Chapter 26

Aaron

DROPPING DOWN ON THE SOFA, I let out a tired moan. Princess was resting in her little makeshift bed I made so she didn’t have to jump or move too much. This was stressful. If I can hardly handle a dog being spayed, what am I going to do when Sierra and I have kids and one falls from a tree and breaks their arm?

Em walked out of the kitchen and handed me a beer as she sat down next to me and pulled her legs up to her chest. “So—”

Taking a drink of the beer, I raised an eyebrow and looked at Em. “So . . . what?”

“Have y’all set a date yet?”

Smiling, I nodded my head as Em began jumping around like a child. “Oh my gosh! Aaron why haven’t y’all said anything?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I gave her a wink. “We just picked a date yesterday. Sierra had to make sure she could take off in the fall with the new job, but we decided what we wanted to do for the wedding, and the honeymoon.” Wiggling my eyebrows, Em made a gagging sound as she stuck her finger down her throat.

“I didn’t need that visual, thank you very much.”

Shrugging, I said, “That’s what brothers are for, baby sister. Hey, I’m going to need you to house sit and watch Princess for me.”

Em beamed as she smiled. “Sure! Can I have a party?”

Giving her a warning look, I held up my finger and said, “One party with no more than eight people. No sex, no drugs, and no alcohol.”

Lifting her hands to her chest she crossed her arms and pouted. “Well damn, Aaron. Why have a party then?”

“Ha ha,” I said as I tossed a pillow at her. “Anyway, three weeks from today. I’ll be gone for two weeks.”

Em took a drink of her beer and set it on the coffee table. “Okay. Where are you going?”

Smiling, I said, “Spain.”

“Spain! Wow. What for?”

“My wedding, and honeymoon.”

Em looked at me as her eyes grew bigger in her head. Slowly shaking her head, she asked, “Wedding?”

Nodding my head, I stood up and headed into the kitchen. “Yep. And honeymoon, don’t forget I said honeymoon.”

Scrambling to her feet, Em chased after me. “Aaron! Y’all are getting married in Spain? In three weeks? Wait . . . is it just the two of you . . . alone?”

Opening up the pantry door, I searched for something salty to eat. Finding a bag of Lays potato chips, I smiled and grabbed them.

Em reached for my arm and pulled me around to look at her. “You’re eloping? What about Mom and Dad? What about me? You’re robbing us of this moment. How could you?”

Laughing, I placed my hands on Em’s shoulders. “Settle down, tiger. We’re going to have a ceremony here too, before we leave. Just family and friends at Mom and Dad’s place.”

Em’s eyes lit up. “Really? How in the world did y’all plan this so quickly?”

Shrugging my shoulders I said, “I don’t know. We both wanted something small and intimate. Sierra has wanted to go to Spain, so she had all the information already for where to go and stay. It kind of just fell together, especially having told mom. She took off with the plans.”

Emily eyes filled with tears as I smiled. “Sierra wanted to ask you herself to be in the wedding, so act surprised when she talks to you about it.”

Em did a little scream and threw herself into my arms. “Oh, Aaron! I can’t believe you’re getting married.”

Closing my eyes, I held her tight. “Me either, Em. Me either.”

***

Carrying the last box out of Sierra’s house, I put it in the back of my truck. Wiping the sweat from my brow, a woman about my age approached me with a smile. “Hello there. Moving in?”

Letting out a chuckle, I said, “No, I’m moving my fiancée out.”

The stunned expression on her face caused me to smile bigger. “Sierra is getting married? Didn’t she just get divorced?”

Glaring at her, the woman’s smile faded as she rocked back and forth nervously on her heels. “Well, not that it’s any of my business.”

Smiling, I nodded my head and said, “No, it really isn’t.”

Giving me a dirty look, she cleared her throat. “I was coming over to invite Sierra over for our daughter’s one-year birthday party. She was the labor and delivery nurse when I had Angie.”

“Really?” I asked as I glanced back toward the house, wondering where in the hell Sierra was. She had been right behind me with a box. When I saw the curtain move, I knew what she was doing.

That little brat was hiding!

“Yes. Ever since we found out Sierra lived a few doors down from us, we’ve invited her to all of Angie’s parties.”

Jerking my head back, I gave her a dazed look. “All of Angie’s parties? Isn’t she just turning one?”

Laughing and hitting me playfully on the chest, to which I took a step away from her, she said, “She is just one, but we’ve had parties for each month, silly.”

“Each month?” I asked as I glanced back at the window and saw Sierra looking out with a smile on her face.

“Sure, one-month birthday, two-month birthday, three-month birthday, four—”

Holding up my hands, I smiled politely. “I get it. You don’t have to count them all out for me.”

