Chapter 26 Eva
Aston woke me up by sliding himself inside me.
Something changed between us last night.
His usual aggressive sexual appetite was slower and sensual, and all it did was make me want him more. I realized there was so much emotion behind a slow burn, and thoughts ran rampant while my body reached new heights.
And when the sun peeked through his dark drapes, a new day promised so much more.
Unlike the last time we slept together, in his apartment, I stay snuggled into his embrace after we both climax.
I want to stay like this forever. And with a lopsided grin, I keep the thought to myself.
“I’m going to have to get out of this bed soon and check on Maddy,” I say softly.
“Hmm… not yet.”
“But soon, okay?”
His embrace tightens as he makes it obvious he doesn’t want to let me go. I turn to face his perfectly sculpted torso, spreading tiny kisses on his chest.
“We broke the rules,” I remind him.
“I’m done playing by the rules, Everleigh.” His voice wavers. “It’s only a matter of time before Madelina finds out.”
I lace my fingers into his. “I know. Just give me time, please. I want to tell her myself.”
Aston raises my chin so our eyes meet. “And what exactly will you tell her?”
“That we, um, are together.” I pause, waiting for his reaction. “We are together, right? Unless, of course, this is an open relationship type of thing?”
He kisses my knuckles softly. “I want you all to myself.”
My face rests on his chest as I run my fingers against his tattoo. The small cross is barely noticeable beneath his sparse chest hair. “What happened last night?”
Aston’s muscles tighten beneath me. He’s always had difficulty opening up, so I’m not counting on him telling me anything.
“He got to me.”
“Your father?”
A sigh escapes him. “Yes. I was standing with Roland and looking at that old house where we kissed before I left for college. I still remember how you told me no one else should plan my life for me.”
I place a kiss on his chest. “I still believe that.”
“I just needed to see you.”
With a shuffle, I glance up to look at him. “One day, I’m buying that house.”
Aston chuckles. “I don’t think it’s habitable.”
“Houdini thinks it is.”
“Houdini?”
“A frog. He comes and goes, hence the name.”
“Right…” Aston trails off. “Are you smoking a joint while you’re talking to your imaginary friend?”
I smack his chest with a grin. “He’s not imaginary! Though, I do admit talking to a frog does make me sound cuckoo. Do you know how many times I’ve thought about lying in this bed with you? I hated how much I thought about you in high school.”
Aston kisses my forehead. “I’ve also thought about you in this bed. I was just the fool who couldn’t see past his ego.”
We lie together for another hour, but then reality becomes unavoidable. I reach for my phone to ensure Billie opened the store, and Chloe came in to assist. With Billie’s mom still recovering, I tell Billie to leave early. Chloe can run the store today, and anyway, I plan to stop by later.
As for tomorrow, our store is officially closed for the first time ever. Chloe offered to open up and work, but I wanted one day to relax and be focused on my best friend.
Aston is dead tired, falling asleep again, so I muster my way out of his arms to put my clothes back on. Sneaking out of his room feels so juvenile as I tiptoe down the hall to Maddy’s bedroom.
Just like Aston, she is fast asleep. So I grab my bag from the room and head straight to the shower. By the time I’m completely dressed and downstairs, no one has joined me.
I sit at the kitchen counter and enjoy a strong coffee prepared by Hilda. With my focus on my phone, ensuring emails are up-to-date and everything is ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight, I don’t hear footsteps behind me.
“Good morning, Everleigh,” a voice calls.
My body twists on the tall stool to see Mr. Beaumont behind me. I force a smile and offer him some coffee, which he accepts.
So much for a stress-free morning.
“I know I haven’t had a chance to speak to you privately,” he starts, slow and steady. “However, now would be the perfect opportunity to thank you for all your time and effort in making my daughter happy.”
I drop my gaze, focusing on the cup between my hands. “Maddy’s happiness means everything to me. She’s my best friend.”
“Yes, I’m aware the two of you have a close relationship. I’m sure once my daughter starts her own family, it will be difficult for you, given that she’ll no longer have time to focus on anything else.”
This time, I raise my eyes to meet his. Thank God he looks nothing like Aston because it would be much harder to loathe him. “If Maddy chooses to have a family, I will be there to support her. I understand the true meaning of family, unlike some others.”
“My daughter knows what is expected. What she doesn’t need is a best friend encouraging her to go against what is best for our family.”
