The Hustle (Irreparable #4) (31 page)

Her eyes scour my expression and I give myself a moment to collect my thoughts so I can get this right. Once I feel completely relaxed, I take her hand in mine and inhale deep.

“I’ve spent many hours under this tree. Pondering life and why mine was such a disaster. I brought you here with me because I was informed earlier that I’m slow.” She releases soft laughter into the air, squeezing my hand. “I’m done pondering. My life is no longer a disaster and you complete the family I’ve always wanted.” I cradle her face in my hands and hold strong so I can look her in the eyes. “Peyton Miles, will you marry me?”

I continue holding her face as she reaches up and wraps her hands around my wrists. “Yes.”

My lips find hers, kissing her long and deep as her love spreads through me until it reaches my heart, where I feel it beat with purpose for the first time.

W
e spent an hour under that oak tree kissing and chatting about wedding plans and needing to pick out rings, until we hear children giggling nearby and have to chase them off. The smile on my lips refuses to soften as the happiness I feel about his proposal consumes me. He’s not the man he was when we met. He’s stronger and all of his experiences are what makes this time around perfect.

Later in the afternoon, we start a game of Scrabble with Javier and Camilia. They get bored about five minutes in. I sit across from Aidan, who’s kicking my butt, but I refuse to give up. I swear each time he lays down a new word it isn’t even a word and I have to Google it on my phone.

Liv passes by the table but then stops and backs up. “You’re not playing Scrabble with my brother, are you?”

“I’m trying, but he knows words no one’s ever heard of! He’s a freaky word-nerd.”

“Or a human dictionary.” She casts a look at her brother. “You’re an ass.” The devilish grin on his face does nothing to dispute her accusation. “You didn’t tell her yet, did you?”

“Tell me what?”

“My idiot brother has a photographic memory for shit he reads. He’s supposedly a genius, but don’t let that intimidate you because he has no common sense. But Scrabble . . . yeah, he’s read the dictionary like four times. Oh, and no games that involve math or numbers. Pictionary . . . now that you can school him at.”

Liv shoots him another evil look before walking away.

My eyes pop out of my head as I stare across the table. “Were you going to share that little tidbit, or were you going to keep it to yourself so you could cheat your poor, unknowing future wife?”

“I wasn’t hiding anything from you,” he answers instantly but it’s the insistence in his tone that hints his worry.

“Hey, I was only messing with you.”

His slumped shoulders show me he knows he overreacted and he smiles. “Alright, so maybe I manipulated you a little bit.”

“You’re so busted. Guess you can’t play dumb anymore like when you say you can’t cook when you can obviously memorize the recipe or starting a fire in the fireplace or driving directions . . . or . . .”

His laughter interrupts me before he says, “Oh, no . . . you heard my sister, I have no common sense.”

When Brady comes over to see what the fuss is about, I leave Aidan and go outside where Liv and Tori are sitting at a picnic table with the kids. They’re making puppets out of paper bags with an assortment of craft materials, like yarn and googly eyes.

“Join us,” Liv offers, scooting over and making room for me to sit down.

I sit between her and Camilia who glues yellow yarn to her puppet for hair. “Look, it’s you,” she says, holding her puppet up. “Only you’re prettier.”

“Aw, thank you,” I say with a smile, feeling my eyes moisten.

Tori hands me a bag and I pick up a crayon to draw a face. As the afternoon slips away among giggles and laughter, I understand exactly what this place means to Aidan and his family, and not just the ones he’s blood related to. The Hunter family essentially adopted every one of these kids. They’re home.

J
avier is spending the night with Drew. Aidan and I rarely have moments completely alone and sex is usually something we sneak in when Javier sleeps. The job in Carlsbad I’ve been overwhelmed with for the last week has exhausted me. By the time I get home, I collapse.

After a week without sex, Aidan attacked me the moment we walked in the door earlier, which lead to sex on the floor in the foyer. As his hands and lips move all over me while I try to cook dinner, I know earlier wasn’t enough for him. It wasn’t for me either, but I’m starving.

“Turn off the stove,” he growls in my ear.

I turn in his arms to face him. “Since I’m sure you plan to keep me up all night, we need to eat.”

