Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Attraction was easy. Everything about her did it for me. But attraction, lust—that wasn't love.
Love was the sandwiches she made.
Letting me stay and work after she closed. Love was making sure I filled my stomach when I was too distracted to eat.
Love was helping her sweep and mop so she could go to bed a little earlier.
Love was the little things. Love was being there. I'd fallen in love with her day by day until I couldn't imagine not being with her.
Until the idea of the day passing without seeing Annabelle felt like misery.
"And what about the café?" Aiden asked.
"What about it?"
"You know she's a workaholic. She loves that place, and even if she finally gets some decent help, she's never going to turn it over to a manager."
"If she did, she’d lose half of her customers."
I thought about Annabelle's bright smile behind the counter, the way she remembered her regulars’ orders and saved them treats she knew they'd like.
"Annabelle is that café,” I said. “She'd do a decent business if she turned it over to a manager. But not like she does now. She's made it more than a coffee house. It's a home away from home for a lot of people. No one can do that but her. Nobody loves it like she does."
"What about when you guys have kids?" Aiden pressed. "If you love her, eventually…"
I swallowed hard. I hadn't thought about kids. I'd thought about Annabelle. I'd thought about Annabelle and my new house. Every time I walked through the place, every time Charlie gave me a tour of the progress, I imagined Annabelle living there with me.
If I couldn't win her back, living in that house would be hell without her. I'd even upgraded the kitchen with her in mind.
But kids?
I wanted kids. In a vague, someday-down-the-road kind of way. Kids with Annabelle? Little boys or girls with that bright smile and her boundless energy?
Yeah. Yeah, I wanted that. The house had room. Just because I wasn't planning a nursery right this second didn't mean I'd forgotten about the future.
"What about when we have kids?" I asked. "What does the café have to do with kids?"
"Well, won't you want her to stay at home?"
Vivi punched his ribs and he flinched.
"Sexist much?" she asked. "Are you expecting me to quit my job when we have kids? Because I'm not busting my ass in grad school just so I can dust my framed diploma."
Aiden gave her an affectionate smile and kissed her temple. In a low, intimate voice no older brother should have to overhear, he said, "No, sweetheart, I don't. I expect that when we get to that point, you and I will figure it out together. Like we're going to do everything. We're a team."
"Damn straight," she said, smiling up at him, love beaming from her eyes.
I rolled my own and said under my breath, "Really? Do I have to watch this?"
"You still didn't answer my question," Aiden said, breaking Violet's gaze and pinning me with a hard look.
"I haven't answered because I don't know," I said, "but we'll figure it out. My work is flexible. I hate the corporate gig. You know that. The only reason I'm still at Winters, Inc. is because my tech isn't finished. Once you've got it rolling, I'm out."
"Yeah, I figured that part out already," Aiden said, his lips quirking in a half smile. "I don't suppose you’re going to let us take a look at what you’re working on now, are you?"
I raised an eyebrow. Not much got past Aiden Winters.
"I haven't decided yet," I said honestly. "But that's not the point. The point is, I'm flexible. I work for myself. And yeah, I like the whole startup thing. I like the long hours. The adrenaline and the risk.
"But I also have plenty put aside, more than enough for a secure future for a family.
And if we decide to have kids we can do it when I'm not in the middle of a project.
I'll stay home with them. Besides, my house is five blocks from the café.
Annabelle has that studio upstairs we could use as a playroom if we need to have the kids there but not underfoot in the café. We have options. We can figure it out."
"What if she gets pregnant and you're in the middle of starting a new company?" Aiden asked.
"Then I'll ditch the company," I said. "Seriously? You're asking me if I'd ignore my own kid over a tech startup?"
"I want to know how much thought you've put into this," Aiden said. "I want to know how serious you are."
"Pretty fucking serious," I said. "But don't you think you're jumping the gun? At the moment she's barely talking to me. Kids are not on the table when I can't get her to look me in the eye."
Sophie ducked her head around the door of the library, her cheeks flushed pink, tendrils of blonde hair curling around her face. She wore Abel's kitchen apron, the strings wrapped twice around her waist.
"Dinner's ready. It's been an age since I was in the kitchen, so I can't make any promises."
We all stood as Sophie disappeared to pass the message of dinner on to Gage and anyone else hanging around looking for a meal.
"Why is Sophie cooking?" I asked.
"Mrs. W and Abel are taking a few days off," Aiden said.
"Wait, what?" Vivi asked. "When did this happen? They were here at breakfast."
Vivi had been on campus all day, and as she did on most school days, had left before the rest of us were up and about.
"It happened today."
Aiden didn't offer any more information. His abrupt answer was not enough for Vivi.
She grabbed his arm to stop his departure from the room and demanded, "Well? They left together? Where did they go? When are they coming back?"
Aiden turned to face her, sliding his long fingers into the thick fall of hair down her back. He combed them through in a sweet, soothing gesture that I would have appreciated if not for the heat in his eyes when he looked at my little sister.
Quietly, but firmly, he said, "None of your business. They want privacy, and privacy they'll get. They'll be home soon enough and then you can see what you can pry out of Mrs. W yourself."
She scowled at him. Aiden loved Vivi to pieces, but he was loyal as hell, and if he'd promised Mrs. W and Abel he'd keep their secret, he would, even from Vivi.
If he wouldn't tell Vivi, the rest of us didn't stand a chance of prying a single clue out of him. We'd have to be content with the mystery until Mrs. W and Abel returned to solve it for us.