18. Bailey
Bailey
Afew hours later Aiden and I are in the kitchen cooking dinner. He is spreading the garlic butter onto the crusty loaf of bread we bought at the store earlier.
After we got back from the store we got some cleaning done before I went to take a nap. I’ve gotten some of my energy back since I entered the second trimester, but not as much as I would like.
“Ok Blue, what’s up?” Aiden asks for what feels like the hundredth time today.
I’ve been quiet since we got back from the store today, and I know Aiden can tell.
I cannot stop thinking about that moment when the cashier said something about Little Bear being wrapped around her daddy’s finger.
I wanted to just let her think that he was her daddy.
I truly didn’t want to correct her, but then in the split second I had to decide, I ended up doing just that.
I didn’t know how Aiden would feel about people thinking Rowan was his.
I know he loves Rowan, but being mom’s best friend and loving her is very different then her being his and loving her.
“Nothing, what do you mean?” I say, knowing full well he is going to see through my innocent act. I just need a few minutes to figure out a believable lie, or work up the nerve to be honest. Both are real possibilities at this point.
“Nope, you keep looking over here like you want to say something. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”
He walks over to me and takes the knife I had been using to chop veggies out of my hand. He places one hand on either side of me, caging me against the counter, his chest pressed against my back.
I turn around, and we are so close, my chest is brushing his with every inhale. “I just feel like things got awkward after that woman at the store called you Rowan’s daddy. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but I didn’t know how to bring it up.”
His jaw works back and forth at my words, his face unreadable. “I wasn’t uncomfortable for the reasons you may think, Blue.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, “I know I’m just your best friend, and that you love me and Rowan, but I don’t want to put you in an awkward position every time we are out in public and people assume that this baby is yours.”
“Bailey let me make one thing perfectly clear.” I gasp at the intensity on his face, the raw emotion I see there, “You are not just anything. You are my best friend, the light of my life, my everything. When people assume that I’m her dad, I’m not uncomfortable because I don’t want people thinking she’s mine.
I’m uncomfortable by how right it feels when people assume you both are.
How much I want you both to be mine.” He crowds impossibly closer to me.
“I didn’t want to spring this on you in the kitchen, while we are making dinner, minutes before all our friends come over, but I’m not going to sit here while you’re thinking that I hate the idea of this baby being mine.
” He places a gentle hand on my rounded belly, “Douchebag Daniel might not want to be her dad, but I do.”
Someone pinch me, I think I’m dreaming. Aiden Baker, my best friend, favorite person, the person who takes every single side of me and has accepted them all wants me?
I stand there in silence at the raw honesty he just gave me.
There is so much I want to say, but the words don’t seem to want to come.
I am stunned, frozen in this moment, not wanting to wake up if this is a dream.
Trying to comprehend how it’s possible that Aiden feels the same way.
That the part of my heart I have kept locked away, dreamed about in secret, might just be the same way he has always felt.
“Please say something,” He whispers, cupping my face in both hands, trying to decipher what I’m thinking. I can see the worry clouding his eyes, thinking I’m about to reject him.
“I love you,” I breathe three little words we have said countless times but hold so much more meaning right now. It’s probably too soon to be saying them. It’s definitely too soon to be saying them, but holding them in feels wrong. He needs to know I feel the same way.
“Fuck.” He releases a heavy sigh. Tears shining in his eyes. “Do you really?”
I take his face in my hands, “I’ve loved you for so long Aiden Baker.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” He chuckles.
“Why didn’t you?” I retort.
“I was scared. Scared you wouldn’t share my feelings, that you would reject me. Scared things would fall apart and we would no longer be friends. I was so scared.” He leans in, so close that his breath fans against my cheek, “Can I kiss you? God, I feel like I need to kiss you, Blue.”
Instead of answering, I press my lips against his.
His lips are warm and soft. We start off slow, exploring each other’s lips.
This kiss is nothing like the one when we were fourteen.
This kiss is all-consuming, life-altering.
I feel his tongue tease the seam of my lips, and I open for him.
His tongue immediately thrusts into my mouth, tangling with mine.
A groan comes from deep in his chest. My hands tangle in his hair, and his go to my ass, lifting me up.
My legs wrap around his waist. He turns us around and lifts me onto the island behind us.
He settles his body between my spread legs, and I feel his rock hard length pressing against the center of my jeans.
I am going to need to change my underwear, these are well and truly ruined.
I moan when he rocks into me. It’s like he is trying to push years of lust and longing into this one kiss.
The taste of him is almost too much for me to handle.
The front door opens and I hear Magnolia say, “Oh shit.”
