Dori snort-laughed. “Well, let’s just usher that big elephant right out of the room. Now that that’s out of the way, I hope we can all be great friends.”
That was probably one of the most awkward conversations she had ever had, but the raw honesty of it was refreshing.
Chapter Nine
Later that night, after the girls had gotten back from the rock group and they had put Chloe to bed, Aidan and Kate sat together on the sofa.
“After everything that has been going on,” said Aidan, “it feels like this is the first chance we’ve had to be alone in a long time.”
He put his arm around Kate and pulled her close, leaning in for a gentle kiss, testing the waters. Things were still so uncertain between them, but he realized they were never going to move forward if he kept acting like he was walking on eggshells. He wanted her. He wanted this life with her, and he believed she wanted it, too. Especially given the way she was kissing him back.
They stayed like that for hours, or maybe it was minutes. Time seemed irrelevant when they were like this, because they were so good together. As one, rather than fighting each other. Right now, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why he ever doubted that they could make it. When the kiss ended, he leaned his forehead against hers, keeping his arms around her.
“That was nice.”
She made an agreeable sound. Her eyes looked dreamy, and for a moment, he was tempted to scoop her up and carry her into the bedroom—their bedroom—and show her exactly how happy he was that things had turned out this way. The right way.
In an effort to make himself slow down, he said, “Are you thirsty? I picked up some freshly squeezed orange juice from Brighter Day on the way home.”
Brighter Day was the health food store on Bull Street that supplied fresh orange juice to the Forsyth Galloway Inn.
Kate smiled and put her hand on her still-flat belly. “That sounds delicious. Thanks for picking it up.”
She seemed a little subdued tonight. If not for the unmistakable way she had returned his kiss, he might’ve worried that something was wrong. Of course, she might be tired. That was why he had to stop jumping to conclusions like that. There would be ebbs and flows in their conversations. Even someone as strong and outgoing as Kate needed time to herself to recharge. As the quieter of the two, so did he.
“How was the rock painting?” he asked from the kitchen as he got the container out of the refrigerator and juice glasses from the cabinet.
“It was...nice. Dori and her friends are really...nice. Did you know, that’s what they call her? Dori?”
“No,” he called. “I didn’t know that. She introduced herself to me as Doris. I’m not in the habit of giving people nicknames.” He laughed to make sure she knew he was joking.
He could imagine her rolling her eyes in that way she so often did when he cracked a corny joke.
“Well, yeah, that’s what they call her. I met her mother, Candice. Their house is just around the corner from the inn. But I’m sure you know that.”
“I did,” he said.
“Of course,” Kate said. “You would not let Chloe go off with a stranger without knowing where she was going. Anyway, Dori and her friends were so welcoming to Chloe and me. I mean, you never know what you’re walking into in a situation like that. Where people already know each other. I mean, I wasn’t exactly invited.”
He entered the room, carrying two glasses of juice. He handed her one and sat down next to her.
“Actually, I think she was counting on you coming over rather than me.” Aidan didn’t know what to say and he was glad when Kate shrugged. “Until she got her mind wrapped around the fact that you and I really are married. You know she had her eye on you?”
“No. I didn’t know that. And yes, you and I really are married. As far as I’m concerned, you are the only woman in the world for me.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
He couldn’t read the look in Kate’s eyes.
“The kids seem nice,” she said, “which is important. This is a good group of friends for Chloe. I was watching them interact and they really were very sweet to each other. I know you would approve.”
“That’s good to know,” he said. “But why are you changing the subject?” he asked.
“I’m not changing the subject. I was telling you about the play date. Fair warning, I think we’ll eventually have to offer to host this rock-painting group over here. They’re meeting in the park next time, but they want to start a rotating schedule.”
“That’s fine, but I need you to know that you really are the only woman I care about having her eye on me.”
Kate sipped her juice. He saw her throat work. She licked her lips. “I just don’t want you to feel trapped in this marriage.”
“I knew exactly what I was doing when I said ‘I do.’ Kate?”
She met his eyes. “Are you the one who feels trapped?” he asked.
“No.”
She smiled. “Apparently, my mother has a boyfriend. Had you heard about that?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No.”
“I didn’t know if you would have heard through Elle and Daniel.”
Again, he shook his head. “Good for Zelda. Who is he?”
“I have no idea. He’s some sort of mystery man. She wants everyone to meet him Friday night. Do you have plans?”
“If I did, I’d cancel them.”
“Me, too. I haven’t seen her this happy in ages. Not since—” her eyes darkened “—not since before my dad left.”
Fred Clark was such a thorn in her side. Aidan wished there was some way that he could take away the pain that even the mere mention of Fred’s name caused her. He had given Fred Clark’s name to Randy Ponder,