“Sustenance is overrated. We need to fuck.” I shake my head, laughing as I turn back to the stove. His hands slip into my shirt and he massages my breasts. “I’ll be quick.”

“Just what every girl wants to hear, Romeo,” I tell him, flicking water from my glass over my shoulder at him.

“Oh, you want to play?”

I shrug, keeping my back to him as I stir the pasta sauce.

A second later, I shriek as ice-cold water soaks my back. I turn and get sprayed in the face by a laughing Aidan as he holds the sprayer from the sink at the island behind him.

“Stop,” I yell, fighting through the streams of water to grab the sprayer. I struggle to reach it, but refuse to give up. After a second, he returns it to the sink, fighting me off with his forearm as he turns off the water.

“That’s better,” he says all throaty, looking at my breasts.

My nipples show perfectly through my white, soaked T-shirt.

“You’re so gonna get it.” He shoots to the other side of the island when I grab the glass of water from the counter.

When I make a move toward him, he circles around the other side. “You mad, baby?”

“Stop moving and you’ll find out.” He laughs, circling the island again as I dart around and fail to reach him. I stare him down. “I ran track in high school. Two-time state champ in the forty. I will catch you.”

The smile slides off his lips as he rounds the corner surrendering. “No reason to let you chase me, when I want you to catch me.”

I make my way slowly to him. He doesn’t move as the water pours down his face from the glass I hold above his head. I set the glass on the counter, unsure if I should be laughing or terrified at his lack of reaction.

“I always want you to catch me,” he says, water raining down his serious face.

He picks me up into his arms. I lock my feet behind his hips and kiss his neck. He holds me up as he turns off the stove before carrying me to our bedroom.

I’m placed gently on the fluffy comforter. “I can’t wait to marry you, Peyton Miles,” he confesses in a low voice. “I will love you forever.”

Water drips from his hair, landing on my face as he covers my body with his. I lift my head, sealing our lips together. The kiss is wet and slippery, slow and sensual. Will it always feel so incredible to kiss him? Knowing Aidan, it will only get better.

His lips leave mine as they work their way down my neck. I’m overwhelmed by his words replaying in my mind. I’m going to be his wife. “Oh, God!” I cry out as he draws my nipple into his mouth.

“You know what I love most about you?” he asks, lifting his head to look at me.

“My boobs?”

“No, nothing sexual.”

“Oh.” I just assumed, given our current position, he was going to say something dirty.

“I love that you always believe in me.”

“I always will.” I pull on his neck and lift my head to kiss him again.

Soon, I’m panting and moaning and begging him not to stop. He continues, pumping his hips until my eyes roll back in my head and my legs tighten around his hips. I’m overcome by the intensity of my orgasm and I can barely breathe, let alone move. It’s not long before he collapses on top of me. His heavy breaths warm my neck.

“Now we can eat,” he says out of breath.

First we shower, then we eat.

After dinner, we take a walk. We stroll through the Gas Lamp with our arms around each other until he stops.

“You ready?” he asks.

I’m confused until I turn my head to the window of the building he stopped in front of. “Now?”

“Yes.” He smiles. “I want to put a ring on your finger right now.”

We enter the jewelers and the sales lady clearly recognizes him. She hurries over, calling him by name. Aidan introduces me before we sit in front of the case containing engagement rings.

“Why is it that you know which case houses engagement rings?”

One eyebrow rises as he smiles at me. “I’m not as slow as the kid thinks I am.” That shut me up. “I came in here last week, but I couldn’t decide.”

I may not be any help. I’d be happy with a simple band. “Did you like any of them?”

He points to one. The round center stone, set in platinum is much like the other rings in the case, but the band is uniquely different. It braches out in small, cut out circles that veer in opposing directions and never seal together. Each one encased with diamonds.

“Why this one?” I ask.

“The band feels like my life before you, never ending chaos. The center stone is after you, grounded and peaceful.” I don’t even know what to say. Moments ago it was just a ring, and now it’s so much more.

“That’s beautiful.”

“It is, isn’t it? Do you want to try it on?”

I nod, but I wasn’t referring to the ring. Although gorgeous, it’s what he said I find priceless. I’ll wear the significance on my ring finger forever.