"So how did the weekend go?" Craig asked Aaden. It was the next day and the two of them were sitting on the tailgate of Aaden's truck up at the mill on their lunch hour. Aaden pulled a bologna sandwich from his bucket and grinned.

"Great." he replied.

"Well we got an hour. Tell me about it." Craig said. So Aaden told him everything leaving out the details about Saturday night and Sunday.. His best friend didn't need to know just how wrong Tom had been about Kathleen's lovemaking skills.

"You told her that you love her?" Craig demanded. Aaden shrugged.

"Is that against one of your relationship rules?" he asked. Craig nodded and unwrapped a twinkie.

"Not that you've ever given a damn about my rules." he said. Aaden shrugged.

"Man I figure if your rules worked as well as you say they do you'd be married and have three kids by now."

"That's the whole point of the rules.. They are there to keep you from ending up married with three kids." Craig reminded him.

"But what if I want to be married with three kids?" Aaden asked. Craig shook his head. He' d learned a long time ago that his best friend was a hopeless romantic and a lost damn cause.

"Let's just forget about the love part. Did you really punch her rich, lawyer ex-husband in the face?" Craig asked and Aaden could hear the admiration in his voice.

"Yep." Aaden said taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I would have paid money to see that…. Right there in front of all those other hoity toity rich people..haha.. A good ol' fashioned redneck smack down." Craig said stuffing the last of his twinkie in his mouth.

"So when are you gonna see her again?" Craig asked after a few minutes of silence. Aaden shrugged.

"I told her I'd call her tonight so we'll see." he said. Craig could see the lovesick look on his friends face.

"You better make it soon because if you start looking much lonelier I might actually start to feel sorry for your ass." he said. "You gotta be careful looking like a lovesick puppy up here anyway.. I'm not exactly sure the new guy on the trim saw ain't playing both fields." Aaden laughed and downed the rest of his pop. He couldn't wait until quitting time.

888

Aaden went home after work just long enough to shower and change his clothes. He didn't even take the time to call Kathleen. He jumped back in his truck, went through the drive-thru at the local dairy bar and made the drive to her apartment. Hearing her voice on the phone just wasn't going to do it for him tonight. He needed to see her, touch her, kiss her.

He took the steps to her door three at a time and felt his heart beating faster as he heard her footsteps coming to the door after he knocked. The door opened and the joy he'd been feeling left him. Kathleen's face was red and blotchy.. Her green eyes were full of tears.

Without a word he wrapped his arms around her and walked into the apartment closing the door with his foot. He led her to the couch and sat down pulling her down into his lap.

"What's wrong? Bad day at work?" he asked gently as he rubbed his hands through her long blond hair. It was then that he noticed Christy sitting at the kitchen table. Christy was a pretty woman.. She was tiny, probably not much more then five feet tall and had tiny features. She had the biggest head of brown curls Aaden had ever seen… She didn't look like Craig's usual type of woman.. He usually liked trashier types of women.. He wondered whether or not Craig realized he was breaking one of his own relationship rules by seeing her.

"Oh don't mind me…." Christy said waving her hand and taking a bite of a cheeseburger. Kathleen sniffed and wiped her face with her hands.

"Aaden, I thought you were going to call me." she said embarrassed that he was seeing her crying. She had never cried in front of anyone other then Christy, and Edward of course when she'd been younger.

"I was going to call you but I decided I wanted to see you instead. I'm glad now that I came because something is wrong with you.. What is it?" She was actually feeling some better already now that she was in his arms. She was curled up on his lap with her head on his chest. His hand was still running through her hair.

"You were wrong." she said matter-of-factly. She felt him smile into her hair.

"That happens a lot." he replied. "Mind telling me what I was wrong about?"

"My boss did not give me my job back because I'm am good at what I do." she said. He didn't like the way she said this and put his finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him.

"Why did he give you your job back then?"

"I don't have a job anymore.. I quit." she said. She really didn't want to tell him what had happened. She knew that being the man he was he would want to defend her honor.

"Okay. Why did you quit?" he asked.

"It's not important." she said. He grunted.

"To hell it's not. You're crying and upset and I want to know why." she sighed.

"My boss didn't want me back because of my skills as a secretary. He wanted me back because he was hoping I had other skills to offer…. More personal skills that would benefit him…." her voice trailed off as she saw Aaden's jaw tense.

"Where's he live?" Aaden asked.

"Why?"

"Because I think I need to go pay him a visit." Aaden said matter-of-factly.

