by Unknown
“Beg me, Emma. Beg me to love you. I need to hear you…say it,” he pants out.
“Please, Aiden. Make love to me. I need you,” I say.
I think he needs conformation on how much I love him. He needs me to reassure him that he’s the only one I’ll ever want.
I feel him retreat all the way out of me, violently thrusting into me once again.
“Oh my God!” I yell out, the feel of him almost unbearable.
He thrusts into me deeply a few more times, before finding a slow and steady rhythm. He leans down towards my face, raining kisses on me. He nips my chin, as I move my hands to the back of his head, entwining them in his hair. We both moan as he continues his thrusts, driving us near the edge.
I look over at his left arm, grabbing his wrist as he shifts his weight to his right arm. I move his scarred limb towards my face, kissing it softly. Every inch of him, scarred or smooth, is perfect to me.
“You were right,” I pant out.
“Bout what?” he groans in between kisses.
“We helped each other. You…fixed me, Aiden,” I breathe out.
“Oh, baby, I love you so much,” he says, his thrusts quickening. “Love you more…than anything.”
“Me too,” I say right before I shatter into a million pieces.
I clench tightly around him, my heart practically leaping out of my chest.
“Ahhh, it’s too much,” I say convulsing.
“No, it’s perfect, baby. Fuck…” he says as I feel his body shaking above mine.
My orgasm feels like it goes on forever, my body barely able to handle the vibrations. I look into Aiden’s eyes as we both come, his expression completely open to me. He looks wild, overwhelmed, and fully loved. I can see it in his eyes. He loves me and he knows that I love him now. This is how it should’ve always been between us. No barriers, just honesty and love.
I ride out the end of my orgasm, every muscle in my body screaming at me in disapproval. He pumps into me one last time, searing me with a lingering kiss. He stays inside of me, blowing out a loud breath. God, I could stay like this forever.
He brushes my bangs out of my eyes one again, which are practically glued to my moistened skin.
“There’s something I want to ask you, baby. Something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while,” he says deeply.
I freeze underneath him. He’s probably going to ask me why I really moved to Astoria. I sigh, realizing that now is the right time. I’m finally ready. I can do this.
Before I can respond, he slips out of me. We both moan, already uncomfortable not being joined together.
“Be right back,” he whispers, leaving the room butt-naked.
I yawn loudly, stretching my lethargic body out on the bed. I wince slightly, my ribs aching like a motherfucker. I move my hand in between my legs, feeling the results of him. I drape the bed sheet over me, missing the loss of his warm body already.
God, what if I were to get pregnant from tonight? How crazy would that be? As scarred as I am from losing our baby, I think I’m ready to be pregnant again. The lingering fear that Marcus is still out there is always fresh in my mind, but I have to live my life. I know that I’ll be safe with Aiden. I know he will protect me and our unborn child.
Before my thoughts run away from me any longer, I see Aiden in the doorway of the room. His eyes soften and a smile forms across his face. I notice that his right arm is casually hidden behind his body. Hmmm…I wonder what he’s up to.
“Can I help you, sir?” I say amused by his expression.
His dimples crease by my question, as he slowly makes his way back to the bed. He gets down on his knees by the bed, as I arch my eyebrow at his position. I sit up fully as he guides me to sit in between his legs. We’re both naked, the sheet having already fallen away from my body.
“These last few months have been the hardest time in my life, but…I would do them all over if it meant being in this moment right now. I know that I make some pretty fucked up decisions and will probably make many more mistakes. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that I love you more than my own life. You make me want to be a better man. I didn’t even know what I was capable of until you, Emma. I want all of you for as long as you’ll have me. I just have one question for you,” he says pausing.
He moves his hand out in front of him, revealing a silver antique ring, a green stone adorning the center. My eyes widen at its beauty.
“Will you marry me, Emma?” he asks softly.
Chapter 13: Yes or No?
