~Aaron~
Joan was acting weird. These past few days, her entire attitude had shifted, and trying to understand her was becoming impossible. Worse still, she wouldn’t even tell me what was going on. I hadn’t pushed further because, well, she was the type to recoil into herself when pressed. So, I waited, hoping she’d come to me in her own time.
And, well, that wasn’t happening either.
I’d stayed up the whole night-not because I couldn’t sleep, but because I was anxious. It was Joan’s birthday today, and while I’d planned an entire party for her, that wasn’t the only thing on my mind. I was going to ask her to be my wife. Now, I wasn’t so sure she’d say yes because, fuck, I barely understood her anymore.
I glanced at my side, where she lay curled up… on her own. We always cuddled in bed-something I once hated but learned to love because Joan was involved. But last night, she asked me for space, said she wasn’t comfortable with me breathing down her neck. I let her have her way, but the moment I started dozing off, she was crying. When I asked why, she told me I didn’t fucking hold her.
She was driving me crazy. And not in the good way.
And still, I wanted to marry this woman so badly. Being her boyfriend wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted to give her my last name, make her the mother of my kids. I wanted a whole world with her, and “girlfriend” didn’t fit into that picture.
I hesitated for a second before rubbing her shoulder. She melted into my touch, and that was all the permission I needed to move closer.
I pressed a kiss to her bare skin. “Happy birthday, kitten,” I whispered, running my hands down the length of her arms and back up. She purred and glanced at me over her shoulder. Her green eyes looked brighter than they had in days, and something about it made my chest tighten.
“It’s today, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice soft. I nodded, pressing a small kiss to the corner of her lips.
I pulled back. She frowned.
“That’s not a proper good morning kiss, Thompson. Or what do you think?” Her eyes twitched and I knew she was teasing me.
I smirked. “How do you want it?”
She turned fully to face me, pretending to think. “Well… I haven’t brushed my teeth, and neither have you. So I’d say light.” Her lips curled up. “A light good morning kiss.”
I brushed her hair out of her face before pulling her close and planting a firm kiss on her lips. I didn’t linger. She was in a good mood-I didn’t want to ruin it.
She threaded her fingers through my hair as I pulled away. Her gaze settled somewhere between my eyes and my lips, but I was sure she wasn’t staring at my nose.
“I’m sorry,” she sighed.
I raised a brow. “What? What are you sorry for?”
She met my gaze, tracing the outline of my jaw with her finger. “I’ve been an asshole these past few days. Especially last night. Thought I’d apologize.” Her voice was quiet, uncertain.
I stayed silent for a beat before pressing a small kiss to her forehead. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
She pursed her lips, hesitated, then nodded. My stomach flipped.
“Yeah. Tonight,” she murmured.
I tried not to let the disappointment show. But at least she was going to tell me. That was a step forward.
I nodded. “Sure. So… how does twenty-six feel?”
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “I’d say it feels the same as twenty-five, but…” She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. “My life is about to flip open a new chapter, and I’m ready to embrace it.”
Something about the way she said it made my skin prickle. She was hinting at something. I just didn’t know what.
But I did know her life was about to change.
She’d be a wife. My wife. A famous writer. Her book signing had gone well, and readers were already demanding a sequel. I had no idea what she’d put in there-after all, book one was about us. But I trusted her to figure it out.
I read her book. And I never realized-until then-just how much she had felt when we split. She’d poured every emotion onto those pages, and it made me feel like a goddamn asshole all over again. But I had come to terms with it.
Whether she was the daughter of the man who killed my parents or not, I wasn’t going to love her any less.
Ace got what was coming for him. And I’d protect his daughter. Even from him.
“Come on. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” I tossed the blanket off my body and climbed out of bed.
She sat up. “You got me a surprise?” There was excitement laced in her voice.
I raised a brow, schooling my features. “You were expecting one?”
Her face fell slightly before she shook her head climbing off the bed as we walked into the bathroom. “Not really. There’s nothing worth celebrating anyway.”
I stopped in my tracks, glaring at her. “You’d have died. Twice.”
She pressed her lips together, reaching for her toothbrush.
“Hey,” I called softly. She looked at me, toothbrush paused mid-air.
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “It’s worth celebrating that you’re alive. Every breath counts.”
She held my gaze for a moment before nodding.
“When will we visit Spain again?” she asked, dropping the topic entirely.
I blinked at the abrupt change. “I don’t know. Luna invited you to visit, right?”
She nodded.
“We’ll go when Alessia and her ‘boyfriend’, Noah, leave for the wedding.”
She smiled at that. Alessia had spun a whole lie to her mother after being dumped at the altar four years ago. She didn’t want to look weak in front of everyone. So, she got herself a fake relationship.
Joan and I freshened up and left the house. I drove us to a restaurant, where we had breakfast. Well, she did. I needed her to keep her strength up.
We went skydiving-because of course that’s what she wanted. And I was goddamn terrified the whole time. Not for me. For her. What if something went wrong?
The moment we hit the ground, I made her promise we’d never do something so reckless again.
She laughed it off.
“I want to drive,” she announced as we walked into the garage.
I blinked. “What?”
She pouted. “You don’t trust the birthday girl with your McLaren?”
“It’s not that. I’ve just… Can you drive?”
She looked insulted. “Goddamn it, Thompson. What do you take me for?”
I raised my hands in surrender. “Just saying. I’ve never seen you drive.”
“That’s because I don’t own a car.” She stepped closer. “Are you scared I’ll damage your precious ride?”
“No.” My throat went dry. “I’m scared you’ll get hurt.”
Her expression softened. Something flashed in her eyes.
“I’ll be careful,” she whispered. Then, going on her tiptoes, she smirked. “And if you let me drive… maybe I’ll let you fuck me in the backseat on some deserted road.”
I exhaled sharply. She was trying to distract me. And fuck if it wasn’t working.
I pulled the keys from my pocket and tossed them to her. She caught them effortlessly.
“I’m only letting you drive because it’s your birthday,” I muttered.
She smirked. “Keep telling yourself that.”
She slid into the driver’s seat, turned the ignition, then glanced at me.
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”
The second the car shot forward and into the street, I lurched against the seat.
“You promised to be careful!”
“I am,” she said, completely unbothered. “I just need to get us to a deserted street. Fast. I’m dripping all over your seat.”
I huffed in disbelief, even as a part of me tightened.
“You get off on driving my car?”
“Everything about you gets me off, Thompson.” She flashed me a wicked grin. “I’m surprised you’re surprised.”
I clenched my jaw, looking out the window. I shouldn’t touch her. I shouldn’t fucking touch her when she was driving. But she was making it so hard.
This woman was going to be the death of me.