by Imani King
Fresh tears rose in the corners of my eyes. I slammed my phone down on the couch in frustration. “Dammit.” I didn’t bother wiping away the tears as they slid down my cheeks.
That was when I heard the buzzer indicating someone was at the front door. I walked over to the intercom and slammed my finger on it expecting to listen to a request from some stranger buzzing to be let in for another flat in the building. “Yes?”
“It’s me, darling,” Aidan’s strong, self-assured voice came through the small speaker. I felt my heart begin to thump wildly in my chest as I rang him in. When I opened the door for him, I think I surprised him as much as myself when I jumped into his arms. He chuckled even as he gathered me against him. I realized that he had a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He saw my look and gave me an unabashed smile. “I wanted to surprise you, which is the reason I didn’t answer my phone. I’m a horrible liar when it comes to you.”
“Why are you here? I thought you were flying back to Sorenia?” I said as I took the flowers. Suddenly, I felt better than I had in days. Waves of relief washed over my body. There was part of me that didn’t care what he said as long as he was here with me. But I knew his explanation was important. We had reached a turning point in our relationship, and I felt it deep inside of me.
“I have made a decision.”
I took the flowers into the kitchen and started to run cool water into a vase. I anxiously waited to hear the rest of the explanation, and I motioned for him to go on. He sat down across the counter from me and watched me as I arranged the flowers.
“My decision was that I choose you.”
I looked at him with a confused expression. “What you mean, you chose me? You’ve already told me that.”
He shook his head, but his eyes never left my face. “I read it clear as day in your expression when I was leaving earlier. There was a part of you that still believes what has happened between us isn’t real. Here you are, sick and in distress, and what was I doing? I was getting on a plane to go back and talk to two of the most stubborn people in my life, who might never accept my decision to be with you. Why am I wasting all of this time and energy trying to convince them of something that I already know is right? I know that I love you. You are the most important person in the world to me, and the babies that you are carrying will bring us years of joy.”
Now, as I felt the tears gather in my eyes, I knew it was for an entirely different reason. It was as if he had been reading the silent plea in my heart.
He stood up and reached across the counter to touch my face. “I am sorry that I ever made you think for a moment that, in the midst of all of this, you weren’t the most important person to me. I figured out that I was fighting battles that I don’t need to fight. In the end, I know what I want. My parents can choose to accept my decision or not. And if not, you and I never need to speak to them again. It is their loss, not ours. I am ready to take the next step with you. I don’t need to sort anything out at home for me to know that this is my home.” He moved around the counter and stood in front of me. Then he placed his hand over my heart. “This is where I live.” He took my hand and placed it over his heart. “And this is your home from now on. Don’t ever think that that isn’t true. I want to marry you. I want to start our future together as soon as possible. The rest of it will sort itself out. If you never want to step foot in Sorenia again, then I respect that. You are marrying me, Eva. Not my parents, not Sorenia, not a cold, lonely throne. Just me.”
I was overwhelmed by a rush of emotion. He had laid himself bare at my feet, and I would be a fool to turn away from him. All this time, I had so stubbornly been focused on those things that made no difference that I had forgotten that Aidan was just a man. The man that I loved, and I wanted to be with him. And as long as he understood that we both would have to have a say in how we lived the rest of our lives, then it didn’t matter what it ended up looking like. We would figure it out together just like he said.
“Thank you, Aidan. And I’m sorry that I have been such a fool. You’ve been trying to tell me all of this before, and I wasn’t listening. I understand what you’re saying, and I completely agree. Let’s do this. Let’s get married!” As soon as I said the words, I knew they were right. This is exactly what we were supposed to do, and he swept me up into his arms. When his lips found mine, I was fairly sure I lost a large gap of time, but I didn’t care.
He settled me back onto my feet. We were both laughing as we made our way into the living room and sat down. I pulled out my laptop, and I said, “When do we want to do this?”
“As soon as possible. Let’s do it tomorrow,” Aidan said. “I understand you might want a big ceremony with all the trappings, but we can do that later. Right now, I just want you to be my wife and for this to be official as soon as possible.”
I reached over and touched his thigh. “I never wanted anything big or ostentatious like Abby had. Not all little girls dream of weddings like that. That just isn’t me. Maybe…that just isn’t us?” I left it as an open question.
He chuckled. “As much as you might think I enjoy living my life in the public eye, I am just as content to being out of it. If I have learned nothing else this last couple of weeks, it’s that I feel normal when I’m with you. It’s nice being a normal person with a normal life and not having to worry about all of those other things that constantly pull your attention away from what’s important.”
“Well then, we’re in complete agreement.” I pulled up a browser window and looked at the times for City Hall. “We can get a marriage certificate tomorrow. I can start calling officiants now if you want to see what time we can arrange the ceremony itself.”
“That sounds perfect,” Aidan said. “Do we need anything else?”
I looked at the list of requirements for a marriage license. “I think the only other thing we need is a witness. It’s too bad that Kian and Abby are so far away.”
