~Joan~
“You’re good? We could turn back if you want,” Aaron asked, giving my thigh a reassuring squeeze as he weaved through traffic. I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just dinner. I can handle it,” I muttered, turning to the window, trying to calm my racing heart. Dinner with the woman who gave birth to me shouldn’t make me this nervous, but it did. Maybe it was just my body’s way of reacting. Aaron glanced at me as he turned the wheel effortlessly, one hand steady while the other rested on my thigh.
Alessia had sent me the address right after work, and I had spent way too much time picking out a dress. I shouldn’t care about impressing Luna, but a part of me wanted her to see that I turned out just fine without her.
My phone pinged, and I hesitated before digging it out of my purse. Shayne.
**Shayne:** *I have no idea if you’re alive. Call me when you get this. I have news.*
Pressing my lips together, I dialed her number. Maybe she had something good to say-something that would settle my nerves.
“Hey, I got your text,” I said. A beat of silence, then a small scream burst through the speaker. I frowned and pulled the phone away from my ear.
“Sorry, got a little excited,” Shayne muttered, breathless.
Aaron raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged.
“What’s your schedule like? Busy? Less busy? Real busy?” she asked, her words tumbling together.
“Wow. Can we calm down?” I chuckled.
“Yeah.”
“I got into an accident a couple of weeks back. You probably didn’t hear,” I said. A tiny gasp followed.
“Oh my God. Are you okay? Sorry for not checking up on you,” she said quickly.
That threw me off. Shayne being concerned about me felt weird. Our relationship was mostly professional, and her sudden excitement and apology made me wary.
“That’s okay,” I said, eager to move the conversation along. “Anyway, my schedule is pretty open right now.”
“Good. Because we’re scheduling a book signing next week,” she announced.
I blinked. “Oh. Okay. Whose signing? Are we partnering?”
She huffed, like I’d just asked if water was wet.
“It’s *your* book signing, Madison.”
My breath caught. “What do you mean? My book was released-” I stopped. The realization hit me like a slow-burning fuse finally reaching its end. I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Oh my God. *My* book signing?”
I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “Yes. Readers love the book, and they want to meet the spectacular author.”
It took everything in me not to bounce in my seat.
“I’ll send you the details-date, time, everything,” she added.
I nodded enthusiastically, even though she couldn’t see me. When the call ended, I let out a squeal.
Aaron smirked. “Should I guess what’s going on?”
Grinning wide, I turned to him.
“Eyes on the road,” he muttered, though I caught the amusement in his voice.
“I’m doing a book signing next week!” I clapped my hands together, rolling the window down to let the night air whip through my hair.
“Congratulations. I know you’re meant for great things,” Aaron said, his voice steady and sure.
I pulled my head back inside and placed my hand over his where it still rested on my thigh. The rest of the ride to Alessia’s place passed in comfortable silence. The nerves I’d felt earlier? Completely forgotten. Pride took their place instead.
Aaron intertwined our fingers as we stepped out of the car, walking up to the door. The neighborhood was nice-the kind of place I might have lived in if the *incident* hadn’t happened.
Speaking of that, I knew Aaron was hiding something. I’d asked him before who was behind it, but he only said he’d “taken care of it”-then distracted me with kisses until I stopped asking.
I rang the doorbell. A few muffled voices, footsteps, then the door opened. Alessia smiled at me, then gave Aaron a small nod before stepping aside.
I wouldn’t deny it-she looked nice with her hair down. Usually, she kept it in a bun or, worse, a tight ponytail. Seeing it loose was… new.
Did she feel nervous too?
She led us through the hallway into the living room.
Luna stood the moment our eyes met. She took a small step forward, hesitated, then settled for a polite smile.
“Welcome.”
Aaron gave a nod and pulled me closer, his arm snug around my waist. I let my gaze wander around the apartment. It was neat, simple, well-arranged.
I glanced around for Alessia and-
My eyes locked onto a pair of striking blue ones.
Recognition hit instantly. I knew those eyes. And for a split second, I caught the flicker of amusement in them before it disappeared and he looked away.
They shifted to Aaron, then back to me.
I cocked my head.
Luna must have noticed, because she gestured toward him.
“I don’t know if you’ve met, but this is Noah-Alessia’s boyfriend.”
I snorted before I could stop myself.
“Yeah. We’ve met,” I said, a smirk tugging at my lips as Alessia walked back in, carrying two glasses and a bottle of water.
Noah’s gaze followed her.
I smirked.
Oh boy. This was going to be interesting.