I take in a deep gulp, my palms sweaty from what I was just asked. I know that Aiden was talking about forever but for some reason I didn’t think he meant marriage forever. He mentioned it a few months ago before he left Astoria but…I figured my recent behavior towards him might have soured him on the entire thing. How can this man take so much shit from me and still want me as his wife? He’s fucking crazy and wonderful.
“Yes, Aiden. I love you so much. Yes!” I say to him, flinging my arms around him.
“Whoa, baby, you almost knocked me down,” he says chuckling.
“I’m just so happy,” I say against his neck.
“I’m the one who should be happy. I was worried that I was asking too soon. I believe you love me now but I wasn’t sure if you loved me enough to take a chance like this. There’s no one else that I want to be married to. This will be my first and last real marriage,” he says kissing my forehead.
I tense up in his arms, just realizing that he’s still married to Jessica. How can he marry me when he’s still tied to her?
“Emma, what’s wrong?” he asks me, probably confused by my still posture.
“Jessica. You’re still married to her,” I say dejectedly.
I release my arms from around him, trying to get away. He grabs onto my waist, holding me in place firmly.
“Hold on, baby. You’re wrong about that,” he says to me.
I look up at him, a baffled look on my face.
“I divorced her last week. It took a while but it finally happened. I pretty much threated her, saying that I had enough evidence that she helped Marcus blackmail me and stalk you. I didn’t have much actually but she believed my threats. I guess a quick divorce was more appealing to her than jail time. She agreed to just walk away and forget about the money. She knows she’s on thin ice because of my son.”
My heart races. Shit, I have no idea what happened with him and his son. We haven’t been on speaking terms these few months, no thanks to me.
“Aiden, did you find your son?” I ask, ashamed for not asking before now.
God, I wish I would’ve let him in earlier and not pushed him away. He was going through a lot too, and I pretty much bailed on him for my own selfish reasons.
“I found him, Emma. He was living back and forth between California and Washington with Jessica’s parents and cousin. The P.I. had a hard time figuring out where they lived exactly because they had different names. I came back to Astoria kind of as a surprise to you but then, well, everything fell apart,” he says sighing. “I understand why you didn’t want to have anything to do with me,” he says.
“Aiden…,” I say as he cuts me off.
“No, it’s true and I don’t blame you. I wish we could have talked about everything earlier, but I guess it wasn’t our time yet. I’ve wanted to ask you to marry me for so long and to tell you that I’m getting sole custody of my son, Emma. We’ve finally reached an agreement and in the next few months, he’ll come and live with us. The legality of the custody suit has been a pain in my ass, but that’s as soon as I can get him back. Jessica will finally be out of the picture for good. He’ll have you to love him, Emma. That is, if want to be his step-mom…” he says hopefully.
“Of course I do, Aiden. I don’t know much about kids but I know that I will love him no matter what. He’s part of you, so it’s kind of inevitable that I will,” I say smiling.
“We’ll give him the life neither of us
had growing up. He’ll only know love,” he says softly.
“What if he doesn’t like me, Aiden? I’m nervous,” I say.
“There’s nothing to worry about, baby. Just be yourself. Well, the G-rated version of yourself. I don’t want our son to know the words cock and pussy until he’s old enough. And maybe not even then,” he says smirking.
I laugh at him, picturing the two of us being respectable parents. Yeah, that part might be a little difficult. Having a filter will be a definite must with kids.
“God, Aiden. Can you believe we’re actually doing this? We’re going to be married and be parents. This is surreal,” I say trying to digest my new life.
“This is something I never knew I wanted. It feels so right though. Being with you in any way feels right,” Aiden says.
“Just promise me that we won’t turn into a boring old married couple. The kind who only has sex on each other’s birthdays. I’m making it a rule that we fuck at least a few times a week, at the very least,” I say panicking.
“I think I can help you out with that, baby. You have nothing to worry about,” he says laughing.
