Page 18 of Aiden & Lily

The passenger door opened and sunshine itself climbed right inside. “Hey,” she said breathlessly. “Ready?”

Her beauty was unmatched. The shine of her hair. The way her jeans and blouse accentuated her soft curves. Everything about her called to him.

And he’d nearly left.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “You?”

Lily nodded. “Yeah.”

There wasa reason he’d picked a lookout toward the outskirts of Copper Creek.

Not many people liked to hike up the steep hills to make it to this point, so he had less concern about being caught by someone he knew.

Which made him feel a little like a coward.

They stared out at the sun setting over the horizon, silence stretching between them.

Never in his life had Aiden felt so… awkward. Normally, he could flirt and joke around without a single care in the world. If a girl didn’t like him, he moved on to the next one without any hurt feelings.

That was how he should be viewing the situation right now. But as his eyes drank in the woman at his side, all he could think about was what would happen if he had to walk away.

He hardly knew this woman, and all he wanted was to spend time with her. Bask in the warmth of her bright smile. Be near whatever it was in her that made the rest of the world feel a little less sharp.

What was wrong with him? Next thing he knew, he was going to start spouting off sonnets or something.

Lily shifted and glanced at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You were late tonight.”

He winced. “Yeah… uh… my brother stopped by unexpectedly.”

He braced himself for what might come next. She might tell him that if she wasn’t worth the effort, they could end things now. That might actually be the best option if he was honest, but the thought of that happening made his skin go clammy.

“I get it,” she said quietly.

“You… do?” he spluttered.

She laughed, and he could feel his embarrassment creeping up the back of his neck. Thankfully, it was too dark for that to give him away.

“Yes, I understand,” she insisted. “I know how important family can be.”

Once more, he fought the urge to flinch.

Family. Her family. Meaning Mathew among others.

He gripped the back of his neck and shifted a little farther from her. “Yeah, we—well, we haven’t been on the best of terms lately. It was unexpected, to say the least.”

She turned to him, frowning. Her elbow rested against the railing that surrounded them at the edge of the lookout. “Oh no. What happened?”

He peered at her. The glow in the sky outlined her silhouette. Once again, she looked like an angel. Ethereal.

“You’re really not upset?”

Lily snorted. “Honestly, under different circumstances, being late without an explanation might have ended the date before it started.”

He nearly choked at her confession. “Why?”

It was her turn to make a face. “I have this… thing. I really don’t like when people don’t respect me or my time. I need to know the people in my life will value what I give them, whether it’s friendship or…” She trailed off, her eyes drifting away as she finished quietly, “something else.”

Goosebumps rose on his arms, but he couldn’t bring himself to rub at them. That would make them even more real.