Page 79 of A Cowboy's Bride
Sasha stuck out her tongue, but she joined the others as the crowd grabbed coats and headed outside.
At first Aiden thought they’d managed to dodge a bullet when Chance Gabrielle paused to offer the older couple a warm greeting. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Petra and her fiancé have been the most delightful addition to Heart Falls.”
If Aiden could’ve dropped through a hole in the floor at that moment he totally would’ve.
Recovering quickly, Petra’s dad smiled tightly. “That’s wonderful to know.”
“Come on, Chance, Tansy is waving at us.” Rose dipped her head politely at the Sorensons even as she pulled her fiancé out the door.
Petra shuffled her parents to the side, waiting until the room had cleared to continue. She took a deep breath and made introductions.
“Aiden, these are my parents. Pamela and Zachary Sorenson. Mom and Dad,” Petra stepped closer and slid her arm around Aiden’s waist, firmly fixing him to her side. “This is Aiden Skye. Co-owner of High Water ranch with his brothers.”
“I’m going to hold off on the nice to know you part.” Zachary shook his head as he focused on his daughter. “Petra, what’s going on?”
“Yes, that’s what I’d like to know as well.” Pamela eyed them with something close to horror. “You’re engaged?”
Aiden opened his mouth to answer but Petra beat him to it. “We’re dating. But there’s a small complication that, because of confidentiality reasons, I can’t share?—”
“They’re your parents. You can share,” Aiden offered softly.
“Why does this feel like when Zach announced that he’d accidentally gotten drunk and married in Vegas?” Pamela asked. “And that he’d been pretending he and Julia were together. But they really were together…”
“It’s not like that,” Petra assured them.
“The complicated parts of this aside, I’m still concerned. You’re already seriously dating someone?” Zachary asked. “Sweetheart, it’s only been a short time. Is this some sort of rebound? Because I know that young man back home did a number on you?—”
“What?” Petra demanded. She took a step back, anxiety so clear in the tension in her body that Aiden wanted to scoop her into his arms and protect her. She turned to her parents. “You knew about Curtis?”
“We knew you were seeing someone, but when you suddenly decided you didn’t want to live in town anymore, we figured out things had gone sideways.” Her mother spoke softly, sympathy in her voice. “It’s not a failing for a relationship not to last. Not everyone is meant to be together. That’s why you date.”
“But that doesn’t mean you should jump into another relationship immediately.” Zachary eyed Aiden. “I hope you’ve been treating my daughter with the respect she deserves.”
What a nightmare of a tangle. “Of course, sir. But at the same time, this is becoming the kind of conversation where I need to politely tell you to butt out. Petra is a grown woman, and she knows her own mind. She’s not in any danger, and I would do anything to keep her safe and secure. So other than that, I don't want to be rude, but?—”
“Don’t stick my nose in your business?” Zachary demanded.
“Zachary, Aiden is right. Although, this is not about us telling Petra what she can or cannot do with her life.” Pamela eyed Petra with a sincere love. “It’s just that it’s sofast. That’s the part that worries me.”
“Holy shit.” Petra turned to Aiden, her expression turning from concern to one of excitement and discovery. As if she had just solved some sort of huge puzzle. “That’sit. That’s what’s been bugging me.”
“Excuse me?” Now Aiden felt as if he wasn’t part of this conversation.
She grabbed him by the hand and tugged him toward the door. “Excuse me, Mom, Dad. Go enjoy the surprise and visit with Zach and Julia, and we’ll catch up later. I’m glad you’re here, and everything’s going to be fine, but right now, Aiden and I need to talk.”
A minute later, he had been pulled out the door into the wintry cold, dark night. Aiden went willingly, and they ended up in his rooms on the ground floor. The ones that he hadn’t been doing a whole lot of work on lately because he was enjoying living in the house with Petra.
“So, that went well,” he started.
She turned on him. “I figured it out. I know what’s been bothering me this entire time.”
Entire time?“I think you’re three steps ahead of me in this conversation,” Aiden warned.
“This whole fiancée thing just came up out of the blue, right? I mean, Declan threw it at us that first day when Danielle was there.Hey, here she is, Aiden’s fiancée, Petra. And at that point we’d had, what, three hours in each other’s company this go round? But we had to roll with it. Which has been a thing, but here’s what gets me. I kept looking at the calendar as the days flew past. It wasOh, we’re engaged, and thenOh, it’s one day until Jinx arrives,don’t screw this up, and then it had been a week she was there, and a month, and now it’s over two months.” The longer she spoke, the louder and more intense she got. “It seems as if we keep doing the next thing and never stop to realize what’s really going on.”
“Whatisgoing on?” Aiden asked loudly but with complete sincerity because he was so lost.
“Not what we should be doing.” She took a deep breath and bounced a couple of paces away, looking around the room as if waiting for a cue. She spun to face him, shaking her hands in the air for emphasis as she spoke loud and clear. “Spending time pretending that we’re together is the last thing I want.”
