Chapter 23
AIDEN
He was either an idiot or he was crazy.
Aiden stared at the ring nestled inside the velvet box balanced on his palm. When he’d gone to the jeweler and picked it out, the decision had felt right. He wanted this, and deep in his soul, he believed Lily wanted it too.
Their conversation about the future had only confirmed everything he already knew. But it wasn’t as simple as wanting a small house, a piece of land, or a family.
Aiden wanted all of it, but only if Lily was there beside him.
The hopeful part of him insisted his fear was unwarranted. Lily cared about him. She had shown him grace before. Maybe their relationship was strong enough to survive the final truth that needed to come out.
But all he could picture was the disappointment on her face.
He snapped the ring box shut and slipped it into the pocket of his slacks. He couldn’t ask Lily to marry him until he came clean. He would have to admit that he knew Reese, that they had once been best friends, and that he’d recognized Lily as Reese’s ex almost from the beginning.
He would also have to admit that he’d continued hiding it after she gave him more than one chance to tell her everything.
There was no excuse good enough for that.
Aiden turned toward the window. Beyond the glass, the mountains rose against the bright summer sky, solid and unchanging. He wished courage worked that way. Instead, every time he thought he had mustered up enough courage to tell her, fear found another place to settle.
Hopefully, he was right about how strong they were together. Lily was thoughtful and she loved him. But none of that guaranteed she would forgive him.
He looked back at his reflection, his attention landing on the tie he still hadn’t managed to knot properly. With a frustrated breath, he yanked it loose and started again.
He hated feeling so out of control. That was one of the reasons he had avoided commitment for so long. Caring about someone meant giving them the power to hurt him, and Aiden had never been brave enough to accept that.
His hands stilled.
For one brief moment, the old instinct to escape whispered that maybe he could say less than the whole truth. Reese had never formally introduced Lily to him. Aiden could claim he hadn’t realized who she was until later. Parts of that would even be true.
His throat tightened.
But it would still be another half-truth. And if he asked Lily to marry him before she knew everything, he would be taking away her chance to choose him with clear eyes. Aiden pulled the tie free again and tossed it onto the bed.
“No,” he muttered to his reflection.
He had already hidden too much. He wasn’t going to build a marriage on one more lie. For all he knew, he was overthinking everything. Maybe Lily would be hurt but willing to hear him out. Maybe Reese would be angry but eventually understand. Or maybe Aiden would lose them both.
That was the part he couldn’t force himself to face.
He left his room and found Parker waiting in his usual dark Henley and jeans. Compared to his brother, Aiden was overdressed in slacks and a button-down shirt, though he had abandoned the tie. Parker took one look at him and smirked, but didn’t comment.
They headed for the Taylor property, where the party had been set up outside.
Vehicles lined the drive, and voices carried across the yard.
Long tables stood beneath strings of lights, while bright wildflowers filled jars along the tablecloths.
The foothills framed the celebration in the distance, hazy beneath the afternoon sun.
Aiden searched the gathering for Reese and felt a guilty rush of relief when he didn’t see him.
People were still arriving. Parker wandered off to talk with Mathew and Penny, leaving Aiden to search for the birthday girl. He spotted Lily heading toward the back door of the house and followed.
She wore a light blue sundress and her auburn hair fell down her back in loose waves. She’d paired the dress with some cowgirl boots and she wore a matching hat. He grinned as he continued after her.
She was beautiful. The ring in his pocket felt heavier and he shoved his hand there to draw courage from the feel of it.
The closer he got to her, the more convinced he became that today was a good day to lay his cards on the table. They’d been dating for months now. Normally, that wouldn’t be enough time for him to make a decision, but even he had to admit that he knew in his bones that Lily was meant to be his.
Being with her made sense.
He wanted nothing more than to call her his wife.
Lily disappeared into the house, and Aiden took the steps two at a time. The door swung shut before he reached it, but he pulled it open and slipped inside.
The kitchen wasn’t empty, to his disappointment.
Rose and Jasmine stood near the sink, filling a large drink dispenser with water. Jasmine noticed him first, and a smile spread across her face. That must have alerted Lily because she turned.
Her eyes met Aiden’s, and her whole expression changed. It wasn’t merely happiness. It was the open, unguarded smile she seemed to save just for him. Warmth spread through his chest, followed almost immediately by guilt.
She crossed the room and threw her arms around him. “You’re here.”
Aiden rested his hands at her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Of course I’m here. I told you I would be.”
She beamed up at him. “Just having you here will make this the best birthday ever.” Her voice softened as she rose onto her toes, her lips nearly brushing his. “You’re my favorite person.”
Then she kissed him.
Aiden drew her close and returned the kiss, careful even as everything in him wanted to hold on tighter. Lily had chosen him when he had spent most of his life believing no one would.
