AARON WALLACE POV

"Aaron," I heard Lively call, and I looked over my shoulder.

She had slipped into an oversized, faded yellow T-shirt that probably covered a pair of shorts, with the neckline casually falling over her bare, tempting shoulder. She had clearly skipped blow-drying her hair. It was clumping in strands.

She was pretty beyond what lips could depict, as only the eyes could comprehend.

"You wanna talk?" she asked softly, signaling for me to follow.

"Yes." I wiped my mouth with a napkin and excused myself from the table before I followed her.

She seemed unsettled by my visit, assuming I had an agenda beyond wanting to make her my wife. Which had been exactly the plan since my recent trip. There was no way I was losing her this time.

She wriggled her adorable fingers as I stood across the couch from her. I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching out.

"Outside?" I asked, catching her glance at the front door.

Her lips parted as she thought it over.

"The neighbors like to talk," she whispered.

I frowned. "Talk in what sense?"

"I can't be seen with Aaron Wallace." She bit her lip, a gleam in her green eyes.

I couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or if she even realized the effect it had on me. Her innocence was my torture. I wanted to tear through it, press her against the wall, and kiss her hard.

"Ouch. You don't want to be seen with me." I forced a smirk, even though it stung.

I knew winning her over again would take work, but I had no intention of backing off.

Ever since last week, when I saw her thinking I wasn't watching, she had invaded my thoughts. The only way I could keep my balance was to chase after her and show her how much I wanted her until she gave in.

"Not like that," she said, shyly. "When you grow up here, you learn to avoid things that could complicate your family. Being seen with someone from your side of the world... People talk. They assume the worst."

"I understand." I don't, though.

She gave a small smile and twisted her lips, chewing lightly on them. "We can talk in my room. If you can keep your hands from touching things." She added the last part with a glint in her eyes as mine narrowed in amusement.

"Lead the way," I motioned.

She glanced at her family, where Kyle sat at the table with them, probably silently asking for permission. Then she headed toward the door a few steps away.

She turned the knob and flipped on the light, letting me walk in first before closing it behind us.

The room was warm and a little stuffy, with one small window and hardly any airflow. There were two beds, a bookshelf, a wooden wardrobe, a tiny dressing mirror, and colorful posters with a nursery theme above the blue bed.

"You have two beds?" I asked, turning to see her switching on the old air conditioner.

"The room would cool up soon," she informed, then walked to the window and opened it. "I share the space with Bubble. It used to be mine until he was born."

She was twenty-one.

"You should have your space for privacy," I wondered.

"What privacy do I need? I like it with him," she shrugged, leaning back against the window frame and facing me.

She deserved the word. But I stayed, lips sealed, swallowing down the impulse to say something wrong.

She noticed my hesitation and the way I looked at her, and a smile formed on her full lips.

Her nipples pressed prominently through her shirt. And it wasn't because of the temperature, given the room was still warm. It had to either be she was nervous, which didn't seem likely since she had willingly locked herself in here with me, or she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

That thought made my lips twitch into a grin. I stepped forward with my head down, closing the space between us until there was nothing left.

I tilted her chin with one finger, studying the clear depths of her dilated gaze.

"I wasn't planning to keep my hands to myself. So I hope that warning outside doesn't apply to me touching you. Does it?" I asked her.

Her cheeks flushed. She bit her bottom lip, shy but teasing, and shook her head beneath my touch.

"No."

My heart pounded just looking at her. And her shoulder peeking out from the loose neckline of her T-shirt made it hard to think straight.

My other hand said screw the respectful restraint for her family. As long as she stayed quiet, we were good.

I brushed her cheek, and she trembled. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting. She was effortlessly seductive.

My thumb traced her lips, soft and inviting, and just that had her moaning.

And damn, the things the sound did to me. She won over me. I dipped my head to the shoulder that had been tempting me for minutes. My tongue slid across her skin, smooth, warm, and addictive.

Her quiet moans sent fire through my veins, and I couldn't stop myself. I kissed up her neck, tasting her, nibbling gently on her earlobe. Her hands clutched my arms.

"Aaron," she panted.

I pulled back then, holding her face in both hands to look at her.

Her mouth was open, her breath shallow, eyes hazy with lust.

"Please," she whispered.

She was always beautiful. But when she was turned on like this, it was something else entirely.

"I long for all of you so badly, but I have maximum respect for your family, so I will not touch you under their roof," I said, mostly to myself, before letting go of her and stepping back.