“I can take care of that part,” Aidan said. He punched out a quick text on his phone and showed it to me. It was to Rylan.
Get your ass to Glasgow by 10 am tomorrow morning come hell or high water.
I started to laugh. “You can’t just demand that your friends show up at your beck and call.”
“Sure I can. Trust me—Rylan owes me big time. He doesn’t want me to pull any skeletons out of his closet and use them again him. He’ll come,” Aidan said. “Trust me. He understands overbearing parents and monarchies just fine."
My smile faltered for just a moment, and then Aidan pulled me into his arms. “That was a stupid thing to bring up. I’m sorry. Trust me, I am okay with all of this. Don’t worry about a thing.”
I felt the vibration of his phone, and he showed it to me.
This better be an emergency. I’m supposed to be headed for Santorini in three days.
I’m getting married, Aidan replied.
In that case, I’ll be there with bells on. And then I’m going to find my own damn princess in Greece.
Aidan nodded in satisfaction and chuckled. “Now that’s done. Anything else?”
I moved so that I straddled his lap on the couch. He leaned backward even as his hands settled on my hips. I stared down deeply into his eyes. It had been a couple of days since we had been able to make love, mostly because of me feeling sick. But my medication was kicking in, and I felt a completely different kind of desire now.
“I think it’s time that we initiate our engagement.”
Aidan rubbed the sides of my thighs. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve never been so sure about something in my entire life,” I said. I leaned over and kissed him and heard the deep growl in his chest. Already, I could feel the hardening of his cock as it pressed between my legs and I giggled in response. Today was the first day I didn't feel sick in a long time--and I supposed we could take advantage of it.
Aidan stood up even as he lifted me with him causing my breath to catch. I wrapped my legs around his waist not wanting to let
go. He carried me into the bedroom. Setting me back onto my feet, he pushed my hands away as he reverently peeled away each layer of my clothes. He touched me as if he felt I was a piece of glass that could break.
I couldn’t get enough of the look of open adoration on his face as he uncovered each new inch of flesh. I could feel his love for me in his touch. He knelt in front of me and gently kissed my rounded belly. Then he gave me a small push backward onto the bed, and he climbed in beside me.
His lips found my nipple, and I arched my back offering myself to him. As he pulled the stiffened tip into his mouth, I moaned. His fingers skimmed the side of my body causing me to shiver with delight. We had grown to know each other so well that he knew exactly the right places to touch that drove me wild.
I couldn’t believe it. This was the man I loved and, tomorrow, he would be my husband. Everything would work out, and I knew that this was right. It was the right thing for me, and it was the right thing for my babies. We were meant to be together, and I could no longer deny it. We were connected in a way that could never be broken.
As if Aidan could read my thoughts, he moved over me and gently spread my legs apart. When he entered me, all I could do was stare into his eyes and think about how lucky I was. I had Aidan, and I had two blessings growing inside of me. It was as if it was all meant to be.
Aidan was still gentle with me even as the intensity of his strokes inside of me grew more urgent, and I appreciated every loving gesture. He used his thumb to stroke the warm, wet nub of my clit, and that was all it took. I felt my release and reached for him even as I felt him climax at the same time. He wrapped me up into his arms as we found that perfect moment together, completely in sync.
I was still in a kind of hazy stupor as he began to kiss me softly on my face, my cheeks, and down the side of my neck. It was as if he was assuring himself all of it was real as well.
Smiling at him, I ran my fingers through his hair. I was looking forward to tomorrow from a completely new vantage point. It was my wedding day, and there was nothing in the world that could happen to spoil it. Not as long as we were together.
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was perfect. Although I had thought that Kian and Abby’s wedding was beautiful, there was something about the simplicity of the ceremony that Eva and I were undertaking now that made perfect sense for us.
We had found a small church and an officiant who was willing to come to us right after we retrieved our marriage license from City Hall. Rylan had arrived right on time, and he and I had made a quick errand into town so that we could rent a couple of tuxes and buy the wedding bands that would the signal to the rest of the world that Eva and I were officially off the market.
Eva had taken that time to get her hair done and buy a new dress, which was something I had insisted on. A woman should always be pampered on her wedding.
We met outside the church, and once I saw her, I knew without a doubt that there would never be another woman for me. Eva was my everything, and I could tell by her expression that she felt the same way about me, which struck a note of awe inside of me. I had no idea what I had done to deserve her, but I would spend the rest of my life worshipping her.
The ceremony was simple and perfect. As we stood in front of the officiant holding hands and speaking the words that bound our lives together, Eva had the most serene, self-assured smile on her face. She glowed from the inside. I was the one who stumbled over my words in my haste to get them out right. Eva’s voice was strong and true. She didn’t hesitate or look uncertain for a moment. Everything was as it was meant to be.
