by K E Osborn
Suddenly, I’m surrounded by flames, surging and swirling around me like a whirling inferno. I scream for help, but the smoke penetrates my throat, choking me. I fall to the floor, the fire has me trapped. The flames are so intense I feel the sweat pouring off my skin.
I look up through the flames, and see a figure standing in black with a hoodie over his head. I can’t see the face, only the outline, and I’m scared, petrified, of this dark figure who I know wants to hurt me.
I attempt to stand, but the flames push me lower and lower until they engulf me, burning me until I’m nothing but ash.
I wake violently, thrashing around from my nightmare. My heart’s banging in my chest, and sweat is pouring down my brows while my breathing quickens. I bolt upright, waking Aiden.
He reaches out and feels the sweat on my arm. “Jeni, you’re hot. Are you all right?” He sits up and feels my forehead as I pant, trying to catch my breath. Taking his hand away, sweat drips off his palm. “Fuck. Jeni, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“It was a nightmare,” I murmur, reaching for my glass of water.
“Some nightmare.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I try to calm down. “I might go have a cool shower.”
“Good idea. Do you want me to come help you?”
“Yes.”
I know I need him for comfort right now.
Because honestly, that felt all too fucking real.
It’s a bright and cheerful morning, and I’m feeling much better. My throat is only marginally sore, and my voice is back to normal. This is going to be a good day.
“Morning, beautiful.” He kisses my nose. “I want to take you out tomorrow night if you’re feeling up to it.”
I nod. “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s a celebration.”
I raise my eyebrow. “What are we celebrating?”
“You being alive and back to your old self.”
I kiss him. “Sounds great. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Oh, can’t you tell me? I won’t know what to wear if I don’t know where I’m going.”
“Wear something nice, something a little… dressy. I have to go and do some things today. Are you going to be okay here on your own?”
“Are you going to work?” I ask because it’s a Friday.
“No… but I have some things I need to take care of.”
He’s giving me the runaround.
“What types of things?” I squeeze my brows together.
“I don’t know… insurance stuff for the kitchen. Yeah… insurance stuff.” He nods his head and smirks.
I shake my head.
Fine! Don’t tell me.
“Have fun with that,” I mumble and slide out of bed.
He chuckles. “It’s all part of your surprise for tomorrow. I can’t tell you.” He kisses me on the cheek and walks to the closet.
“It better be a good surprise,” I yell as he walks off.
“You’ll be suitably impressed,” he yells back.
It’s a beautiful warm day, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Aiden has a surprise dinner for me tonight. Could a girl be any happier at this moment?
It’s getting closer to the evening, and Aiden’s still on the phone. He’s been on that stupid thing all day. It must be business stuff that he missed out on while I was in the hospital because he keeps going out to the balcony to talk with people while I’m sitting here bored, watching the television. He finally comes inside but heads to the bedroom.
“Urgh.” I sigh.
He comes back out, all nicely dressed in a suit. “Jeni, I’m sorry. I have to take care of a few things, but I’ll meet you at the restaurant. Mike knows where to take you. He’ll be ready for you in about an hour. Can you meet him in the parking garage by then?”
I look at him and sigh.
You’re kidding me, right?
“Okay,” I say as he blows me a kiss and walks toward the elevator.
I roll my eyes when he walks away.
“Love you,” he follows up with.
“Uh-huh.” I pretend I’m watching the television as he walks out. He’s been ignoring me for two days—I’m allowed to be a little blasé in my replies.
Petty? A little.
But I better get ready as I have only one hour.
I pick out a little black dress with a diamante bow and the black heels Aiden bought me for the retirement ball.
Stepping into the ensuite, I do my hair in its usual long curls and decide on a smoky-eye look. I check myself in the mirror one last time. Compared to the last few days of pale, pasty, frizzy-haired mess, I look good.
