Following the Light
Out of the Dark Series
Book 3
By Arlene Gonzales
Following the Light
Copyright © 2018 by Arlene Gonzales.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: March 2018
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-324-5
ISBN-10: 1-64034-324-5
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
In loving memory of my son Erik Gonzales.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
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Chapter 1
This will always be my most favorite day of all.
The day that Aiden and I have become man and wife, when we’ve promised each other there will be no more secrets, lies, or walls between us. We vow to love one another for the rest of our lives, here before all these people who stand with us. Some are family, others acquaintances. Most are strangers we’ve never met, but all have one thing in common. They came to see the love we share and celebrate with us. This day, two broken souls have become one on the mend.
We will face each day together. Overcome each obstacle that tries to get in our way. Standing here before man and God, we promise each other that when the secrets come out, and we know that they will, we shall remain as one and face them head on.
Taking a deep breath, I gaze out at the sea of people. I shiver a bit, and my head hurts. I don’t know why, so I play it off. It could be from all the excitement of everything going on, or from all the different emotions I’ve been going through, or maybe because winter is almost upon us. We’re in New York, after all. What would you expect besides freezing cold? Then again, it could also be because I haven’t eaten anything today. Who knows?
Aiden wraps his arm around my shoulders. My entire body is humming with energy. I feel every single cell come alive in me. I know without a doubt that my whole heart belongs to this man, my husband, my partner in life, and that his, in turn, belongs to me. At this very moment, Times Square becomes my favorite place in the world. On this day, November fifth, 2015, I’ve become Alexis Steffan.
All around, people from all walks of life are clapping and cheering for us. Reporters line up against the barricades. Flashes go off from every angle. So many different things are being screamed out.
“We love you, Aiden and Alexis.”
“You guys rock!”
“Congratulations, Alexis and Aiden.”
What a perfect place for a wedding. Even though it’s a Thursday, in the middle of the day, among hundreds or even thousands of strangers, there is nobody in the world happier than I am at this very moment.
My favorite band in the whole world has just finished playing their song “Secrets” just for me and my husband.
Oh my god, did I just think that? “My husband”—I love the sound of that word rolling off my tongue, and knowing that I am his wife makes me want to climb the highest mountain in the world and scream, “I am Mrs. Aiden Steffan!”
Knowing nothing and nobody can take that away from me, from us, Shannon and I can’t stop grinning from ear to ear. I’m looking around at everyone: from Shannon, to Johnny, to Rick Salinas, the justice of the peace who married us, then back to my husband. I tilt my head down to see the ring on my hand, the nine-carat, heart-shaped diamond the color of sapphire with smaller white diamonds all around the band. I glance over at Shannon, thinking how glad I am that I gave her Aiden’s ring to hold for me. I’m lucky she had it with her, so I could slide it on his finger today. I shake my head ever so slightly and laugh to myself. But of course she had it with her. She was a part of this plan to get me here today.
Aiden, who has not let go of my right hand since I said yes, brings his mouth down to my ear and gently nibbles it. He says, “Baby, I love my ring, and every time I look at it, I will see your eyes and know that you are always with me.”
I let out a sigh and say, “I wanted to get you something as special as you got for me. When I saw it, I just knew it was the one for you.”
The ring I got Aiden is a black titanium band with emeralds all around it. If he got me a ring with stones the color of his eyes, then it was only appropriate for me to get him a ring with the color of mine.
People are still shouting their well wishes, but now they are also saying things such as, “Kiss her, kiss her!”
Aiden yells back at them, “You all want me to kiss her?”
Several people shout, “Yes! Kiss her!”
He lifts me up so we are face to face. “Well, Mrs. Steffan, would you like to kiss your husband?”
I look at him with a goofy smile. “Do you really have to ask, Mr. Steffan?”
He shakes his head no. Then he seals his mouth over mine, and it’s as if we forget we’re in the middle of Times Square. Surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people, we are in our own little bubble, lost in a world of our own, just he and I. We kiss as if there is no tomorrow, as if we cannot stop ourselves.
As a roar of cheers and applause erupts, Shannon taps us both on the shoulders. “Hey, you two—get a room!”
Johnny comes up beside us and puts his hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “Can I give my new sister a welcome-to-the-family hug and kiss?”
Aiden puts me down and looks at him. “Just remember she is taken.”
“How could I forget, big brother?” Johnny gives me a hug, kisses both of my cheeks, and whispers in my ear, “Thank you for bringing my brother’s heart back to life.”
