I look up to see him standing there with the flowers and card.
Oh, crap!
Brielle stands and walks off to the bathroom.
Thanks for the support!
“Jeni?” Aiden asks, storming over to my desk, his nostrils flaring.
“Aiden, it’s obviously nothing because I put them in the trash. Don’t make this into a big deal. The kid has a crush, that’s all.”
“The kid has a crush. Okay, let me see. Where’s the best part?” He scans over the card. “Oh… I hope these brighten your day like you brighten mine every time I think about you. That doesn’t sound like a crush, Jeni. It sounds like something completely different to me. That dickwad is lusting over what’s mine. Little fucker. I’m going to call him, the ignorant little—”
“Aiden, that’s enough! Why are you so jealous of some kid? He’s got to be what? Nineteen, if that? He’s no threat to you. You’re my man, so stop with the jealousy and let him be. It means nothing to me.”
Aiden furrows his brow. “Seriously? Let him be? Baby, he sent you flowers. He knows you have a fiancé. What sort of asshole does he have to be before I can tell him to fuck off?”
Niall walks out of his office glaring at us. “If you two want to have a domestic, you can do it on your own time and not on mine, when I pay you damn good money to be working,” Niall barks, then storms back into his office.
I take Aiden’s hand in mine, his face turning a bright shade of red. “Babe, you’re stressing over nothing. Don’t let your father or Erik do this. Neither of them are worth it.”
Aiden looks at me, and his jaw relaxes as he starts to calm down. I stand, wrapping my arms around his waist, his arms slide around me. “I can’t lose you, Jeni,” he whispers. “I’m worried this will all become too much for you.”
My chest squeezes at his vulnerability. “I’ve told you… you never will, and I am fine.”
Aiden kisses the top of my head, then lets me go. “Erik and I got along well until he started hitting on you. I know he doesn’t know we’re together, but I can’t stand that little fucker being near you.” He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’ve never been the jealous type. I don’t know how to handle it.”
“There’s nothing to be jealous of. Trust me, babe, I got this. I can handle Erik,” I tell him as I lean up, kissing him softly.
“Can I come back yet?” Brielle calls out from across the room.
I giggle as Aiden finally smiles. “Yeah… I’m okay now. Lost it there for a minute,” he admits, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
Bree wipes her forehead. “Phew… I thought I was going to have to pull out the fire hose to cool you off there, big bro.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right… I might have overreacted. I love my girl, so sue me,” he drones, letting me go and turns to walk back to his office. As he steps past the trash can, he throws the flowers in on the way and we get back to work.
Time ticks by, and the closer lunchtime gets, the more anxious I become.
“We’d better get going if we want to make it to your appointment on time,” Brielle whispers.
I look toward Aiden’s office wondering if I should tell him I’m going out for lunch. Bree notices and answers my unspoken question. “We should leave before Aiden comes out and invites himself to come with us.”
“Do you want me to come in with you or sit outside?”
“I definitely want you to come in with me,” I quickly respond.
“We’re nearly there,” she tells me, pulling up at the traffic lights.
My nerves are barely contained.
What if Dr. Lovett thinks I’m crazy? The uncertainty has me wanting to crawl out of my skin.
What if she wants to institutionalize me? Oh my God, I’ve never thought of that before. How would I explain it to Aiden?
My heart rushes at full speed. “Bree, I don’t think I can do this.” I wrap my arms around myself as some sort of protection from the unknown.
She furrows her brows. “Jeni, you have to if you want to get better. Do it for Aiden if you can’t do it for yourself.” I nod begrudgingly. “That’s my girl.”