“You’re my favorite person too,” he murmured when they parted.
She had no idea what those words meant to him.
The ring continued to press against his leg. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach for it. But he didn’t want an audience, and the crooning sounds coming from Lily’s sisters didn’t exactly set the mood.
Lily laughed and lowered her head. “Sorry about them.”
Aiden shook his head. “They’re fine.” He glanced toward her sisters. “They’ll be family one day, right?”
Lily’s eyes widened, and her lips parted. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I suppose they will.”
His heart stumbled at her admission. She wanted this just like he did. That was as close to getting a yes as you could get, aside from when he was going to ask her to marry him.
Rose and Jasmine laughed as they teamed up to carry the water out to the party, leaving him alone with Lily. The quiet in the kitchen pressed in on him, warning him that if he didn’t drop to one knee right this moment, his opportunity would pass.
Aiden pushed his hand into his pocket and his fingers wrapped around the ring box. This was it. She wanted it. He wanted it. And they had their whole future to figure things out.
But the truth still stood between them.
Aiden released the ring box but kept his hand in his pocket.
“Lily, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
Her smile faded. “What is it?”
He forced himself to hold her gaze. “This is the last thing. I promise.”
Concern flickered across her face, but she gave his free hand a gentle squeeze. “Okay. Tell me.”
Aiden drew in a breath. “Reese and I—”
The front door swung open, startling them both.
“Lils? You in here? Your sister said you came…” Reese’s voice drifted as he came to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes darted to where Aiden’s left hand still held Lily’s waist. Then his brows furrowed as he lifted his focus to Aiden only to shift to Lily.
Lily squealed. “You’re here! I was starting to wonder if you’d make it.” She turned in Aiden’s arms, slipped her hand into his, and tugged him toward Reese.
Aiden stared at the man who had once known him better than almost anyone. He couldn’t read Reese’s expression now. Once upon a time they’d both been good at reading each other but now, Aiden couldn’t figure out what his friend was thinking.
Lily released Aiden long enough to hug Reese. The embrace was quick and familiar, and when she stepped back, she returned immediately to Aiden’s side.
“Reese, this is my boyfriend, Christopher.” Her nose wrinkled in that way Aiden loved as she looked up at him. “Actually, Christopher is his middle name. He uses it when he competes in the rodeo.”
She squeezed Aiden’s hand, concern flickering in her eyes as she seemed to connect Reese’s arrival with what Aiden had been about to tell her.
Aiden swallowed and held out his free hand.
Reese didn’t take it.
“Actually,” Reese said, “we already know each other.”
Lily’s grip faltered. “You do?”
Aiden gripped the back of his neck, feeling heat rise beneath his touch as it filled his face. He was certain they could see the way his complexion had changed. His attempt to speak made him grimace because he didn’t sound nearly as confident as he should have been. “Uh, yeah.”
Her frown deepened. “How?”
Lily glanced toward Reese. “You never talked about him.”
Reese shifted uncomfortably. “We weren’t in a good place when you and I were together.”
“Oh.” Lily looked between them. “So you knew each other well?”
Reese’s jaw tightened. “We were best friends in high school.”
“That’s quite the coincidence.” She smiled, but the happiness didn’t reach her eyes.
Reese kept his attention on Aiden. “Except it isn’t, is it?”
Aiden’s blood ran cold at Reese’s statement.
Reese tilted his head, studying him. “You knew. Maybe not everything, but you knew Lily and I had been together.”
Lily went still beside him. Her head snapped around until her blue eyes found his.
Aiden could only bear to meet her gaze for a few seconds before his stomach dipped and he started to feel sick. He had imagined this moment so many times, but none of those versions had captured the quiet hurt in her face.
“Aiden?” she whispered.
Reese cleared his throat but said nothing more.
“Is that true?” Lily asked.
Aiden chewed on the inside of his cheek, his eyes drilling into Reese.
He couldn’t even blame the guy. Reese was the better man.
That was how it had always been. Back in the day when they’d had their falling out, Aiden hadn’t been able to handle when people compared him to anyone. And that had included Reese.
He wasn’t proud of the choices he had made. He had grown in some ways, but clearly not enough to keep fear from hurting the woman he loved.
Not enough to deserve the trust she had placed in him.
Lily’s fingers loosened around his.
“Aiden,” she said again, this time with more hurt than confusion.
He swallowed hard. “Lily, I—”
The words failed. Panic took over before good sense could stop it. Aiden released her hand and stepped around Reese to head for the front door.
“Aiden!” Lily called after him.
He heard Reese’s low voice and her responding to him, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Aiden needed to clear his head before he had the conversation he knew he couldn’t avoid any longer.
He had come to the party believing he might ask Lily to spend her life with him.
Instead, when she needed the truth, he ran.