As we exchanged rings, I slid the simple gold band onto her ring finger. I had told her I would buy her the biggest diamond I could find, but she insisted that she wanted something that was simple and unassuming. She didn’t want anything flashy or ostentatious. I had started to realize this about my bride. She was a complex and deep woman, but she didn’t want to appear that way to anyone else. The way she lived her life was transparent and honest. She didn’t hide play games or wear masks of deception to hide her true feelings about anything. I loved her all the more for it.
I knew without a doubt that she would be a fantastic mother to our children. I was excited about where our lives were going next. I finally felt like I could finally breathe because I was in control of my destiny. I hadn’t even realized that I had been spinning my wheels in a world that wasn’t of my making until Eva showed me the light.
I was just grateful that she had agreed to the idea of getting married right away. Everything was falling into place, and it was perfect.
When the officiant turned to me and said that I could kiss the bride, I felt a kind of emotion in my chest that I’d never felt before. This was the day I was going to remember for the rest of my life. I wrapped my arms around Eva and leaned down to find that she was already up on her tiptoes. It was probably a picture-perfect moment from the outside, but I was looking at it only through the eyes of the man who loved this woman with all his heart. Finally, everything in my life made sense.
Eva grinned at me with an open expression of glee as I regretfully pulled away from her. We signed the required paperwork to file with the city, and I could see the officiant’s raised eyebrows. He knew who I was. I made sure to give him a generous tip as I pulled him off to the side and asked for his discretion in the matter. The man readily agreed when he saw the amount of cash in his hand. I wanted to take care of announcing my marriage on my own. It would come as soon as Eva was comfortable with letting other people know. I wasn’t going to rush her, and I had no reason to rush now either. My parents would come around to the idea or they wouldn’t. It didn’t matter to me.
As we left the church, I suggested we go to a small restaurant just outside of town. It was quiet and secluded, and I sensed that Eva was feeling a little tired even though she told me that she was feeling fine. Rylan begged off saying that he wanted to give the newlyweds their space--and he needed to get the hell out of town. I watched as he and Eva embraced, and I shook his hand thanking him for coming through for us at the last minute.
“I wouldn’t have missed it, man,” he said. “Congratulations, again. I’m really happy for you.”
“You just let me know when you want me to return the favor,” I said with a chuckle.
“Don’t hold your breath on that one,” Rylan said. We waved to him as he got into the taxi to head back to the airport.
We made our way to the restaurant and found a table in a secluded corner. I couldn’t stop touching Eva. It was like I needed to make sure that she was still real. The whole day had a sense of serene stillness about it, and I couldn’t believe that we had made it here.
Over lunch, we didn’t talk about any weighty topics, other than where we might like to go for our honeymoon, which Eva told me would be called a babymoon given the circumstances. Our food arrived, and we fell into a comfortable silence that was never awkward or uncomfortable between us. Neither one of us felt the need to have to fill the empty air. After we finished eating, she looked around and then gently touched her stomach with a small, sad smile.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I only wish we had some pictures that we could show them of today. Everything happened so quickly, I didn’t think about it until now,” she said.
I took out my phone and showed it to her. Then I moved through several text messages from Rylan. In the background during the ceremony, he had unobtrusively taken several pictures of us, including our first kiss as a married couple.
Eva was delighted. “When did he do this? I didn’t even see he had his camera out.”
“That was because, like me, you were only paying attention to what was happening in front of you,” I chuckled. “Rylan is a good friend. I owe him for what he did for us today.”
“He is a good friend,” Eva said. I paid the check as we talked quietly about nothing in particular. Just some random news stories that I had read in the paper that morning and that she had seen
on her entertainment blogs. It was nice, normal conversation, but I knew the conversation would have to turn at some point.
“So Abby and Kian are coming into town. They will be here in the morning,” I said.
Eva smiled. “If only they could have gotten here a day earlier,” she said.
“Do you regret that we didn’t wait for them?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I was ready from the moment I said yes. I didn’t want to wait any longer either, Aidan.”
I leaned over and kissed her gently. I thought about the night before when we had made love. There had been something so symbolic about it. I had tried to show her with every part of my being that I was planning to treasure her forever. For better or for worse, no matter what happened.
“So I suppose you heard their happy news then?”
“It will be nice that the twins will have a cousin to play with as they grow up, don’t you think?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“Indeed, and we will give our children everything they want.”
“I feel bad, though, because I know that Abby doesn’t want to be queen any more than I do. I’m sure that she and Kian will feel the pressure now that you’re abdicating the throne.”
I hadn’t planned on bringing the topic up, especially now, but she had opened the door. “We’ll figure it out. That’s part of the reason they’re coming. Kian and I are going to decide what we want to recommend we do, and then he will present that to our parents. If they don’t like the plan, then they can figure out something differently on their own. Kian and I are both ready to live the lives that we want. That might come into direct conflict with what our parents want, but perhaps it is time for a change. The people of Sorenia don’t deserve to be burdened with a leader who doesn’t want to be king.”
“So you’re sure that you are okay with this decision?” Eva asked.