before realization sank in.
“You didn’t.” Aaron and I were dozens of feet apart, with him on the covered porch and me out in the rain, but the low fury in my voice still carried. “Tell me you did not buy my mother’s dream home to be your newlywed house .”
Aaron’s eyes were wide as he looked down at me, lips parted as if it’d been years since we’d last seen each other, not just a week. Maybe to him, it’d felt like years. It definitely felt like a whole other life.
“You talked me out of buying it, but for Caroline, you’ll do it?” I demanded, staring up at him despite the rain beating down into my face, bangs plastering into my eyes. But still, I didn’t flinch. “You’ll take it out from under me? Was that your plan all along, to talk me out of wanting it so you could buy it?”
Inexplicably, Aaron’s parted lips curved into a wide smile.
The sight of it was so jarring, partly because it didn’t make any sense and partly because, despite everything, my first thought was that it was beautiful. And I hated that. “You’re smiling ?” I curled my hands into fists. “In a situation like this, you’re smiling ?”
“Is it twisted that I’m happy to hear you yell at me?” Aaron asked as he took another step forward on the porch, and then another, until he came to the top step. “Probably. But I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear it again. I’m… relieved.”
“My anger relieves you ?” I lifted a fist. “Come closer, then. I’ll show you how relieving my anger can be.”
Aaron obeyed, stepping out from underneath the covered porch and into the rain. Rain threaded through his locks, droplets beading up and seeping in. His gaze never wavered from mine throughout it, even as water flicked into his lashes. He came to a stop three feet from me, blinking as if he were mesmerized.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Hit me. I deserve it.”
I couldn’t hit him, of course. My fist fell awkwardly at my side, and I let out a breath, a droplet of water flicking off my lip with the air. “Did you buy this house?”
Aaron hesitated, as if the answer wasn’t a straightforward one. “No.”
I let out a small breath of relief, glad the sound was carried off by the rain. “Then why are you here?”
“Rhythms of Hope bought it.”
Nothing could’ve prepared me for that. “The charity… bought it?”
“Rhythms of Hope called me out here to help them establish an East Coast hub,” Aaron said, gently reminding me. “They wanted me to evaluate whether it made sense to keep the country club or find a new location. With how the club was scheming, I didn’t think it was in their best interest to hang onto it.”
I hated to agree—hated the idea of anyone at Alderton-Du Ponte getting anything they wanted—but it was clear their sabotage would’ve just increased. I’d thought of it several times over the past week. As blindsided as I’d been, Aaron’s advice to the charity to sell had probably been their best route.
“So, they sold it back to the country club’s board. They always knew it was a possibility, but last week, they’d begun the process, and asked me to keep an eye out for a new place.” Aaron shrugged off his jacket, the water immediately soaking into his quarter-zip as he reached around to lay the navy material over my shoulders. “And I suggested 1442 Everview Road.”
The weight of his words, combined with the warmth of his jacket, kept me rooted to the spot. But still, even though the chill hung in the air, I began to warm under his gaze. “Why?”
“Practically, Rhythms of Hope initially wanted something within driving distance to New York City while also near the ocean,” Aaron explained as he slipped his hands into his jeans pockets. “So this checks those boxes. But this place—I know your mother dreamed of the house, but when we toured it, to me, it felt like the property was just waiting to start over. It reminded me of you.”
“But the house is—” Unsalvageable tasted like an ugly word. “Isn’t suitable for a music hall.”
“The plan is to demolish the house.” Aaron’s gaze bounced along my features, searching. “Your mother’s dream—I couldn’t forget about it. I never would’ve found 1442 Everview place without you—without her. You didn’t have to be the one to carry it, but her dream didn’t have to end here. We could take this space and create something beautiful, something lasting. We can honor your mother’s direction, build on it, and create a future while honoring what’s left behind. That’s… the plan.”
The longer he spoke, the harder it became to breathe without sucking down rain. I watched him through it all, lips parted. He’d spoken with a light in his eyes that reminded me of my mother. Inspired. Excited. Just like she’d been every time she’d spoken about the house. Seeing what she felt alive and reflected in Aaron’s expression was nothing short of breathtaking.
“I—I asked them to let me check with you first,” Aaron said after I didn’t reply, alarm darting across his expression. “Sean, he’s a great guy. They bought it at full price, but he said he’d let me buy it from them if it—if it bothered you?—”
“No.” I blinked the raindrops out of my eyes, tasting salt on my lips. “That’s… perfect.”
I reached for his jacket, lifting it from my shoulders and pulling it up over our heads, closing the gap between us. Three feet suddenly became one, and while the back of his jacket still covered my head, I made sure the collar protected his, shielding us both from the rain.
