"I remember staying up for hours that night, almost spent the entire day in bed but Derek...he was home so I spent the day with him. Everything just went down hill from there." I quietly say while looking down at the carpeted floor.

Maria doesn't say a word, honestly. She writes down things in her notebook as I speak and then she just looks at me for a second, like she's digesting it all. This whole thing probably sounds like one twisted soap opera, and I only wish it was.

"How's Adeline?" She asks while laying her pen down against the notebook. Not the question I was expecting after all that.

"She's good. She has a daughter, clearly, and uhm she's doing well." I answer, not really knowing what she's looking for.

"I'm assuming, Cole, isn't in the picture anymore?"

I let out a laugh, "son of a bitch dipped the day he found out." I press my lips together, quickly apologizing for my use of words.

"You're fine, Cameron. Say whatever you feel." She says with a wave of her hand, her eyes skimming over her notes briefly. "Have you considered bringing Adeline to one of these sessions?"

"N-No, not really." I truthfully answer. "She's never mentioned ever wanting to come or anything. Funny enough it was her dad who insisted I'd go get therapy."

"Talk to her, it may be good for the both of you to have these open discussions. She sounds very...hmm, timid I guess you could say, so maybe this would allow her to talk about more factors in regards to her life."

Maria looks at me as she finished talking, her green eyes looking for some reaction to her proposition. I nod my head awkwardly, not fully sure how Adeline would feel coming in to one of my sessions. "It's only a suggestion, don't worry about it."

She runs her hands down the front of her slacks, smoothing out the black material as she walks over to her desk and shuts off the recoding. I've been here almost two hours as I unlock my phone, the time reading shortly after noon.

I wonder if Aiden's at work? Oh, shoot...I didn't drive my self here. "You don't mind if I call someone?" I ask while holding up my phone, the small hand gesture from Maria allowing me to dial his number.

Don't be mad, don't be mad, don't be—"Hello?" His deep voice answers, pulling me away from my subconscious prayers. He doesn't sound upset, although I know he doesn't like being called at work.

"Hey," I began shakily, causing me to clear my throat. "Hey, are you at work? It's just my session just ended and I kind of forgot you drove me here."

A light chuckle sounds through the phone, "why do sound so nervous?" I stay quiet, thoroughly thinking out my response. "Just come outside."

What? Before I can even ask, the line goes dead and I'm left with the quietness of the office. Giving a small goodbye to Maria, I slip out of the building and  smile as his black Mercedes comes in sight.

"What are you doing here?" I ask while closing the car door behind me, his scent filling my nose immediately. I can't help but notice he's not in his usual business attire. Come to think of it, he wasn't when he drove me here earlier today.

He just stares over at me, his brow slightly arched as he rests his fingers against his chin. I dart my eyes around, trying to figure out his game. I open my mouth slightly, only for my lips to be connected with his as he holds my chin.

"I like that greeting better." He says as he pulls away, the engine of the car roaring before we're moving out of the parking lot. "How'd your meeting go?"

A cheeky smile grew on my face as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, "it went good." It's a simple response and I can tell he feels the same way, but I don't think I'm ready to explain that part of my life with him—yet.

"I thought you were at work?" I ask.

"I took today off," he says, "we have things to do today."

"We?" I ask, his head nodding in response as we stop at the light.

"Mm hmm, but you need to get changed first." I look down at the tight black dress I wore to the dinner last night, although it was covered by Aiden's oversized hoodie. Glancing over, he was wearing a white v neck and slim black pants, the shirt accentuating his muscles nicely.

I have no clothes at his place. Surely he knows that. I could ask him to swing by Adeline's, I'll just grab a dress and be out quickly. "I bought you something, so you can stop overthinking."

"That's what you've been doing? Shopping?" I ask as we pull up to his complex. He gives a small wink while shutting off the engine, the smirk on his face growing as we step out the car.

Our hands entwine as he push through the revolving door, my free hand rising to wave over at Thomas. "Mister Carter, Miss Cameron, good to see you both." He greets while wiping down the already spotless counter. I flash him a bright smile.

"Likewise," Aiden replies. "Alex hasn't stopped by has she?"

"No sir." He says, earning a quick 'thanks' from Aiden before we make our way over to the elevator. It was a nice silence between us, one of those where nothing needs to be said. The sly grin on his face grew as he unlocks the door and we enter the apartment.

