“Okay.” I nodded. “I will certainly take it into consideration.”
Aiden took a sip of his wine and carefully set the glass down before speaking. “My brother is getting married in two weeks. I need a date for the wedding.”
I couldn't stop the grin from filling my face, but I managed to keep it under control. “And you need me to introduce you to someone. I think my roommate has a couple of weekends open...”
His hazel eyes opened in surprise when I didn't immediately say yes, then crinkled at the corners as he realized what I was up to. “Lena, I don't want your roommate.”
I knew this was a big deal. It would mean meeting not only his brother, but his father as well. It meant that he thought I was worthy to present to them. My heart was full to bursting that he thought that highly of me, but I wanted him to ask me directly. I needed him to after the conversation we had last night. “Well, I might have a co-worker who I could set you up with.”
“I don't want your roommate, or your co-worker, or even your dog groomer.” He smiled, knowing that I was just messing with him. He stood and came to kneel by my chair. “Would you please be my date to my brother's wedding?”
I grinned at him. “Yes. I would be honored to.”
“You had to be difficult, didn't you?” he asked. I nodded and he leaned forward and kissed me, putting his hand in my hair and pulling me into him. Happiness washed over me like a wave. This was going to be more than just a vacation fling.
“This has been the best trip of my life,” I whispered, my words coming straight from my heart. There was a chance for us. “I'm so glad I met you.”
He grinned. “You sure it's not just because I got you some amazing cheese?”
I pretended to think on it for a minute as he walked back to his chair. “Nope. It's all you.”
“Good.” He popped a cracker into his mouth and winked. “But it did help, right?”
I laughed. “You got me. I'm actually part mouse. I probably should have told you earlier.”
“That does explain the tail...”
I threw a piece of cheese at his head. It missed by a mile, but he still ducked.
His eyes met mine and I couldn't look away. They absorbed me. “Do you believe in fate?” he asked. His eyes were so beautiful I almost hated when he blinked.
“Yes,” I said with a nod. “I do.”
“Then you don't believe in free will?” He took a small sip of wine, waiting to see my reaction.
“I believe in both,” I stated. He raised his eyebrows, the gentle merriment in his eyes telling me that he was genuinely interested in my thoughts. Not only was the man good with wine, but he apparently enjoyed philosophical discussions as well.
“How does that work?” Aiden asked, taking a piece of cheese for himself.
“I believe that fate pushes in the direction we're supposed to go, but we have to chose how to go there. We get to choose the path that leads us to our fate.”
“Interesting,” he said, slowly digesting my words. “What if I don't like my fate? Do I get to choose a different one?”
“No,” I replied shaking my head. “We don't get to chose our fates, just how we accept them. Fate is that the sun is going to set and we will be in the dark. There is nothing we can do to stop it. It is what is destined to happen. But we have free will, so even though the sun sets and there is darkness, we can chose to gather and light candles.”
Aiden munched quietly on his cheese for a moment as he contemplated my words. “So is it fate that I found you?”
“I'd like to think so.” Happy excitement at revealing my feelings flutters in my chest. “I kind of like the idea that the universe is smiling on the two of us being together. What about you?
Do you believe it was fate?”
Aiden sipped his wine thoughtfully, his hazel eyes dark with thought. Slowly, he set his glass down and leaned forward as if he were telling me a secret. “Up until a little under three weeks ago, I used to believe that fate was a word that the hopeless used to describe random chance. That fate was just a coward's way of hoping for the future or explaining the past. It didn't have any substance or meaning.”
“What happened three weeks ago that changed your mind?”
Aiden's face brightened into a soft smile, one that was meant only for me. It was the kind of smile that made my heart race and my stomach do cartwheels. It was a smile that made it impossible for me to think of anything but Aiden and how much I cared for him.
“You. You happened,” he answered. My heart fluttered harder. “The odds are astronomical that I would meet you. I've been in that office dozens of times, and I've never gotten lost...” He held up fingers as he began to count the obstacles.