by K. L. Ramsey
Corbin strolled into the waiting area with Lucy and Laney. He picked them up earlier from Connie’s so Aiden wouldn’t have to run across town again. “Daddy,” Laney squealed, running to jump into his arms.
“Hey Laney girl. How was school?” he asked.
“Good,” she said, nodding her little head.
“How about you, Lucy?” he questioned.
“I got in trouble for telling the new kid there was a rule she had to push me on the swing during free time,” she admitted. Corbin laughed and Aiden shot him a look to cut it out.
“We’ve been over this before, Lucy. You can’t force people to play with you and lying isn’t something that is allowed in our family,” Aiden chided. His daughter dutifully nodded her head, but he could tell she really wasn’t paying much attention to him. She was too busy looking around the hospital probably seeing what she could get herself in to.
“My teacher wants to talk to you,” she muttered.
Aiden sighed, knowing the routine all too well. His daughter had acted out just like this when Allison left them. Now, with Zara all but disappearing from her life, she was back to her old tricks. Lucy loved to tell other kids what to do—it was a gift. She even would go as far as lying to them to get them to do her bidding. Sure, she was probably an evil genius, but he was getting sick of being called into parent- teacher conferences to discuss his little angel’s behavior.
“I will talk to her tomorrow when I drop you off. You will have to be punished for what you did, Lucy. I’ll decide that after I talk to your teacher.” Lucy looked down at the floor and nodded and he almost wanted to let her slide this time. Aiden knew he couldn’t, otherwise she’d be back up to her tricks in no time.
“Any word on Zara?” Corbin asked.
“No, man. It’s driving me nuts not knowing what’s going on with her,” Aiden said.
One of the doctors who usually gave him vague updates on Zara popped his head into the waiting room. “Mr. Bentley, Miss Joy is awake and asking to see you,” he said.
“I want to see Zara,” Lucy demanded.
“Me too,” Laney quickly agreed.
“You two peanuts are going to stay with me,” Corbin said. “Let your dad check on Z and when she’s feeling up to it, you can have a visit with her.” Aiden nodded his thanks to Corbin and started for the door, anxious to get back to her.
“Thanks, man. I owe you,” Aiden said.
“Damn straight you do,” Corbin agreed. “This is probably going to cost me another trip for ice cream.”
Aiden didn’t care what it cost him. Hearing Zara was awake and wanted him was the best thing he had heard in over two days. He’d make sure she was alright and then he was going to convince Zara she needed a family and if he had his way, he’d do everything in his power to make sure his own family fit the bill.
Zara
Zara felt groggy and her entire body hurt. The nurse said that was normal for someone who had been in a coma for the past two days. The last thing she remembered was Aiden catching her after Allison shot her and judging from the cast on her leg, she hadn’t missed. Even small movements sent shooting pains up her leg and when she asked for pain medication, the nurse smiled and nodded, telling her the doctor would have to talk to her about that before she could give her something and she didn’t have the energy to argue with her. Honestly, she just wanted to see Aiden to make sure he and the girls were safe. She had so many questions to aske him but they could wait.
“Hey,” Aiden stood in her doorway and she wondered how long he had been standing there.
“Hey yourself,” she croaked and cleared her throat. Zara wasn’t able to hold her sob in and Aiden was immediately by her side. He carefully sat on her bed and gently pulled her against his body.
“You scared the shit out of me,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “I’m so happy you are awake; they wouldn’t let me back to see you and I worried—” his voice broke and Zara could hear his pent- up fear. She hated how she made him worry that way.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured against his chest. “This was all my fault. If I had just listened to you and stayed in my car, none of this would have happened. I was just worried you wouldn’t have gotten there in time and Allison would take the girls. I couldn’t allow that.”
“I know, honey. When it comes to loving my girls, you are as fierce as they come. I’m so happy they have you,” Aiden admitted.
“I love them, Aiden. I can’t imagine my life without Lucy or Laney,” she said. Zara wondered if Aiden would want to know she felt the same way about him, because she did. She was just too afraid to tell him she had fallen in love with him. They hadn’t said those words to each other and she worried about being the first to come right out with them.
“I know, baby.” Aiden seemed to hesitate and she worried she had said too much. “How do you feel about their dad?” he whispered. It was almost as if he could read her mind. She could feel his heart beating and could tell he was just as nervous about this as she was. But not giving him the words; not being completely honest with him felt wrong.
“Um,” she squeaked. “I feel the same way about him as I do his girls,” she admitted.
“Thank fuck,” he exhaled. “When I thought I lost you, Zara—God, my whole world collapsed. I sat in that fucking waiting room for two days, worried I’d never see you again. I worried I’d never be able to tell you I’ve fallen completely in love with you, baby.”
“You have?” she interrupted.
“Yes,” he said. “Look at me, baby,” he demanded. Zara was afraid to look at him for fear she’d burst into tears but really that ship had already sailed. Since Aiden had walked into her room, she was a sobbing mess. She chanced a look up at him, his blue eyes looking back at her with so much promise and love, she wasn’t sure how she had missed it before.
“Hi,” he whispered. Aiden leaned in to gently brush her lips with his own and she thought it was the sweetest gesture. “Marry me, Zara,” he said.