Finally, I’m ready and head down to Mike. He’s waiting beside the same pink Cadillac he drove on our first date. I laugh when I see it, all feelings of being ignored evaporate out the window as I walk toward the car.
“Good evening, Miss Taylor. You look stunning.” I take Mike’s hand and enter the Cadillac.
“Thanks, Mike. I can’t believe Aiden hired this car again. You must be happy about that, too.”
“Oh, very, Miss Taylor.” He closes my door.
At least Aiden gets points for consistency.
“Where are we off to, Mike?”
Mike tuts. “You know better than that, Miss Taylor. It’s a surprise.” I see him grinning in the rearview mirror.
So, I sit back and enjoy the ride.
We arrive at the botanical park where we had our first date. My mind floods back to all the wonderful memories that this place holds—me falling on the deck, the condoms falling out, our first kiss—all these memories make me feel like the same giddy girl who showed up here all that time ago.
Mike drives along the winding road, and I notice cars filling the roadside as we make our way through the park. The sun’s setting when Mike pulls up next to the cobblestone path, the same one I walked down.
Peering down the path, I notice red rose petals leading the way, along with tiny tealight candles illuminating the path on either side. My eyes widen. “He’s outdone himself,” I tell Mike, who gestures for me to head on down the path.
I nod and follow it nervously, steadying myself so I don’t fall like last time. I put my hands out to touch the ferns on the side of the hill again. The smell of greenery is all-encompassing as I hear the sounds of the waterfall up ahead.
Turning the corner, I see Aiden standing with a bunch of red roses, wearing the suit he changed into earlier, only this time, he has on a baby pink tie. Behind him is that gorgeous waterfall cascading down the cliff with the lush greenery surrounding us.
As I take a step closer, “Thank You for Loving Me” by Bon Jovi is playing somewhere in the background. It instantly makes me smile. It’s our song.
I feel my eyes welling up as all the emotion and love I feel for this man becomes too much to bear.
His smile beams from ear to ear as I approach. Finally, he holds out his hand for me to take and pulls me into a tight embrace.
“This is perfect,” I whisper.
“Perfection for perfection, my love.” He kisses my cheek and places the bouquet of flowers on the railing.
I can’t hold back the tears any longer, and they flow freely down my cheeks. He pulls back, and wipes my tears away with his thumb, caressing my face.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.” He leans in kissing me softly.
“You won’t ever have to find out, Aiden. This is incredible. But why all the hearts and flowers?” I ask, wondering what this is all about.
Smiling, he leans in again for a quick kiss. Then, in one swift movement, he’s down on one knee, holding my left hand in his. He gulps, and his breathing quickens. His hands are shaking against mine, and that’s when I realize what’s happening.
My eyes widen, and my hand shoots up to my mouth in shock when he pulls out a tiny blue box from his jacket pocket. My heart thuds ferociously making me anxious, but also tremendously ecstatic.
>
Letting go of my hand, he opens the small box, revealing a gorgeous platinum ring—the center stone is a sparkling pink diamond surrounded by a circle of white diamonds. The band is encrusted with white diamonds as well and glisten in the evening sun. It’s so beautiful, completely perfect, and exactly what I imagined my engagement ring to be.
He clears his throat while tears stream my face. “Jenifer Taylor… from the moment we ran into each other, quite literally…” I can’t help but laugh, “… I knew there was something different, something astonishing and so profoundly beautiful in you that I hadn’t seen before in anyone else. You amaze me every day with your brilliance, and I want to be amazed by you every day for the rest of my life…” He pauses. “The past few days have shown me that I couldn’t be in a world where you weren’t with me. Seeing you in that hospital bed made me realize that I want you to be mine forever. So, Jenifer Taylor, will you do me the utmost privileged honor of becoming my wife?” His eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, well with tears when I stare deeply into them.
My lungs burn, reminding me to breathe. With an audible exhale, I inhale, filling my lungs. My heart pounds so fast, it fills my ears as I slightly sway feeling lightheaded.