"What is up with you?" I ask with a small giggle, my steps small as he simply directs his hand towards the bedroom. Pushing past the bedroom door, my eyes land on the sleek burgundy bag resting in the middle of the bed. I look back at Aiden, his side resting against the frame of the door with a smirk, before opening my present.

I draped the black skinny jeans and tight, off-the-shoulder white bodysuit over my forearm as I felt his body pressed against my back. "I got you these," his velvety voice fills my ears as he holds the sleek black heels in front of me, the red bottoms popping out at me.

I bite down on my bottom lip, my body relaxing as he wraps his arm around my waist and I melt in his hands. "I could've gone to my place..." I trail off.

His fingers brush against my neck as he pulls my hair back, a small amount of my neck now visible. "No," he begins while placing a kiss, "I don't think you could've."

I let out a shaky breath as he peppers more kisses against my neck. With his forefinger under my chin, he directs my head to the side to connect his lips with my own. I feel the clothes fall off my arms as I bring my hand up to his cheek.

He bites ever so slightly at my bottom lip before pulling away, conveniently right as there's a knock at the door. "Such a tease," I mumble as wets his now slightly swollen lips.

"Get dressed." He says while hitting at my butt, a gasp escaping past my lips as I watch him wink and exit the room. I walk into the bathroom and change into my new attire, my mind pondering over who was at the door.

The clanking of my heels against the hard floor sound through the apartment as I make my way down the hall. My eyes land on Aiden's back before I realize his sister is here, her body perched up at one of the stools at the counter.

"Hi," I greet, making my presence known to the siblings. Alex flashes me her bright smile, her eyes discreetly glancing over to Aiden.

"Hey, it's good to see you again." She says while standing off the stool, her emphasis on the 'you' prominent as she looked over at him. "You look great."

I thought otherwise as her satin, blush colored blouse and white skinny jeans clad body stood before me. "You look gorgeous." I reply as we hug. I can't help but still feel like a complete bitch for what I said about her the other night.

"Please tell me she's a keeper!" Alex excitedly voices while facing Aiden, his tall frame leaning against the counter.

"Alex, this is my girlfriend, Cameron. Cameron, my annoying older sister, Alex." He informs me, a wide smile growing on his lips. Alex claps her hands while walking over to him, her arms engulfing him in a hug that he doesn't move to return to her.

"Sorry," she says to me while letting go, " I haven't heard him say those words since high school. Anyways, you both ready to go?"

What? "Ready to go?" I ask while looking over at Aiden, who was walking over to the door with his keys jingling in hand.

"Yeah?" Alex lets out as a question. "I'm not surprised he didn't tell you. We're going to lunch with my fiancé, Aiden told me he wanted to bring someone."

"Oh," I simply say while looking over at Aiden. A playful grin crosses his face as he mouths 'surprise'.

"Okay, lets go. You can talk when we get there." He mutters in, ushering us out of his apartment and down to the elevator.

~*~

The small bistro we're in is cozy and filled with soft music, our conversation light and full of laughs as we ate in one of the booths. Alex's fiancé, Harrison, was very charming as we introduced ourselves earlier.

His smooth, British accent was clear as we spoke, his whole demeanor seeming to compliment Alex's. This is my first outing with Aiden, not only as his girlfriend but just casually being out together. He was his usual teasing self, his hand resting on my thigh and occasionally sneaking up higher.

"So you're getting married this weekend?" I ask while folding my hands together, my chin resting on them.

"Yeah," Alex answers breathily while setting her glass down, "it's surreal." She sounds nervous, excited nonetheless, but her nervous are present. I haven't known her for more than three short encounters, but Alex is visibly a confident woman.

"Just counting away the days," Harrison adds in while placing his hand over hers on the table top. "Will you be attending?"

"Excuse me?" I softly ask, confusion evident across my face as Harrison let out a light chuckle. I glance over at Aiden, his eyes having a silent conversation with his sister.

"To the wedding, you'll be there correct?"

"Oh, I-I didn't...I don't-"

"Of course she'll be there." Aiden saves me while snaking his arm around my waist. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Alex smiles brightly, her eyes clouded with immense joy as she pulls her phone out. "Okay, I'll sit you down next to Aiden. She'll stay with you right?"

"What?" Aiden asks while slightly raising a brow. Does he not want me staying with him? "Is she serious about that?"

