And I hadn’t been expecting for that declaration to hurt like it did. It wasn’t like I would be, or ever had been, a reason for Aiden to come home. That was crystal clear to me now.
All I could do was nod. “Right.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, starting to walk next to me as I headed back toward the barn.
“What did you mean then?” I asked, because I truly wanted to know what was going on in this man’s head.
He let out long breath. “I knew I would always come back to Boggy Creek. It’s home. The place I want to raise a family. That’s always been the plan. I just wasn’t ready to come back yet. Nothing to come back to until recently.”
A chill ran through me as I let myself imagine Aiden married and with a family. And just like that, the hopes and dreams I had once had for this man rushed back and hit me all at once. I wanted that woman to be me. I’d always wanted it to be me. My eyes stung as I tried to hold back my emotions.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
I glanced up at him. “No, why?”
“You ran your hands over your arms like you were.”
I felt my eyes widen, and I forced a laugh. “Oh, maybe just a small chill. I should have worn a jacket and not just a sweatshirt.”
“Want my coat?” he asked, starting to take it off.
My heart lurched at the sweet gesture, but I waved him off. “No, honestly, I’m okay.”
Aiden suddenly stopped and faced me. “What are you and Ben doing today?”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “Nothing. I always try and take Sundays off, for the most part. I did want to come and do a tasting with Vic before we harvested tomorrow.”
“Where’s Ben?” Aiden asked, glancing around as if only noticing now we had walked out of the orchards.
I looked back over my shoulder to where the barn was. “He’s at the barn with Vic’s wife, Grace. He loves watching her make apple juice…plus, any excuse to be around the horses and he’s all about it.”
A wide smile spread across Aiden’s face. He had always had a fondness for horses as well. “How about we head to my grandfather’s office, I check on some things, and then we go for lunch?”
Even with my head screaming for me to be cautious, my heart longed to spend time with him. To allow myself to open back up. Just because Brian had ripped away my trust, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t trust again. And this was Aiden. Aiden. The man I had first given my heart to. Truth be told, the man who would always hold my heart.
In that moment, I decided I needed to move on with my life. To take the next steps. To be brave and dare to dream again. So, I agreed. “That sounds like fun.”
Aiden laughed, and it sent a warm rush of happiness through my body, reminding me of that first taste of warm apple cider in fall and how it chased away the chill. That’s what Aiden’s laugh had always done. Made me feel good. Happy. Content. Warm.
“I don’t know about fun, but at least we can spend some time together.”
Tilting my head, I teased him, “Why, Aiden O’Hara, I didn’t realize you longed for the company of a single mom and her son.”
He winked. “I long for your company, Willa. And Ben is just a bonus.”
Aiden
The moment the words were out of my mouth, I second-guessed myself, wondering if I should have been so up front. Willa was, after all, newly divorced and had Ben to think about. I didn’t want to push her or rush her into anything, but I quickly changed my mind when I saw her smile and look away. Before she did, I saw the blush on her cheeks.
Clearing my throat, I asked. “Did you want to drive with me or separately?”
For a moment, I thought for sure she was going to say that we should drive our own cars.
“If you don’t mind, we can go in my car, or we can move Ben’s car seat into yours.”
“Will it work in Dad’s old truck?”
She smiled again, and this time it reached those beautiful baby-blue eyes of hers. “Well, maybe we should take my car. If you’re okay with that.”
I nodded. “Of course, whatever is easier for you and Ben.”
A look I couldn’t read moved across her face before she focused straight ahead again.
We walked in silence for a bit before I said, “I always loved helping with the harvest.”
Willa glanced up at me and laughed. “I think you and Hunter ate more than you harvested.”
The memory of me and Hunter sitting against one of the older apple trees, a bushel at our feet and our stomachs bloated from eating too many apples, replayed in my mind.