Hard to Handle (Love in the Balance 2)

Aiden jogged over to where she stood. “Yeah, I know.” His eyes flickered to her mouth and her lips tingled. “Where’d you learn to throw like that?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “Oh, you know…”

Lyon tugged on Aiden’s shirt, breaking their intense eye contact. “I’m throwing it,” Lyon instructed, pointing at the ball. “You tackle Sadie, Uncle A.”

“It’s not nice for boys to tackle girls,” Aiden said, casting Sadie a sideways glance.

“I don’t know about that,” she said. That got his full attention.

Lyon ran back, ball in hand and turned. Aiden bent, hands on his knees, and Sadie narrowed her eyes at him and prepared to catch it before he did. Lyon’s throw was short. The football hit the ground, wobbling in three directions at once.

Sadie reached the ball first, but as her hand grazed one pointed tip, Aiden lashed an arm around her waist and fell to the ground, bracing her fall with his body. The air whooshed from her lungs, and Sadie laughed. Before she knew how, Aiden had rolled her onto her back in the grass and straddled her.

Her laughter ebbed into a soft hmm.

“Gotcha,” Aiden said.

She’d say.

Aiden lowered his head, taking her waiting lips in his. Sadie went loose beneath him, darting her tongue out and tasting the Coca-Cola lingering on his lips. He pulled away from her, something intense dancing in his eyes.

“Sadie,” he murmured. “I—”

“What are you doing?” Lyon interrupted.

Aiden rolled to one side, leaving Sadie like a tree split by lightning. Sadie sat up and brushed grass from her hair and skirt.

“I, uh, was tackling her like you told me to,” Aiden said. He stood and offered Sadie his hand. She took it, loving the buzz of electricity that shot up her arm on contact.

“Looks like kissing to me,” Lyon grumbled, clearly unimpressed.

“How do you know what kissing looks like?” Aiden asked, winking at Sadie.

“Daddy kisses our neighbor sometimes,” Lyon said with a shrug.

Aiden made a funny face and Sadie cracked up, holding her stomach as she laughed. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt lighter.

She wanted the feeling to last as long as possible.

They walked the short distance from the park to Axle’s, Lyon insisting on walking between them, his hands in theirs. Aiden cradled the football and Sadie carried the food bag, and every once in a while, Aiden would look over Lyon’s head and smile at her.

She wondered if she would have moments like this with her own niece or nephew when Celeste had the baby, or if the gaping distance between them would only widen.

In the parking lot, Aiden crossed to a car and a man got out. He was Aiden’s height and build, with longish mostly gray hair and a scar on the side of his face. Lyon let go of Sadie’s and Aiden’s hands and yelled, “Grampa!” The man embraced Lyon, a proud grin on his rugged face.

“I’m going to go in.” Sadie gestured toward the store.

“Not yet.” Aiden clasped her hand and tipped his head in his father’s direction. She tensed as they approached and Aiden must have noticed. He squeezed her hand and pulled her close. “Dad.”

Sadie couldn’t tell if the older man was happy about his son holding her hand or not.

“This is my dad, Mike.” Aiden nodded at his dad. “This is Sadie.”

Mike’s face split into a smile, and the scar on his face pinched beneath his sunglasses.

Sadie tried not to stare. “Nice to meet you.”

“Never thought I’d meet you,” Mike said with a sideways smile reminding her of Aiden’s.

“He means he’s glad to finally meet you.” Aiden shot his dad a warning look.

“Yeah. Was sorry to miss Shane’s wedding. Couldn’t make it down.” He pointed to his face. “Freak muffin tin accident.”

“Dad,” Aiden mumbled.

“I kid.” Mike’s mouth curved. “It was a pizza cutter.” Sadie allowed herself a laugh. Clearly that was Mike’s goal. Before Aiden could reprimand him again, he said, “I hear it was a nice wedding.”

“Very,” she agreed, feeling guilty all over again for the way she’d ignored Aiden. A fresh wave of embarrassment crashed over her when she recalled how much she’d drunk, how she’d asked Aiden to undress her. He’d not only undressed her, but redressed her and tucked her in. How could she have been so mean after all he’d done for her?

“You’re as beautiful as he said.” At Aiden’s penetrating stare, Mike only shrugged. “Just tellin’ the truth, son.”