Katie
“Shut up, and get in the car,” I say.
“Oh, so you're giving the orders now?'
“Damn straight.”
“But, I'm driving, so how does that work?”
I stamp my foot on the driveway and let out an exasperated sigh – though, I'm laughing the entire time. He's being difficult and stubborn – which seems to be Aidan's default setting.
I'm six months pregnant now – which means I feel like a bloated manatee most of the time. Which makes me grumpy, and probably think that Aidan is being more stubborn and difficult than he actually is – but maybe just a little bit more. He is difficult and stubborn as hell, honestly.
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“I'll tell you when we get there.”
“What about Oliver?”
“He's watching Animal Planet,” I reply. “I checked his food and water, and he's fine. Now, let's go.”
I push him in the back, forcing him to walk across the driveway toward his SUV. If he really wanted to, he could stop walking, and I wouldn't be able to move him. But, he's just being a stubborn ass for the sake of being a stubborn ass at this point.
The nearly full moon is high in the sky, the air is cool for March, and it's a perfect night for this. The fact that it's the only night for this makes it imperative that we go. I have a nice, fun, evening for us planned, and I’m excited to get it started.
Aidan chuckles, but opens the passenger's side door for me and helps me in. I glide in, belly and all, with a smile, and he closes the door behind me. A moment later, he slides behind the wheel, and starts the engine, then turns to me.
“So, where are we going?” he asks.
“Down the mountain,” I say.
“And once we get down the mountain, where are we going?”
I shrug. “I'll tell you once we get down there,” I say. “How about that?”
“I'm not a big fan of surprises. I probably should have told you that by now,” he says.
I shrug. “Well, you’ll just have to get used to them, big guy.”
He laughs, puts the SUV in gear, and pulls out of his driveway. The drive down the mountain takes about half an hour, and it takes us another twenty minutes to find parking. The conversation though, is free, easy-going, and thankfully, free of any talk about Victor.
There hasn’t been a single peep from Victor in five months. Hopefully, the phone call was nothing but a fluke, and he actually has no idea where I am. Aidan remains unconvinced, but I’m trying to be optimistic. For the sake of the baby – and my own sanity.
Tonight actually feels like a real date. Not that I have a lot to compare it to. I mean, I haven't really been out on a proper date since I was in college, and Victor was trying to woo me. Aidan and I have tried to keep things low-key after Victor’s phone call. Mostly movie dates and staying in with Oliver – not that I mind.
Aidan opens the door for me and helps me climb down. For being so fiercely independent, I have to rely on Aidan – a lot – to help me get around these days. Frankly, it's a little embarrassing, but he's partly responsible for it, so my shame is tempered a bit.
He closes the door, using his remote to lock the SUV, and then surprises me by holding my hand as we walk down the sidewalk together. Even though we’ve been going to doctor’s appointments, having casual dates, and seeing each other for months – I can't lie that my heart is racing and my body is tingling as we make our way along.
“So,” he says. “Are you going to tell me now?”
“I don't think I need to,” I say. “Just listen.”
I pull him to a stop and cock my head, listening to the music on the air. A slow smile stretches across his face when he hears the sound of the carnival in full swing.
“A carnival?” he asks.
I nod. “Ashton Mill's annual Spring festival,” I say.
A shadow crosses his face, and his lips pull down into a frown. He suddenly looks a little tense and equally uncomfortable.
“What is it?” I ask.
He lets out a sigh. “I used to love carnivals,” he says. “Especially on Halloween. We used to go all out for it every year.”
“Used to?”
He nods. “Yeah. Halloween is the night Maddy – died,” he says.
And just like that, the fun, lighthearted mood we'd had comes crashing down around us like a house of cards. There's a tension and heaviness in the air thicker than the fog in San Francisco, and Aidan looks absolutely grief-stricken, like I just made him the most miserable man on the planet.
“Since then, I just – I haven’t celebrated Halloween or gone to any carnivals or festivals since,” he says. “All of the good associations I had with them are just gone. I guess we were too preoccupied with Victor’s little phone call to talk about this back in October.”
I want to kick myself and rip my hair out. Maybe both. I had no idea his fiancée died on Halloween, or that he associated carnivals with her death. I know there's no way I could have but knowing that this is causing him so much grief and pain is like an ice pick in the heart and makes me feel like absolute garbage.