"Aaden, you can't go and punch everyone who says or does something you don't like to me." Kathleen replied. Aaden shrugged.

"I wasn't going to punch him. I had more of a bullet and gun idea going on." he said. Christy laughed but Kathleen slapped his arm.

"That's not funny." she said. He shrugged again.

"I wasn't trying to be funny." he said. "So what happened?"

"Well he made his move on me and I told him under no circumstance was that going to happen.. He said some things, I smacked him and then I quit."

"You smacked him?" Aaden asked with pride. Kathleen smiled despite herself.

"Yes I did. I think maybe you have rubbed off on me a little." she said. "The only problem now is that after I slapped him he told me that I had two choices… Either quit and walk away from my job and my last payday or he would have me thrown in jail for assault."

"Asshole." Christy said from over at the table. Aaden nodded in agreement.

"Well asshole or not I'm screwed. I have twenty dollars to my name and no more money coming my way and to top it all off apparently my boss at the clinic is good friends with the landlord here so I have been told that I have to be out of here by the end of the week." Kathleen felt new tears filling her eyes. It wasn't fair. She had worked so hard to finally have a place all her own and now because of some jackass with an ego problem she was being kicked out on her backside with nothing.

"I told her not to worry about it she can come stay with me…." Christy said. Aaden shrugged.

"Or you could just come move in with me." he offered. Kathleen looked at him wide-eyed.

"Move in with you?" she asked. He suddenly wondered if he should have offered.. Maybe he had overstepped his boundaries or gone too far.

"Aaden, you don't have to do that.. You don't have to ask me to move in with you because you feel bad for me or feel sorry for me…."

"I don't feel sorry or bad for you. You are a smart, independent woman who doesn't need my help. I know that. I was asking you to move in with me because to me it sounds like a good idea." Kathleen looked at him wide-eyed.

Christy stood up from the table and walked toward the door.

"I'm leaving now." she said but neither of them looked over at her. They were too busy looking at each other. "Goodbye…." she said, though she wasn't sure why because no one could hear her. She walked out shutting the door behind her.

"You want me to move in with you?" Kathleen asked.

"Well ya know my truck isn't as young as it used to be and would probably be real glad to not have to make this trip every night just so I can kiss you goodnight." Aaden replied with a grin. Kathleen smiled.

"Are you sure? I mean what will your family think?" Kathleen asked. Aaden shrugged.

"I'm thirty years old, Kathleen. Plenty old enough to make my own decisions. Besides my mama's been begging me to settle down for years." he said.

"Aaden, I don't' know…" she said. She wanted to live with him she knew that. She knew she wanted to kiss him every night and wake up beside him every morning but that wasn't enough for her. She needed more of a commitment.. But that was crazy.. They had not been together even a week yet.. There was no way he would even consider marriage and there was no way she should even be thinking about it either.

"What if I told you that I want to marry you?" Aaden asked. His stomach was twisted in knots worrying that she would jump out of his lap, call him a crazy person and take off running in the other direction.

"You want to marry me?" she asked in a daze. She swore sometimes it was like this man could read her mind.

"I know it probably sounds crazy but yes I want to marry you. You are the one and only woman for me and I love you and want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you." he said. She couldn't' think of anything to say so said nothing.

"I know this is fast and sudden, Kathleen, but I'm a firm believer that when something feels right then you should just do it and being with you feels right…" Still Kathleen just sat there and stared at him. He wished she would say something. Even if it was no it would be better than this silence.

"I wish you'd say something…." he said finally. Kathleen blinked and cleared the lump from her throat.

"I don't know, Aaden…. I mean I love you and I want to be with you forever but I've been married before…"

"I know you had a bad marriage but you should know by now I'm nothing like Tom and I won't be the kind of husband to you that he was. I won't hurt you. I won't try to control you. I won't sleep around and then come crawling home to our bed. I'm glad he was a bad husband to you. Because if he'd have been a good man I never would have had this chance.. I want to worship the woman he walked on, Kathleen." Kathleen felt tears running down her face.

"That was beautiful Aaden." she said softly. He gave her a nervous smile.

"Did it work?" he asked. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her tear covered face against his cheek.

"Yes it worked. Oh this is crazy! The whole world is going to think we've lost our minds but I don't care. I love you."

"I love you too." he said feeling relief like he had never known wash over him.. He'd been sure there for a minute that she was going to say no and if she had he didn't know how he would have gotten back out to his truck let alone on with the rest of his life.

