Page 58 of Finding Happily Ever After

It still pained Aiden to think about the way he’d treated her first time. He would never forgive himself for that. He should have done it differently. He should have made it…but… “No.” He shook his head softly. “That’s different. You didn’t have to tell me that. It’s…but can I ask why you didn’t tell me?” There was something she’d said at the time. A flicker of a memory. A reason.

Her lips twitched up into a tiny smile before it vanished again. “I didn’t want you to treat me any differently,” she said. “I didn’t want it to be athingbetween us. I just know I wanted you, and I wanted it to berealand in the moment.”

It definitely was that.

“It wasn’t about keeping secrets,” she said. “Not really. I just…”

He touched his finger to her lips. “No more secrets, okay?”

“No more secrets.” She smiled and then dropped her chin quickly before looking away.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” Aiden lifted her chin with his finger so they could look each other in the eyes. “Please.”

Natalie swallowed hard. “I’m thinking that I’ve never felt the way I’ve felt when I’m with you and…I’m afraid I might be in love with you.”

Her words tore through him, leaving him in tatters. But also, they gave him strength. “You’re afraid?”

She nodded.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Natalie laughed a little. “How could I not be? I’ve never felt this way before and we’ve managed to—”

He cut her off with another kiss, because there was no way Aiden was going to let her finish that sentence. They hadnotscrewed anything up. They were humans. Imperfect humans who made mistakes and then fixed them. And they’d do it together as long as she’d let him. Because as long as they did it together, they’d be okay. Better than okay.

They’d be together. That’s all he needed. And everything he wanted.

ChapterSeventeen

Natalie couldn’t convinceherself to open her eyes. The last time she’d woken up in Aiden’s bed, she’d been filled with a joy like she’d never felt before. But only for a moment before it was ripped away.

Of course, they’d not actually fallen asleep this time. As far as she knew, it was probably around eight or nine at night.

Still.

She’d already laid there with her eyes squeezed shut, trying her best not to be superstitious for far too long.

Reasonably, she knew there was nothing to be afraid of: before they’d finally tumbled into Aiden’s bed, no longer able to keep their hands and mouths off each other, they’d talked abouteverything. They’d both apologized so many times for overreacting, Natalie was sure they’d worn out the words. But the more they talked, the more she understood his reaction the other morning when she freaked out about Brenna.

And he understood her reaction.

And most importantly, they both understood that they’d both acted like idiots. Idiots who were obviously so terrified and overwhelmed by the feelings stirred up in their souls that they’d overreacted. Terribly overreacted.

Thankfully, they’d been able to move past it and into the making up part of the evening. Natalie’s body still vibrated from all of themaking upthey’d done. Still, she wouldn’t open her eyes.

“Nat?”

“No.” She shook her head against the pillow as Aiden slid his hand over her bare midsection and slowly started drawing circles on her belly.

He laughed. “What are you saying no to?”

“No to waking up.”

“You weren’t sleeping.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Umm…it kind of does.”

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