Page 97 of Aiden & Lily

Aiden nodded slowly. “Right.”

Mathew placed both hands on Aiden’s shoulders and squeezed, then pulled him in for a quick bro-hug. When theystepped back, Mathew murmured, “For what it’s worth, I hope I get to welcome you into the family someday.”

Aiden swallowed hard. “Thanks.”

Then Mathew sauntered off.

Aiden turned to watch him go. That was probably the closest thing he would get to permission to date a Taylor.

At that thought, Aiden stiffened.

He hadn’t even considered asking Lily’s father for permission before proposing. What did it say about him that he had been more worried about Mathew’s approval than the approval of his future father-in-law?

He grimaced, his stomach churning with a new sort of anxiety. Maybe he could call Reese and ask him for pointers on getting on the man’s good side. Something told him Mathew wouldn’t be much help. Especially not after everything that had happened between Penny and Royce.

Aiden blew out a breath and counted to ten in his head. He needed to settle his nerves. One thing at a time. First, he needed to square things away with Lily. Tonight, if she was willing. He didn’t want to wait a few days and risk making her think he was avoiding her again.

Then, if they found their way back to each other, he could meet her father properly. He wondered if the man would refuse to give his blessing after everything Aiden had done. Then again, he would only know about it if Lily chose to tell him.

A sick sense of dread had Aiden’s stomach sinking. He could only hope Lily had presented him in a decent light. Maybe it would be better for him to see her sooner rather than later.

At the end of his shift, Aiden pulled out his phone.

Well, shoot.

It wouldn’t turn on. The battery was completely dead, and he had no way to charge it until he got home. He closed his eyesbriefly in frustration. He returned his phone to his pocket and clocked out.

The whole way home, he debated driving straight to Lily’s house. But after working the emergency shift and knowing her family might still be awake, he decided he needed to charge his phone first and see whether she had called.

He also reminded himself that Lily hadn’t ended things. Not officially.

Right now, he still had a chance.

All his attempts to ease his anxiety came to a sudden halt when he made his way to his front door and found Lily waiting for him. She stood as he drew closer. Her eyes were unreadable, her face giving him no hint of what she might be thinking. Not even her mouth gave her away.

What he wouldn’t give to know what was going on in her mind. This couldn’t be the end for them. On instinct, he reached for the ring box and held it in his pocket, drawing strength from it. Then he let it go.

This wasn’t the moment for the ring. He needed to make things right first.

“Lily—” he started when he came to a stop in front of her.

She held up a hand. “I have something to say.”

28

LILY

Lily should have waited until Aiden answered her calls.

When Mathew left suddenly, she’d been curious. Then River told her that he’d been called into work. There had been an accident, and several patients were being transferred to their local emergency room. The chances were high that Aiden would be called in as well.

To her credit, she didn’t call him for a couple of hours. She didn’t know how long his shift would be, and she didn’t want to distract him at work if he managed to have his phone on him.

But at the same time, she needed him to know they had a conversation to finish.

Why did his phone have to be dead?

The few times she tried calling, it went straight to voicemail, and if she were honest, that only made her nerves climb higher.