“Johnny, your big brother is the one who showed me that I can be happy again. He is the one who brought my heart back to life.” He picks me up and swings me around, all of us laughing, until I tell him, “Okay, stop before you get me dizzy.” He lowers me to the ground, and I brace my hands on his shoulders for a minute. I turn to Shannon and give her a hug. “Thank you for not listening to me when I said to stop telling me about Aiden, and for just being you.”
“Yup, I’m awesome like that.”
I squeeze her as tight as possible. “I love you, Shannon, all the way around the world and back again.”
“I knew you couldn’t ever stop loving Aiden. I knew in my heart that the two of you belong together. That you were always meant to be with each other.”
Aiden comes behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He kisses the back of my head, then rests his chin on my shoulder. “Are you ready to go home, Mrs. Steffan?”
I nod, and he turns me around to face him, gives me a wink, and looks up. I ask him, “What are you looking at?”
“Look up too, baby.”
I look up at the sky, but I can’t figure out what he is seeing, so again I ask, “What are we looking at?”
“Can you feel the love coming down from heaven?”
I give him a confused look. “What are you talking about?”
“The love that is being sent down by your parents and your brother Erik. Can you feel them here with us? I am silently thanking your family for bringing you into my life.”
I smile. “I wish you could have met them; they would have loved you. I know my father and brother would have approved of you, and my mom…oh god, she would probably be bragging about you to all of her friends.”
“I know I would have loved them as well, Alexis. I am grateful to your parents for bringing you into the world, and to your brother for keeping you safe as long as he did.”
I bow my head down, and in a low voice say, “He lost his life trying to keep me safe.”
“Amore mio, it is not you who killed your family. It was that crazy animal Frank who took their lives. You could not have predicted the future. Do not ever blame yourself again.”
I stare into Aiden’s eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you more, Mrs. Steffan.”
Hearing him say those magical words makes me forget all the ugly things in life, helping me to feel like no matter what tomorrow brings, we will face it together. “Say it again, Aiden.”
“I love you, Alexis Steffan, my wife, my love, my life. I will love you till my last breath. Now let’s go home.”
The police open the barricades that were in place to keep the crowd at a distance. The Bentley comes through, slowly coming to a stop. Anthony comes around and opens the door for us to get in. Aiden has his hand on the small of my back. Anthony tips his hat at me and says, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Steffan.”
Noticing his hat, which he only wears for formal events, I smile at him. “Was everybody in on this?”
“We all knew that you two belong together. It was fate.”
I slide in. Aiden gets in after, pulls me to him, and wraps his arm around me. “I am never letting you go again.”
The police make sure we get out of there safely, the crowd all parting with no problems. Everyone is still cheering for us, clapping and shouting, “We love you, Aiden and Alexis!” Grinning, I wonder if this is what it’s like to be royalty, because that is exactly how I feel.
The whole drive home I rest my head on Aiden’s chest. He has one arm around my shoulders and holds my two hands in his other one. Hearing him humming a song, I ask, “What song is that? It sounds pretty.”
He raises an eyebrow and says, “You think it sounds pretty even though I can’t sing to save my life?”
“Yes, I love the sound of your voice.”
He throws his head back and laughs a full-blown laugh. It isn’t often that I’ve heard him laugh like this, with his whole heart, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. This is the way it should be today—every day, actually. Tomorrow may bring something else. But for today, right here, right now, we don’t have a care in the world. I will make sure of that.
“Amore mio, I am humming “Wherever You Go” by The Calling. Because that is exactly how I feel—I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Wherever you go, I will follow.”
***
Once we are in our penthouse, Ms. Miller comes to greet us. “Welcome home, Mrs. Steffan.”
I look between her and Aiden, then let out a sigh and a little laugh. “Is there anyone who wasn’t in on this?”
Aiden takes my hand and leads me upstairs to our bedroom. He stops at the doorway. “Wait, I forgot something very important.”
“What is it? What did you forget?” He pulls me back with my hand in his, hastily walking down the stairs. We head toward the entrance of the penthouse. “What’s wrong? Where are we going?” He puts in the code to open the elevator doors, 1983. He’s not saying a single word, but seems like a man on a mission. I let out a little laugh and again ask.
“Aiden, what are you doing?” He bends down and sweeps me up in his arms.
He steps into the elevator, turns around to face the apartment, walks back in, and looks at me. “I forgot to carry my bride through the threshold.” I can’t help but laugh at how old-fashioned he is being. I mean, really, we’ve had more sex in a few months than most couples do in a year. “I want to honor time old traditions with my wife.”
He walks into the bedroom with me still in his arms.
“You can put me down now.”
