Page 96 of Aiden & Lily

This time Mathew snorted. “It’s more than possible. It was her birthday. Even if she was furious with you, she might not have wanted you to disappear.”

“Really?” Aiden asked quietly. “Because she seemed pretty upset. I figured she wouldn’t want to see me, so she wouldn’t have to be reminded of what I did.”

Mathew’s chuckle was easier this time. “Maybe she wanted to talk it out with you after the party. Did you even ask?”

Well, shoot. That made a heck of a lot of sense. Mathew was probably right.

Aiden groaned. Then, without thinking things through, he pulled the ring box from his scrubs pocket and set it down on the desk. “What do you think she’d do if she found out I had this?”

Mathew gaped at the box. His eyes never left it, even as he whispered, “That isn’t…”

“Oh, it is. I assure you.” Aiden rested both elbows on the high end of the desk and put his head in his hands. “She’s meant for me, Mathew. I know it in my soul. There’s no one else in the world like her, and I can’t just walk away. I won’t. When I left the party, I thought I was giving her some breathing room because I know how she feels about broken trust. But now I’m wondering if I only made things worse.”

He stayed like that for a long moment, the only sounds registering were his racing heart, his ragged breathing, and the bustle of the hospital around them.

Then Mathew laughed.

Slowly, Aiden lifted his head.

His best friend’s face had broken into a wide grin, and his deep chuckle had turned into something more boisterous. Aiden’s patience waned as he continued to watch his friend find humor in the situation, and at his expense, no less. When he finally couldn’t take it, he stood upright and folded his arms.

“What’s so funny?”

Mathew wiped at his eyes and shook his head. “Okay, so I never thought in a million years that you would surprise me. Not like this, anyway. Sheesh, Aiden. I can’t believe I was so wrong about you.”

Aiden’s jaw unhinged for a moment.

Then he shook his head. “I can’t tell if I should be happy or offended by that statement.”

Mathew only laughed again. “Look, I thought you were going to be a bachelor forever. I never thought you’d find anyone who would steal your heart or make you consider settling down. Idefinitely didn’t think it would be one of my cousins. But here we are.” He spread his arms wide. “You’ve proven me wrong.”

Then he jerked his chin toward the ring box. “May I?”

Aiden shrugged and nudged the box closer to his friend.

Mathew opened the small velvet box and hummed in appreciation. “She’s going to love it.” There was awe in his voice—maybe a little reverence. “You picked well, Aiden. I’m proud of you.”

Something cracked in Aiden’s chest.

He shouldn’t have been getting this choked up over what Mathew had said, and yet that was exactly what was happening. Mathew had been one of the few men Aiden looked up to. He had always valued Mathew’s opinion, which was why it had hurt so much when he made that rule about dating his family.

“Thanks, man,” Aiden whispered.

With another chuckle and shake of his head, Mathew snapped the ring box closed and held it out to Aiden. “I hope the two of you are very happy together.”

Aiden could only nod. “Me too.”

They considered each other for a long moment. Then Mathew clapped his hands on his knees and rose to his feet.

“Well, I suppose this means there could be another marriage in our future.”

Grinning, Aiden returned the ring to his pocket. “You really think she’ll say yes?”

Mathew gave him a pointed look. “Not if you rush her.”

Aiden’s smile faded.

“You need to fix what’s broken first,” Mathew continued. “Then, when the two of you are steady again, ask her.”