“I’d come here to see who was the highest bidder,” I told him as the world became just him and me. There was no rain and no house and nothing except for his gaze on me and the water that clung to his lashes. “To sort of… pass the baton of this place to them. But it was you.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “How is it always you?”
Our paths never should’ve crossed again, but here we were.
Time and time again, something always brought us back together. Coincidence… or fate?
Aaron’s hands came up, closing over mine. “Want to take this under the porch?”
I didn’t. I didn’t want to move out from under the shelter I’d created, knowing that the second we stepped back, things would change. Again. But instead of saying that, I nodded.
Aaron let go and stepped back, and we hurried underneath the porch, though we were both fully soaked. But now the atmosphere was different, with everything lying between us unsaid.
“The realtor is in there with Sean,” Aaron said, gesturing toward the open door.
I nodded. “Ah.”
There were so many things to say that it suddenly felt too awkward to ask any of them. Did you get married yesterday? Did you do a prenup? Do you regret it?
I didn’t want to know the answers to any of them—especially not the last one.
“So.” Aaron shifted on his feet. “What are you going to do?”
“Me?”
“I mean…” He cleared his throat. “Now that you don’t work at the club, what’s your next step?”
I thought again about Annalise’s offer, but for some reason, I didn’t want to tell him. “Without the house to worry about, the world is my oyster, I guess.” I gave my arms a little flap, my jacket making a loud squish sound. “I have money saved up, so I have some time to figure it out.”
Aaron bobbed his head a little, toeing his shoe into one of the broken floorboards of the porch. I wondered if, like me, he also felt the shift in the air. If he could sense the emptiness. Things between us had been a lot of things—enraging, infuriating, complicated, happy—but it’d never been awkward like this.
“Thank you for honoring my mother,” I said, facing him one last time. The rain seemed to be letting up, but it still rattled on the roof of the porch, the perfect soundtrack for a goodbye. “And for encouraging me to jump. I know you don’t think you did anything special, but you did.” I paused. “Did you know that you were the first person I’d told about the cello since my mother died?”
He let out a breath. “Really?”
“I never even told Grant that I used to play. But I told you on instinct. And, sure, you can say I might’ve said it to any stranger who showed up at that fire pit, but not just anyone would’ve known what a spiccato was.” I looked down at my mud-splattered shoes, chuckling once. “Not just anyone would’ve spoken to me in the language I knew.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed in the red string of fate, that things were predestined to play out a certain way, or whatever it was that Paige talked about. Coincidence or fate, Aaron was exactly who I’d needed, back in June, and every step along the way since. I’d needed someone to draw out the fire in me, to challenge me again and again, to remind me that I spoke the language of music. I’d needed someone to make me feel seen, to remind me that I was not merely a shadow in the lives of others. To show me that I was allowed to go after what I dreamed of.
There was no other person that checked those boxes but Aaron Astor. Aaron, who infuriated me and lit my spark. Aaron, who laid my hands over top of his own and forced me to feel the music again. Aaron, who held my gaze and never wavered.
Aaron, who captured my heart.
“Thank you for being that person for me,” I told him, impressed by how even my voice sounded. I swallowed hard now, offering him one last shaking smile. “The person who showed me it’s okay to chase my own dream. I’ll appreciate it forever.”
And that was it. I’d run out of words, and there was nothing else to say. As the unspoken goodbye lingered in the air, the familiar strains of Elégie whispered through my mind, just as they had the first time we’d kissed. Back then, the melody had wrapped around us like a promise—soft, aching, and impossibly sweet. Now, the piece was mournful, a reminder of how something beautiful could also be seen in a completely different light, depending on the listener.
I was still me, and Aaron was still him, but instead of the start of something beautiful, it was the end.
I turned around then, ducking my head. Just before I was about to step off the porch, Aaron’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, halting me.
I almost didn’t want to turn around. I was afraid to.
His voice was barely above a whisper. “You… don’t hate me?”
The quiet worry in his voice reflected in his expression. After everything—even after what I just said—he thought I could’ve hated him? “Would you have hated me if I asked you to buy me the house?”
Aaron mutely shook his head, eyes shining.
That was the world Aaron lived in, though. When someone didn’t perform the way they were expected to, they were cast out. When someone made a mistake, there was no room for forgiveness. In his world, disappointment was crushing, and even the people he loved could turn on him without mercy. That was what he expected of me now.
