Page 67 of Almost True
Based on my suggestion last night?Yeah.Bad timing, at least. He hadn’t been able to hear it, and I should’ve known better. But things between us felt close—they felt good. And I was used to sharing my opinion. Heck, I was paid for it, begged for it. It’d seemed natural for me to help, maybe try to fix things for him.
But that was where I went wrong, and I’d only realized it after the words were out of my mouth.“Maybe you should just be honest?”
He’d been quiet a moment before saying, “Yeah, maybe I’ll try that.” Then he’d begged off, claiming he was exhausted. That hadn’t been a ruse. I could tell he was absolutely running on empty, but everything hurt once he’d hung up.
We’d texted short good mornings today. A few notes about logistics for tonight—he’d pick me up. We’d arrive at the brewery together. Timing.
I hoped we could clear the air in the next few minutes because if not, it’d make the whole evening disappointing, and I’d have no one to blame but my know-it-all self.
When Aidan rang the doorbell, I answered with nerves in my throat. He had his hands crammed in his jeans pockets and glanced up through thick, dark lashes with enough feeling in his eyes to make my heart flip flop.
“Hey. You look beautiful.”
I glanced down at my white dress, momentarily forgetting that I’d gone all out for the night. Despite the weirdness between us, I wanted to look good for him. I wore a white sleeveless dress with a skirt that flared and ended above the knees, along with nude sandals with a healthy heel since he had plenty of height on me. I’d done my hair in waves with just one side pinned back behind my ear.
“You look very handsome.” He did, too. A navy button-up rolled at the wrists and jeans with his perpetually handsome face had my heart fluttering despite the feeling that I wasn’t sure where we stood.
He reached for my hand. “I’m sorry I was short last night. I was exhausted, and it was a little hard to hear, but—”
“I’m sorry I said anything. I knew you were exhausted, and it wasn’t the right time. I stand by what I said, but I am truly sorry forwhenI said it.”
A soft smile pulled at his cheeks. “You were right to say something. And I agree. As much as I hate to admit it, I do need to just tell them. It’s a long time coming and I’d hoped to avoid it, but I don’t think I can put it off unless I want to lose this offer.”
“I know it’ll be difficult, but I’m hoping that in the end, everyone will be relieved to have the truth out there.”
He nodded, pulling me in for a hug and I gladly accepted it, giving the embrace every bit of me and tucking my face into his neck. We breathed together for a minute, and then he pulled away just enough to look at me so closely, it made my heart twist. The expression was raw and open. It was a gift. And in that moment, his vulnerability and willingness to share these difficult things with me hammered home what I’d suspected for days now.
I loved Aidan Wallace. I loved him with a breathless, heart-wrenching kind of love that felt impossible and yet more significant than anything I’d ever experienced. It hadn’t even snuck up on me. It was as though, in hindsight, I’d seen it coming since the first time we met. Maybe my heart had been chasing after him all this time, trying to catch up and fit itself back together.
I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but we certainly had connected.
“Thank you,” he said softly, further cementing his place in my heart.
As thoughheneeded to thankme.Ugh, this man.
I shook my head, a kind of doom circling my mind in the wake of my realization. I loved him and knew on a gut level I’d never love anyone like this again, but he would never leave here and I couldn’t stay. What kind of idiocy was that? “You know you’re ruining me, right?”
His brow furrowed and he dipped his head to touch mine. “I don’t want to do that.”
I huffed and pressed a kiss to his cheek before pulling away entirely. “Yeah. That’s just another way you end up being so good at it.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN
Aidan
The “Surprise!” rang out loudly enough it made my ears ring for a few seconds afterward. My heart had seized up as well, and now it sprinted in my chest, cranked up with adrenaline and genuine surprise. A giantHappy 40thBirthday Aidan!banner hung along the back wall of the Silver Ridge Brewing Company’s event space.
“I take it by the blush and the surprised face that you were, in fact, surprised?” John said, beaming at me and looking incredibly pleased with himself.
“Yes. You got me.”
A whole string of people smiled at me, grinning at my winded, blown-away expression, no doubt. I could hardly absorb how many people had come. Jonas Bauer and Leo Morrison, Jamie and Bel Morris, Dahlia, all the Saint brothers and their partners, my uncle and aunt, my cousin and his wife, my crew and several of the guys from the farm… whohadn’tcome was probably the better question.
He turned to Maddie. “You didn’t tell him? I’m impressed. I thought for sure you’d do the old insider girlfriend spoiler.”
Maddie frowned at him. “Who hurt you?”
He chuckled, but I knew well enough the question was valid. Granted, he’d been joking, but John didn’t talk about women in the romantic sense much, and when he did, it was very rarely in a positive light. He wasn’t angry or condescending, but he had a skepticism or wariness about him that made his walls thick.
