Page 25 of Waggs

Waggs knew she still missed Aaron, he did too, and five years had only dulled the grief, it certainly hadn’t defused it in any way. “We could take AJ home with us. He could sleep over, and we can bring him down in the morning?” Autumn looked to Mitch for confirmation as she made the offer.

“We couldn’t ask—” Willow began, but Autumn stopped her.

“You didn’t, we offered. Plus, Maggie loves him, and it will give her someone else to play with.”

“Are you sure, Autumn?” Waggs asked, loving the idea of spending time with Willow alone, not just because he wanted her under him, over him, and next to him but because it would give them a chance to talk.

“Of course. It’ll be fun.”

Waggs looked at Willow. It was her decision. AJ was her son, and she had the final say. If she wasn’t comfortable, then it wouldn’t happen, period.

“Okay, yes. Thank you.”

Shortly after they went to get ice creams and as the day drew on and the little people became fractious, Mitch and Autumn rounded up the kids. He and Willow walked them back to the carpark to make sure AJ was okay with it and didn’t change his mind.

He said goodnight to AJ and stepped back as Willow helped him buckle up and spoke with him softly.

“Thanks for doing this, Mitch.” Waggs had his hands in his pockets as he looked at his friend.

“No worries. You’ve done plenty for everyone else and its time you got your happy too.”

“You think I’m wrong feeling like I do about her?” Waggs was looking at Willow now; she was wearing a short denim skirt with white pumps, and a navy-blue flowered top. She looked gorgeous, sexy in a girl-next-door way, with a hint of sass and a lot of love.

“No, I don’t, and I don’t think your brother would be as upset as you think, either. Maybe if he’d been alive when you made your move, but he isn’t, and you two are. We don’t have a say in who we love, Waggs, we just have to hang on for the ride and decide to be brave.”

“I’m not sure I’m brave.”

Mitch gripped his shoulder. “You, my friend, are the bravest man I know and the most modest. You’re a good man and a good medic, but you’re an excellent soldier and friend too. Don’t let the shadows of the past grey out your future.”

Waggs looked at his friend, the oldest of the Eidolon team and the calm one. “How did you get so wise?”

“You met my mama, right?”

He had, and she was fantastic, strong, forthright, but full of love. “Yeah, good point.” Willow walked up to them, and he lifted his arm as she wrapped her arms around his waist, where she fit perfectly. “Ready to go have fun?”

“Yep.”

That night they danced, they drank, and they let themselves be two people falling, or for his part already, in love. As he held Willow and they swayed to the last song of the night, a soulful ballad made all the more so by the beauty of the surroundings, he had hope.

He was alive, and he had the woman he loved in his arms. Hopefully tonight he’d show her exactly what she meant to him. Make love to her as he’d dreamt of so many times. Not the raw, dirty fucking they’d shared before, which he still loved, but this time he wanted to savour her. To kiss every inch of her skin and hear her moan his name, feel her climax on his cock, and say with his body what he couldn’t communicate with words just yet.

Chapter 10

Today had been one of the best she could remember having in, well ever. Aiden had been sweet and attentive with her and AJ. Always making sure they both had what they needed and were taken care of. Seeing him with AJ today had only made it more apparent that she needed to tell him the truth. What he did with that, unfortunately, wasn’t her call. Aiden had a strong sense of loyalty, and she knew he struggled with his feelings for her and those he had for Aaron.

When she told him, he could be AJ’s father, he’d step up, want to be there for every milestone and probably hate her for the ones he’d missed out on by keeping her suspicions to herself. It was easy to defend herself in the light of day, but at night, when there was nobody to see, she knew it had been selfish of her.

Clicking her safety belt, she waited for Aiden to get in the car beside her. She had a nice buzz going from the few ciders she’d had, which went down like soft drink, but Aiden had only had two beers all day.

She reached for his hand as he drove out of the carpark and offered him a soft, sexy smile as he took and placed it on his hard thigh. It was colder now, the lack of cloud all day making the air cool on her skin, and she shivered.

“Cold?”

“A little.”

Aiden cranked the heat up, and Willow laid her head back against the soft leather. She could see stars galore in the sky as they drove, the only other lights those of their friends who drove behind them.

The roads were winding with a hedgerow on either side and fields and trees as far as the eye could see. They were approaching a small bridge with a turnoff to the left, just before the bend for the river.