Page 49 of Aiden & Lily

“This is all I ever wanted,” she whispered.

“What is?”

“You.”

Just like that, his heart nearly burst.

Aiden stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He held her close, but not so tightly that she couldn’t move. No onelooked at him the way she did. No one gave him the benefit of the doubt the way she was willing to.

Even after he’d hurt her, she was giving him another chance. The thought filled him with gratitude.

And guilt.

Because there was still more she didn’t know. He started to pull back, the truth pressing hard against the back of his teeth.

Then Lily lifted her face to his. Their faces were so close, he could feel her warm breath on his lips. The kiss happened softly at first, almost like a question. Aiden answered by drawing her closer.

It held all the longing he’d kept restrained since the first night he’d met her. He hadn’t known how much he’d been holding back until this moment.

Maybe it had been guilt. Maybe knowing, deep down, that she deserved more honesty than he’d given her. Perhaps he had simply been scared.

Whatever the reason, he let himself be present with her now while one stubborn truth remained lodged inside him. He still owed her more.

This was what he wanted.

Someone who could accept him without pretending his mistakes didn’t matter. Someone who could make him laugh and help him forget the troubles that plagued him for a little while. Someone who made him believe he could become better than the man he’d been.

Their kiss deepened, and his hand settled gently at the back of her head while the other rested at her hip. When her fingers slipped into his hair, everything else seemed to fall away.

Aiden felt like he was floating.

Like he’d been transported into another reality where nothing stood between them.

Lily was the first to pull back, breathless. Her cheeks and nose were tinged with pink, and her lips were swollen from their kiss. But her eyes were shining just as bright as ever.

Aiden brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. Without thinking of the consequences, he blurted, “I’m falling in love with you, Lily.”

He froze when her eyes flared with surprise. The confession had come out without thought. It was true, but he wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it.

What was she going to?—

“I love you, too, Aiden Christopher Stone.”

Her whispered words were music to his ears. But the gentle kiss that followed was absolute heaven.

Tenderness replaced the earlier urgency, but the joy in his chest tangled with a quiet conviction.

He loved her.

Which meant he couldn’t keep asking her to love only the parts of the truth he was brave enough to give her.

14

LILY

“Here’s the updated list.” Penny handed Lily a sheet of paper. “The baby shower is going to be for all my friends and family and his. We’re not going to make this just about the girls.”

Lily accepted the list and looked it over. “I’ll get the invitations sent out by tomorrow. You wanted them digital, right?”