The car turned off and I strained my vision to see Aaron through the windshield. He had a reluctant look on his face for a brief moment before he steeled his expression and opened the car door.

Dad was flying off the swing and hustling past us before we could get out of the way. He stormed across the yard to an apologetic Aaron, who raised his hands up on either side of him.

Mom tightened her grip on my shoulder when I tried to stand up. I watched in horror as Aaron stood completely still and braced himself for impact.

“Dad!” I screeched as the sickening crack of his fist hitting Aaron’s jaw reached my ears. “Oh my God—stop!”

I broke free of Mom’s grasp, but it didn’t matter. One punch seemed to be all he intended—or maybe it was all he was willing to risk with his blood pressure problem.

“Dad, wait—”

“Stay there.”

“But—”

Aaron took the hit in stride, but I could tell he was itching to reach up and rub his jaw. He looked at me and gestured to the house as he said, “Give us a few minutes.”

Mom was tugging at my shoulder and I realized I didn’t have a choice. I shakily dug the keys out of my pocket and inserted it in the door, taking one last glance back at the two most important men in my life before Mom shoved me inside.

Once the door was shut, I was able to focus again. I blocked her from moving forward and said, “Wait one second.”

I rushed down the hall and pulled the bedroom door shut, thankful that she hadn’t had a chance to even catch a glimpse of what had occurred in the room. The sheets that had been deposited on the floor due to various fluids soaking them were horrible enough—not to mention all the clothes and lingerie that were thrown around carelessly.

“Okay. Come in.”

She took a hesitant step forward, an eyebrow lifting as she plainly said, “You seem awfully comfortable here.”

“I guess I am,” I offered with a helpless shrug. “Is it really okay to leave them alone out there?”

“They need a chance to talk without us.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“I know,” she chirped as she breezed past me. “I need a drink.”

Since it wasn’t her first visit to Aaron’s house, it wasn’t a surprise that she knew where the kitchen was. What did surprise me was that she didn’t reach for a bottle of water—she went right to the freezer to dig out a bottle of vodka hidden there.

“How did—”

“Poker night,” she answered before I could finish the question. “Aaron’s good at keeping the beer stocked, but I’ve always preferred mixed drinks myself.”

Considering I never saw my parents drink at home, it was a shocking sight to watch her reaching for a container of orange juice and pouring the two into a coffee mug. She took a small sip and hummed to herself before draining the entire thing.

“Mom!”

“I know, I know. But if there was ever a time to need a drink—it’s now.” She placed the empty glass on the counter with a sigh and looked up at me with sad eyes. “You’ve had a crush on Aaron since he moved in. I thought it’d pass when you went to college.”

I shifted awkwardly on my feet. The way she was staring at me—like she could see right through me—made me antsy.

“I thought it would, too,” I softly replied. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, honey. I’m mad at Aaron. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m just as guilty as he is. He didn’t force this on me—I wanted it just as much as he did. Maybe even more.”

“And that’s why I’m worried. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? Aaron’s fourteen years older than you and he’s been a bachelor since long before we knew him. Men like that...” she trailed off for a moment and stared at a spot above my shoulder. “Men like Aaron are unpredictable. He’s spent so much time by himself that even if he thinks he’s ready to settle down, it might not end up suiting him once he actually tries it.”

I hated how well she put my biggest fear into such a rational explanation. At the same time, hearing it phrased so eloquently brought up another question I hadn’t considered.

“How will either of us know if it’ll suit him unless we give it a try?”

She actually smiled. My jaw nearly hit the floor.

“You can’t. You need to ask yourself if it’s worth the risk of him deciding he doesn’t like it and casting you aside.”

I thought about how he reacted after we first kissed—about all the indecisiveness and the pain it caused me during that time. I also thought about how it felt when he ignored me for years.

Then I thought about him playing with my hair while we ate dinner in a comfortable silence. I pictured his blinding smile when he saw me after a short absence. I remembered the feel of his lips pressing against my temple as I drifted to sleep just hours ago.

“It would be worth it.”

Mom sighed again before she asked, “You’re already in love with him, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“And what about his friendship with your father? Did that factor into your thought process at all?”

“That’s something you need to ask Aaron. It’s completely out of my control and it doesn’t change how I feel.”

She plopped her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. She stared at me for what felt like an eternity before she finally broke the silence.

“You’re all grown up. When did this happen? How could I have missed it?”

“You didn’t. Who I am right now is because of how you and Dad raised me. You were there every step of the way.”

“We did a damn good job,” she whispered, giving me a wink that made my eyes widen yet again. “Or at least I hope we did.”

“You did,” I quickly assured her. “I like to think I’m well-adjusted. Maybe a little naive about... some things... but otherwise, I think I’m doing pretty good.”

“One day you’ll realize just how difficult it is to teach your child about sex. I’m sorry, but neither one of us could stomach the thought,” she dryly stated.

“That’s okay. I’m a little wigged out from you just saying the word, so I’d like to pretend it never happened.”

“Deal.”

