Page 105 of Aiden & Lily

They worked together as Jasmine barked orders into the phone. When she hung up, she looked at both of them. “They’re on their way.” Then she smirked at Penny. “You were right about Royce. But I think he’ll be a little too distracted to give you a lecture. You are having his baby, after all.”

Penny’s groans cut off whatever retort she might have made.

In no time, Aiden and Royce arrived. Aiden confirmed that Penny had enough time to get to the hospital safely. Her contractions were close enough to take seriously, but the baby wasn’t coming that second. Penny bit off his head with a few scathing remarks about how it sure felt like the baby was coming.

Royce’s frustration faded, and his expression twisted with concern the second he saw his wife in pain.

In the end, he helped her into his truck, leaving Lily with Aiden and Jasmine to continue working on the wedding plans.

Aiden wasn’t much help. He mostly sat and watched as Lily and Jasmine put the invitations together. Every so often, he caught Lily’s eye and winked.

Apparently, it had gotten to be too much because Jasmine groaned and covered her face with both hands. “You guys really need to tone it down, you know that? All this lovey-dovey stuff is giving me a headache.”

Lily laughed. Then she turned to her sister. “Okay, now that Penny is gone, you need to tell me what’s going through your head. In vitro? Finding a donor? Are you sure you want a baby that badly?”

Jasmine seemed far too interested in a piece of lint that didn’t exist on her sleeve. When she finally glanced up at Lily, she offered her a shy smile. “Yeah. I do. There’s something missing in my life. I can feel it. And after thinking about it a lot lately, I’ve realized what I want. I want to be a mother. I want to start a family, and I’m not willing to settle for some guy just because I’m afraid of doing it alone.”

Her words hit a part of Lily’s heart that made it ache. Jasmine had given up on finding love. And that hurt.

She reached across the table and held her sister’s hand, squeezing it firmly. “I’ll support you in whatever you decide.”

Aiden shifted in his seat. He didn’t speak, but he gave them both a nod to show he felt the same.

He opened his mouth, but a knock at the door interrupted him.

Jasmine rose first, probably wanting to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible. Lily couldn’t blame her. These were Jasmine’s decisions to make about her future. She didn’t need anyone judging her or telling her she was wrong.

Now, when it came to George Taylor, Lily had to hope everything would go smoothly. Their father wasn’t the sort of man to jump on board with something like this right away. Hewould probably insist that none of his daughters should have to raise a child alone and that the child needed a father around. Lily grimaced at the thought.

“What?” Aiden asked, taking her hand. “You look like you just ate a lemon.”

She leaned into him. “I just hope Jasmine knows what she’s getting into. It’s hard being a single parent.”

“You don’t think she’ll be able to handle it?”

“Oh, she’s stubborn as all get-out. I know she’ll be able to handle it. I just don’t know if…” She made a face again. “It’s going to be hard, you know? And if she doesn’t have the support of our family, I worry it’ll cause another rift.”

She peered up at him. “But to be honest, all this talk about babies makes me wonder when you might be ready to start planning our family.”

She expected him to grow still, to pale or stutter over an excuse for why they should wait. They’d already discussed that they wanted children. And sooner rather than later, no less. But the way she’d phrased it made it sound as though she might be ready to start right away.

Ever the surprise, Aiden took her chin in his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“I’m ready whenever you are, angel.”

“Really?” she whispered. “Like… after the wedding?”

His eyes warmed, and the tenderness in his expression started the flutters in her stomach all over again. She loved this side of him—the one who looked at her as though he still couldn’t believe she had chosen him.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said, then kissed her again.

For one brief moment, the wedding plans, the family worries, and everything waiting beyond that room slipped away. Lily rested her hand against his chest and let herself feel the beat of his heart beneath her palm.

A few months ago, Aiden had been afraid to believe anything good could last. Now he was helping her plan a wedding and talking about the family they might build together. God had been kinder to them than either of them deserved.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had them breaking apart.

Lily expected to see Jasmine giving them a dirty look, but she was surprised to find both Jasmine and Parker standing a few feet away. Her eyes dipped lower to where they were now holding hands.