Love in Country (De La Fuente Family #4)(15)

Taking my cap off, I run a hand through my hair and sigh.

The sooner they film, the sooner they’ll leave.

“Hey, Aiden.”

I watch Rae approach and wonder how the hell she stays on her feet in the high heels she’s wearing.

Chuckling to myself, I step off the porch and move to intercept her. “You need boots not heels around here, otherwise you’ll end up flat on your face.”

“I have you to make sure that doesn’t happen.” She slides her arm through mine and grins.

Rae portrays the needy female role well, which amuses me because she’s the complete opposite. In fact people make the mistake of presuming that all her brains are within her physical assets. They couldn’t be more wrong. She’s as sharp as a whip.

She appeared in my life when I had really needed a friend and she’d been in the same situation. She is a looker, with a porcelain complexion against her natural fiery orange hair. Her slim figure hides one of the strongest women I know. She has had to fight for a lot of what she has now and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

Rae is in her forties with a twenty-three year old daughter who is finishing up college, but realistically she looks to be a young thirty.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I reply, my grin turning into laughter.

Rae gives me a sidelong look. “You’ve been staring at me with a weird look on your face…too weird.”

“I’m a bit distracted,” I admit.

“Hmm. You’ve been a bit distracted since you met Sarah.” She raises a brow and waits. “Are you really in love with her?” She grins.

“Maybe.” I smirk.

“Oh, no you don’t. I want to know now. I want to hear you admit that the great Aiden De La Fuente has finally fallen.” She pokes me in the chest with a red, pointed fingernail.

“Hey”—I grab her hand—“those should be outlawed as a lethal weapon.”

“Oh stop.”

I shake my head and glance toward the house. Lucia watches us through the large kitchen window with a frown across her brow. Sighing, I take hold of Rae’s hand. “C’mon inside for coffee.”

I’m not surprised when Lucia’s frown deepens as we walk closer. I would be a very rich man if I’d collected a dollar every time someone asked if Rae and I were a couple.

I’ve put up with a lot to keep my friendship with Rae. I hadn’t seen her in over twelve months until we met up in New York to head over to Europe. But I’m sure as hell glad that she’s here with me now because Rae makes the filming of the commercial bearable.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you and love.” She gives me a sly look as I open the door into the house.

“I wouldn’t dare.” I grin. “We’ll talk later.”





8


SARAH


“Sarah, do we need any more granola?” Greg asks while he looks between the different varieties on the shelf in the store.

I hate shopping of any kind, but I find it torture shopping for food with Greg. He isn’t majorly picky about what brands we buy, but has a habit of going through different eating fads. This time he’s trying to be a vegetarian. I give him a few days, a week at the most.

“I think there’s only one serving left, so grab another.” I leave him to it and continue down the aisle.

Making my way around to the next aisle, I freeze when my eyes land on Aiden and Rae. I haven’t seen Aiden for a few days and I’ve yet to be introduced to the other woman who is currently shopping with him.

Tears clog my throat at the unexpected sight when I realize there is a closeness between them. I try to step back to avoid the aisle when Aiden chooses that moment to look up. His eyes widen when he spots me and then his face lights up as though he’s really happy to see me.

Aiden grabs the other woman by the arm and practically drags her over to where I’m frozen in place. “What a nice surprise.” He grins and I start to blush. “This is Rae,” he introduces.

My smile starts to slip when Aiden rushes on, “And my Sarah,” he adds with a goofy grin on his face.

Rae elbows him in the stomach making him laugh while he rubs the spot. The other woman has an amused smile on her face. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah, after hearing so much about you.”

I’m surprised and put at ease by her words, but I still can’t get rid of the hint of jealousy that hovers.

I shake that miserable thought from my head and meet Aiden’s heated gaze as his eyes sweep over me. He takes a step closer when Rae clears her throat and slips her arm through his. I frown but it all becomes clear.

“Sarah, I’ve got two,” Greg states, coming up behind me.

I turn and make introductions, only to feel like stomping on Greg’s foot when he places his arm around me, staking his claim, which really is unnecessary considering Aiden knows about our marriage.

“I’ve just arrived in town,” Rae adds to the awkward silence. “It’s a beautiful place.”

“I love it here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.” I offer a soft smile and feel heat rise into my cheeks with Aiden’s stare.

“We have shopping to do so we’ll see you around.” Greg rudely drags me away and mumbles under his breath.