Page 82 of Almost True
Luca finished his presentation and beamed right as applause began. He was up on a stage, elevated above the audience, and I was clapping and laughing and honestly, a little teary-eyed. It was so good to see him and amazing to hear him deliver such a cogent, interesting presentation. He’d shared a lot of the details over email, but this was even better than expected.
I’d spotted Aidan the minute I walked into the room, but I didn’t want to distract him or Luca, so I’d slipped back behind the raised seating, into the shadows, to watch. By the end, I’d edged forward, into the light, and as though thinking about him seeing me made it happen, Aidan’s eyes found me.
My breath came in a rush.So handsome.I hadn’t let myself look, but there was no denying it. He was just stunning, even if he did look two parts confused, one part perturbed to see me. He made his way through the milling crowd that had broken when Luca finished since his was the last presentation, and finally reached me.
“What are you doing here?” It came out accusatory.
My heart raced and raced. “I—”
“You made it! I didn’t know if you really would!” Luca’s arms wrapped around me and squeezed, released, and he beamed up at me. “What did you think?”
With a quick glance up at Aidan, I smiled back at Luca. “You were amazing.”
The crowd shifted and bumped against us. Aidan’s eyes were boring into me, and as much as I wanted to talk to him and explain everything, there was no chance we could do that here.
“Where are Gig and Doodle? Did Grandma and Grandpa come?” Luca peered around Aidan toward a small group of people who were all chatting amicably.
“They are. They’ll want to see you, but—”
“Please, go talk to them. I’ll see you later?” It was so much less than the begging I wanted to do, but I knew we wouldn’t make any progress here. Plus, this moment was for Luca, and we didn’t need to ruin it with the tension between us.
Aidan’s brow dipped low, but he nodded.
Relief, and not for the first time tonight, hope whispered through me.
* * *
Everyone arrived on time. The caterers buzzed around the house from person to person, sharing delicious tiny bites of food. Dahlia’s flowers were gorgeous, spraying from the banisters, large vases, and any place I could think to stuff them.
But Aidan hadn’t arrived yet. And the closer to eight o’clock it got, the more nervous I became that maybe he wouldn’t show. I’d still make my announcement, but I wanted him here for it. He’d said he’d be there, and I had no reason to doubt him, except for the fact that I knew I’d hurt him by leaving and cutting off communication. I couldn’t take that back.
When the doorbell rang at ten to eight, my breath caught. Everyone else was here. Dahlia nodded, signaling she’d get the door. Anthony would’ve done it, but I’d let him off the hook for tonight since he hadn’t been ready to leave the city so soon after being nomadic for so long.
The low tenor of men’s voices registered through my nervous pinging thoughts, and I took off toward them. What had I been thinking, letting Dahlia answer for me? I’d been waiting to see Aidan for weeks—months at this point. I wanted nothing more than to run to him, and though I recognized the need to tread carefully now, I’d been a fool to think I could stay calm when he was down the hall.
My breath caught at the sight of Aidan’s profile—his hair looked freshly trimmed but still long on top and his beard was still that dark mix of black, gray, gold, and red. His gaze moved between his cousin and Dahlia like he couldn’t quite understand them. He wore a faintly confused expression, if I was reading him right, and just as I registered that, Dahlia’s words pulled my attention to her.
“I wasn’t trying to be unwelcoming, John. I simply didn’t realize you were coming.”
John scowled. “As if I’d let him come here alone like some kind of—”
“We’re sorry we’re late, Dahlia. If you could just show us in, we’ll be fine…” His words faded out at the end, softening as his gaze found me. He swallowed hard and dipped his chin. “Maddie.”
My heart twisted and leapt and probably attempted a back handspring if the rioting in my chest was anything to go by. “Hi, Aidan.”
He looked so good in his button-up rolled at the wrists and jeans that looked worn but still nice. He was achingly handsome, and it’d been so long. The blip of a meeting earlier had been so fast, it hardly counted, especially since I’d known all along that would only be a glimpse. We wouldn’t talk the way we needed to—the way I hoped we would tonight.
In many ways, coming to this point felt longer than the time between our very first meeting and returning to Silverton, and yet the actual time passed was a fraction. Still, that draw toward him, the magnetic feeling, filled every inch of the handful of feet creating the distance between us.
“Maddie. Hey. Thanks for having us. I’m curious about thisannouncement.” John stepped between us and held out his hand as though he’d sensed the push and pull between me and his cousin.
I shook his hand, sensing the forced formality and noting the little pinch at my heart. He and I had been friends when I’d left, or so I thought. But I couldn’t fault him for coming here with suspicion or at least skepticism in his eyes.
“You can hold your horses and wait like everyone else. Let’s get you a drink and let them talk a minute,” Dahlia said, reaching for John’s arm and tugging at him.
The strangest thing happened then. John physically jolted, his cheeks reddened so quickly I would’ve thought something was wrong, and he jerked enough that Dahlia pulled her hand back, practically cradling it, while John gritted out a, “Fine.” And off they went, no longer touching, John trailing behind Dahlia and leaving no small amount of that odd energy behind them.
“I still have no idea,” Aidan said, shaking his head after them.