“I'm sorry. I thought we'd have some fun,” I say. “I didn't –”
He slides his fingers beneath my chin and raises my head so I'm looking him in the eye. There's an intensity in those blue-gray eyes of his that holds me fast and grips my heart. We stand there, gazes locked, our bodies rigid for several long moments, and I stop breathing, waiting for him to say or do something.
He surprises me when he suddenly leans forward and presses his lips to mine. Because of my growing belly, he can't really pull me to him and embrace me tightly, so he settles for just leaning in for a kiss. Bless him. The kiss is chaste. Sweet. But, it still imparts a lot of emotion. Slowly, he pulls back, and there's the faint, ghost of a smile upon his lips.
He puts his hand on my belly and caresses it softly, his smile deepening, as does the look of love and awe etched upon his face. When he looks up at me, those eyes of his, and the look of near rapture in them, takes my breath away.
“Maybe it's time to start reclaiming it,” he says. “Maybe, it's time to build some new, good memories and associations. Start a fresh chapter for all of us.”
I feel like I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. There's such pain and determination behind his words. He's not patronizing or placating me. I can tell that he means it. I can see, plain as day, that Aidan is still wounded. He's still hurting. But, I also see that he's ready – or at least, closing in on being ready – to put one chapter of his life behind him, and open a new one.
A chapter with me.
Knowing that he wants that makes me feel lightheaded. I can't deny how happy it makes me.
“I think that's a good idea,” I reply softly.
“Me too,” he says, and plants a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose. “So, let's go do that.”
* * *
When the man in the hockey mask jumps out of the darkness, revving his chainsaw, not three feet from us, I leap straight out of my skin, and let out a blood-curdling scream. Aidan doubles over with laughter, slapping his knees like it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. I slap him in the shoulder, and give him a scowl, though I'm laughing along with him.
“That wasn't funny,” I say.
“You should have seen your face!” he crows.
We're making our way through the haunted house that has been set up. Given that Ashton Mill is such a small town, the Spring festival is pretty tiny, overall. There’s one haunted house, a carousel, and an assortment of half broken-down carnival rides that you couldn’t pay me to ride, pregnant or not. The midway of the carnival is small, but lively, with all kinds of games, but most of the festival remains packed up. The carnival company only makes the one-night stop here as a favor to the Mayor.
We finish out the maze, and Aidan takes my hand, leading me toward the midway. He stops and we pick up some cotton candy, and something to drink on the way. Walking along, we laugh as the kids run around, screaming and laughing.
Aidan stops me at one of the games and gives me a smile. “I'm going to win you a teddy bear.”
“You don't have to win me a teddy bear.”
He tips me a wink. “Oh, I'm definitely going to win you a teddy bear.”
He gives the guy some cash and takes three softballs. Cocking his arm back, he lets the first one fly – and misses the milk bottle formation entirely. The ball thuds harmlessly into the backstop, earning a fierce scowl from Aidan.
“Well done,” I tease. “You certainly taught that tarp a lesson.”
He turns his scowl on me, then sticks his tongue out, giving me a crazy-eyed glare, making me laugh. Aidan turns back to the game, cocking his arm back, and fires another ball. This one hits the target, and the milk bottles – at least the one on top – takes flight. The other two fall over, rolling around on the stand a bit, but don't fall off.
“Damn it,” he growls.
“You don't have to prove to me how manly you are by beating up some milk bottles,” I say and laugh.
He grunts at me and fires the third ball. It hits the edge of the stand and ricochets back, nearly hitting the kid running the game. Good thing he has quick reflexes.
“Maybe sports aren’t your thing,” I tease him. “If you really want to win me a teddy bear, you might do better over at that game with the water pistols.”
He gives me a look and a smirk, and I can see that he's determined to do this. In that moment, I see how competitive he is and know he's not going to rest until he wins me a teddy bear. The realization makes me laugh. Boys and their egos.
“You know this game is rigged, right?” I ask. “Those bottles are weighted so that –”
He holds his hand up, cutting me off, flashing me that roguish smile of his. “I'm going to win you a damn teddy bear.”
Like I said, boys and their egos.