I heard her scoff as I turned and put a space between us, sitting on the edge of the blue bed that clearly belonged to the little criminal out there.

Lively might not believe me, but I meant it. I wouldn't disrespect her family. She was already moaning just from me, tasting the skin on her shoulder. If I touched her any further, she'd be screaming loud enough for the neighbors. That's not a memory I wanted her family to have of me, on top of whatever that little criminal had already exposed on the table.

When I looked over, Lively was fighting a smile. Her cheeks were rosy, and she dropped her gaze, breaking eye contact.

Fair enough.

"So, what do you say about my request for a second chance with you? I hate how we left things," I started.

She tucked away limp strands of hair without lifting her eyes from her fingers, which were fumbling at the hem of her t-shirt.

"We didn't leave things, Aaron. You ended them," she whispered.

I knew that.

"I know I messed up. There's no excuse, but all I can say is I didn't know you then, and I didn't even have time to process the whirlwind we were in."

I'd regretted what I did to her more than she could imagine. Since last year, I've been living inside that guilt. I'd sworn to myself that this summer, I'd have people search for her.

"Until last week, I hated you," she whispered, shooting me a sideways glance.

"And that's fair," I nodded. She had every right to. I'd left her when she needed me most. I failed her.

I swallowed hard at the thought, fists clenching at my sides.

She kept watching me, head slightly tilted down. "I don't want to hate you, though," she mumbled, her knees bouncing with nerves.

A rush of warmth hit my chest at the hope, but it didn't soothe the worry I felt from her anxiousness.

"What does that mean?"

"That we..." She paused to swallow, eyes flicking away. "That we're cool."

"Cool on what level, Lively? I don't want to be strangers to you. This time, I want to know you. I want more from you than I've ever wanted from anyone... I want everything with you." I clarify.

"Aaron, you're asking me to take a risk on you again." She let out a small, painful laugh.

But I wasn't backing down. I was serious about her this time. The idea of marriage had never made sense until I saw her in the clubhouse last week and knew I wanted her for life. The passion and comfort of being her husband were already carved deep within me.

"We're not kids anymore. This time, I'm laying all my cards on the table."

She stared at me in silence, turning over my words.

"Your fam..." she started, but I cut her off. I needed to make that part clear.

"My family is my family. My choices are mine," I said, and she dropped her eyes again. "I mean it, Lively. I want this second chance."

With her head lowered, she mumbled, "Okay," and nodded.

"Look at me," I urged, and she did.

I got up from the bed, sighing. "I need you to trust me."

"Once again, the ball's in your court, Aaron Wallace. It's foolish of me, but here is your second chance," she mumbled, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Here's to the start of making you the happiest woman's life." I gently cupped her neck with both hands and kissed her, devouring her mouth.

She held the sides of my stomach this time, her touch calling my body closer to hers.

I kissed her once more and pulled away before I lost control and swept her onto the bed to live out the fantasy I'd been carrying around in my head since that kiss.

"Be ready in the morning," I said. "I'll take you somewhere I can kiss you more."

Her eyes widened, her face flushing with heat.

"It's Monday. Your family's spending the day at the country club," she croaked, clearing her throat.

"Kyle's dad came back with a wife, so there's a gathering at the estate tomorrow. No one's going to the club. You're free. Besides, my grandpa asked me to bring you along, so we'll stop there first."

Her eyes widened more when she looked at me. "Your grandpa?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she shook her head. I don't think I was clear about being serious about her.

"I told him I'm head over heels for this girl I used to be a douchebag to in high school. And she still hasn't stabbed me for revenge, so I have hope," I said, watching her smile.

She lifted her fist and air-stabbed my chest. Her grin was contagious. I stood still, watching her with all the admiration I could bear.

Her fist remained on my chest as she held my gaze with me. Her eyes were calm to read. She was happy.

Good.

Trying not to give in to her natural pull, I cleared my throat and stepped back toward the door. "It's getting late. We overstayed our welcome."

She didn't respond. She just followed me out of the room when I opened the door.

Everyone was in the living room now. Kyle was on the carpet, listening to Bubble babble while introducing his toys.

"Kyle," I called, and all eyes turned to us. Lively stood beside me, twisting her hands to avoid suspicion.

It was naively entertaining until I noticed hickeys on her neck.

So much for being discreet.

"We leaving?" Kyle asked.

"Yes."

"Mister and Missus Kelby, thanks for having us," I said as the couple stood up, smiling warmly and walking over to us.

