Chapter 27
AIDEN
Aiden pulled off his suit jacket and shoved it into his locker, then pulled out his spare set of scrubs.
He hadn’t even made it home before he got the call that he was needed at the hospital.
There had been a massive accident one town over, and their small clinic couldn’t handle the influx of injured patients.
He glanced around the room at the handful of other staff members who had been called in. Mathew wasn’t there yet, but that didn’t mean anything. He’d more than likely be called in as well. When car accidents took this kind of turn, all hands were needed on deck.
It didn’t take Aiden long to change and head out onto the floor. He passed Mathew on his way to one of the triage stations. They gave each other a nod and went about their work.
There was something tight in the way Mathew had glanced at him, though, and Aiden couldn’t help the disparaging thoughts that came with noticing it. Had Lily said something to Mathew? Would his friend come track him down and start something?
Aiden wouldn’t have been surprised if Mathew did just that. Depending on what Lily said to him, Mathew might have a few things to say.
Scrubbing a hand through his already mussed hair, Aiden reached for a tablet and ducked into the nearest station. “Hello, Mr. Sanderson. I’m Nurse Stone. I’m going to take some vitals, if that’s okay.”
The older gentleman nodded. He didn’t look as though he’d been in the accident. There weren’t any obvious signs of trauma, but that didn’t mean anything.
Over the next hour, Aiden didn’t have a spare second. He continued seeing Mathew in passing, and each time, he fought the instinct to pull him aside and demand to know what was going on.
Things in the emergency room finally settled down about an hour and a half later. Aiden found Mathew seated behind a desk, his eyes on the computer screen in front of him. They flicked up to Aiden as he approached, and his lips twitched slightly. Not angry, but not amused either.
“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Lily before you left the party?” Mathew asked.
“Right to business, I see,” Aiden murmured, propping his hip against the counter. He looked anywhere but at his friend. He wasn’t prepared for a lecture. He just wanted to know if Lily had talked to him—had said anything Aiden needed to know before he tried to make things right with her.
“Well, Lily seemed upset before I got called. I thought it might have something to do with you.”
Aiden snapped his head around and stared at Mathew. “I bet she didn’t say anything.” His voice held no question, nothing that would give him away.
But his friend was better than most at reading people.
Mathew leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head.
“Yeah, not much seems to rile my cousins up these days. I figured if she was dealing with something, it was probably you.” At least this time he was smiling.
In fact, it almost felt like he was teasing him.
Sighing, Aiden shook his head. “I’m just an idiot. I kept a secret when I shouldn’t have. It’s my fault.”
Mathew arched a brow. “No one is disagreeing with you, man.”
Scowling, Aiden reminded himself not to give in to his friend’s baiting.
“Honestly, I don’t think she was only upset about whatever you told her. Her whole demeanor shifted after she talked to Reese.” He sat up straighter and leaned over the desk, bracing his forearms on its smooth surface. “You want to know what I think?”
“I think you’re going to tell me no matter what I say, so shoot,” Aiden muttered.
Mathew continued as if he hadn’t heard him. “I think she was more upset that you left on her birthday than you realized.”
Aiden shrugged. “Possible.”
This time Mathew snorted. “It’s more than possible. It was her birthday. Even if she was furious with you, she might not have wanted you to disappear.”
“Really?” Aiden asked quietly. “Because she seemed pretty upset. I figured she wouldn’t want to see me, so she wouldn’t have to be reminded of what I did.”
Mathew’s chuckle was easier this time. “Maybe she wanted to talk it out with you after the party. Did you even ask?”
Well, shoot. That made a heck of a lot of sense. Mathew was probably right.
Aiden groaned. Then, without thinking things through, he pulled the ring box from his scrubs pocket and set it down on the desk. “What do you think she’d do if she found out I had this?”
Mathew gaped at the box. His eyes never left it, even as he whispered, “That isn’t…”
“Oh, it is. I assure you.” Aiden rested both elbows on the high end of the desk and put his head in his hands.
“She’s meant for me, Mathew. I know it in my soul.
There’s no one else in the world like her, and I can’t just walk away.
I won’t. When I left the party, I thought I was giving her some breathing room because I know how she feels about broken trust. But now I’m wondering if I only made things worse. ”
He stayed like that for a long moment, the only sounds registering were his racing heart, his ragged breathing, and the bustle of the hospital around them.
Then Mathew laughed.
Slowly, Aiden lifted his head.
His best friend’s face had broken into a wide grin, and his deep chuckle had turned into something more boisterous.
