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“Tell me where your head is right now,” I say. He pulls my hand to his lap and holds it.
He inhales deeply and then sighs. “What if it’s mine?”
“If, and that’s a big if, does it change how you feel about me?” I didn’t want to ask this, but I need to. It’s my biggest fear that keeps me up at night.
“Addison, I never wanted kids before. Then when I met you, I never imagined having kids with anyone but you, and now I really want them.” He glances at Lexi as she climbs on top of a bronze turtle with two other little girls. “Especially after having Lexi around.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, wondering where this is going.
“If she ends up being mine, I could never turn my back on her.”
I jerk my head back a little, confused. “Do you think I’d make you choose? Or are you saying you’d be with Jessie because she has your baby?” Both options make my chest tighten.
His lips curl like he just ate a lemon. “God, no. I love you. You’re the only woman I want to be with.”
Then he thinks I wouldn’t want him to be a part of his daughter’s life? My eyes dart around as I tell myself not to be hurt. He’s not thinking clearly.
“Aiden, if she happens to be yours, it’s because Jessie manipulated the situation somehow. I know you wouldn’t willingly cheat on me.” He starts to say something, but I hold up a finger. “Wait, I’m not done. But she’s still your child and a part of you. I would expect you to take responsibility, and I would be there for you one hundred percent.”
“Even if that means Jessie would be a part of our lives forever?” he asks, his voice pained.
I swallow the lump of hate stuck in my throat. “Yes,” I squeak out. He looks at me with a lopsided grin. “I don’t have to like the woman.” I shrug.
He looks away and finds Lexi again. She smiles and waves. He waves back. “I don’t know if I could do that to you. It’d be a constant reminder of what happened.”
“Aiden,” I pause, waiting for him to look back at me. “If I had gotten pregnant from…” My stomach twists, and I clench my hand in my lap just thinking about it. I clear my throat before continuing. “Joe…would you have loved me or my child any less?”
He turns toward me and grabs both my hands. “Addison, never.”
“I feel the same way.” I pull my hand out from under his and run it against his jaw. “Nothing has changed for me. I love you and want to marry you. And if this kid is yours, then I’ll love her because she’ll be a part of you.”
He smiles softly and his dimples deepen. I glance at his full lips and silently pray that he kisses me. His smile grows larger as he leans down.
“I haven’t lost my ability to read you,” he says as his lips brush mine. The sounds of kids screaming and playing in the background fades as my lips part and I let out a soft mewl. He presses down harder, but the kiss is simple and sweet. I pull back when a kid’s cry grabs my attention. I look for Lexi and find her crawling through a tunnel. Satisfied Lexi isn’t the one hurt, I look back at Aiden. He picks up my legs and turns me so they are in between his. His thumb grazes my thigh, and I bask in the feeling of his touch.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asks. “See if Syd can take Lexi.”
“She can,” I respond quickly. He chuckles. “And, yes, I’d love to have dinner.”
He links his hand with mine, and we stand together. While I’m dusting my shorts off, I notice a couple of other moms checking out Aiden. I’m not surprised. He’s gorgeous, but he’s mine, ladies. I lean up on my toes and place a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. He shakes his head and a smug smile rests on his face. I was waiting for a smart-ass comment. Instead, he pulls me into his hard chest and kisses me passionately. My body melts into his. His hand is splayed on my back, and I can feel him add pressure. I don’t even care we’re in the middle of a kid-friendly zone with a million parents around us—who I’m sure are now gawking. I’ve waited for two weeks for this man to kiss me like this again.
“Eww. Are you done kissing?” Lexi says, covering her eyes with her hand. We look down at her. She peeks through her fingers. “I’m ready to go feed more animals.”
“Alright, Lulu, show us the way,” I say. She gets in between us and grabs hold of our hands, skipping while we walk to the giraffes.
Chapter two
“Keep the change,” I say, handing the cabbie a twenty-dollar bill. I look up at Aiden’s building and anticipation sends butterflies fluttering through my body. The eight-story building in Tribeca faces One World Trade Center. I love my apartment, but I really love this area. Some of the best restaurants and shops are down here. My place is conveniently located near where I work and Central Park, one of my favorite places to go in New York City, but I could easily live here.
It’s about an hour until dusk so the sun reflects brightly off the building’s glass windows. Aiden told me to be here at seven. I glance at my watch and it’s six fifty-five. Digging in my purse, I pull out a mirror and check my makeup and lip-gloss one last time. Walking up the couple stairs to the entrance, I’m greeted by my reflection in the glass doors. I’m wearing a simple, white, above-the-knee swing dress with spaghetti straps. It’s August and too hot to wear my hair down, so it’s in a loose French braid, off to one side. The beige, wedge sandals make my tan legs look longer. Aiden’s a leg man, so I made sure to show them off tonight.
When I walk in, the security guard greets me by name. “Good evening, Ms. Mason.” I tilt my head in confusion because I’ve never met this guy. “Agent Roberts showed me a picture of you.” I smile at the thought of Aiden showing my picture to people. “You can go on up.”
I thank him and walk to the elevators. I press the fifth-floor button and wait for the doors to close. I hope being together today proved to him that I’m here for him. As I rock back and forth on my feet, I impatiently wait for the elevator doors to open. When I walk off the lift, I see a note taped to his door. Meet me up on the eighth floor. What is he up to? He never ceases to amaze me when he does things for me. I was stupid pushing him away, always keeping him at an arm’s length. Thank God he pushed back. He’s always known what I was too afraid to admit: we were meant for each other. I always thought Fate was being cruel by causing our two worlds to collide, but now I think she knew Aiden was the only guy who would complete me. And I’m not about to lose it now after everything we’ve been through.
I step off the elevator onto the eighth-floor foyer and notice only two doors. I look at both doors, assuming this is the penthouse floor. One door has a note taped to it. Open the door. I walk to it and slowly turn the knob, wondering what’s on the other side.
The view freezes me in place. It’s one of the most beautiful terraces I’ve ever seen. The view is phenomenal, but it’s the actual terrace that has me stunned. It’s huge. The ground of the entire terrace is tiled with very large, cream-colored tiles. Trees and shrubs line the terrace in varying shapes and different-sized pots. Each pot also has a light, which creates a romantic ambiance all around. One part of the terrace has a royal blue-colored, L-shaped couch and the other part has a table and chairs. In between the two areas is a large wall made with planks of teak. Three rectangular pots sit in front of a trellis that has vines growing up it. It’s a very modern and clean design.