Almost an hour, and nearly fifty dollars later, Aidan pumps his fist and lets out a mighty whoop when he finally succeeds in knocking all three milk bottles off the pedestal. The game attendant, suppressing a smirk, just shakes his head, and hands Aidan a teddy bear.
Like a conquering hero coming home from war, Aidan comes over and presents me with the spoils of said war. I laugh and curtsey as I accept his hard won prize.
“Thank you, kind sir,” I say. “This is the most beautiful teddy bear anyone has ever spent fifty dollars on.”
He laughs and gives me a quick peck on the cheek. “You're welcome.”
The bear secure against my full, round belly, we head off to enjoy the rest of the carnival. As we stroll the midway, dodging crowds of screaming teens and little kids in costume, we see a tall, lanky kid with long oily hair, heading our way.
“Arnie Hollins,” I say.
“Arnie who?”
“That's the kid in the clown mask outside the bar that night Victor called, and all hell broke loose,” I reply. “He got himself shot pulling that stupid clown prank.”
“That'll teach him,” Aidan says. “At least, I hope it does.”
We stop in front of him, and I look at his leg very pointedly. Arnie looks a little sheepish and won't meet my eyes. His friends continue on, leaving him standing there with us. I don't know Arnie very well at all. We've only met a few times, but I know him enough to recognize him on sight – which is made easier by the fact that here we are some five months later, and he's still walking with a noticeable limp. Idiot.
Arnie looks me up and down, his eyes leaving a trail of grease across my skin. I shudder with revulsion, feeling like I need a shower after being eye-screwed by this filthy little brat. His gaze though, remains firmly fixed on me.
“I guess you learned a valuable lesson, huh?” I ask.
He sighs. “Yeah, guess so,” he says.
“You're lucky I didn't have a gun that night,” I say. “I might have shot you dead outside the Hail Mary.”
He cocks his head and looks at me. “What do you mean?”
“Please,” I say. “After you got shot because of your dumbass prank, are you really going to try to tell me that you didn't screw with me that night too?”
He shakes his head. “I was nowhere near the Hail Mary that night. But believe me, I sure woulda liked to have been. Even all knocked up, you're still hot,” he says, eye-screwing me again. “I got shot over on Downing Street. Damn Sonny Golens did it.”
“What time was that?” Aidan asks.
The boy looks at Aidan, as if noticing him for the first time – and looks startled. Aidan is easily twice the size of the scrawny beanpole of a kid, and could snap him in half if he wanted to. Arnie stands up a little straighter, his attitude suddenly becoming a lot friendlier.
“About nine, nine-thirty or so, I guess,” he says.
A chill sweeps through my body as I listen to his words. If he got shot between nine and nine-thirty, it couldn't have been him outside the bar that night, since I saw the clown-man after ten. I catch Aidan's eye, and sense that he's having the same thoughts I am.
Shit. If it wasn't Arnie Hollins outside the bar – who was it?
I clear my throat and give him a long look. “Yeah, well, maybe this will teach you to stop doing dumb stuff you see on the Internet.”
He shrugs and drops his gaze. He mumbles something that sounds like, “Yeah, maybe,” and hobbles off, clearly wanting to put some distance between him and Aidan. I watch him go, as a little worm of fear begins to slither its way up my spine. As if sensing it, Aidan steps forward and pulls me into a tight embrace – an act not made very easy by my very pregnant midsection. But, we somehow manage.
“Doesn't mean anything. Doesn't mean it was Victor,” he says. “You told me that Jessa said there were a few teenage punks out pulling this prank. Maybe it wasn't him, but it was probably one of his friends.”
“Yeah, possibly,” I say, though I don't know if I believe it myself.
* * *
I decided to take Aidan up on his offer to let me stay at his place tonight. Jessa's gone for the evening, and after Arnie's revelation, I suddenly don't want to be home alone. I mean, Aidan is right, just because it wasn’t Arnie doesn't mean Victor was in that parking lot. Odds are, it was one of Arnie's stupid little friends.
But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly freaked out right now.
I pace around Aidan’s living room, my nervous energy getting the best of me. Oliver is lazily lounging on the couch, his eyes following me as I walk back and forth endlessly. I'm sure he finds me either irritating or exhausting by now. But, I really don't know what to do with myself.