I cross my arms, annoyed by his sheer disrespect for Maddy’s wants. “Maddy deserves to make her own decisions, as does Aston. They’re no longer kids.”
“See, Everleigh, your lack of understanding is the reason why you’ll never work out with my son.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m no fool. Who do you think owns the building you slept in? And did you expect to attend the event without me finding out? When a woman is standing beside my son, everyone is watching, including me. After all, the next Mrs. Beaumont will be more than a small-town café owner.”
Mr. Beaumont cocks his head with an arrogant smirk while I stand here in shock. Just as he is about to open his mouth again, Maddy walks into the room groaning.
“I will never drink again,” she mutters.
With a shaky hand, I slide a tall cup of Americano toward her. Maddy despises coffee with no milk, but today, she needs the extra jolt of energy.
Mr. Beaumont leaves the room when his phone rings. The piercing sound is enough to make Maddy block her ears. Even after he’s gone, the tightness in my chest lingers from his callous words. Not only does he know about me and Aston, but I’m considered not good enough.
Me, a woman who started her own business without billions of dollars to fall back on.
Everything I’ve worked hard for isn’t good enough for a man who has proven impossible to please.
Maddy cringes when she sips the steaming coffee. “This tastes like ass.”
“I’m glad you know what ass tastes like,” I mumble, turning away while trying to hold back my emotions.
An email comes through from the restaurant confirming numbers for tonight—so far, no one has pulled out—prompting me to respond quickly.
There are a few other things I need to do today, and time is of the essence, so I finish the remaining coffee inside my cup, desperate to get out of here. “I have to run some errands.”
Just as I hop off the stool, Aston walks in wearing his checked red-and-black bottoms with no shirt. I swallow with great difficulty, avoiding looking at his hot body, but Mr. Beaumont’s words continue to haunt me.
“Why do you look so happy?” Maddy questions grumpily. “And why aren’t you hungover? What about Myles? God, tell me everything that happened.”
“I’m going to head to the café,” I say with a smile. “I’ll see you both tonight.”
Aston leans against the counter, crossing his toned arms. The corner of his mouth lifts, he’s teasing me with his piercing green eyes.
Mr. Beaumont is wrong.
Aston will do whatever the hell he wants, and after last night, it’s clear he wants me.
My head falls to hide my grin as I take a step toward the door.
“Oh, Everleigh?” Aston calls, forcing me to turn around. I take in a deep breath, preparing myself to face him again. When our eyes meet, he cocks his head with a smirk. “I’ll be at your place twelve sharp to finalize the things we discussed last night.”
“What things?” Maddy asks, eyeing both of us.
“Wedding things you made us do,” Aston snaps, shaking his head. “You know, once this wedding is over, everyone has to return to their own lives.”
Maddy folds her arms. “Oh yeah, and who do you have to go back to, huh?”
“My personal life is no one’s damn business.”
Back in high school, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get stuck in the middle of their sibling arguments. Evidently, nothing has changed.
“Okay, listen. Can I just say one thing before this gets out of hand?” They both glance at me, waiting for me to say something. “You both need to chill out. This is a time for celebrating love.”
Maddy’s lips press together. “That sounded corny.”
“You’re right, it did,” I concur, only to turn my back on them again and yell over my shoulder, “Now, both of you grow up and stop arguing!”
“Are you moving people around for your own sick and twisted pleasure?”
The finalized seating chart is on the screen as we sit on the sofa. Aston insisted I stay naked, which, might I add, is incredibly uncomfortable when you’re trying to do serious things, and your boobs are just hanging there saying hello. I negotiated and was able to wear his T-shirt instead.
From the moment he arrived, he made sure to fuck me in every which way possible. Against the front door, in the kitchen on the counter, where he apparently had the best “meal” of his life, on this very sofa.
“Yes.” He grins, pulling my laptop from me. “You see, Josephine was married to Larry until he was caught doing the housekeeper. It was one hell of a nasty divorce because he also knocked her up.”
My hand slaps against my mouth to hide my shock. “Don’t you dare! That’s so mean!”
“But is it?” He raises his brows with a slow smile building. “What’s life without a little fun?”
“You’re a bully,” I tease before he places the laptop down and pins me to the sofa.
Aston kisses me deeply, then fixes his gaze on mine. “Would a bully fuck you for the fourth time today and make you come again, huh?”
I shake my head, unable to hold back my simper.