He smiles at me. “Baby, I don’t think I am ever going to put you down again. I love having you in my arms.”
“Put me down, please, I have to go pee.”
He walks to the bathroom with me in his arms. “I will just hold you while you pee.”
I playfully slap him on the chest. “I can’t go while I’m in your arms! Now put me down and shut the door behind you so I can use the bathroom.”
As I flush, I remember I completely forgot to let Michael know what happened and that I’m not coming back to the office until tomorrow.
I open the door. “Aiden, I need to call Michael and tell him what is going on.” He looks down, lets out a small laugh, and shakes his head. I put my hands on my hips. “Oh wait, don’t tell me that he already knows, and he was part of it all too? Just tell me—am I the only one in the world that wasn’t in on the plan?”
“Amore mio, everyone in our lives knows we belong together. God, Alexis, even people who don’t know us personally know that we are meant for each other.” He stands up, tall and proud. Walking toward me like a lion on the prowl, king of the jungle, he moves with such grace. I can see the heat in his eyes. He pulls me into his arms, growling under his breath. I close my eyes, and my heart beats faster.
Breathing in the familiar scent of vanilla and his cologne, Givenchy for Gentlemen, I feel his lips on my shoulder. He is slowly making his way up my neck to my jawline. He pulls back, takes my hand in his, and leads me to the bench in front of the bed, where he sits us down. Then he pulls me onto his lap and says, “We should talk about everything. Get it all out in the open. I need to tell you all of it so when it hits the media, and it will, you won’t be blindsided. You need to know everything from beginning to end.”
This is not what I expected right now. I’ve never had a great poker face, so he knows that I’m bewildered.
“Alexis, it is taking all my willpower not to get you out of your clothes, all my strength to not have you under me, making love to me. But we have our whole lives ahead of us, so let me say everything I have to say before I lose my courage. Remember the night in Paris when I was gone the whole night?” He pauses as if he is in agony, then inhales and lets out a sigh. “The reason is, that was the night Carla first threatened to expose my secret.”
Watching the pained look on his face, anger rises in me to the point that my blood is boiling. “Why didn’t you tell me, Aiden? Remember, secrets always come out in the end no matter how hard you try to hide them.”
“I know I should have told you from the start, but I was so ashamed of it all. All I could think of was that everybody would soon learn my deepest, darkest secret. It scared me so much that I could lose you because of it. I should have known I could count on you, but all the fears I felt as a young boy came rushing back. Please, can you ever forgive me, Alexis?”
I place my hand over his heart and look him in the eyes to let him know that I am here for him. “It will be all right. I will stand by you always and forever. I am in this with you, till the very end. I will be here no matter what happens or what anybody says. This is not only your fight, but mine as well, and I will not let anybody, no matter who they
may be, hurt my husband.”
Chapter 2
He takes a deep breath. “I’m not sure if I was three or four when my parents took me to a stranger’s house, and left me there with him. I remember I cried when they left without me. I was afraid of the man. I remember he smelled bad. When I wouldn’t stop crying, he slapped me so hard that I fell to the floor. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before.”
I can see the tormented look on his face as he recalls his childhood. I take deep breaths in order to not let the tears that are welling in my eyes fall. As I blink them away, the lump in my throat makes it hard to breathe. I swallow it down, telling myself to be strong for him.
Aiden slides me off his lap, stands up, and walks over to the window. Not wanting to break his train of thought or interrupt him in any way, I stay quiet. I wrap my arms across my chest and just listen.
“I soon learned that if I didn’t want to get hit or kicked, I would do as I was told. That meant being chained in a cage like a dog. As the days passed, different people came in and out of the house. I would see them pulling other children out of other cages from the same room I was in, or hear them pulling them out of a different room. Some were boys, and some were girls, all ages. Each one of them had the same look of fear in their eyes.”
Aiden puts his hands on each side of the window frame, lowering his head. Even though I can’t see his face, I hear his voice tremble. I can only imagine how hard this is for him to relive.
“The people would take them into that one room. The cries of the children were horrific. Even at such a young age, I already knew it was where the boogie man lived. I would tremble because I was so afraid. The man who was always on guard kept laughing, telling me to get ready because my turn was coming soon. I never knew what he meant by that. Not until the day he opened my cage, unlocked the chain around my leg, took me into that small room that only had a bed in it. It was poorly lit, cold, and dirty. It smelled bad. There were two men inside already. My keeper threw me in and told the men they had one hour to have fun. One of the men picked me up and threw me on the bed.”
Following The Light (Out of the Dark Book 3) Page 1