"It's our pleasure. Our home is always open to you," Mister Kelby replied, shaking my hand again.

I smiled, gratefully.

Bubble toddled over to Lively, settling in her arms and watching me curiously.

"Buddy," I rose my knuckle. He shyly bumped his.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked Lively by the door.

"Uh-hmm," she murmured, blushing.

I leaned intentionally, whispering, "You've got hickeys. Wear something decent for my grandpa, but it doesn't matter how sexy it is underneath."

She slightly choked, clearing her throat when I straightened.

I stifled my smile and looked over at the rest of the people.

We said our goodbyes, and Kyle and I headed down the steps to the car while the Kelby family watched us until the engine roared to life.

"That was a long conversation," Kyle commented.

I smiled, lost in the memory of the past few minutes.

"How old is the boy?" I heard him ask.

"Bubble?" I glanced over at Kyle. "I guess around four or five."

"Okay," Kyle muttered, facing forward as he turned on the car's entertainment system and news started playing on the screen.

"Why do you ask?" I questioned as I noticed the strange look on his face.

"There's nothing worse than a father abandoning his child. I know that firsthand," he grumbled. I listened closely, intrigued by where this was going. "Whatever you do, make sure he's not yours."

I frowned, taken aback by his sudden comment.

"What?" I scoffed. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"Six years ago, that girl was pregnant."

"Then she wasn't." I retorted, feeling a bile rose in my throat.

"What are the chances that our bloodline is out there living a miserable life in that neighborhood?" he countered, then took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the screen.

Contemplative, I stared at him, my mind flashing back to the state championship game against Boyd Clarkston High School. The team that terrified every school.

My school always thought public school kids were tougher and stronger, and they were. Our coach said we'd just defend our goal line, but as captain, I challenged it.

It was the hardest match we'd ever played. Some teammates got knocked down, we swapped in new players, and somehow, I scored a couple of touchdowns. The last one, in the last second, pushed us ahead by six points.

I remembered the thrill of victory, ripping off my helmet and racing across the field, dodging all the boys trying to stop me, only to be tackled by the coach for a hug. That's when I saw Lively, wearing an ugly overcoat that made me laugh while the coach was talking to me and putting my baseball cap on my head since it was cold.

Amid my distraction of her, he was saying, "There are two NFL scouts here, and they want to see you." He was talking about my future, but I couldn't stop thinking about how someone could have the most perfect pout.

She stood in the crowd, sad. It was clear she wasn't rooting for our team, but the bad boy in me couldn't leave without kissing her. Just like I did today, in her bedroom and at the clubhouse.

There was always something in her eyes. She never stopped me.

I slapped the coach's arm and pushed past him, rushing toward the sidelines, and crossing the boundary railing to cheer from the girls in the stands.

I took the steps two at a time to reach her. She was frozen in place with wide eyes that could jump out.

"Hey, pretty eyes," I beamed.

She barely managed a shy "hello," blushing hard.

I cupped her small face like I did today, and kissed her, ignoring the surrounding noise, and focusing only on the softness of her lips.

We both didn't want to stop. It was our first kiss. It was imprinted on my mind to this day.

"I could kiss any of the girls supporting my school, but you're the prettiest one here, so I guess I'm guilty of treason." I pulled away with a shrug.

She grinned, but then the smile faded when her eyes darted away, toward something in the distance.

"What's wrong?" I wondered.

"My mom," she breathed. "She can't see me like this, not when she's upset. I need to go."

I could see she didn't want to leave.

I followed her gaze to a pregnant woman at the bottom of the bleachers on the phone. Thankfully, she wasn't looking our way, so I turned back to the girl I kissed, still holding her waist.

"Too bad. I was hoping we could celebrate our win at the Wallace Country Club apartments. We're staying there at 1001B and having a party tonight." I took off my hat and placed it on her head, earning a soft blush from her as I stepped back.

With a sad smile, I turned to Kyle in the car as we headed down the road. "Lively's mom was pregnant back then," I told him.

Kyle was the only one who knew about Lively and me back then.

He glanced at me, his smile tight. "Cool," he let out, raising his brows at the men in the front. "Lloyd, take me to the country club apartment. I'm not staying at the estate."

"Lively's off tomorrow. I told her she was free," I informed him.

"It's fine. I just want to be alone," Kyle said, plugging in his earphones with a frown on his face. And then my thoughts drifted back home.

Argh. Uncle Steven.