Hard to Handle (Love in the Balance 2)

She’d be able to drive in a second, she assured herself. The tears hadn’t stopped, exactly, but they were no longer a constant flow. She watched the windshield wipers swipe the flooding water off the windshield. It filled before they lifted to swipe it away again.

Her tears were kind of like the rain. And her face kind of like the windshield.

She couldn’t blame Aiden for pushing her away. Not really. She’d waited too long; she’d made her proclamation too late. Last year, she’d ignored his phone calls and walled herself up, promising to be hard and uncompromising where he was concerned. And when she saw him again at the wedding, she arranged a number of hoops for him to jump through. And dammit if he didn’t jump through every one of them.

But it was Sadie, at the end of the day, who couldn’t be bothered to leave her comfort zone. Sadie, who’d looked at all he’d given her and thrown it away.

Aiden looked as sad and broken as she’d felt when she’d told him she loved him. It was why she’d left his porch. He was hurting and needed to heal, and she was picking at the wound and dumping salt in it while she was at it. Sadie knew how hard it was to heal. How devastating it was to lose him the first time.

So, she’d leave him alone and he could forget about her.

This part sucked.

She swiped her eyes again, closing them and pulling in a breath. She had to go home sometime. Now was a good a time as any.

The windshield wipers pushed the rain away, but this time, she spotted a soaking wet figure wearing a ball cap standing in front of her car. Her heart thudded out his name, but she refused to think it. She wanted him too badly. This had to be a dream.

But it wasn’t, she realized when her driver’s door opened. Aiden stood dripping wet and holding out a palm for her to take. Sadie put her hand in his and was swamped with familiarity, with the absolute rightness of the way they fit together.

In every way.

He pulled her to her feet and kissed her and she decided this wasn’t a dream after all. She’d died and the Almighty was giving her a taste of heaven. When she moved to get closer to him and the cap got in the way, Aiden tossed it to the side to pull her against him and kissed her harder. Like he needed her. Like he loved her.

She didn’t want to stop. Ever. She just wanted to stand here, shivering in the rain, and kiss him. This moment was perfect. This moment was what she’d imagined when she’d pulled into his driveway.

He swiped her wet hair from her face. “Look at you,” he said, his voice low. “I’m so sorry I made you cry.”

Which, of course, made her cry again.

He swiped her tears, the rain, from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “If I tell you I love you, will you stop crying?”

She smiled but shook her head.

He smiled back, his dimple denting his cheek and catching a droplet of rain. “If I let you punch me in the nose, will you stop crying?”

She chuckled. “Maybe.”

“Maybe, huh?” He bent and kissed her, his tongue warm against her cold lips. She held on to him and thought how they must look, clutching each other, making out in the rain, desperate not to let go. She liked that. No, she loved that. She loved him.

He pulled away and clasped her hand, then ducked into her car and came out with the keys. He clicked the key fob to lock the door and led her to the back of his father’s house and into the kitchen.

Aiden’s father was cracking open a beer when they entered. He spared Sadie a smile and Aiden a wink, then scuttled through the doorway and up the stairs.

Aiden tightened his hold on her wet hand and pulled Sadie through the den and into his room, shutting the door behind them. Remembering the night he’d sat on this comforter with her in his lap was almost enough to buckle her knees. She never thought she would be in here again. But here she was.

He didn’t let go of her hand until they stood in front of his dresser. She surveyed the items on the surface. A coffee mug full of change, a ball cap, a magazine, a key chain…

She smiled down at the cartoon of a bride and groom, and the words that read UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. Her smile faded as her eyes tracked to what was attached to the chain.

Not a key.

Aiden lifted the key chain and dangled the platinum engagement ring in front of her. “This,” he said, his voice tight, “is what I had planned for the night I came to take you to dinner.”

Sadie stared as the ring swayed back and forth. “The night I blew it.” She had, too. He’d stood there proclaiming how much he loved her and how he’d always loved her, and he’d had this in his pocket. She’d completely blown it.