they went to Aiden’s favorite restaurant, which should have been named after him because of the way it catered to him.
It was all very exciting—sometimes weird—but mostly fun. Harper wished she could have captured every expression on Jamie’s face. Every moment was priceless, and she was happy she got to experience it all with him. She still wasn’t completely sure about Aiden’s intentions, but she had to admit she didn’t regret coming along and she couldn’t have asked for a better day. Harper knocks on the door connecting their rooms. She hears Aiden call out to come in and walks into the room. It isn’t much different than the one she shares with Jamie except for it only has one big bed. Aiden is lying on the bed on his stomach, flicking through television channels. He sits up when Harper comes in. Harper stays loitering by the door.
“I just wanted to say thank you for all of this. Jamie had an amazing day.”
Aiden nods his head. “You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank me. Just get used to things like this happening. Jamie deserves moments like this, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure he gets them.”
“I’m happy that you decided to move back, Aiden. Jamie got used to you not being around, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t always want you around.” Aiden nods. There is a comfortable silence between them for a few seconds.
“Did you call Dakota?” Aiden asks. “Let him know everything’s okay?”
Harper’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “Yes,” she says, stretching out the ‘s.’ Aiden nods.
“Good,” Aiden says. “I want to be honest with you about something, Harper.”
Harper suddenly feels like she should bolt. This was the moment she has been dreading all day. “Okay.”
“I had bad intentions inviting you here.”
Harper rolls her eyes. “No…” she says sarcastically.
Aiden grins. “When I heard that you and Dakota had started dating, I didn’t like it. Not just because of you, but because of Jamie too. Dakota is a constant source of annoyance because he has everything I want. You, an amazing relationship with Jamie—my family, essentially.”
“Something you could have had, had you chosen us and not your career,” Harper says, folding her arms across her chest.
“I know…” Aiden says softly. “And I regret not making the right decision. I moved here to mend my relationship with Jamie but also to win you back somehow.”
“I can’t be won back.”
“I know that now…” Aiden says, hanging his head. He looks back up at her. “I know. And I want to apologize for thinking you could be. I apologize for everything, including the last fifteen years that you had to deal with everything alone. And believe it or not, I am grateful for Dakota filling in the space I left. All I want from this point on is to become a part of the family you have created. I want to be in Jamie’s life, and I want to be able to come over and be there for the little moments without a fight breaking out. I just want to be there if you’ll let me.”
Harper runs her fingers through her wet hair and stares at Aiden, flabbergasted. She never in a million years expected this to happen. She was prepared, however, for punching him in the nose or bolting out of the room after setting him straight.
“If you promise to respect Dakota and his relationship with Jamie, I won’t stand in your way of having a relationship with Jamie. It’s all I ever wanted. You also have to respect the fact that I love Dakota and he isn’t going anywhere…ever. He’s it for me. He’s in this family indefinitely. Accept it and we can move forward.”
“I promise,” Aiden says. “You have my word.”
“Okay,” she says.
“Okay,” Aiden says, back smiling slightly.
“I’m, uh, going to go to bed now,” Harper says, walking toward the door. Aiden chuckles, nodding.
Harper stops. “Can I just ask…what brought all of this on?”
Aiden laughs. “Casey said some things to
It was all very exciting—sometimes weird—but mostly fun. Harper wished she could have captured every expression on Jamie’s face. Every moment was priceless, and she was happy she got to experience it all with him. She still wasn’t completely sure about Aiden’s intentions, but she had to admit she didn’t regret coming along and she couldn’t have asked for a better day. Harper knocks on the door connecting their rooms. She hears Aiden call out to come in and walks into the room. It isn’t much different than the one she shares with Jamie except for it only has one big bed. Aiden is lying on the bed on his stomach, flicking through television channels. He sits up when Harper comes in. Harper stays loitering by the door.
“I just wanted to say thank you for all of this. Jamie had an amazing day.”
Aiden nods his head. “You’re welcome, but you don’t have to thank me. Just get used to things like this happening. Jamie deserves moments like this, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure he gets them.”
“I’m happy that you decided to move back, Aiden. Jamie got used to you not being around, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t always want you around.” Aiden nods. There is a comfortable silence between them for a few seconds.
“Did you call Dakota?” Aiden asks. “Let him know everything’s okay?”
Harper’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “Yes,” she says, stretching out the ‘s.’ Aiden nods.
“Good,” Aiden says. “I want to be honest with you about something, Harper.”
Harper suddenly feels like she should bolt. This was the moment she has been dreading all day. “Okay.”
“I had bad intentions inviting you here.”
Harper rolls her eyes. “No…” she says sarcastically.
Aiden grins. “When I heard that you and Dakota had started dating, I didn’t like it. Not just because of you, but because of Jamie too. Dakota is a constant source of annoyance because he has everything I want. You, an amazing relationship with Jamie—my family, essentially.”
“Something you could have had, had you chosen us and not your career,” Harper says, folding her arms across her chest.
“I know…” Aiden says softly. “And I regret not making the right decision. I moved here to mend my relationship with Jamie but also to win you back somehow.”
“I can’t be won back.”
“I know that now…” Aiden says, hanging his head. He looks back up at her. “I know. And I want to apologize for thinking you could be. I apologize for everything, including the last fifteen years that you had to deal with everything alone. And believe it or not, I am grateful for Dakota filling in the space I left. All I want from this point on is to become a part of the family you have created. I want to be in Jamie’s life, and I want to be able to come over and be there for the little moments without a fight breaking out. I just want to be there if you’ll let me.”
Harper runs her fingers through her wet hair and stares at Aiden, flabbergasted. She never in a million years expected this to happen. She was prepared, however, for punching him in the nose or bolting out of the room after setting him straight.
“If you promise to respect Dakota and his relationship with Jamie, I won’t stand in your way of having a relationship with Jamie. It’s all I ever wanted. You also have to respect the fact that I love Dakota and he isn’t going anywhere…ever. He’s it for me. He’s in this family indefinitely. Accept it and we can move forward.”
“I promise,” Aiden says. “You have my word.”
“Okay,” she says.
“Okay,” Aiden says, back smiling slightly.
“I’m, uh, going to go to bed now,” Harper says, walking toward the door. Aiden chuckles, nodding.
Harper stops. “Can I just ask…what brought all of this on?”
Aiden laughs. “Casey said some things to
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