Brides and Brothers by Anneka R. Walker

Chapter 5

Aiden

Aiden had imagined Camille would look exactly like she had the night before, so he wasn’t prepared for the dressed-up version. Her appearance made him stumble for words. He cleared his throat. “Are you all set?”

Camille nodded and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

“How was your day?” Aiden asked.

“Not a single problem with my laptop, thanks to you.”

“Sounds like a win.” They walked side by side down two flights of stairs toward his freshly washed Jeep Cherokee. He held the door open for her, and she climbed inside. The first few minutes of driving passed in uncomfortable silence. He wondered if their friendly banter the night before was going to be a part of their second date.

He stole a glance at her. “You look great tonight. I mean, I thought you looked great last night, but tonight—well, you look great.” Smooth, Aiden. Real smooth.

Camille laughed under breath and turned to look out the window. “Thanks.”

“I thought I’d give you a choice for dinner. We can either go to a quaint little diner for burgers and milkshakes, or I know a classy sit-down Italian restaurant. I hear women are suckers for Italian.”

“I love Italian, but would you mind terribly if I opted for the burgers and milkshakes?”

Aiden grinned. “A girl after my own heart. What was the clincher? The burgers or the milkshakes?”

“The milkshakes.”

“You’re in luck. They have the best huckleberry milkshakes I’ve ever had.”

When they arrived at the diner, Aiden reached to open the restaurant door for her, but someone on the other side beat him to it.

It was his brother Daegan. Aiden wanted to whimper. He just couldn’t get a break.

Daegan’s gaze went from Aiden to Camille, and his lips curved into a sly grin.

Aiden put his hand on Camille’s back and ushered her past his brother, giving Daegan a look to steer clear. He didn’t want to scare Camille off by introducing her to his brothers just yet. Unfortunately, Daegan took his glare as an invitation to follow them across the black-and-white checkered floor to their table.

“Excuse me,” Daegan said before either of them could sit down in their booth. He smoothed his strawberry-blond hair off his forehead.

Camille turned to face him and missed the way Aiden jerked his head toward the door in an attempt to get Daegan to back off.

“I don’t normally do this kind of thing,” Daegan said, putting one hand on the table and leaning forward, “but life is too short to pass up moments like this.” He fished in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a card. “If this guy doesn’t treat you right, give me a call.”

Camille accepted it, and Aiden leaned over her shoulder to read what it said. The name Jeremy Jones was printed across the top. It included a clearly photoshopped image, Daegan’s phone number, and a full list of stats, including weight and height—also slightly embellished. Now Aiden definitely wasn’t going to introduce Daegan to Camille.

“Thanks,” Camille said, sliding the card into her purse.

Daegan gave her a suave smile and made his exit.

“The only thing he left off his card was a crazy meter,” Aiden muttered under his breath. He was pretty sure Daegan had made the card back in middle school and had been saving it for just the right opportunity.

Camille grinned. “This is the first time I’ve seen a business card for dating. People are getting more creative.”

“Or desperate.” He cringed, thinking of himself. “I hope you aren’t going to ditch me for Jeremy.”

Camille gave him a quick shake of her head. “Don’t worry, Jeremy and I can meet up later.”

“I see how it is.” Aiden’s sarcasm earned him a laugh.

They sat across from each other in the booth and went over the menu. After collecting Camille’s order, Aiden went to the counter and purchased their meal, complete with milkshakes. He turned around, and Cade was at the table hitting on Camille. He should’ve known the twins would hang out in the same vicinity. Aiden strode purposefully to his seat and glared at his brother.

Cade grinned back. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he said, facing Camille once more. Camille’s half smile, half grimace satisfied Cade, and he strutted away.

“Is it just me, or did he look at lot like the last guy?” Camille frowned.

Aiden understood now why Camille had been so funny about finding a decent guy to date, what with his brothers loose in the area and her being so beautiful.

Instead of discussing his embarrassing family connections, he cleared his throat and switched the topic to Camille’s classes. They chatted for a few minutes before a waitress, a pretty brunette who wore an old-school apron and a disposable paper hat, arrived with their food. She pushed Aiden’s shake closer to him and made a show of pulling napkins out of her apron while she leaned into him. “Have you been here before?” She directed her question only to him. “Isn’t the atmosphere perfect? It’s a hidden gem.” She settled the napkins next to his plate and began unwrapping his burger for him.

“I’ve got it,” Aiden said.

“Course you do,” she said in a motherly tone, but with Aiden at least six or seven years her senior, the tone irked him. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She trilled her fingers and spun away.

Aiden met Camille’s bewildered gaze. “Maybe we should’ve gone for Italian,” he said.

They shared an awkward laugh and dug into their dinner. When Aiden finished his burger, he pulled out a coin from his pocket. “My dad used to play the penny game with me when he’d take me out for food after my football games. Want to try it?”

