If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series (23 page)

He rolled his eyes at me in response. “Oh, come on. Just one sentence. I know you had to have picked up something while you were there.”

I chuckled, wondering if I did, would he let it go. “Aye, I picked up a thing or two, but I canna do it all the time. Ye ken?”

He hooted, startling a couple walking past us. “That was awesome!”

I side-eyed him. “And it’s the one and only time I’ll do it, so don’t ask again, ye wee numptie, or I’ll gie ye a good skelp.”

He grinned. “No worries, I… whoa, what do we have here?”

I went on instant alert as the direction of my gaze sought out what Josh was looking at.

On the top step of our apartment sat a girl with her chin tucked in as she hugged her arms against her chest tightly. Hearing our approaching footsteps, her head lifted and my heart stopped.

“Airen?” Her name came out as a whisper.

Slowly, she got to her feet as I made my way closer to her.

It had to be a dream. She couldn’t be standing within arm’s reach.

“Who’s that?” Josh asked, bumping his hand into my arm.

She came down the steps like an apparition. And I would have believed she was one, except Josh could see her too.

Her hand extended out to Josh. “Airen Campbell. You are?”

Josh’s lips pulled into a huge grin as he answered. “Halfway in love.”

She snorted, pulling her hand back as she said, “Seems a bit of an odd name.” Her eyes flicked over to me. “Hello, Aiden.”

I swallowed hard. “Airen,” I said, fighting the urge to pull her against me.

Josh cleared his throat. “She yours, Aiden?”

I growled in response, making Airen jump.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll just go unlock the door and give you a minute to catch up,” he said, wiggling his hand for the keys.

I didn’t take my eyes off her as I handed them over.

Neither of us spoke until Josh was inside with the door closed behind him.

“I hope ye don’t mind me showing up like this,” she said, nervously biting her lip as she waited for me to answer.

“Why are you here?” I asked, sounding a little gruff from the overwhelming flood of emotion rolling inside of me.

She pulled in a deep breath, looked me square in the eye, and answered. “I came to say I was sorry for the way I acted at the hospital.”

I wavered in place. All she’d come for was an apology? “I don’t know what to say to that.”

She picked up her hand, reaching out as if to touch me, but stopped before she did. Her hand fell to her side as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I shouldna let ye leave without talking to ye. There’s a lot we haven’t said.”

I didn’t understand what would make her catch a flight across the ocean just to say she was sorry. “That’s a long trip just to apologize.”

She shoved her hands in her pockets and took a step back, glaring at me. “It was. Now I can see I was wrong. Good-bye, Aiden.”

My hand shot out, grabbing her sleeve as she turned to walk away. “You’d leave… just like that?”

She tugged free of my hold and spun on me with sparks snapping in her eyes. “Ye canna have it both ways, Aiden. I came to find ye, apologize to ye, and see where I stood in yer life!”

A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away with a quick swipe. “I made a mistake, and I’ll no be where I’m no wanted.”

When she tried to jerk away from me again, I yanked her against me, holding her close. “Who said it was a mistake?”

She pushed against my hold, but there was no way in hell I’d let her go. “Your face haunts me every damn night when I close my eyes. You pop up in my thoughts at the most random times, and I play hell to push your image away. I can’t go a single day without thinking about you. Do you think I’m just gonna let you walk away from me? Let you leave now that I have you back in my arms?”

She stopped struggling and bumped her head into my shoulder. “After ye left, I was so lost without ye. How did you become so important to me, Aiden?”

It was the same damn question I’d asked myself over and over again to the point of insanity.

“What are we supposed to do? I don’t know how not to want ye?” she sobbed, wrapping her arms around me.

Whatever notions I had about keeping my distance crumbled. My hands found her face and I tilted it up, staring down into the mossy green of her eyes. “Stay with me. Don’t leave.”

I caught her gasp with my lips, kissing both of us senseless as she swayed into me.

As selfish as it was, I wasn’t going to let her go. Not then. Not ever.

Her hands fisted into the collar of my jacket as she broke the kiss. “I’m no going anywhere, except inside. It’s freezing out here.”

I didn’t feel a thing as hot as my blood burned for her.

Reaching up, I took her hands in mine, noticing how cold she really was. “Before we go in, I need to ask something from you,”

She nodded. “Okay, what is it?”

Sighing, I laid it all out for her. “Josh is one of my best friends. One of six of them. You’ve met Ace and Eli, but there are more to our group. Josh and Mark. Neither of them knows about me… about who I work for or what I do. I haven’t told them, and I don’t plan to tell them.”

She blinked slowly. “Yer asking me to not say anything about something I don’t even know about?”

I nodded, attempting a smile for her. “I promised we’d talk about that, and we will. I won’t have any more secrets from you, but once you know…”

She brought her hand up along my chest, under my jacket, settling her palm over my heart. “I promise ye, Aiden. All yer secrets are safe with me.”

I hugged her tight, not wanting to let go for fear she’d disappear. “I’m counting on it, Airen.”

“Before we go in, I have something to ask of ye too,” she said, pulling back to look at me.

“What’s that?” I asked, tipping my forehead against hers and breathing in her scent. I’d missed every damn thing about her, and I wanted to immerse myself in her scent all at once.