Lifting her hand, she handed me the invite. “You’re more than welcome to come with Sierra. It would mean a whole lot to us to have Sierra there. Let her know for me, okay? I’ve got to run.”

Taking a few steps back, the woman lifted her hand and waved as she eye fucked the hell out of me. Licking her lips, she turned and walked away. I was pretty sure I heard her moan as she turned away from me.

Shaking my head, I headed back into the house only to find Sierra in a laughing fit. “Haha. Don’t think I didn’t notice you left me high and dry out there. I feel like I need to take a shower with the way she was eye fucking me.”

Throwing her head back and laughing, Sierra wrapped her arms around her waist and motioned with her hand for me to stop talking. “Can’t. Breathe.”

“That’s not cool. You’re going to be my wife in a couple days and you’re laughing at me.”

Sierra took a deep breath in and calmed herself down. “I’m sorry. It’s just when I came walking out and saw her making a beeline toward you, I turned and hightailed it back into the house. That family is nuts! Do you know how many birthday parties I’ve been to?”

“I’d say at least eleven,” I said with a chuckle.

Shaking her head, Sierra picked a box up and said, “Ugh. As much as I’m going to miss this house, I’ll be so glad to be away from them. At least once a week she would bring me over—”

I opened the front door for Sierra to walk through when she let out a scream. “Hey, Sierra!” The neighbor I had just been talking to was standing outside the door.

“Holy hell, you scared the piss out of me!” Sierra yelled out.

The woman smiled and said, “I’ll never get used to the bad words that come out of your mouth, Sierra. I forgot to tell your boyfriend . . .”

I could practically see the steam coming from Sierra’s ears.

“Fiancé,” Sierra said under her breath.

The woman stuttered on her words for a brief moment before talking again, “Right well, I forgot to mention it’s a costume party. Everyone is dressing up like a character from Winnie the Pooh.”

“No way,” I whispered.

“Sierra, you would make a wonderful Eeyore!”

Letting out a laugh, I pointed to Sierra as she turned and glared at me before looking back at her neighbor.

“Joyce, I’m so sorry but we won’t be able to make it.”

Joyce. Yep that name suites her. “Oh no! Oh no!” Glancing over to me, Joyce ran her tongue along her top lip. “What about you, will you be able to make it?”

Sierra dropped the box she was holding . . . right on Joyce’s foot. Joyce began hopping and jumping up and down as Sierra apologized over and over. Guiding the woman down the stairs, Sierra practically walked her back home. Running back toward me, Sierra turned and called out. “Don’t forget to put ice on that!”

Setting the box into the back of my truck, I hid my laughter until Sierra stopped right in front of me. “You’re evil.”

Lifting her eyebrow, Sierra said, “She came on to my man. I don’t think so, bitch.”

Pulling her into my arms, I kissed her on the lips passionately. Wrapping her arms around me, Sierra moaned into my mouth. “Two days and you’re going to be mine.”

Smiling against my lips, Sierra spoke. “Are we moving too fast, Aaron?”

“Hell no.” Pulling back, I looked into Sierra’s eyes. “Sierra, if you want to wait, I’ll wait as long as it takes. As long as I get to wake up every morning with you in my arms. That’s all I care about.”

Slamming her lips back to mine, Sierra grabbed a handful of hair and gave it a hard tug. “I have to clean up the house since we’re closing on it the day before the wedding. I figured I’d just do it today. Kacey is coming over at four to pick up my bedroom set. After that, I plan on being naked in bed with you all night long.”

Placing my hand on the side of her face, I brushed my thumb along her porcelain skin. “I like that plan.”

Kissing her again, I forced myself to let her go. “I’ll take this stuff back to my place. Don’t forget we have to meet my parents for dinner tonight. Mom wants to finish up last-minute stuff for the wedding.”

My heart slammed against my chest any time I thought about marrying Sierra this Saturday. Excitement and nerves both mixed together.

“Oh, that’s right. Okay, well I can hold off on getting naked until after dinner I guess.”

Slapping Sierra on her ass, I said, “Call me when you’re on your way.”

Walking over to the door with me, Sierra shut it and smiled. “Okay. We should be finished up by five if not sooner.”

A strange feeling washed over me as I glanced down the street and then back at Sierra’s house. “Do you want me to stay with you and help you clean?”

Shaking her head, Sierra grinned sweetly. “No. I’ve got this, baby. It doesn’t need much cleaning. I’ll probably be bored waiting on Kacey.”

Giving her a smile and a wink, I said, “Sounds good, baby. Call me if you change your mine. See ya soon. I love you.”

Blowing me a kiss, Sierra said, “I love you too.”

Backing out of Sierra’s driveway, I headed down the street. As I looked in the rearview mirror I couldn’t help but smile as she stood there and watched me drive off.

Just a couple more days and she would be Mrs. Aaron Walker.