He starts to look worried, and I realize I haven’t said anything yet.
Before another thought fills my head, I scream out, “Yes! Yes! Of course, I’ll marry you.” Butterflies dance in my stomach as I start to tremble with undeniable excitement.
He smiles so wide as he jumps to his feet, lifting me in a bear hug, swirling me around. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as elated and perfectly contented as I do right now. Aiden completes me as the saying goes, and I know in my heart that he’s my one. My soul mate, the person I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with.
My entire body tingles with pure joy, and I don’t think anything could wipe the smile from my face right now. We both laugh, and suddenly rapturous applause erupts behind me. Aiden places me down, and I look toward the path to see our friends and family standing, all dressed up, clapping and cheering for us.
Sarah and Brielle are holding hands, jumping around in a circle. I laugh as I wipe my wet cheeks.
Aiden takes hold of my hand, making me look at him as he places the ring on my left finger. I can’t control my shaking as I lean into him. Bending down, he kisses me with a passionate force in front of all our family and friends whose cheering continues. They’re just as excited as I am.
Eventually, when the cheering dies down, he pulls away just enough to rest his forehead against mine. “C’mon, baby, we have our engagement party to attend.”
“Our engagement party?” I look at him, scratching my head.
“Yes, our engagement party. That’s what I’ve been doing these past two days.”
I stare at him, my brow crinkled. “Wait! Everyone knew you were proposing tonight?” I finally reach the conclusion.
“Yes. Everyone except you.”
“But how did you know I was going to say yes?”
He winks. “Because I know everything, Jenifer.” He takes my hand and leads me back down the path.
I smile at him brightly.
Oh my God, I’m engaged!
Sarah runs over to me with an elated smile on her face. “How awesome is this?” She gives me a giant bear hug, and I laugh at her enthusiasm.
“I know, and you knew and didn’t tell me. What’s up with that?”
“Oh, like I’d ruin the surprise. Are you happy?”
I’m beyond happy. I’m ecstatic. The man I love, this gorgeous man, wants me to be his for the rest of forever, and that’s exactly what I want. I love him so much. He truly is my exception.
I look into Aiden’s eyes. “I’m deliriously happy.”
“C’mon, baby, everyone is waiting.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses it.
I walk with Sarah in one arm and Aiden in the other up the cobblestone path back to the pink Cadillac where Mike’s smiling at me. We continue to walk past the Cadillac and down another path. At the end is a quaint little building, and out in front, waits our family and friends.
Chris starts the crowd up in another round of applause, and I feel a little embarrassed with all this attention, but the reason is a good one, so I take it all in. They all head into the small building, and we follow behind. Inside, there are tables set up with chairs which have pink bows around them. There’s a bar at the back of the room, and opposite the bar, at the front, there’s a large dance floor with a DJ and a table with a cake placed on it.
I look up at Aiden in awe. “You organized all this in two days?”
“It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
I take in a deep breath, looking around the room. The ceiling has a center chandelier with sheer pink material draping out in sections to the walls with tiny fairy lights strung throughout the material. It truly is spectacular.
Is this really for me?
He takes my hand and turns me to face him. “Is everything all right?” he asks, watching me intently.
“Everything is perfect.”
I look around the room to see everyone—but no Niall. In a way, I’m relieved, but at the same time kind of sad for Aiden that his father isn’t here to celebrate with him. But I’m not surprised. I continue to look, and I see Chris standing with Mel, John, and Bob from ADF Automotive Repairs.
“Oh my God!” I yell as I look at Aiden wide-eyed. He smiles and lets go of my hand. I race over and give Mel a giant hug.
“Congratulations,” Mel gushes as she hugs and sways me from side to side.
“Oh, Mel, it’s so good to see you, and John and Bob. I can’t believe you’re all here,” I state as my eyes glisten.