"Yes, A. There's no point in you driving an hour back and forth when you can just stay. You know she wants you home anyways, we've talked about this already." Alex voices strongly, an evident trait the two of them share.

Aiden rolls his eyes with a sigh, "fine."

"I can find a hotel or something." I mutter in, earning a shocked glance from Aiden. His brows are furrowed as he shakes his head.

"No you won't. You'll be with me."

"It's nothing like that," Alex adds in while setting her phone in her purse, "Mom just wants us all to stay at the house Friday night, after the rehearsal dinner."

"Oh," I quietly say while nodding my head.

"Somebody's just being difficult per usual." She sassily remarks while giving Aiden a tight lipped smile. I don't see why he wouldn't want to stay at home, although I know this man and how he likes to operate.

He'd much rather be in his own flat, everything in his control and at his understanding. It's just who he is, although it would be good for him to simply let go sometimes. Scooting closer to him, his hand runs up and down my arm as I lean into him.

"Do you mind being away for the weekend? I know you may have things to do." He says lowly, his voice only audible for me to hear.

"Yeah." I reply while nodding my head. He nods his head slightly, his eyes constantly looking between my eyes and lips. He pecks them short and sweetly, the gesture bringing a smile to my face as I look up at him.

"Think of it as a weekend getaway." He says while bringing the glass of water to his lips.

"Typical weekend getaways would just involve the two of us. Besides, there's gonna be a lot of people." I say with a cheeky smile. He darts his tongue out quickly after setting the glass down.

"I'll have you only to myself majority of the time, don't underestimate me." He breathlessly whispers in my ear, "and I doubt the amount of people present will bother you at all."

My eyes brush down to my lap as I bit down on my lip, a tingle running down my back as he moved his hand further around my waist, his fingers brushing against the button of these jeans.

I swat at hand, happy to know this is all happening under the table out of the engaged couple's line of sight. He was persistent as I began squirming to make sure he couldn't reach and unbutton it.

"Stop it." Alex says, earning my attention as she points over at Aiden. Harrison holds a shy smile on his face as he pulls Alex closer to him, the palm of her hand covering her face as leans in.

"Thank you," I say looking over at Aiden, a devilish smirk on his face as he runs his fingers along his jaw. I catch the other two sharing a kiss as I discreetly move my hand across Aiden's thighs.

His eyes dart to mine quickly, his facial expression practically telling me stop by itself as I move my hand over his crotch. He audibly sighs while moving in the corner of the booth, a small smirk on my face knowing I have him trapped.

I let my hand linger and palm him before my phone starts ringing, his eyes shooting my clutch a nasty glare. I remove my hand, an obvious bump in his pants as I grab my phone.

"Excuse me," I say before standing up from the booty and walking over to the bathroom, Adeline's name flashing across my screen for an incoming call. I caught a glimpse of Aiden uncomfortably shifting before I left, the sight making me smirk as I walk into the bathroom.

"Hello?" I answer while leaning against the marble wall, the soft jazz music filling my ears as background music.

"Hey, I need a freaking tracker on you or something." She replies. "Where are you?"

"Our for lunch," I answer while checking out my hair in the mirror. I can tell by the little gasp of hers she's smiling, although I don't see why.

"Ooo, Austin took you out? Sorry, I didn't mean to call in the middle of it."

Fuck. I forgot she thought I spent the night at Austin's place. I blink my eyes rapidly while trying to think of something to say. "Cameron?"

"Huh? Uhm n-no it's fine, we're just finishing up." I lie, causing me to roll my eyes at myself in the mirror. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I was just calling. So," she holds out, "how was it?" She whisper asks as I hear a door close on her end.

"What?" I ask while leaning my butt against the counter, a quick smile flashing on my face as a woman enters the restroom.

"Him." He blatantly says like it's obvious, " how was he? How are you? I guess it's been a while since..." I begin tuning her out as I realize she's asking if we had sex. I can't help but part lips and silently chuckle at her. Not only for asking, but for thinking I've been abstinent for the past four years.

"Adeline, I'm not having this conversation with you over the phone." I jump in, not even knowing if she was done talking or not.

"What?" She whines out while laughing. "I guess it was good then." She adds, causing me to think back to last night with Aiden. I bit down at my lip as I remember all we did until the hours of the morning, especially the part of us establishing what we are.