"Ok.. So pack what you need and lets go home. We'll get the rest of it moved before the weekend." he said matter-of-factly. She stood up laughing happily and wiping her face.

"What until I tell Christy she gets to help me plan a wedding! She has always been a hopeless romantic. She's been telling me for years that eventually I would meet my real soul mate. I'll have to hear her saying 'I told you so' forever now."

"I want you to have whatever you want, love. You plan this thing however you want it." he told her. She smiled at him. She knew he didn't have much money and that was fine with her. She didn't want a big wedding. She had had a big wedding with Tom and she didn't want to have to go through all that hassle again.. But she did want a church and flowers and a pretty dress. After all she was marrying her knight in shining armor.

"I'll take care of the ring too. You'll have one soon I promise." he said. He had a couple hundred dollars saved up in a jar at home. She smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I don't need a ring, Aaden. I have you." she said. He ran his finger over her scarred cheek.

"I hear ya. But I'm getting you one anyway." he said. Then he reached around and smacked her on the butt.

"Now go get packed. I can't wait to get you home and make love to you on our bed."

888

Kathleen smiled as they pulled into the driveway of Aaden's house. He hadn't been joking when he had said it was out in the middle of nowhere. They had left paved roads behind miles before they reached it. It was dark outside but she could see the lights of several other houses further down the road.

Aaden's house was small but Kathleen loved it. There was a large oak tree in the front yard and a huge front porch. She got out of her blazer and walked over to Aaden who looked at her nervously.

"So what do you think?" he asked. She smiled.

"I like it." she replied. "I think someone is here though." she said pointing at the car in the driveway and the lights coming out of one of the windows.

"Craig." Aaden replied shaking his head.

"Your friend Craig?"

"He's not gonna be my friend for long if he don't learn how to stay at his own damn house." he replied. He grabbed her suitcase and took her hand as they walked up to the house.

When they walked in Kathleen looked around. The door led into the kitchen. The kitchen was actually quite big. It was messy and lacked a woman's touch but Kathleen could see it's potential. Aaden led her to the living room where Craig was sitting on a worn out couch, a beer in his hand and his feet propped up on the coffee table. He only had on a pair of sweatpants and tennis shoes and Katherine bit back a laugh.

"What the hell are you doing?" Aaden demanded. Craig burped and then he grinned sheepishly when he looked up and saw Kathleen standing there with Aaden.

"Well hello there, Kathleen." he said standing up and shaking her hand. Kathleen nodded.

"Hello, Craig."

"Can I ask what you're doing here putting your nasty ass feet on my coffee table and drinking my beer?" Aaden asked as he sat Kathleen's suitcase down on the hardwood floor.

"My coffee table ain't near as comfortable and I'm out of beer." Craig replied matter-of-factly. "What is she doing here?" he asked, pointing at Kathleen.

"She lives here now." Aaden replied. Craig's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Lives here! Man I'll tell you what when you settle down you do it in a hurry." he said. Aaden wrapped his arm around Kathleen and kissed her hair.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow." Aaden said to Craig. Craig nodded and swigged down the last of his beer.

"I'm guessing that's my cue to skedaddle?" he asked. Aaden nodded. "Alrighty.. See you tomorrow." he said and left. Kathleen watched him drive away through the big picture window.

"Should he be driving? I don't think that was his first beer." Aaden chuckled.

"No I guarantee it wasn't his first one but he'll be fine driving home.. He just lives a minute down the road." Kathleen nodded and looked around the room. This room too was messy and lacking any sort of womanly touch but like the kitchen Kathleen could see the potential. She had her doubts about the ten point buck on the wall but knew that Aaden would probably want it to stay right where it was.

"Can I show you to your bedroom?" Aaden asked wrapping his arm tighter around her. She smiled up at him and blushed suddenly feeling shy.

"Sure." she said. He picked up her suitcase and led her down a hallway and into a bedroom that was actually very big. A king sized bed with rumpled sheets and blankets sat against the wall. There was a dresser across from the bed with a TV on top of it. A computer was sitting on a desk beside the door.

"It's not much but I figure a woman is just what this place needs to pretty it up." Aaden said. Kathleen wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him lightly.

"I still can't believe this is happening." she said. He moved his lips to her ear.

"You ain't seen nothing yet beautiful." he whispered. She felt herself shiver and her body heat up at his words. She moved her lips to his ear and felt a tremor run through his body.

"Show me." she whispered. That's just what Aaden did.