Zara gasped and covered her mouth with her shaking hand. “Aiden,” she sobbed. “You can’t mean it.”
“I can and I do,” he said. “When you stumbled into that club, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Then, you agreed to be mine and I thought you were the perfect submissive. I was sure I couldn’t ask for anything more but I was wrong, Zara. I want more from you. I need for you to be my wife, honey. I want you to be the woman who I come home to every night and the person I wake up next to every morning. Be mine, Zara—marry me.”
Zara wasted no time answering his command. She was already his—body, mind and spirit. Agreeing to marry him wasn’t something she needed to think about. It was what she had always wanted but never let herself hope for.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I’m already yours, Aiden and I’d love to marry you.” Aiden gently kissed her lips and Zara knew in an instant her entire life had changed. She wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve the man sitting next to her but she wasn’t about to try to figure it out.
“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt.” the doctor who had been in earlier after she woke up pushed the door open, letting himself into the room. “How are you feeling, Miss Joy?” he asked.
Zara nodded and winced, “My leg is killing me. Can I get some pain medication? The nurse who was in here earlier told me you would have to approve it.” The doctor nodded and looked nervously between her and Aiden.
“Yes,” he said. “Um, I’d like to talk to you privately, Miss Joy.” Aiden’s frustrated growl seemed to startle the poor doctor. She wanted to giggle but knew better than to poke Aiden when he was angry.
“Aiden can stay,” she offered.
“Well, I need to go over a few things having to do with your medical history. He’s not your family member, so maybe it would be best to discuss everything, just the two of us.” The doctor winced as if he was expecting Aiden to fly off the bed and attack.
Zara worried the same thing, placing a hand on Ai
den’s thigh, trying to calm him. “Aiden has just asked me to marry him, so technically, he’s about to be family. You can discuss anything you need to with me and my fiancé.”
The doctor nodded and smiled. Aiden seemed to relax a little beside her and Zara wondered if he was always going to be so protective of her. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“That depends on what your definition of wrong might be,” the doctor said. “You’re pregnant, Miss Joy.” The doctor crossed the small room and pushed a button on a machine that sat by her bed. Suddenly, a swooshing sound filled the room and she looked at Aiden and back to the doctor.
“Is that sound coming from my body?” she asked.
The doctor smiled and nodded again. “Well, technically yes. It’s your baby’s heartbeat. We’ve been monitoring everything since your surgery, and he or she has a very strong heartbeat. We estimate you’re about two months along,” he said.
“That’s impossible,” she said. “We were careful.”
“No contraceptive is one hundred percent effective,” the doctor said. “I will order some pain medication that will be safe for you and your baby but it won’t fully relieve your pain. I’m sorry.” He turned to leave the room and a part of Zara wanted to yell for him to come back. She had a million questions she wanted to ask and the thought of having to face Aiden alone frightened her. He had been so quiet since the doctor announced she was pregnant, she worried he would be angry or worse, disappointed in her news.
“Aiden,” she said. Zara wished he would look at her but he seemed distracted by the baby’s heartbeat monitor. Aiden stood and walked over to where the machine was measuring the baby’s heartbeats per minute and it was as if he didn’t even hear her call his name.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she admitted. Zara hated thinking Aiden might believe she had trapped him. She knew Allison was pregnant with Lucy when they got married and she would never want him to marry her just because she was pregnant.
“If you’ve changed your mind about marrying me, I won’t blame you,” she almost whispered. Aiden turned to face her and she could tell he was angry.
“Why would I change my mind about marrying you?” he questioned. She shrugged, not knowing how to answer him.
“You didn’t plan for this,” she pointed to the machine and then back to her still flat tummy. “I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to rethink your proposal. Maybe we should just take some time and rethink all of this. I just need time, Aiden. Please, can you do that for me?” Aiden nodded and opened his mouth to say something, closing it again. He turned and walked out of her hospital room without another word. She wanted to get out of that damn bed and chase him down the hallway to tell him she was wrong but that was impossible. She didn’t want to push Aiden into something he didn’t want and from the way he so easily walked out of her room, the baby wasn’t something he wanted.
Zara had taken the pain medication and the doctor once again assured her it was safe for the baby. She already felt a strong protective nature when she thought about the life growing inside of her. Her doctor said it was a miracle she didn’t lose the baby with all the stress and trauma of having to deal with being shot and undergoing surgery. They removed the bullet and had to put a metal rod and screws in where it had spliced her bone, but the doctor was confident she would make a full recovery in a few months. Zara wasn’t so sure about her broken heart though.
She spent the rest of the day after Aiden left sleeping and even dozed in and out most of the next day. Every time she woke, she would question the nurses if he had been back to see her and their sympathetic looks gave her their answer before they even opened their mouths. Ava had been by to visit her a couple of times and she gave Zara the same look of pity every time she’d ask about Aiden.