I try to focus my mind on something else to avoid fixating on it. All this stress can’t be good for the baby, after all. All in all, tonight was wonderful. I haven't seen or heard Aidan laugh as much as he did at the carnival. I wasn't actually sure he had it in him. Like, maybe he was afraid his face would crack if he laughed too much or something.
The fact that he is doing his best to put his past behind him, and work on building a future for himself – one that might possibly include me – fills me with emotion.
I never expected to be in this position. I never thought I would find myself in a relationship again. I always thought that maybe, somewhere in the distant future, I'd carve out a spot for someone special. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.
But, here I am. Here we are. We can either embrace it, or we can run from it. I'm choosing to embrace it, and it makes me insanely happy to see that Aidan is as well.
And speaking of embracing it...
I smile as a wicked thought crosses my mind. Aidan's in the shower, and I've got plenty of nervous energy still to burn, so why not? Oliver lifts his head as I start to walk to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms in the back of the house.
“You be a good boy and don't come snooping,” I say to him.
He drops his head back down on the couch and lets out a long sigh, either falling asleep, or totally engrossed in the show about polar bears. I can't really tell which. Moving quietly down the hallway – which is more like a graceful waddle at this point in my pregnancy – I slip into Aidan's bedroom. I can still hear the shower running, and when I pause to listen, I hear something that catches my attention – a low grunt, and a moan.
Could he be in there masturbating? Given the lack of attention I've been able to give him lately, it wouldn't surprise me.
Feeling myself growing wet at mental images of Aidan stroking his glorious cock, I quickly strip out of my clothes. I pad into the bathroom, waving away the clouds of steam that are billowing around me. His bathroom is enormous, and his shower is the walk-in type that has no doors. Sneaking over to the edge of the doorway, I peek my head around.
Aidan has his back to me with his head pressed to the tile, and I take a moment to admire the view. The muscles in his back ripple and flex as he moves – and he's obviously taking care of himself.
I slip into the shower behind him, feeling for all the world like this is the set up for a bad porno, but not caring. When I wrap my arms around his waist, his entire body stiffens, surprised by my entrance. He doesn't turn around though, and when I grab hold of his throbbing dick, he lets out a soft moan.
“Why don't you let me help you with that?”
He says nothing, but as I start to stroke his cock for him, he lets out a soft gasp. I press my body to his as best as I can, letting the water rain down over us, making our skin slick and slippery. My hand glides up and down his thick shaft as I stroke him.
Aidan tries to remove my hand and turn around. But, I have no intention of allowing him to do so. As turned on as I am right now, I want to pleasure him. I want to make him feel good.
“Don't move,” I say. “Just relax and enjoy. You can make it up to me later.”
He remains silent, but stops fighting me. I continue stroking his cock with my hand, gripping him so tight, that I hear his breath catch in his throat.
“Fuck,” he says. “You're going to make me come.”
“That's the point, isn’t it?”
“I want you,” he growls.
“And you'll have me,” I say. “Just not right now.”
I work his cock furiously, my excitement building as he draws closer to climax. Unable to hold back any longer, I slip my other hand between my thighs and start to rub my clit. It's not long before we're both moaning, our voices echoing off the tile around us. I feel my own climax building as Aidan's body tenses, readying to explode.
I've never done anything like this before, but the sheer intimacy and eroticism of it steals my breath away. As Aidan's cock begins to throb in my hand, my heart races, and I feel myself balancing on the precipice.
He throws his head back and lets out a guttural moan as I send him over the edge. Watching him come like that is too much, and I join him, crying out as my body trembles and shakes, my orgasm exploding like a bomb inside me.
We stand like that for a minute or two, his cock starting to deflate and my racing heart beginning to subside. Slowly, he turns around, and I let him. He pulls me into a tight embrace, pulling my body as close to his as he can. He leans down and kisses me. It's tender, sweet, and filled with emotion.
“You are amazing,” he says, his voice a little hoarse.
I give him a devilish grin. “You haven’t seen nothin' yet.”
We stand beneath the cascading water, letting it rain down over us as we hold each other close. Right now, I truly believe that nothing is ever going to hurt me. Not as long as I have Aidan. As long as he's with me, I’m safe.
More than that, I’m happy.