“How do you play?” Camille asked.

“We take turns flipping it. If it lands on heads, you get to ask me a question. If it’s tails, you get to make a confession. The only rule is to keep it PG.”

“So that’s how dads get teenagers to talk to them.”

Aiden chuckled. “It worked for us.” He pushed the coin toward her. “Ladies first.”

She scooped up the coin and rubbed it between her hands. “For luck,” she explained. “No confessions from me.” She released the penny and bent over to see how it landed. “Oh no! Tails!”

Aiden sipped from his milkshake to hide his smile.

“Let me think.” She snapped her fingers. “I got it. I don’t like brussels sprouts.”

“What a shocking confession.” He winked and took the penny. He put it on the tip of his thumb and flicked it into the air. It spun a few times and landed on his open palm. Without looking, he flipped it onto his other hand. “Heads.”

“Fancy,” Camille said. “You didn’t cheat, did you?”

“Not a chance.” Aiden laughed. “Here’s your question. Do you have a favorite hobby?”

“Baking, but you already know that. I also enjoy hiking. The two hobbies balance each other out. What about you?”

“Gotta flip to ask,” Aiden said, tossing her the penny.

She tried to catch the penny by smashing it between her hands and almost spilled her milkshake in the process. “Whoops!” She managed to catch her drink and drop the penny. “At least I got heads. What’s your favorite hobby?”

Aiden rested his chin on his fist. “I like to fish and hike. When I was younger I played basketball and football, and I still do when I get the chance. I’m pretty boring most of the time.”

“Not boring—just busy building your career, I’d guess.”

“Something like that.” Talking about himself was uncomfortable, but the alternative was boring her with stories about his brothers. He grabbed the penny, eager to switch the topic back to her.

Tails. He sighed. “I accidentally shot my brother in the leg with a BB when I was twelve. It’s still there.” He felt no guilt. After the dating-card fiasco, he and Daegan were even.

Camille gasped. “No way!” She caught the coin this time with a little more finesse and flipped it. “Yes! Heads. All right, here’s my question: what are you most scared of?”

He’d filled his mouth with ice cream and choked on the question. Dozens of fears raced through his mind. Grant getting hurt. A bad harvest. Flynn trading his family for his band. Aidan swallowed and said carefully, “My greatest fear is not being enough for those who rely on me.”

Camille analyzed him with a long look. “Do you take on more responsibilities than you have time and energy for?”

Aiden forgot about the game for a minute and answered. “I just do what has to be done and hope it’s enough.”

Camille’s eyes were curious, but she quietly pushed the penny to him.

He flicked it with his thumb again and declared tails. “You’re kidding me.” What was he going to confess after that? He looked up at Camille and smiled. “Okay, confession: I was nervous to eat your banana bread.”

“That’s hardly a confession.” Camille laughed. “I could tell by the way your face scrunched up when you saw the pan. It was almost as bad as when you tried the smoothie.”

She stole the penny back, flipped it into the air, and grumbled when it landed on tails again. “I’m only teaching here because I didn’t get into the doctorate program I applied for.” She covered her face with her hands for a moment. “Super embarrassing, but there’s no use hiding it.”

“What kind of program was it?”

“I have a master’s in communications and was hoping to get a PhD for a public relations position. Part of me was relieved I didn’t get it, because I really . . .”

“You really what?”

Her cheeks colored. “I’d rather spend my life raising a family and teaching on the side.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “There’s no shame in dreaming for a family.” He wondered if her dream included raising adult children. They were practically the same thing.

She pushed her french fries away and folded her arms, resting them on the table. “My mom would be disappointed if I didn’t have a career, but I love the idea of a home and kids. Maybe I’m a romantic.”

“You and me both, then.” Though, romantic wasn’t the term for him. He just lived and breathed family. He used to want to be a dad more than anything, and now he was to his brothers. Parenting didn’t always look the same for everyone, and he’d found himself in the role much earlier than he’d expected.

It was her turn to smile. “It’s nice to know we share the same goals.”

He ducked his head, thinking suddenly of his parents. “At the end of the day, family is all that matters.” He cleared his throat and reached for the penny. Heads. He picked a lighter topic. “What’s your dream vacation?”

“Hawaii. Definitely Hawaii.”

“You didn’t even have to think about it.”

“What’s there to think about?” She played with her straw in her glass. “It’s paradise . . . or so they tell me.”

The two of them laughed over a few more questions, getting lost in conversation with each one. Unfortunately, the waitress interrupted them again, her eyes on Aiden. Camille snickered while the waitress flirted, and Aiden had to bite his tongue to keep from snorting himself. It took a minute to get rid of her, but Aiden was now convinced the diner was the absolute worst place for a date, despite the great milkshakes. He pushed the penny toward Camille, eager for a new scene. “Last round?”