“I like you.” The rain had let up enough that my sudden confession seemed so loud . “I wish I could put into words what it is about you that I like so much. I’d say that I like the way you make me feel, but it’s not just that. I want for you. I want you to live a beautiful life you love, and I want to live it with you.” Later, I’d be embarrassed by how transparent I was being, but I knew I needed to be honest with him. “And with how life-changing you were for me, I wish… I wish I could’ve been that person for you.”
Aaron still didn’t release my wrist, staring at the connection as if he was afraid I’d pull away. I knew I needed to, before I said anything else, but my heart softened at the sight of his glassy gaze, wrenched apart.
His grip tightened. “You know how when you flip a coin and call heads or tails, and it feels like you’re truly fifty-fifty on either option—but when it lands, you’re disappointed it wasn’t the other?” His voice was small as he spoke to my hand. “That’s how it was, choosing Caroline.”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, torn between being faintly amused and insulted. “So you’re saying, before, you could’ve gone either way?”
Aaron closed his eyes briefly before locking onto mine. “I’m saying that I’ve spent my whole life making choices my family wanted me to make, even if I was disappointed. Choices that would make me an impressive son, a successful brother. Even if it meant sacrificing what I wanted, I was able to live with that disappointment. Even if their approval of me meant disappointment in myself, I lived with it. I thought I could live with this one.”
He slid his hand down from my wrist to grip my fingers, the pressure firm, sure. Even in the spring rain, they were warm, coaxing mine back to life.
“You are that life-changing person for me, Lovisa. You’re the first person who’s shown me I’m allowed to go after what I want, too. That I’m allowed to want . You made me realize I’d rather disappoint them than wake up every morning disappointed in myself. Because if getting their approval means I lose you in the process, I don’t want it.”
A part of me was convinced I’d misheard him, misunderstood their meaning. Surely he wasn’t saying what it sounded like. I almost was afraid to trust his words, my heart terrified of letting its guard down. But it was like he knew he needed to burrow deeper, to thaw anything else that was still frozen.
“I think about how much I hurt you, and I hate myself for it,” Aaron almost whispered, taking a step closer. “And I’m sorry for what I said about you chasing other people’s dreams. It crushed me to think that you’d finally allowed yourself to choose your own dreams, only to be caught in mine. And Caroline—” His expression softened, his fingers brushing mine as something like pain flitted across his gaze. “She told me that you’d offer to marry me. But not because you wanted to. Because you felt sorry for me.”
I’d suspected something like that, honestly, but hearing the confirmation lit into me. “That little?—”
“But it wasn’t pity,” Aaron went on. “That’s not why you said it. Right?”
I shook my head, not trusting my voice.
“And you didn’t say it because you felt pressured to, right?” he continued, his voice rough but sure. “You said it because… you actually cared about me.”
“If you didn’t have your deadline, I wouldn’t marry you,” I told him, and now I curled my fingers around his, returning the pressure. “I’d want to get to know you over time, to find out every little thing about you, and to show you every little thing about me. But even though you don’t have time for that, I’m not sacrificing anything. I still would’ve chosen you either way.”
Aaron looked down as he swallowed, almost as if my words had hit him too hard in the chest. “It was never a choice between you and Caroline. I was choosing between a dream that wasn’t mine and a dream that was. I was choosing between a run-down house and a cello.”
“A horrible house,” I agreed. “With ugly paint.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips.
“When did you… choose the cello?” When did you decide it wasn’t her?
“Yesterday morning.” Aaron cringed, almost like the admission was embarrassing. “Hours before we were supposed to… I knew it was wrong. I’d been forcing myself not to think of it all week, forcing myself to believe I was doing what I needed. I thought I could live with it. And I was out walking the grounds again, looking for a reason to stay on the path I was on, but really, I was only looking for you.”
The words settled over me. I was only looking for you . “And you called it off?”
“I texted her. Blocked her. She knocked on my hotel room door, but I didn’t answer. Funnily enough, I got a ‘ please leave the premises notice ’ this morning.” Aaron gave a small chuckle. “Can you believe that’s happened twice now?”
My lips couldn’t help but twitch. “Knowing you…”
“I’m sure her parents will make up a grand thing, about how I manipulated and embarrassed their daughter, but I don’t care what they think. I only care about you.” He coasted his thumb along the back of my hand. “When I’m with you, I’m not putting on a performance I know people want to see. I’m not thinking ten steps ahead. I’m just… at peace. I was the first person you told about the cello, and you’re the first person who’s made me feel like I’m enough, just as I am. Not as Aaron Astor.” He spoke reverently. “Just Aaron.”
