Page 79 of Aiden & Lily

“What? You sorta got married after knowing the guy for only a few weeks, right?”

Penny narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue. The others snickered, and Rose’s pointed look seemed to say, Told you so.

Then she turned her attention back to Lily. “You’re not engaged, are you? Dad will flip his lid if he finds out…”

“Of course not,” Lily said quickly. Her brows furrowed. “But honestly? If Aiden asked, I think I’d say yes.”

Jasmine’s brows lifted so high Lily imagined them disappearing into her hairline. “Even after what he did?”

Rose glanced between them. “After he did what?”

Lily shot her twin a dirty look. That had been a secret, and now she would have to explain because not one of her sisters would let the subject go.

Jasmine didn’t seem to have any reservations, however. She turned to the rest of the group. “Apparently, Aiden knew Lily was Mathew’s cousin, and he didn’t tell her. Kept it a secret.”

Penny made a sound in the back of her throat and nodded. “Oh. That.”

Rose frowned. “Oh, what?”

“Mathew has this rule that his friends can’t date anyone in his family,” Penny explained. “That’s probably why Aiden was afraid of people finding out. They’re really close.” She glanced at Lily. “Is that why Mathew has been in such a mood?”

Lily had told Penny about the relationship after everything came out with Mathew. Now Reese was the only person who didn’t know Christopher was actually Aiden.

She nodded. “Apparently, they’re doing better. They had a good talk a couple of days ago. It seems like things are settling down.”

“Mathew can’t hold a grudge to save his life,” Penny said with a huff, though she was smiling. “And if he could forgive me for being with Royce, then he could forgive Aiden, too.” She scrunched her nose. “But actually, Aiden probably did throw a pretty big wrench into things, didn’t he?”

Lily laughed. “You have no idea.”

Jasmine nudged her in the side. “But back to your original question. Are you serious? You’d marry him?”

Lily nodded without hesitation. “I’m so gone for him.”

A chorus of awws rose from her sisters and cousin.

“It’s hard, though,” Lily added.

“How do you mean?” Rose asked as she plucked a chip from the communal bowl and dipped it into the salsa.

“Well, Aiden has a hard time believing the good things in his life are really meant for him.” Lily frowned. “I’m not sure he even realizes he does it sometimes.”

Penny’s reaction was the only one that caught Lily’s attention. Her brows drew together, but she didn’t say anything.

Lily continued. “Maybe that’s part of why he never settled down before. It was easier not to want anything serious than to risk losing it.”

“That’s so sad,” Violet murmured.

“It’s not uncommon,” Penny said. “People sometimes sabotage the things they want because it proves their worst fears right. It becomes a kind of armor. If they expect everything to fall apart, they can tell themselves they were prepared for it.” She shifted in her seat. “But now Aiden wants something real, and he has to learn that he can reach for it without assuming it’ll be taken away.”

Lily leaned back in her chair, her appetite fading. “I just think God wants good things for us, even when we have a hard time believing we deserve them.”

Rose shrugged. “I don’t go to church enough these days to know.”

Iris added, “I could stand to dust off my Sunday shoes, too.”

“Maybe we could all go to the new church together when it opens.” Violet turned her full attention to Jasmine. "Right?"

Jasmine hesitated for the briefest moment before nodding. "Of course."