He’d been in only one long-term relationship with a woman named Danelle. She gathered that he’d been broken after that relationship had ended but hadn’t asked who had ended it or why.
It had been almost six months since she’d broken things off with him for the last time. He’d spooked her that first time he’d mentioned the L word. Sure, he’d convinced her that he was only talking about their time together, but she’d bolted just the same.
She’d kicked herself more than a dozen times after that. Each time she’d needed a release, she’d gone crawling back to him. This last time, however, she’d been left sexually frustrated and hornier than, well… ever. Aiden had been there to scratch that itch for so long that she’d grown accustomed to being liberated from her pent-up frustration.
Now, almost six months to the day since she’d called it off with him for the last time, she walked around the campgrounds agitated enough that she was surprised she didn’t bite anyone’s head off. Sure, her classes helped relieve some of the physical tension, and she had her friends to talk to. But still, the secret she’d kept from them weighed heavily on her, and she knew that if they ever found out about it, she’d have some explaining to do.
Seeing how happy her four friends were with their fiancés had her even more agitated. Not that she didn’t like the four men. Levi was one of her favorite people on the campgrounds, and he and Scarlett were perfect together. Dylan, Liam, and Owen Costas had grown on her over the past year as well.
Even Scarlett and Zoey’s mother, Kimberly, was now happily and openly seeing Reed Cooper, a local who lived in a massive mansion across the water from the camp.
Now that it was just her living alone in the three-bedroom apartment on the third floor of the main camp building, she tried to convince herself she deserved to be alone.
Still, part of her heart ached for something more. Someone to share the rest of her life with. But then reality would come crashing back down to her in the form of a call from her father.
Since she’d stepped out of his grasp, he’d tried everything to get her back under his control, short of suing the camp business itself.
She hadn’t confided in her friends all the methods he’d used, but they knew of some of them. He’d tried to blackmail her into working for his company by telling her that some of her clients’ money had gone missing and that the company was looking at her. If she didn’t return, she could be sued and possibly jailed. When she’d laughed that threat off and informed him that she hadn’t dealt with any of the money accounts and had only set up their accounts and then handed everything to the next person up the chain, he’d backed off.
Her father hadn’t even really known what she’d done for his business, which made her feel relieved and pissed at the same time. She’d expected that he’d at least followed her career a little. Now she knew he hadn’t and, more importantly, he hadn’t cared enough after she’d left to investigate the allegations someone had made against her.
With all the frustrations building, she knew it was only a matter of time before something gave. Something was coming, and she was bracing for it.
To top everything off, they had less than a week before Zoey and Dylan’s wedding. Not to mention that Zoey was almost two months pregnant now.
A baby changed everything. Which might be the weight Aubrey felt, causing the slight drift between her and the rest of her Wildflowers.
Her four friends were about to have husbands and start their own families. They had different things in their future than she did. What did she even really have besides the camp?
Not that the camp wasn’t enough for her. It was the only thing, besides Aiden and her friends, that had kept her grounded over the past few years.
Making her way up to her apartment to change for the dinner party, she realized just how lonely the rooms on the third floor were now that all her friends had moved out.
Upstairs, she slid on the rose-colored dress and matching heels, then glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and realized just how lonely she’d become. She’d pushed everyone away from her lately. Her friends had been too busy with their own lives to notice, but the fact was, she’d distanced herself from them beforehand.
Now, loneliness was the price. She was surrounded by strangers on a daily basis and filled some of her free time with her friends, but she had done this to herself. Pushing people away—including Aiden—was the defense mechanism she’d put in place long ago to protect her heart.
Her phone buzzed, reminding her that she had only a few minutes to get down to the dining hall. Shaking off the foul mood, she straightened her shoulders and rushed to work.
This would be the last group of visitors before Zoey and Dylan’s wedding the following weekend. The camp wouldn’t officially be closed down, but they had blocked out more than fourteen cabins for family and friends to fill for the event instead of guests. The wedding would be held on the small strip of private beach, with the reception filling the dining hall.
They had hosted a few weddings at the campgrounds, but the friends were thinking of making it a bigger part of what they offered. After all, their place was perfect for hosting the events. Their only problem was ensuring the wedding guests didn’t interfere with their normal guests.
The main issue would be families wanting to bring children into an all-adult environment. Just the thought of families had her thinking about Zoey and the baby again.
She was very excited for her friend and couldn’t help getting caught up in all the baby excitement. She’d even purchased some blankets and outfits for the baby.
But her mind kept throwing her for a loop by wondering what her own children would look like. She kept telling herself that she didn’t want kids. Ever. But her subconscious wasn’t listening and returned to daydreaming about what they would look like.
“There you are.” Hannah took her arm and forced her to walk faster across the room. “You’re up.” She motioned to the stage.
Aubrey groaned. “Why do I have to do this tonight?”
“Your turn,” Hannah said, shoving her on the stage.
Aubrey pasted on a smile and walked over to tap on the microphone to get everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen.” She waited until the voices died down and every eye was turned on her. “Tonight’s talent show will start in five minutes. Remember, if you want to take part, you have to fill out the entry forms and have them up to us before the show starts.” She motioned to the small table in front of the stage. “Thank you.” She walked off the stage.
“That was… dry,” Hannah said with a chuckle.
“Hey, if you wanted perky, you should’ve had Scarlett do it,” she joked as she grabbed a bottle of water from the bar area.
“You’re in a mood.” Hannah leaned on the bar and ran her eyes over her. “Tired?”
“No,” she said after taking a sip of the water. What she wanted was a glass of wine and a bubble bath. What she needed was… sex. Hard, fast sex that left her too exhausted to think about anything else. Just then something caught her eye, and she glanced up to see Aiden stroll across the room towards her. He was wearing a suit. Why was he wearing a suit? “Why is he wearing a suit?” she asked Hannah.