“Heads!” she yelled. Her face reddened, and she regarded the other tables self-consciously and lowered her voice back to a normal decibel. “Sorry, I got a little too excited. Here’s your question, and yes, it was inspired by the waitress. How many girlfriends have you had?”

“Loaded question.” He leaned back in his seat and stared at the checkered walls. “Not many.”

“Maybe I should have asked how many girls you’ve kissed.”

He squirmed and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a PG topic.” He’d be embarrassed to admit how few girls he had kissed. “Let’s just say I should’ve made the time to date more.” Being with Camille was making him rethink his priorities.

“I’m surprised.”

“Why?”

“You have a cocky smile, and you definitely strike me as a flirt.”

His brow rose. “I can’t help my smile, but a flirt implies a lack of serious intention. If I’m flirting with you, you don’t need to guess where I stand.”

“Are you flirting with me right now?”

“Do you want me to?” He stared at her, and she didn’t look away. He felt something forming between them, and it scared him a little.

Camille bit back a smile and pushed the penny his way. “You’d better finish the game before you get off topic again.”

Aiden got heads too. “Are you ready for this one? Who’s it going to be? Me or Jeremy?”

Camille snorted. “You—definitely you—but only if I don’t catch you running off with the waitress.”

“Done!” Aiden leaned across the table. “It looks like we have a future together.”

Camille leaned forward too. “You can’t just spew declarations like that without flipping a tails.” She wagged her finger in his face.

He laughed and batted her hand away.

“You know,” Camille started, “I feel like I know you so well already.”

Aiden shrugged. “The penny game can be revealing.”

“No, really. I felt like I already knew you when we met last night. Maybe you have one of those faces.”

Aiden put up his hand to stop her. “The first part of that comment started out as a great pickup line, albeit clichéd, and then you had to go and ruin it by saying I have one of those faces.”

Camille scrunched her nose. “Never mind. It did sound bad. Have you ever been to Kansas? Maybe I met you there.”

“No. Sorry.”

“I wonder if I ran into you on campus during my undergrad years. Would we have even been at school during the same time?”

“It’s a small town. You could have seen me at the grocery store. I can see how you’d never forget a face like this even if you did just see it in the checkout line.”

“You’re terrible,” Camille said.

“So terrible you don’t want to see me again? I thought we could just keep up this routine, and I could see you again tomorrow night.”

Camille grinned, and her eyes sparkled. “Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

Aiden tapped his fingers on the table. “It’ll give you a chance to work on those compliments.”

Camille didn’t answer right way. She studied him, and he tried not to squirm. She would say yes, wouldn’t she?

“Uh . . . sure.”

“Wow, you must really like me,” Aiden said, relieved she hadn’t said no outright, but he hadn’t missed her hesitancy. “But maybe I’m rushing things between us. Three nights in one week might put you over the edge. How about I call you tomorrow instead and you can tell me if you’re still ready for another date?” Aiden threw one last fry into his mouth, wiped his hand with a napkin, and stood. He offered Camille his hand and was almost surprised when she accepted. A race of pleasure coursed through him, and he forgot to move his feet toward the door.

His phone buzzed, snapping his attention away from the connection he felt with Camille. With his free hand, he lifted it from his pocket to read a text. It was from a good friend with an urgent request for a visit. He thought quickly, afraid to end his night and whatever was happening between him and Camille. “Hey, I have an unusual request. Are you up for a detour? I have a little emergency.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“It’s probably not serious, and I hate to end our night prematurely. But you decide. I can explain more in the car, if you’re up for it.”

Camille nodded her agreement.

Once in the car, Aiden turned to explain. “Paul and Charlotte are old family friends. They moved to Cherish from Island Park shortly after we did. Paul is our best farmhand and did a lot to teach me the business after my dad died. Charlotte just texted asking if I would come check on Paul. He’s not feeling well.”

“Are you sure they would want me there?” Her brow furrowed.

“If you’re up for it, you could be the perfect distraction for Charlotte. She struggles with anxiety.”

“I’m distracting, huh?”

She was more distracting than she knew. He was supposed to be dating for practical purposes but could hardly remember why when he was with Camille. “As soon as Charlotte sees me with a woman, she’ll have plenty to keep her mind occupied with and will stop worrying over Paul. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Would you rather I take you home?”

Camille shook her head. “I’d love to help, if you think I can.”

Aiden smiled ruefully. So this was what he’d been missing spending day after day trying to keep his family in order. Two nights together, and he was already eager for more. Was it wrong to enjoy this so much? Weren’t his brothers and their needs supposed to be at the forefront of his mind? Something was shifting inside him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to put on the brakes.