“Hey, that is a valid concern of mine! I refuse to start wearing ‘mom’ jeans and driving a minivan,” I say.
“Fine. We’ll just put a car seat on the back on my motorcycle when we drive the kids around. That work for you, brat?” he says arching an eyebrow.
“Yep, works for me,” I say pleased by his brilliant idea.
“So, you’re absolutely sure you want to do this? Be with me forever? There’s no going back, Emma,” he says smirking.
“More sure than I’ve ever been, Aiden. C’mere,” I say pulling him up to my eye level.
I brush my nose against his, lightly kissing his lips. My hand makes its way up into his hair, admiring the ‘rock’ on my finger.
“I’m pretty impressed with the ring by the way. Very good taste, Aiden,” I say to him.
“Technically, my mom had good taste…it was hers,” he says smiling, his eyes full of emotion.
Wow, he gave me his mom’s ring? That’s pretty fucking amazing. I’m even more proud to wear it and show it off now. I never knew her but if she created and raised Aiden, I’m sure I would have loved her. Now a piece of her can live on.
“She wore it all the time. She found it at an antique shop right after she had me. I never saw her take it off. When she was alive, she told me that she wanted me to give it to my future wife. I just laughed about it, telling her that no woman would tie me down. The only woman I wanted to love was her. She just looked me dead and the eye and said that one day, I would meet my match. I would know with absolute certainty the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She said that I was hardened by my old man and didn’t let anybody get close but that would change someday. I would meet the woman to throw me off balance and tear down my walls. Smart woman, my mom,” he says grinning.
“Sounds like it,” I say sincerely.
“She would have loved you, Emma. I know that she would have been so fucking happy to be a grandma. I wish she was here,” he says sadly.
“She’s apart of you, so she will always be here,” I say touching his heart.
“Fuck, Emma, that was really sappy and heartfelt for you, baby,” he says, his face lighting up.
I gently smack his chest. How dare he make fun of me! I was just trying to be genuine.
“Hey, jerk, we were having a Hallmark moment and you ruined it. There are times when I can be very sensitive,” I say chuckling.
“I know. I’m sorry, baby,” he chuckles. “I think you’re right though. She will always be with me.”
I stifle a yawn, trying to stay awake.
“Let’s get you to bed, Emma. Or should I say Mrs. Crowe,” Aiden says, his eyes softening.
I chuckle at him, loving the fact that he referred to me that way.
“You will change it my last name won’t you? I know you kept your maiden name when you married Jeremiah, so I was just…” he says looking like a deer caught in headlights.
“Wait, how did you know that Blackwell is my maiden name and not my married name?” I ask him perplexed.
“Emma, I…I didn’t want to talk about his tonight, baby, but I know everything,” he says wincing.
He knows everything? What the hell does that mean?
“I know what happened to you. I know why you really moved here, Emma,” he says frowning.
Chapter 14: Demons at Rest
I close my eyes tightly, hating this moment. I know that I had to tell him eventually but now…shit, everything was so perfect. I should’ve known that my past would come to bite me in the ass. Secrets seem to find a way to rise up out of the grave at the most inopportune times.
“Aiden, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I just…I kept on getting cold feet and I didn’t want to upset you. I figured you would go to Arizona and raise hell. How did you find out?” I ask him.
“The internet,” he says ashamed and I sigh.
Well, what did you expect, Emma? You kind of did the same thing to him a while back. Karma is a vindictive bitch.
“Right before I left to find my son, I looked you up. I guess I figured I needed to get some type of closure before I left, baby. I knew I was coming back to you but I just needed to know the truth. I understand why you didn’t tell me, though,” he says running his fingers across my forehead.
Damn, I really wanted to just end this night on a high note but that’s just not in the cards. I need to tell him my side of what happened. The right side, the horrible side. I think he senses that I’m about to tell my story. The real reason why I had to get away and start over.
