We're on the home stretch here, everyone. Just one more part of this series left before Aiden & Cassie's saga is wrapped up. I wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their continued support as this series has progressed. To see this series become so well liked is really something for me.
If this is your first time reading this series, I strongly you recommend you start at Part 1.
As always, enjoy the story!
- Alex
******
Cassie lay on Aiden's bare chest as she slowly awoke from her slumber. Last night, the two had gone out for dinner to celebrate her volleyball team's victory along with Cassie's 31st birthday before coming home to make love in their bed.
She glanced up at her cousin, who was still fast asleep, and smiled. Aiden's mouth hung agape as he snored quietly. Like last year, she surprised her during volleyball practice with roses and a gift. This time, however, she introduced him to everyone as "My Boyfriend Aiden" instead of "My Good Friend Aiden." Cassie chuckled to herself reflected on how far they had come since they confessed their feelings for each other and she wouldn't have it any other way.
She looked out the window, pondering their future. Much like Aiden, she was dead set on spending the rest of her life with him. However there was a burning question that had been eating away at her: What will the family think?
Aiden took a deep breath as he slowly opened his eyes. Looking down at Cassie, he smiled at her.
"Good morning, beautiful..."
She returned his gaze "Mmmmm, good morning handsome"
He kissed her forehead as he brought an arm around her. While Aiden had his eyes closed, Cassie stared off in the distance as the conundrum involving her the family ate away at her. At some point, they were going to have to tell them...
-
The two ate breakfast at the kitchen table. Aiden had prepared his famous protein pancakes with dark chocolate chips, which became a favorite of Cassie's since he had moved in. They ate while they discussed their plans for the upcoming day.
In her mind, Cassie felt like she was beating around the bush when it came to what was on her mind. She got to a point where she felt she couldn't walk about anything else until she brought it up. She took a sip of her orange juice and finally breached the topic.
"We need to tell our parents about us."
Aiden stopped cutting into his flapjack and looked up at her. He sighed with a resigned look on his face. "I know Cass. I just...don't know how we should tell them."
"Me too. I'm with you there..." Cassie looked down.
Aiden placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "I just wish it was as simple as calling them up and saying "Hey guys, Cassie & I are lovers and want to spend the rest of our lives together' and leave it at that."
She laughed "Were it only so easy. Seriously though Aiden, I honestly believe that if we were to take our relationship even further, our family needs to know about us."
Aiden's heart jumped "Even further. You don't mean...?
"Well...does the idea of me becoming Cassandra Schroeder appeal to you?" Cassie grinned at Aiden.
"Well yeah but...what do we do? Just invite them over, have them sit in a circle and tell them about us? We can even sing Kumbaya while we're at it." He placed his hands on the table but Cassie didn't immediately respond.
To her, that wasn't actually a bad idea. "You know what, Aiden? That actually might be the best course of action. We can go see them in Seattle and tell them in person."
Aiden's eyes widened "Woah hold up, you think we should do this in person? You know that Uncle Curt will probably try to castrate me when we tell them the truth. I've seen what he can do with a knife when he field dressed a deer. That particular hunting trip convinced me that your dad was a green beret before meeting Aunt Sarah."
Cassie giggled. "My dad is NOT going to castrate you nor is he a green beret! He loves you like his own son and he only wants what's best for me. To me, YOU are what's best for me"
She cocked her head to the side as she smiled at him. "Besides, call it women's intuition but I think my mom and dad will come around in the end and I know for sure that Uncle Will and Aunt Claire will too as well."
"I really hope you're right..." Aiden folded his arms. So he was so caught up in what Cassie's parents were going to think but failed to factor in his parent's reactions.
Cassie sighed "I want to be optimistic, I want things to go well and I think it will; We both do after all. However, I'm not going to lie, I'm actually nervous at the prospect that this could blow up in our faces but regardless of what their reaction is, you'll still stay with me right?"
Aiden reached over and placed his hand on her's "Of course. I'm in it for the long haul, remember? Besides, even if they end up disowning us for what we did, we'll face it together. At the very least, we won't have to hide it from them anymore."
"Yeah, that's true. We'll no longer have to keep our love a secret from them." Cassie grasped his hand.
Aiden smiled as he looked into her hazel colored eyes "Don't worry Cass, regardless of the outcome, we got this!"
Cassie gazed back at him "Yeah, you know what? We do!" She leaned in and kissed him
"I love you, Aiden."
"I love you too, Cass."
******
Originally they were going to fly out to Seattle during Thanksgiving to reveal the truth to them, but then Cassie realized that she would most likely still be busy with coaching if her team actually made it to state. Plus the clinic had a lot more participants thanks to Aiden's marketing efforts, so she would no doubt be busy with that if all else failed; As would Aiden, since he had been working non-stop for the past few months.
Instead, the chance came two weeks later during a bye week for the volleyball team. They both called up their parents and told them they were going to come visit Seattle for a couple of days. The plan was for Aiden and Cassie to meet up with their parent's at Curt and Sarah's place, which was where they were headed.
The two left SeaTac International in a rented Hyundai Sedan as Aiden drove north along I-405. To their right was Mercer Island, separated by Lake Washington, as the leaf colors on the trees were mostly a post peak mix of red & brown; Trees that still had leaves on their branches, that is.
The two cousins sat in silence since they departed SeaTac, their nerves were starting to get to them. The pieces had been set and now it was time to put their plan into motion.
"I'm scared, Aiden." Cassie finally said.
Aiden glanced over at her and chuckled "Hey, isn't that supposed to be my line?"
She giggled nervously "Heh, yeah I guess you're not wrong about that. Still, I feel this is one of those situations where you make a decision while you're drunk, thinking it's the smartest thing you've ever done, only to discover after you sobered up that it is quite the opposite."
"Well, even if this is a bad decision, we're already here and it's too late to back out now. Besides, I'm probably more scared than you are." Aiden tapped his fingers on the steering wheel before continuing.
"This is going to sound cheesy but I feel like you and I are two skilled knights who are about to face a dragon with nothing more than a sword and shield. The dragon on the other hand, is a hulking behemoth, who's fiery breath is enough to melt steel like it's butter. The only way we'll be able to beat this dragon is through sheer skill and determination."
Cassie snorted and laughed. "You're such a nerd. So what? If we lose, the dragon burns us to a crisp. But if we win...?"
"Then we get to claim the dragon's hidden stash of gold and live the rest of our days happy and carefree." Aiden smirked at her.