A warmth spread through me, something deeper than just the relief of hearing him speak his truth. I couldn’t help the smile that crept across my face as I watched him, this man who’d spent so long running from his own desires, finally choosing himself. It was like a weight lifted off his shoulders, and the thought of him stepping into his own life, free from the pressure of expectations, was like an exhale of relief. For both him and me.
I smiled at him, not just because of what he said, but because of what it meant. I’d spent so long trying to hold on to my mother’s dream, to the life I thought I should want. And now, seeing Aaron step into his own life, free from the weight of his past, I realized I was doing the same thing. We were both choosing ourselves now, together.
We’d both jumped from our metaphorical bridges. Together.
“I like just Aaron.” I leaned an inch closer, staring into his brown eyes. “I like him a lot.”
Aaron lifted a hand to once more smooth my bangs from my eyes, peering right back as if he marveled at me. “And you, Lovisa Hahn, are everything I’ve been waiting for.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Wow, way to make my confession sound lame in comparison?—”
Aaron didn’t let me finish. With his hand still resting on the side of my face, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
I immediately relaxed into the kiss, into him, a wonderful wave of warmth crashing through me. It was so starkly different from our first kiss in terms of passion and intensity, but the emotion was just as strong. The softness of his lips touching mine was like the seal of a promise, surrendering to our future together. Our fingers were still tangled, and my free hand reached out and cupped the elbow of the hand that caressed my face, holding onto the moment. But this time, it wasn’t out of fear of letting go.
I kissed Aaron deeper, wedging myself as close as I could, savoring the scent and taste and touch of him. We’d both jumped together, freefalling into a future we could create all on our own.
And this new beginning happening on the porch of my mother’s dream house felt too perfect. Too much like fate.
We both parted for small gasps of air, and Aaron released my fingers, but didn’t stray far. His hand slid around my waist and pressed against my back, holding me close. I could’ve smiled at how easily he’d moved, almost instinctively. See , I wanted to tease. Your body does just know how to move . And he said he didn’t understand love.
I slid both of my hands to his hips, hooking my fingers in the beltloops of his jeans. “Do you want to get married?” I asked in a casual tone, trying to pretend I wasn’t lightheaded. “I don’t have anything going on this afternoon.”
Aaron traced his fingertip along my temple. “No.”
I frowned. “Don’t tell me you’ve got another girl lined up.”
Now a full smile touched his lips. “No?—”
“If you start again about me chasing other people’s dreams for them?—”
“It’s not my dream.” Aaron leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the temple he’d just touched. “Not right now, at least. It isn’t something I want to rush into.”
Okay, I understood the sentiment, but—“ Five million dollars , Aaron.”
“And I’d be duping my grandmother just to get it.” Aaron smoothed his thumb over the top of my hand. “She wouldn’t have wanted me to rush into it just for money’s sake. She would be upset if I did. And I would be… disappointed in myself, too, if that’s why I did it.”
I eyed him closely, unsure. “You can really live with letting that kind of money go?”
Aaron kissed the center of my forehead. “I thought about what I’d do if she were still alive,” he murmured against my skin. “Would I be able to get married just to take cash from her outstretched hand? Could I fool her by taking something pure and turning it into a transaction?”
I held still, staring at the exposed skin of his throat. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“She didn’t write it in her will for it to be a test.” Now he kissed my other temple. “But it feels like one, for me. And I’d rather be broke than have money that I only got because I found a loophole. I don’t want to live a life I resent. Even if that means starting over from scratch, as long as I build a life I am proud of, that’s what matters. And I’d like to build that life with you.”
Emotion swelled in my throat, making it nearly impossible to speak. “I’m proud of you, Aaron.”
I watched as the words seeped into him, easily passing through the walls he’d let down. It was almost a tangible thing, seeing how it washed over him. Aaron’s eyes grew shiny again, and he let out a soft breath, almost like a little exclamation. “It’s all because of you, love.”
I had to clear my throat to keep my own eyes from going glassy. “Well, I have a nice little savings account,” I told him as he began to trace his lips down to my cheekbone, then to my jawline. Concentration was rapidly decreasing for both of us. “I can support our future together until it runs out.”
Aaron looked down into my eyes, and in his, there was nothing but light. “Together… I want that.”
I could’ve melted in his grip. “Together.”
This time, we met each other halfway, my mouth once more colliding with Aaron’s in a way that was almost magnetized. As we kissed, there was no cello concerto that came to mind—instead, a new melody floated through my head. It was twisting and intricate, with the cello and piano notes winding together into an unfamiliar tune. The deep, clear voice of the cello spoke of excitement, while the lulling arpeggios of the piano spoke of inspiration. A piece beautiful and clear and full of new beginnings.
A new piece, just for the two of us. We made the perfect composition.
Together.