Aiden’s patience waned as he continued to watch his friend find humor in the situation, and at his expense, no less.
When he finally couldn’t take it, he stood upright and folded his arms.
“What’s so funny?”
Mathew wiped at his eyes and shook his head. “Okay, so I never thought in a million years that you would surprise me. Not like this, anyway. Sheesh, Aiden. I can’t believe I was so wrong about you.”
Aiden’s jaw unhinged for a moment.
Then he shook his head. “I can’t tell if I should be happy or offended by that statement.”
Mathew only laughed again. “Look, I thought you were going to be a bachelor forever. I never thought you’d find anyone who would steal your heart or make you consider settling down.
I definitely didn’t think it would be one of my cousins.
But here we are.” He spread his arms wide. “You’ve proven me wrong.”
Then he jerked his chin toward the ring box. “May I?”
Aiden shrugged and nudged the box closer to his friend.
Mathew opened the small velvet box and hummed in appreciation. “She’s going to love it.” There was awe in his voice—maybe a little reverence. “You picked well, Aiden. I’m proud of you.”
Something cracked in Aiden’s chest.
He shouldn’t have been getting this choked up over what Mathew had said, and yet that was exactly what was happening. Mathew had been one of the few men Aiden looked up to. He had always valued Mathew’s opinion, which was why it had hurt so much when he made that rule about dating his family.
“Thanks, man,” Aiden whispered.
With another chuckle and shake of his head, Mathew snapped the ring box closed and held it out to Aiden. “I hope the two of you are very happy together.”
Aiden could only nod. “Me too.”
They considered each other for a long moment. Then Mathew clapped his hands on his knees and rose to his feet.
“Well, I suppose this means there could be another marriage in our future.”
Grinning, Aiden returned the ring to his pocket. “You really think she’ll say yes?”
Mathew gave him a pointed look. “Not if you rush her.”
Aiden’s smile faded.
“You need to fix what’s broken first,” Mathew continued. “Then, when the two of you are steady again, ask her.”
Aiden nodded slowly. “Right.”
Mathew placed both hands on Aiden’s shoulders and squeezed, then pulled him in for a quick bro-hug. When they stepped back, Mathew murmured, “For what it’s worth, I hope I get to welcome you into the family someday.”
Aiden swallowed hard. “Thanks.”
Then Mathew sauntered off.
Aiden turned to watch him go. That was probably the closest thing he would get to permission to date a Taylor.
At that thought, Aiden stiffened.
He hadn’t even considered asking Lily’s father for permission before proposing. What did it say about him that he had been more worried about Mathew’s approval than the approval of his future father-in-law?
He grimaced, his stomach churning with a new sort of anxiety. Maybe he could call Reese and ask him for pointers on getting on the man’s good side. Something told him Mathew wouldn’t be much help. Especially not after everything that had happened between Penny and Royce.
Aiden blew out a breath and counted to ten in his head. He needed to settle his nerves. One thing at a time. First, he needed to square things away with Lily. Tonight, if she was willing. He didn’t want to wait a few days and risk making her think he was avoiding her again.
Then, if they found their way back to each other, he could meet her father properly. He wondered if the man would refuse to give his blessing after everything Aiden had done. Then again, he would only know about it if Lily chose to tell him.
A sick sense of dread had Aiden’s stomach sinking. He could only hope Lily had presented him in a decent light. Maybe it would be better for him to see her sooner rather than later.
At the end of his shift, Aiden pulled out his phone.
Well, shoot.
It wouldn’t turn on. The battery was completely dead, and he had no way to charge it until he got home. He closed his eyes briefly in frustration. He returned his phone to his pocket and clocked out.
The whole way home, he debated driving straight to Lily’s house. But after working the emergency shift and knowing her family might still be awake, he decided he needed to charge his phone first and see whether she had called.
He also reminded himself that Lily hadn’t ended things. Not officially.
Right now, he still had a chance.
All his attempts to ease his anxiety came to a sudden halt when he made his way to his front door and found Lily waiting for him. She stood as he drew closer. Her eyes were unreadable, her face giving him no hint of what she might be thinking. Not even her mouth gave her away.
What he wouldn’t give to know what was going on in her mind. This couldn’t be the end for them. On instinct, he reached for the ring box and held it in his pocket, drawing strength from it. Then he let it go.
This wasn’t the moment for the ring. He needed to make things right first.
“Lily—” he started when he came to a stop in front of her.
She held up a hand. “I have something to say.”