“About two months before I moved here, I was still struggling with the loss of Jeremiah. I started sleeping around again, but more so than when I did before I got married. In the old days it was just about having fun. After Jeremiah, I was trying to forget and I guess, punish myself for…living when he didn’t,” I sigh.
He nods at me, urging me to continue.
“Well, I was out at a bar, eerily similar to Leo’s, and I got really wasted. I got into the habit of bar hopping on the weekends and going home with strangers. I’m not proud of it and it was dangerous as hell, but I didn’t fucking care. I almost wanted something to happen to me, if that makes any sense,” I say to him, trying to make him understand my reckless behavior.
“Anyway, this guy comes up to the bar and starts talking to me. We laughed, he bought me a few drinks, and then he tells me how sexy I am and how much he wants me,” I say shuddering.
“I was drunk at this point and he seemed cute and nice enough, so I agreed to go home with him. He walks me outside to the parking lot out back and puts me in the passenger’s seat of his car. He starts kissing me and for some reason I’m just not really feeling it. An alarm in my head went off. The entire situation just felt wrong and I knew that I needed to stop what I was doing. I was still liquored up but my subconscious was screaming at me. I gently pushed him away and said I was sorry and that I couldn’t leave with him,” I say remembering with clarity.
“I tried to get out of the car but he grabbed my wrist and put my hand on his…I just got pissed and told him to fuck off and that I wasn’t interested anymore. He pretty much called me a bitch and a tease and I just flipped out. I called him an asshole and when I tried to get away, he started to kiss me again, roughly this time. He practically smothered me with his mouth and I couldn’t scream to get help. He grabbed my wrists in his hand, while he unzipped his pants with the other,” I say, closing my eyes on the memory.
“My body just felt so heavy from the alcohol. I felt helpless. Almost like in a dream, when you’re running but in slow motion or treading slowly in water. That’s exactly how I felt.”
“He finally climbed on top of me from the driver’s seat, and he started trying to get inside of me and I…I finally screamed at the top of my lungs. He slapped me and told me to shut the fuck up. I started struggling to get a
way from underneath him and before I knew it, he was being dragged out of the car.”
“I was shaking in fear when I saw the bouncer from the bar grab him by his shirt. They started arguing and the bouncer kept saying how he was going to call the police. The only problem was that they were already here. We were looking at him.”
“He was the police. He was a fucking off-duty police officer and he tried to rape me in a damn parking lot! I just remember him telling the bouncer to not say a word and if he did, he would regret it. He let the officer go but said that he was going to call the police anyway. He said he couldn’t be intimidated or threatened. The guy just laughed and I remember that I started to cry. He was just so smug and heartless about the whole thing.”
“The bouncer helped me out of the car and dialed nine-one-one and when two officers arrived, they saw the off-duty officer and they practically bumped fists. They were all close buddies and kept saying how I was just confused because I was drunk. The bouncer kept trying to back me up but they ran a background check on him and he had a few priors. They told him to say that he didn’t see anything or he would go back to jail and lose his job. I was so fucking angry and frustrated, I tried to attack the officer again. I didn’t care what happened to me, I just wanted justice and I was sick of him getting away with what he did. The officers arrested me for an attack on an off-duty police officer and drove me down to the station,” I say snorting.
“Can you fucking believe that? I was nearly raped, and I was the one being arrested and treated like a fucking criminal! By then I started to slowly sober up and requested to talk to a female officer, because I didn’t trust the guys who were his friends. Because I was making such outrageous allegations about the officer, they finally complied with my request and I told someone what he did to me.”
“Long story short, there wasn’t enough proof. My word wasn’t enough because he was the law and the other officers pretty much blackmailed the bouncer to keep quiet. I hired an investigator to try to dig up information about the guy, because I knew that he was going to do what he did to me to another woman, if he hadn’t already. I had to do everything in my power to see that he was punished. But it didn’t go that way, unfortunately for me,” I sigh.