Aiden presses his forehead to mine. Both of us breathing erratically, our cheeks flushed. I look behind us, toward the door and see Maddox, Magnolia, Chloe and Dallas have all entered our apartment, all of them trying to hide shit eating grins.
“It’s about fucking time!” Maddy says with the biggest smile on his face. He turns to Dallas “You all owe me a hundred bucks.”
“Dammit! You guys couldn’t have held out until after Little Bear was born?” Dallas says with a laugh.
I turn back to Aiden and bury my face in his chest, trying to hide the flush in my cheeks.
Sebastian opens the front door and walks right into Chloe, “Why is everyone standing by the door? Why is Bailey trying to hide?”
I push Adien away from me and hop down from the counter and go back to chopping vegetables. Maybe if I pretend nothing happened, they’ll drop it.
Of course Chloe isn’t going to let it go. “We just walked in on Aiden and Bailey making out.”
Sebastian lets out a bark of laughter, “Took them long enough!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I can practically hear the smirk in Aiden’s voice.
“Every one of us has had some sort of conversation about when we thought this was going to happen.” Maddox gestures between the two of us.
“We had a little pool going on when you guys would finally cave and kiss for the first time. I had you holding out until twenty-two weeks. Since I’m closest without the week passing, I will get the money. ”
“Technically our first kiss was seven years ago right before high school.” I say, “so I guess no one won.”
“Wait, high school. Have y’all been keeping this from us this whole time?” Maggy looks thoroughly offended.
“No, it was more of a ‘let’s each get our first kiss out of the way with someone we trust then never talk about it again,’ type situation,” Aiden says.
“Then that one doesn’t count,” Maddox laughs.
“Magnolia said you guys would figure your shit out by 12 weeks, Chloe said 14, Momma said 24, Pop said when the baby was 2 months old, Bash was convinced it would take until Rowan was a year, Dallas said within the first month after birth, and the winner was me at 22 weeks. As I am the closest, I am the winner. I won the pooled money and bragging rights for all of eternity.”
“Charly didn’t participate?” I say, “also, Momma and Pop got in on this? The fuck?” Aiden says, I’m guessing he will be calling them as soon as he wakes up in the morning to chew them out.
“Charly is officially my favorite. You all suck.” I say as I, finally, get the garlic bread in the oven.
“Oh no, she was convinced you guys would never pull your heads out of your asses and would pine for each other forever.” Sebastian says smirking, “She’s trouble that one.”
“I hate you all!” I dump a couple packs of spaghetti into the boiling water, and turn around to face them.
“Come on, Bee, it’s funny! It was mostly a joke.” Chloe says, trying to break the tension that has creeped into the air.
“It’s not a joke though, this is our lives.
You guys are just discussing and betting on what could be the rest of our lives.
That’s not fair. You all just talked about this behind our backs, treating something as important as this,” I gesture between me and Aiden, “like a joke. I love you all, but that’s pretty fucked up. ”
Every person in the group looks properly chastised, and there is a chorus of ‘sorries’ through the group.
“You want this to be forever, Blue?” Aiden snakes an arm around my waist and kisses my neck.
“We will talk about this later,” I glare at him, but there is no heat behind it.
“Fuck you guys are cute,” Chloe gags, “I think I’m going to vomit.”
“Would it make you feel any better if I took all the winnings and put it into a savings account for RoRo?” Maddox still looks the most guilty, I’m fairly sure this bet was his idea. I’ll have to give him a hard time about it later.
“Keep the money Maddy. You won, didn’t you?
” I shake my head and chuckle. God, pregnancy hormones are insane.
Two seconds ago I was angry at them, now I’m laughing.
These mood swings are no joke. “It’s fine guys, just no more betting on each other’s lives.
It’s fucked up. We have to let people figure stuff out on their own, and not make predictions for things we don’t know for sure what’s happening. ”
“You mean, we aren’t allowed to place bets on when Dallas will tell—” Chloe is cut off by Dallas’ hand over her mouth.
“That’s enough little sister.” He says giving her a hard stare.
Fuck, I really wish I knew what she was going to say. I mean, if I could guess it would have something to do with the way looks at Maggy like she’s the air he needs to breathe when she isn’t looking, but I could be wrong.
We get back to working on finishing up dinner, so everyone can eat.
We push the awkward start to our game night away, choosing to enjoy ourselves instead of letting it ruin our night.
I’m sure we will talk more about this bet, and what is going on with Aiden and I more soon, but for tonight, we are just going to have fun playing games and eating good food with friends that have turned into family.