Defining Love: Volume 3 (Defining Love #3) by Elizabeth Reyes Page B

home. That made
Bea’s sarcastic comments about Aaron’s house being so un -homey
ironically satisfying.
    Of course, being the brilliant man Aaron was, he immediately
picked up on how much it bothered me. I hadn’t realized I’d been so obvious
about it.
    “Is that why every time I suggest we go into my bedroom you come
up with another place we can fulfill a fantasy of yours instead?”
    Once again, he’d rendered me speechless. I had no choice but to
admit it. I knew Mia had never actually lived in his home, but I wasn’t naïve
enough to think she’d never spent the night there or that there might even
still be things in there that were hers. It’d only been a little over a week
since he’d broken up with her. I’d since found a bottle of nail polish in one
of his kitchen drawers and a pair of earrings. I was certain there were plenty
more things to be found in that massive master bedroom and its equally massive
master bathroom. I didn’t even want to think about how I’d feel having him do
things to me in the same bed where I was certain he’d made love to her many
times .
    I should’ve known when he quizzed me later that same evening on
his way to drop me off about wood stains colors. He’d even casually asked if
I’d preferred the dark cherry wood like the desk in his office or the lighter
weathered oak like his kitchen cabinets. He’d said he wanted a new desk for the
new office we’d be moving to.
    It never dawned on me why else he would be asking until I watched
as the delivery men carry in a brand new fancy dark cherry wood bed frame—my
preference—into his bedroom. The matching furniture pieces followed.
Apparently, he’d redone his entire bedroom, complete with brand new mattresses.
    “Didn’t you just buy that other bedroom set when you moved into
this house?” Bea asked as Aaron walked back into the back room.
    “Yeah, but I never really liked it,” he said as we exchanged
knowing smirks.
    I went back to packing when I noticed Bea had caught our
exchanged glance.
    “As soon as you two are done,” Aaron said, “let me know, and
we’ll get those desks and your boxes onto the truck then head out to the new
place and start unpacking.”
    “I can only do this until three,” Bea reminded him. “Myles and I
have to be in Kalamazoo by six, and we don’t want to get stuck in rush-hour
traffic.”
    “Kalamazoo?” Aaron asked curiously. “What are you going out there
for?”
    “NASCAR race,” Bea said but quickly added, “not for the race
itself. His younger sister plays in a band, and they’ll be playing on one of
the stages there.”
    “Is this the guy Mom says doesn’t approve of you smoking?” Aaron
asked with a pleased smirk. “I thought I noticed you cutting down.”
    Bea rolled her eyes and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Aaron had
been just a little too satisfied when he told me what his mom had said about
Bea’s new boyfriend.
    “Yes, Aaron,” she said, tossing a few more things into her
box. “But he’s not the reason I cut down. I’d started to even before we became
a thing.”
    “Well, whatever the reason,” Aaron said, starting towards his
office, “I’m glad you are, Bea. Don’t know how many times I have to say it.
Smoking kills.” He turned his attention to me. “When they’re done putting the
new bedroom set together, come check it out and tell me what you think.” My
heart started to speed up at his obviousness until he turned to Bea and added.
“You girls can tell me if I did well with the color I picked for the wood
finish.”
    I nodded but didn’t comment. It wasn’t until he’d stepped out of
the room that Bea brought up Mia for the first time since the day she’d
confronted me to ask if anything had happened between Aaron and me in
Milwaukee.
    “I wonder if that’s his way of symbolically removing any part of
Mia left in this place. Not that she’d ever felt like this place was hers.” She
sighed, shaking her head. “I was really