Aiden’s face alights, he’s looking pleased with himself. “You deserve a nice house. I want to give you something you’ll think of as ours and not mine.” He smiles. “We can get a dog and maybe… raise a family? What do you think?”
I’m filled with so much joy, I’m beyond elated. I can’t believe he was planning this for me. To think I nearly gave all of this up makes me tingle in a cold sweat. For some reason, I want to jump over the table and into his lap, but I stay seated. I don’t want to overwhelm him since we’ve only just started talking. “Aiden… I… I don’t know what to say.”
He grins widely, pulling some papers from inside his jacket pocket and lays them on the table. The movement so quick, I hardly have time to focus on what they are.
“Don’t say anything. Take a look at the plans and tell me what you think.”
I stare at him, suppressing my urge to smile. The current of excitement flowing through me is electrifying. Quickly, I roll open the plans of the two-story, luxurious, open-plan-living home. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a study, two living rooms, a game room, a theater room, and a giant combined kitchen, dining, and living area which opens out to a deck with a water feature. The deck leads to a giant pool and spa. The main bedrooms have ensuites and walk-in closets, and there’s a centerpiece staircase in the main entrance. Our bedroom has a balcony which will overlook the city.
“Aiden, this is huge.” My breath is completely taken away as I study the plans.
“I know, only the best for my girl.” He pulls out another plan and lays it on top of our house plan.
I tilt my head, looking at him with my brows furrowed. “What’s this?”
He seems excited, his eyes are bright, and his s
mile isn’t fading. “It’s a smaller house I want to build on another part of our property that we can use as a guesthouse.”
I glance at the plan in front of me and can’t help but feel excited about this house as well. “I love it! All of it! You’ve done a great job, Aiden.”
He inhales a deep breath. His knee agitates as he takes my hand over the table. “Good, because the foundation has been laid, and they’re about halfway through the construction phase,” he tells me in quick succession. He looks at me with an intense stare.
The reality of the situation hits me. “When will our house be ready?”
Aiden’s body tenses, his eyebrows furrow, and his forehead creases. “About a month. I’ve a team of men working around the clock to make sure it’s finished quickly.”
Wow! We’re going to have our own home.
A mansion like Callie and Niall’s.
Well, just Niall’s now, but still, my own home where we can have pets and a garden. It’s going to be fantastic. My nerves wash away with another round of undeniable excitement. I grip onto his hand tighter. “Aiden, thank you so much. I can’t wait to see it.”
With a loud exhale, I’m assuming from relief that I’m on board, he takes his hand from mine as he puts away the plans. “No, thank you for coming into my life and filling it with love.” He rubs his thumb across my hand.
We sit chatting, and the waitress comes back to take our drink orders.
“What do we do in the meantime?”
Aiden raises his eyebrows and seems deep in thought. “We can stay at the Intercontinental in the penthouse suite.”
I scoff at him. “Ah… no. A month in a hotel room would drive me crazy.”
His eyes lift to the ceiling as he takes both my hands in his. “We could stay at Sarah’s, if she’ll have us?”
“I can ask, but… would you really be happy there?”
His lips turn up in the most dazzling of ways. “I’m fine anywhere you are. Living with my girl and my best buddy sounds fucking awesome to me.”
“Okay then, I’ll ask. I guess we should start talking about our wedding?”
“Anything you want, you can have. And I mean anything at all. I want this to be your dream wedding. Nothing is out of the question.”
“To be honest, I’ll be happy with a garden wedding, and maybe a nice place for the reception. How about you?”
“That sounds perfect. But Jeni, I want this to be a day you’ll remember forever. I want you to have the best of everything. Whatever you want.” Aiden takes a sip of his soda, and his attention remains focused on me. “Are you happy?”
I tighten my grip on his hand as I stare longingly into his gorgeous blue eyes. “Ecstatically, but don’t forget this is your wedding, too.”