“Oh, now, now, none of that. This is a happy day. No need for tears,” John insists while he hugs me.
“You know you’ve started something now. Sarah is going to pester me about us getting engaged next,” Chris jokes.
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” I state as I hug him.
“And how am I going to top this, huh?” Chris asks.
“I have no idea.” I shrug.
I glance over to see my mom talking to Callie. “Excuse me, guys. I have to see my mom.”
“Of course, it’s your party. You have to mingle.” Mel smiles, and I hug her again.
“Mom.” I walk up to her and Callie. Mom lunges and hugs me so tightly I can barely breathe. “Mom, air… becoming an issue.”
She laughs and lets me go. “Oh, darling, I’m so happy for you. Are you happy?”
I nod my head. “You have no idea,” I say back to her, and she hugs me again.
Once again, my emotions get the better of me. Blinking back tears has become an impossible task at this point.
“Oh, honey, what’s wrong?” Callie asks noticing my tears.
I shake my head. “Absolutely nothing. I’m just so happy. And everyone is here for us. It’s so… overwhelming.”
Mom holds me at an arm’s length. “Darling, hold back those tears, and let’s party.”
The music starts, and everyone moves around the room, some sitting at tables, some at the bar—mostly men—and a few stragglers on the dance floor. I look around the room at all these people, and my eyes lock with Aiden’s. His bright blue, smoldering eyes stare back into mine from across the room. The pull and surge of electricity I feel whenever I look at him consume me. I need to be near him right now. There’s no way I can resist the urge as the anticipation builds. The mere sight of him has my stomach fluttering. I walk toward where he stands with some people from work.
“Excuse me, guys,” Aiden interrupts, walking toward me, our eyes targeted on each other. The speed we’re walking quickens, and my heart rate increases. When he meets me, Aiden wraps his arms round me, holding me tightly so our bodies find the connection they were needing, and looks deeply into my eyes.
“I love you, so much,” I whisper against his lips.
“I love you more.” Aiden leans in and kis
ses me. His tongue finds mine, and it’s like the whole world drifts away. It’s like we’re on a deserted island and all I can hear are the sounds we are making. My body tingles like it’s on fire, and all I want to do is to touch every inch of him. My hands race to his hair, tugging at it as he kisses me passionately. It’s like time stands still, and we’re entangled with each other for an eternity. My body lines itself with his as he pulls me to him so every inch of us is touching.
I never want to let him go.
Ever.
I want to stay here, in this moment, forever.
Someone wolf-whistles in the background as I come crashing back to earth. I smile, still kissing Aiden, and I feel him smile in return. We part our lips, resting our foreheads together only to find the whole room full of people staring at us.
“Oops!” I look up at him and wipe the lipstick from his lips.
Throughout the party, finger foods are served, our guests dance, and we do the rounds, making sure to visit with everyone.
Brielle steps up to me, a little tipsy from the alcohol. “Now that you’re my sister, can I borrow that dress you’re wearing sometime? It’s epic.”
I laugh. “Sure thing, sis.”
After talking with Bree and Logan, it comes time to cut the cake. It’s then I realize I haven’t actually looked at it yet. I’m excited to see what Aiden chose. It’s gorgeous, a little bit playful, but still elegant. It sits on a white board and written in icing is Congratulations on Your Engagement.
Killian comes over and takes pictures of us cutting the cake, then continues taking photographs throughout the evening. A waitress hands out pieces of cake to our guests, and we take to the dance floor. Aiden holds onto me tightly as we sway to the music.
This is a perfect night.
I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
People start to slowly leave, and the party dwindles down. Only a remaining few sit with us at a table. I take the last sip of my champagne and chew on the strawberry I find at the bottom of the glass. I lean into Aiden and feel myself starting to get tired. I take Aiden’s arm and raise it so I can look at his watch to see the time—it’s 2:57 a.m. I can’t believe Nana’s still up. She amazes me with how sprightly she is.