“Kiss me again,” she whispered, placing her lips against mine.

It was a simple kiss, but one that rocked my entire world out from under me.

Airen had come for me. She’d put it all on the line to be with me, even knowing the danger my life could bring. All of my attempts to put her behind me and move on shattered when she’d taken a leap of faith and sought me out.

For that, I’d never let her go. She was the other half of me that I never knew existed. And there was nothing in the world I wanted more than her. If it took me the rest of my life, I’d show Airen just how much she meant to me.

After I tucked her under my arm, we made it up the first step when she stopped and put her hand on my shoulder. “I’d have fought tooth and nail for ye if you’d tried to keep me away.”

Pulling her hand up to my lips, I kissed the tips of her fingers, “I would have let you. I’m that crazy about you. I think… I think I’m falling in love with you, Airen. It scares me a little, but it excites me even more.”

She quirked her eyebrow at me. “I’ll have te let Aunt Brenda know her tea worked then.” She chuckled and then said, “Cause as sure as the sun rises, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with ye as well.”

Before I could pull her down and kiss her, the sound of a truck pulling up alongside us broke us apart. The furniture guys were opening the back of the truck, ready to move everything inside.

“Looks like we’ll have a bed to sleep on tonight,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

“Who said anything about sleep?” She grinned from ear to ear when my face heated.

I wasn’t embarrassed. Not one damn bit. I was turned on, ready to scoop her off the steps and carry her to the room, bed or no bed.

“Excuse us,” the guy carrying one end of our new couch said as he waited for me to move.

Putting my hand on Airen’s hip, I ushered us up the stairs and held the door open for the couch to be brought in.

“My suitcase!” Airen said, slapping her hand to her forehead. “Let me just fetch it real quick.”

“I got it,” I said, catching her with a quick kiss to her lips and making my way down the stairs.

Tucked up against the side of the steps, hidden from view, was a single suitcase and a small overnight bag.

For as small as they were, they had some heft to them. Pulling the strap of the overnight bag onto my shoulder, I waited as the delivery drivers maneuvered the kitchen table up the stairs. Seeing it reminded me that there wasn’t a single thing in the fridge or cabinets.

I carried Airen’s bags back to my room, depositing them inside the closet, and made my way back to the living room where Josh and Airen had struck up a conversation.

“Here,” I said, handing over my bank card to Josh. “We need groceries. Do you mind going and getting a few things to hold us over until tomorrow?”

Josh took the card, looking between Airen and me. “I never woulda thought, but then again, who could have seen this coming? Be back in a little bit.” He smirked, shoving the card into his front pocket as he made his way out the door.

“I like him. He’s nice,” Airen said, moving to sit down on the couch.

“I think he likes you too. Or it could be your accent,” I said, sitting down beside her and pulling her against me.

“My accent? I don’t have an accent,” she said, playfully shoving her hand against my chest.

I caught her hand in mine. “Yes, you do. And it’s sexy as hell. Just remember something when he’s following you around, hanging onto your every word.”

“Aye, and what shall I remember then?” she said, trying to catch a yawn that came out of nowhere with her hand.

I chuckled. “Tired?”

“Am pure done in, aye. I’ve been awake since the night before my flight,” she answered, snuggling heavily against my side.

“Well, as soon as the bed is put together, I’ll be tucking you right in it,” I answered, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“That feels lovely. I like the way ye touch me, Aiden,” she said. Her voice hinted that she was drifting off to sleep. “What did ye want me to remember?” she asked, attempting to keep our conversation going, but failing miserably at it as her head lolled into my neck.

Her soft breathing told me she’d lost the fight of staying awake before I could tell her that even though Josh hung onto every damn word she said, I’d be the arms she’d fall into. The one whose heart and soul was connected to hers.

She didn’t need that reminder though, because deep down, I knew she understood it, just as much as I knew hers belonged to me. There weren’t words needed to acknowledge it. It was there plain as day with the way she held onto me even as she slept, and the way I’d never let her too far out of my thoughts. We were one.

My heart warmed as it expanded to the point of bursting. She was in my arms, right where I wanted her to be. Right where she belonged. And I’d never let her go.

To my husband, the other half of myself… better known as himself, I love you. Thank you for being the most amazing partner in life.

To my kids, out of everything a parent is supposed to teach their children, I hope you will always remember one thing… your dreams. Follow them and be happy.

To my parents, your excitement and support encourages me every day. Thank you for always being there for me.

To my awesome betas, Kendall, Meg, Tarnya, and Sabina. Thank you for everything. I love getting feedback from you.

A special thank you to Kendall McCubbin for answering all my questions and helping make sure the dialogue, setting, and overall tone of the book rang true. Although, she did bust me on the fact that my characters took on an Edinburgh accent instead of the intended Glasgow one.  Oops. So for the readers that picked up on that, I’d like ye to ken that it’s no Kendall’s fault on that point, aye?

To Rebecca Gaskill, words cannot express the gratitude I have for you. Your willingness to be the last set of eyes before each book is published means so much. Much more than I can say, and that says a lot because I write books. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so amazing.

To my bestest, Candace Knoebel…

**SQUISH**

Such a small word for the monumental meaning behind it.

To my readers, thank you for all of your support.

This book was especially fun for me to write.

I truly hope you enjoyed it!