AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She gave me updates on your progress but she never said how she knew.”
“Maybe she didn’t know if you’d want to know she kept in touch with me. But I loved your grandmother, and she’s still here.” I touched his chest over his heart. “And in the inn. She’s in everything you do there.”
Aiden cleared his throat. “I like that.”
We considered each other for a few seconds and then a flurry fell between us.
“It’s snowing,” I said as I lifted my face to the sky.
The flurries quickly turned into big, fat flakes.
“The weather app says it’s going to come down at a rate of an inch an hour when it starts,” Emmett read from his phone.
“You two better head back to the inn before it gets worse,” Heath called over to us.
Aiden stepped forward, touching Heath’s shoulder, promising to see him soon. Then he hugged Marley. I did the same, and we were inside his truck with the heat cranking in no time.
I turned on the radio, searching for holiday music. “I’m looking forward to being snowed in.”
Aiden smiled over at me. “I am too.”
CHAPTER 13
FIONA
“The new projector arrived. Want to see if it works?” Aiden glanced over at me as we headed home.
Home. To the inn. Where I was staying temporarily for the holidays. “Can we watch it in the theater?”
Aiden’s lips twitched. “Of course. Where else would we test it out?”
“That would be amazing.” And remind me of all the times that we snuck into the theater, making out in the back row. I’d had such hope for a future with Aiden.
“I knew you’d be up for it,” Aiden said as he turned onto the lane for the inn. He parked next to my rental car. The rest of the lot was empty.
“I can’t believe we have an entire inn to ourselves,” I said as we sat in the cabin admiring the lights.
“It hasn’t been empty since Marley renovated.”
“Let’s enjoy it before the guests come back.” I opened the door and slid out.
We met on the porch. Aiden unlocked the door and pushed it open for me. “You first, my lady.” Then he did a little bow, and I couldn’t help but giggle.
This was the Aiden I remembered from high school. He was fun when he let go of the mask he wore in front of others. I understood that he hadn’t trusted the other kids not to say something mean about his living situation or his family, and he always defended Marley. He had to be tough. But with me, he could just be himself. I stepped inside, looking forward to more time to ourselves.
“Let’s grab some snacks.” Aiden led the way into the kitchen, and opened a cupboard, revealing a jar of popcorn kernels, Junior Mints, and bags of M&M’s and Skittles.”
“Did you plan this?” I asked lightly.
“When I heard that it was going to snow, I might have considered reenacting our movie nights.”
“This time, we don’t have to sneak around.”
“Or make out in the back row,” Aiden said as he filled my arms with the candy, then grabbed the container of kernels for himself.
I felt almost giddy as we headed downstairs. “Hopefully, we’ll have power.”
“There’s a generator.”
