Chapter Fourteen
Emma
Why is the phone ringing at six in the morning? Surely, someone is trying to torture me. I pick it up and the voice on the other end is irritatingly cheery. Yep…torture.
“Come down to breakfast, Cooper.”
“I’m already mad at you, Aiden. Now you’re waking me up at some ungodly hour.”
“I’m sorry about last night.”
“You’re not forgiven.” Even as I say it, I cannot summon the anger I want. It’s hard to be mad at someone for echoing your own thoughts.
“So, don’t forgive me. Not yet, anyway. But don’t miss out on breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. Let’s make amends over some chow.”
“Not good enough.”
“It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.” He says it in a singsong voice.
Well, that’s promising. “Tell me more.”
“It has everything you could want, from bacon to shrimp. Shrimp for breakfast.”
I yawn loudly. “Doesn’t sound that awesome.”
“There is a chocolate fountain.”
Now I sit up. “Go on.”
“You can fondue stuff. There’s cookies, brownies, and cake.”
“What else?”
“Okay, wait for it… Carrot cake French toast with apple filling.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Uh-huh. It’s made to order, too. So come down. Today’s my cheat day, so I can eat anything I want. Come and cheat with me.”
I should check him on the double-entendre, but the ante is too high.
“Fine. I’ll come down, but I need to get dressed.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I get up and haul myself to the shower. He can wait a long time for all I care. The French toast will still be there, and check-out isn’t for a few hours anyway. I spend so much time under really hot water that my skin prunes up. I put my hair up in a messy bun and drag on a pair of jeans, a blue tank top, and flip-flops. I passive-aggressively waste a great deal of time to all these tasks.
By the time I get downstairs, he’s sitting at a table shuffling a card deck. He stands when I approach. He’s wearing a maroon shirt, rolled at the sleeves, and dark jeans. His hair is damp and he smells like sin. Guess what? Sin smells delicious. No one should look this good this early.
“Hey, you look nice today,” he says, a huge grin on his face as he pulls out a chair for me.
“Shut up,” I say.
He sits, flashing me one of his sly smiles, the one that’s two parts naughty with a hint of nice. I’m sure it’s a recipe for a disaster. “Your hair looks pretty like that. Do you just wrap it and pile it on top of your head?” He does some sort of circular movement with his hand in a lame attempt to visualize the steps.
“Yep, it’s a fun bun.”
“Oh, it has a name.”
“I really don’t think you want to discuss my messy bun.”
“I thought it was a fun bun?”
“It’s both. Let’s eat.”
“First we should talk.” He slides a plate holding a doughnut with pink glaze and colorful sprinkles in front of me. “My peace offering. I had to go through a lot for this.”
“Didn’t you get it from the buffet?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, you shouldn’t have gone through so much trouble. I mean, taking a plate and walking five feet and all.”
Aiden laughs so loudly several people turn in our direction. “You don’t understand. It was the last one up there. I had to battle it out with a kid.”
“You fought a kid for a doughnut?”
“Damn straight. But I didn’t fight her. I bribed her with a five-dollar chip. I really wanted to save this doughnut for you.”
“Why?”
“It’s your birthday doughnut.”
“Is that a thing?”
“If it’s not, it should be.”
I try not to smile, but my mouth pulls up anyway.
He pulls the plate away, just before I pick it up. He swipes his hand through the air. “Wait, there’s more.”
I laugh, because he’s doing a really cheesy impression of infomercial sales guy. He drops a votive candle in the hole of the doughnut and lights it. The same kind of candle they have at this very restaurant during dinner. I have to admit, it is an ingenious idea.
“Now you have to make a wish.”
“Look at all this trouble you went to,” I say with an extra dollop of sarcasm.
“You’re worth it, Cooper.”
I close my eyes and blow out the flame.
“What did you wish for?”
“That you wouldn’t ask me that question.”
“Funny, smart-ass.”
I split the doughnut in half between us.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I shouldn’t have said those things. It’s none of my business. I’m sure Keifer’s a good guy.”
I slap my hands on the table. “Kenneth! Seriously dude, how do you even get Keifer from Kenneth? How?”
“Sorry, my mistake.”
He waits, inhaling his half of my birthday doughnut. Then he slowly rips the label from his juice. I haven’t seen Aiden nervous. I don’t think it happens very often. I let him wait. I relish my doughnut, taking small bites and licking my lips. While I do, I notice that, even in Vegas, where there are endless buffets for the eyes, all the girls and some boys pause as they go by, drinking him in as if he’s the tastiest dish in the place.
“C’mon, talk to me,” he finally says.
“You may be able to buy my affection with pastry, but my forgiveness is another story.”
“But there’s even more, Emma.”
“Don’t go spoiling me now.”
“I got you a gift. I have to warn you, it’s shiny and heavy. You’re gonna look great next to it.”
Okay, this took a turn. I really don’t want a gift. The dress, as gorgeous as it is, makes me feel awkward enough. It is too expensive and intimate to begin with.
He reaches under the table and takes out a square, wrapped package, which he places front of me. Well, I guess you could call it “wrapped” if paper napkins from the restaurant count. Straw wrappers twine together to hold it all in place. One is shaped into a bow and sits on top of the package.
I place a hand over my chest. “Ooo, fancy.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I figured you’d appreciate the small touches.”
I unfold it as if it’s the most intricate wrapping paper I’ve ever seen.
“A glass, and look, you even got it engraved,” I say, holding it next to me, gesturing like a game show hostess.
“With the hotel’s logo, no less. Use it in good health.”
I crack up, all my anger dissipating. He gets me…and I’m not an easy girl to get. “Do other girls appreciate your warped sense of humor?”
Aiden’s eyes darken and the humor leaves his face. “To be honest, I didn’t think I had a sense of humor until I met you.”
The statement breaks my heart.
“You do. I’m glad I get to see it.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
I cross my arms. “Not sure.”
“Let me sweeten the deal.” He inches the table centerpiece toward me, a white vase with a few yellow roses popping out. “Flowers for the birthday girl.”
How can you not forgive a man who brings you flowers?
“You’re too generous.”
“Since you kept me waiting so long, I decided to use the time wisely.”
I reach across the table and jab my finger in his chest. “Hey, fun buns don’t just happen on their own, buddy.”
He puts his arms up like I’m arresting him. “No reason to attack me. I get it.”
“Okay, I forgive you. But no more trash talking my boyfriend.”
He holds his hand up. “I swear, I won’t say another word against Keanu.”
“Fuck you, Aiden.” I throw a straw wrapper at him.
“Sorry, Emma. Kenneth. I mean Kenneth.”
“Thank you.”
“Speaking of him, I think we should head to L.A. from here.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Why? This is a big birthday, and you should spend it with people who care about you. We can resume the road trip tomorrow.”
The statement is bitter and sweet. Sweet he wants to take me to the people who care for me, and bitter because he doesn’t count himself in that number.
“It’s three hours out of the way.”
“More like two. We’ll be there this afternoon. We can spend the night, and leave in the morning. Just consider it a detour. You came to Vegas for me. I want to go to L.A. for you.”
“I enjoyed Vegas, too.”
“And I’ll enjoy L.A. Are you in?”
He slides his hand so our fingertips almost touch. I push mine the rest of the way.
“All-in.”