Page 91 of Make You Stay

“What was that about?” a voice asks to my right. “Catfight in the parking lot?”

Whipping my head around, my eyes widen at the sight of Enid, Jeff,andthe girls. “Not hardly, and how are you all here?”

“Kids are allowed during the day. Besides, Mia swore she would keep the drinking to a minimum.”

“Good thing, because I can’t keep up with her again. She drank me under the table with her juice boxes.”

“Hey, you all made it.”

I smile up at Aidan, blushing when he steals a kiss—in front of his entire family. “I wondered if you were ever coming over.”

“Getting set up. Any requests? Enid?”

“You already know,” his ex-wife replies with a grin.

With a final kiss, Aidan strides to the stage while we order a round of drinks and several plates of appetizers.

As always, Aidan’s band is on point, regaling us with a festive blend of cover tunes. Before long, the warmth of my friends and the music has soothed my rough edges, allowing me to relax.

That is until Aidan calls out my name. “Chloe, I need you to come here.”

Shooting him a look that is part confusion and part terror, I remain rooted to the spot. “Why?”

“Just come here.”

“Go,” Enid insists, even getting Natalie to give me a slight shove out of the booth.

What happened to female camaraderie and girl power, ladies?

Strolling to the front of the stage, I smile when Aidan drops down next to me, pulling me into his arms.

“Hi, handsome.”

“I realized that in the several times we’ve been out together, I never got a chance to dance with you.”

“You’re not missing much. I’m not a great dancer.”

“I should be the judge of that, though. So, I came up with an idea of when we can dance together.”

A nervous laugh bubbles out of my chest. “At least I’m better at dancing than ice skating or billiards, so you should be safe. When is this dancing extravaganza happening?”

“Our wedding.”

For a moment, I can’t hear anything but my heart thudding in my chest. Gazing into his green eyes, I manage a whisper. “Our what?”

Aidan sinks to one knee in front of the entire bar, which is now completely silent, their gazes aimed toward us. “You’re everything, Chloe. From that first lunch together, I knew you were meant for me. I fought it for so long, sure that I knew better. I don’t want this life without you. Every moment of this crazy ride, I want to spend by your side. So, what do you say? Marry me?”

He pulls out a small box, and I damn near collapse onto the floor. The proposal floored me. The fact he has a ring, too? When he opens the box, I can’t hold back the tears. It’s beautiful and classy—a gorgeous round solitaire that catches the light perfectly.

“Before you answer,” Aidan continues, a nervous smile on his face, “I have to tell you the rest.”

“You don’t want me to answer you?” My poor heart, it’s beating like a freight train, and I’m entirely unsure how much more it can stand.

“Not yet, because you need to hear everything first andthendecide. Chloe, I don’t really want you to be my second wife.”

Oh my God, what is he doing? “You don’t?”

He grasps my hands, and I feel him trembling. Glad to know I’m not the only one. “I want you to be my forever one. But there is a non-negotiable condition to this proposal.”

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