"I'll tell you what," I begin while biting down on the nail if my thumb, "it's the best I've ever had." That much was true, even if we were thinking about two completely different men.

"Okay, okay! I'm happy for you, hopefully you'll both come out with Dylan and I more."

"Yeah, hopefully." I repeat while thinking about bringing Aiden around, "hey, I gotta run but I'll text you. I'll be home later."

It felt funny calling it her place home, although I brush it off as we say our goodbyes and end the call. I tuck my phone away before checking my body out in the mirror.

After a quick glance I walk over and open the door, my back pressed against the wall just as I step out. His eyes are dark, a smirk on his face as he looks me over. "What are you doing?" I breathily ask while pulling my lips in.

"You've caused a problem back there," he says while nodding down. I glance down, a million thoughts running through my head as I see the little problem.

"Looks like you should handle that," I confidently reply back as he moves one of his hands to the side of my face, the pad of his thump rubbing against my cheek.

"You will be," his voice thick and velvety, "let's go." My brows move inward a bit as he grabs my hand and leads back into the openness of the restaurant.
Alex and Harrison are still sitting at the booth, their attention clearly captured by each other.

"Where are we going?" I ask as he guides us towards the front of the restaurant.

"The car." He simply says as he pushes past the front doors. My lips parts as I think we're ditching them and making them to pay for our meals.

"We can't dine and dash." I say as we approach his car, "Aiden, I'm serious."

He lets out a laugh, "we're not." Oh. Still confused, I try and walk over to the passenger side but he doesn't let my hand go. "Uh uh," he says while opening the back door, "time to fix your little problem."

My body tingles, excitement filling me as he connects his lips on mine. He doesn't waste time parting my lips to gain access as he pushes us into the backseat of the car.

~*~

"Here you go," Dylan says while handing me some sheets and a pillow, "I hope that'll be enough."

"It's fine," I say while placing them on the arm rest of the couch. He sits down next to Adeline, our eyes fixated on the reality T.V. show on the screen. Lily was asleep, her body sprawled out over Adeline and I.

I got back from spending the day with Aiden about an hour ago. We walked around downtown after lunch at the bistro, the May weather nice as we ended up at this little park.

It was overall a good—no, great day and I would do every part of it over again. "Thanks for letting me stay over." I mutter why scrolling through my phone.

"No problem. Ads thought you'd want to stay over at Austin's again."

"Y-Yeah," I awkwardly laughed out, extremely happy we're sitting in the dark so they can't see my facial expression.

Adeline let out a small yawn as she picks Lily up. "I'm gonna put her down," she says before walking into the spare room now occupied by the small child.

"Want a soda or anything?" Dylan asks as he walks into the kitchen. I call back for just a water bottle; the bottle cold to the touch as he places it in my hand.

"Thank you."

"Hey," he says, "I know you weren't with Austin." I stop untwisting the cap, my head shooting in his direction immediately although I was expecting a different expression on his face, not a small toothless grin.

"I-I...what are you talking about?" I reply back. That didn't sound any bit of convincing. Our eyes dart over to the room as we hear Lily beginning to throw a tantrum.

"He's my friend, Cam, I talk to him." He says, not a trace of doubt in his voice that he thinks he's wrong.

"I'm sorry," I say with a groan, my head falling back against the couch.

"Don't sweat it," he says. "Can't help who you like, right?" There's a settling silence between us, the only sound being Adeline talking to Lily to settle her down. "Who is he?" His voice is soft, nothing cold or condemning about it.

"He's great, Dylan, really. I've known him for a while now, but I need to tell Adeline first, you know?"

"Yeah. Hey, as long as you're happy you know she'll support you. Same goes for me."

I nod my head with a weak smile, "tell Austin he's a great, great guy. I did have a good time last night." Adeline walks out the room, a loud sigh exiting her lips as she plops down on the couch. Dylan gives me a slight head nod as she lays her head on his chest.

~*~
- we're back in the present! honestly missed writing for the past as I wrote this one, but I gotta switch back and forth. Nothing exciting really happened in this one, but I like it. ☺️

- also if there's any confusion, this chapter picks back up after the dinner date Monday night. This is the following day so I hope I conveyed it well enough without it being confusing.

- thank you for the reads, votes, and the comments!! 🥰 I love reading them, it means so much. Continue to sign petitions, read articles, and stay educated—BLM! ❤️