Lily looked at Aiden and felt the same way she did earlier. There was something about him that made her enjoy his company.
'Can mommy come too?' She asked him after considering his offer.
"Of course she can." Aiden looked at Claire who had been silently watching them. "How about it Claire? Up for a little adventuring?"
'Mommy can we go? I want to make uncle happy. Can we?' Lily was now looking at Claire who seemed a bit lost in thought. 'Mommy?'
Claire snapped out of her trance once she felt Lily' slightly pull on her fingers. "Sure sweetie. Let's go." Seeing as her mood was better, Claire decided to play along with Aiden's plan.
"Let's get going then princess." Aiden told Lily as he offered her his hand. She looked at him for a long moment before she slowly placed her hand on top of his. Although it looked rough and hard, it was actually warm and firm. His grip on her was so gentle, it was as if he were holding a flower pedal.
When Aiden felt the little hand in his, he smiled. It felt so tiny in comparison to his own, making him look at Lily adoringly. He stood up to his full height and noticed how her arm was completely stretched up to be able to hold his hand, but seeing as she didn't pull back, he understood she didn't mind their height difference.
Claire held her other hand as she straightened up as well. She hadn't said anything while she watched them, which was something fairly out of character for her. For some reason she was letting him take control of the situation and even though she didn't know why, she had no complaints about how he handled it.
They made their way to the black Mercedes S-Class Custom Limousine that Aiden came in when Claire suddenly stopped.
"Wait, we have to get Lily's car seat from Cameron's Jeep." She was about to turn around when Aiden stopped her.
"No need." As he replied, he opened the door for them. Claire looked inside and saw a pink car seat already strapped in the back seat. She looked up at Aiden in disbelief. He winked at her and helped Lily into the car.
'So he was planning this from the start huh?' She thought to herself as she also got in.
Once inside, Claire helped Lily into the very girly car seat that extremely contrasted with the dark leather interior design of the car. Since the car was modified, it had two back seats that faced each other. She and Lily were on one side while Aiden sat on the other. Cameron sat upfront with the driver.
"Where to Boss?" The driver asked Aiden as he started the engine.
"Villan Market." Aiden said as the driver started driving towards the city's most exclusive mall.
'Where are we going?' Lily asked Aiden after she looked out the window. She could see the busy sidewalks and buildings.
"We're going to go look for your uncle's present first." He was watching her eyes start to look drowsy.
'Okay.' Lily yawned as she answered. After having been woken up so much earlier than she was used to, she was starting to feel sleepy.
"How about you take a nap sweetie? I'll wake you up once we get there." Once Lily nodded, Claire started to stroke her head as she lulled her to sleep. After she made sure she was in deep slumber she turned to look at Aiden and signaled for him to press the button for the car partition to go up.
"A mall is too crowded." Claire spoke in a hushed voice to avoid waking Lily up. "I appreciate you lifting her mood, but it's too risky for us. Especially in Villan Market. All eyes would be on us."
"Don't worry about it. I have it covered." He replied as he took out a large blanket from under his seat and opened it. He leaned forward until he could reach and covered them both with it. "I know you're tired too, so you should take a nap as well. We'll be walking around so it's best if you rest. I'll wake you both up when we get there."
"Mr. Vi...." She stopped herself once she saw his serious expression." I mean Aiden."
"Better." He smiled after finally hearing her say his name.
"What Lily said before a-about all the prince stuff...." She stuttered as she tried to ignore how close he was. His eyes were trying to suck her in with their constant shifting between light brown and gold. Claire couldn't understand how they could be so mesmerizing. She couldn't concentrate with him that close.
Aiden enjoyed watching how she struggled to keep herself composed when he was around. Her eyes wandered over his face without hesitation, which ironically contradicted her inability to confidently tell him what was on her mind.
He made sure they were both well covered before he settled back in his seat.
"I meant what I said if that's what you were wondering. But it shouldn't take you by surprise seeing as I said something similar back at the hospital." His voice was also quiet, but his intentions were loud. That much she could clearly understand.
"B-but you don't even know me. We just met a few days ago. How could you be so sure that you even like me?" It was an outrageous thought for her. No matter how attractive he could find her, the idea of him being that serious so fast was still hard to wrap her head around it. "Make me your queen? I should be barely considered a business partner, let alone your love interest." Claire felt the temperature drop once she said that. She saw Aiden's expression stiffen. It didn't scare her, but it did make her think she had offended him some how.
Aiden was silent for a moment while he looked at Claire. He didn't like the fact that she still seemed to have doubts about his seriousness. Yes it was obviously a quickly made decision, but it wasn't one made lightly.
It wasn't his intention to make the atmosphere a heavy one, but he couldn't help it. Being domineering was in his DNA. He took a deep breath before taking out another blanket from underneath his seat. After moving a bit to the side, he gestured for Claire to sit next him.
Claire on the other hand was hesitant to move.
She had stayed silent in the hospital when he confessed his intentions because she wasn't in a state of mind to properly think about anything. She accepted Cameron's presence because her people were spread a bit thin due to last night's incident, and Claire was never one to let pass a useful resource. She had remained observant during his interactions with Lily because her little flower rarely shows willingness to be in somebody's company other than her family.
But now? What would she do now? She wasn't sure about what she wanted with Aiden even if he seemed sincere. Not refusing the chemistry between them wasn't enough for her to simply rush into his arms like a desperate woman. Sure he was different from the rest, but different can mean a lot of things. And none of those things necessarily meant him being Mr.Right. Or trustworthy for that matter.
"Stop overthinking." Aiden broke her train of thought as he offered her his hand. "Come here."
Claire focused on his eyes and after a while she sighed internally. His eyes were to intense for her not to take him seriously.
She turned to Lily and made sure the blanket was secure. Once she made sure it was, she turned to look at Aiden and took his hand.