The fact that I needed to tell her about my job was lingering in the back of my mind, but the moment was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. I rushed over to see Aaron and frowned when I realized only my father had come inside.

“Where’s Aaron?”

“Did you leave anything in the car?”

“Just my phone charger.”

“I’ll get it. Key?”

I quickly unhooked it from my keyring, handing it over as I repeated my question.

“Where is Aaron?”

“Outside. Come on, honey.”

For a split second, I thought he was speaking to me. I was on the verge of freaking out when he reached a hand out to my mom.

She gave me a hug and turned to Dad with a raised eyebrow. He sighed and came forward, giving me the most awkward half-hug I’d ever received. I had a feeling it was because I was still wearing Aaron’s shirt, but I couldn’t be entirely sure.

“We’ll drop the phone charger off tomorrow. I need some rest.”

“O-Okay,” I readily agreed, glancing at Mom who seemed satisfied with... whatever was happening.

Was it really that difficult for them to spell things out plainly? I was so lost. Why was Aaron still outside?

I lingered in the hallway to watch my parents leave and I figured it out. Aaron was waiting on the lawn, his hands shoved in his pockets. Dad passed by without so much as a glance in his direction and my heart clenched at the look on Aaron’s face.

My conversation with Mom had gone shockingly well, but Aaron and Dad hadn’t come close to working things out. There was a strong possibility that they never would.

When Aaron noticed me waiting for him, he gave me a small smile and came up the steps. I met him at the door as he locked it. He spun around and leaned back against the wood.

No words. Just complete, devastating silence. Until finally—

“So… I see your parents are back early.”

The fake cheerfulness of his tone made my lip wobble even as I busted out laughing. Tears started filling my eyes as I replayed the sight of him being punched because of me and I covered my face with my hands and cried.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Shhh.”

I vaguely registered the feeling of his arms wrapping around me, too caught up in my misery to stop myself from crying. He held me for what felt like an hour, waiting patiently for me to calm down.

When I finally did, I wiped the tear tracks off my face and asked, “What happened?”

“We... talked.”

“You don’t sound too sure about that.”

“It was mostly Roger reaming me while I stood there and tried not to clench my jaw. He didn’t fucking hold back.”

“Oh God, I’m such an idiot,” I muttered as I grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen. “Sobbing like a baby when you’re the one who got hit.”

“It’s fine. Did I look all manly when it happened? I tried not to flinch.”

“Seriously? You’re seriously asking me that?”

Aaron shrugged and gave me a lopsided smile. “What can I say? I wanted to look tough for you.”

“I already know you’re tough. You don’t have to prove it,” I said with a sigh as I handed him an ice pack. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better. Nothing to do with the jaw, though.”

I shuffled on my feet, waiting for him to continue. What exactly had been said? Had my father told him to stay away from me? Were we over before we ever really had a chance to begin?

“I kind of lied to you today.”

“Huh?”

That definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.

“Just a little. The work thing I needed to do? It was an interview at another precinct.” He waited for the words to settle in before he added, “It’s not too far from here—about forty minutes. There’s a house nearby that I’d like to put an offer in on. If you’re interested in moving in with me, that is.”

“You want to move? You… You planned this,” I said dumbly, trying to determine when this idea came to him.

“I told your father my intentions. He won’t be coming over to dinner anytime soon, but he seemed… slightly relieved by the idea of us living together somewhere else. Slightly.”

“You’re serious. You really want to live together.”

His brows drew together in confusion at my disbelieving tone. The expression stayed in place for a long moment before it turned into flat-out panic.

“Don’t you?” he asked, his voice strained. “I just assumed… Shit. Did I overstep?”

“No! Not at all. I just… I didn’t know we were on the same wavelength.”

“Are we?”

The seriousness of his expression sobered me. I briefly thought about the conversation I had with Mom before I nodded, smiling like an idiot.

“I think we are. I hope we are.”

“You remember when I was leaving earlier? When I started to say something then shut down?” He waited for me to nod. “It almost came out. Just naturally—like it was second nature.”

“What almost came out?”

My voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard me loud and clear. His blinding smile appeared once again, making my pulse quicken.

“I love you. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I’ve been around long enough to know the difference between love and lust. This is definitely—oomph!”

His breath escaped in a rush as I launched myself into his arms. The ice pack fell to the floor in favor of catching me and I buried my ecstatic smile against the crook of his neck.

“I love you, too. I didn’t fully realize it until last night and I wanted to tell you but I was afraid that since you’ve been a bachelor for so long that you wouldn’t—”

My voice hitched in my throat when he wove his fingers into my hair and dragged my head back to meet his eyes. He scanned my face for a short moment before our lips came together for a fiercely possessive kiss. He pulled away far too soon for my liking, but his words were even better than his kiss.

“I said it the very first night—you’re my girl. I have no plans to give you up, no matter what your father says. I love you.”

Music to my ears.

“Aaron? Take me to bed.”

“That’s what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s yours.”

Somehow, I was absolutely certain that what he really meant was: I’ll give you anything you ever ask for—including myself. I’m yours.