Page 35 of Aiden & Lily

“I don’t think it’s crazy at all.” His voice had gone quiet in a way that made her listen harder. “You just have to take the first step.”

“With what money?”

He frowned. “Are things really that tight?”

She lifted a shoulder and closed her eyes as she turned her face to the sky once more. “We’re a big family on a farm. We always have to be worried about how the crops are doing and if we’re going to earn enough to make ends meet during the off-season. I would never ask my sister to help finance that sort of thing, and I don’t like the idea of going into debt.”

“But if money wasn’t an issue?”

She laughed. “Money is always an issue.”

“You know there are grants and scholarships for things like this, right? You just have to know where to look.”

That had her turning her head to look at him. “I suppose you’re right.”

Something about the certainty in his voice planted a tiny seed of possibility in her chest. It wasn’t much. Not yet. But it was enough to make her wonder what it would feel like to take thatfirst step. To choose something that belonged to her, not only something that was expected.

Once again, their conversation dwindled, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

Yesterday, she’d met up with Reese to get some coffee, and the subject had shifted to her new boyfriend. At least, that was what she was calling Christopher.

“My friend wants to meet you,” she blurted.

Then she winced.

She knew better than to ask Christopher to step out of his comfort zone so quickly. She’d told Reese that Christopher was shy and a private person. They would meet eventually, but they wanted to keep things quiet for now.

Reese understood. They’d gone through the same thing when she’d dated him.

“Your friend?” Christopher murmured, an edge to his voice.

She turned to look at him again. “Yeah, my ex.”

He made a face, and she let out a laugh.

“He’s not that bad. And he’d love you.”

Christopher buried his face in his arms again. “Lily…”

A sigh built in her chest.

She’d expected this reaction. She knew he probably wasn’t going to be interested in meeting Reese, even though she’d made it clear that Reese was one of the most important friends she had.

Still, some part of her had hoped that when she brought it up, Christopher would agree to meet at least one of the prominent people in her life.

“I get that he’s my ex and that makes things awkward,” she said carefully. “But I already told you he’s just a friend. He’s probably my best friend. And I want you two to get along.”

“That’s not it,” Christopher grumbled. “I don’t care that he’s your ex. It’s not my place to tell you who you should or shouldn’t be friends with.”

“Then what is it?” She lifted herself up on her elbow and pinned him with a hard stare. “Why won’t you meet anyone in my life? Every time we get together, it’s alone. We don’t interact with anyone from town?—”

He sat up and dragged both hands down his face, then met her eyes. “I told you. I’m a private person. I prefer getting to know you on a deeper level before worrying about whether my friends or yours will approve. Do you have any idea how many relationships are affected because friends or family start weighing in before two people know where they stand?”

She shot him a disbelieving look. “So you’re saying I’m not strong enough to stand up for myself? You think that if Reese tells me he doesn’t think you’re good for me, I’ll just agree with him and we’ll go our separate ways?”

He released a frustrated sound and got to his feet. She watched him pace back and forth in agitation. “No. I didn’t say that. I’m not worried about you being weak.” He stopped, then pushed a hand through his hair. “I’m worried about messing this up before it has a chance to become something solid.”

The admission was softer than his earlier argument.