“He’ll come around, Z,” Avalon promised. “He’s just dealing with a lot right now—give him time.” She wanted to childishly point out she was dealing with a lot too but she didn’t. Zara just hoped Ava was right and Aiden would come to accept the baby, even if he didn’t want her anymore. Her son or daughter had the right to have him as part of their life but she wouldn’t force him to take part. Zara just hated the idea of her baby not having both parents’ love. Aiden was a fantastic father. She didn’t want her baby to miss out on having him as a dad.
The hospital kept her for two more weeks and when she was released, Zara wasn’t sure where she was supposed to go. All her stuff was at Aiden’s house but she wasn’t going to just show up there. She made arrangements to stay at Ava’s and the nurse told her that her health care would cover a visiting nurse for her therapy and recovery. She didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. Zara wished she could say she was finding a way to get over the loss of not having Aiden and the girls in her life but she wasn’t. Each passing day was harder and harder. She missed them so much, she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to move on, but for the sake of her child she was going to have to find a way.
Ava picked her up at the hospital and helped her into her SUV. “I’m so happy to be out of that place,” she whispered after getting settled in her seat. “Thanks for doing this, Ava,” she said.
“No problem, Z. I just have one quick stop to make and then we’ll get you settled,” Avalon said. Zara would go anywhere if it meant she didn’t have to spend another minute in that hospital.
They started driving and Zara tried to lay back and relax but getting comfortable was nearly impossible. The pain medication had made her a little fuzzy and she must have dozed off because when she woke up, she was sitting in Aiden’s driveway. Ava turned off her vehicle and shot her a guilty look.
“Sorry, Z but he made me promise not to spill the beans,” she said.
“Spill the beans? What beans?” Zara asked, confused about the whole situation until Aiden stepped from the front door dressed in a tux. Lucy and Laney sprang out from behind him, both dressed in long flowery dresses and she wondered if they were interrupting one of Aiden’s fundraisers.
“What the hell is going on here?” Zara questioned.
“Well, you are about to marry that man—right there,” Ava explained, pointing to Aiden.
“He walked out on me. He left me to sit in that hospital room for almost two weeks, believing he wasn’t ever coming back,” Zara sobbed.
“I know, Z. He was a complete asshole and he feels bad. Just let him explain,” she said nodding to the passenger side window where Aiden stood. The girls had gone back into the house and Ava got out of her SUV to follow them in, leaving Zara and Aiden completely alone.
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked straight ahead. “You left me and now you expect for me to just marry you?” She said, summarizing what Ava had just explained.
“I know and I’m so sorry,” he admitted. “It was a fucked up thing to do and I didn’t know how to make it up to you. I was afraid of messing things up with you like I had Allison and when you told me you didn’t want to marry me and you needed time, I freaked out.”
“So what, I’m supposed to just forgive you and say that I’ll marry you?” she questioned.
“Well, that would be nice but judging from your tone, I don’t think that is going to happen,” he teased. “Please, Zara,” he begged. Aiden opened her car door and gently pulled her into his arms, careful of her leg. “Please let me show you we can make this work. I want you and our baby. I want you to be my wife. I knew I wanted more children with you, we’re just having the first one sooner rather than later. Say you’ll marry me,” he begged. “I’ve arranged everything. All you have to do is say yes and come with me into the backyard.”
“You mean now, as in today? You want me to marry you in the backyard, right now?” she questioned.
“Yes,” he simply said. “Ava picked a dress out for you and I have everything arranged. Tell me you still want to spend the rest of your life with me,” he asked. Zara wasn’t sure what the hell to do. But she knew if she told him no, she’d be making the biggest mistake of her
life. She wanted Aiden and the girls and telling him no wasn’t an option.
“You just left me at the hospital, Aiden. I thought you didn’t want me or our baby,” she whispered. Zara thought she had lost him for good when he didn’t return and it broke her heart. She didn’t want to risk losing him again—this time possibly for good.
“I know and I’m so sorry,” he said. “Your doctor told me any upset could possibly hurt you and the baby. I couldn’t chance losing either of you,” he admitted. “Tell me you’ll marry me, honey. Let me make it all up to you,” he begged.
She nodded and Aiden lifted her into his arms, crushing her against his body. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I have crutches and can walk.”
“I know that, baby. I’m just not giving you a chance to change your mind again,” he admitted. She wasn’t about to tell him that wouldn’t happen. She was his, now and forever. Nothing would ever change that for her, even her own stubbornness.
Aiden
Aiden paced outside the master bedroom, wearing a path in the hallway’s floor boards, waiting for Zara to finish dressing. He wasn’t taking any chances with letting her get away from him again, even blocking the damn entrance so she couldn’t change her mind. Hearing her tell him she needed time just about ripped his damn heart out of his chest but he wanted to give that to her. Aiden wanted her to be sure about marrying him and if he was being honest, he was too stubborn and too hurt to go back to that hospital. He wanted to barge into her room and demand she take him back but he wouldn’t chance upsetting her. On his way out of her room, her doctor explained she needed complete calm and rest or she could possibly lose the baby. He received the doctor’s message loud and clear and left Zara to get the sleep she needed to recover. But waiting for her one minute past her release from that hospital was damn near impossible for him. He wanted to pick her up from there, but Ava convinced him it would be best if she did it, so as not to cause a scene. She was right but he wouldn’t tell Avalon that.
