Following The Light (Out of the Dark Book 3)

by Arlene Gonzales

  ***

  Entering the library, I hear the conversation between Aiden and the manager for One Republic. They are finalizing the last details of the music video. He puts a finger over his mouth, as he has the phone on speaker. I hurry over as quietly as I can, although they might be able to hear my heart beating rapidly from the excitement. Because of last minute changes in their tour schedule, they had to push the taping of the video from the last week of January to just a few days before the wedding.

  Ending the call, he pulls me on his lap.

  “Aiden, will they be able to finish shooting of the video before the wedding?”

  “Baby, we start on the ninth. We should wrap it up by the eleventh, twelfth at the latest.”

  “That’s cutting it close.”

  “Don’t worry. I will make sure that you have the perfect day.”

  “Hey, you two, save some for the honeymoon.” We both turn to see Brandy walking in. “I’ve got the proofs from the photo shoot. Brock sent them over for your approval.”

  She spreads the sheets over the desk and we study each one carefully. “Personally, I love them all.”

  “Well, you would say that about him.”

  “What? My husband is one sexy hunk of a specimen.”

  “Brock said he needs them back by this evening to get them to the printer.”

  In each picture, I notice how he had been staring at me. Through the whole photo shoot, he never took his eyes off of me. No matter the angle, he watched me with the intensity of the fire burning in him. A fire that he claims I can only put out. The camera may have caught his features, but I caught what he was saying to me. It would be a night of pleasure, and it was.

  ***

  After Aiden marks the pictures he approves of, Brandy gathers them to send off to Brock. I make an excuse to Aiden that I need to speak to her about the bridesmaids’ dresses and walk out with her. We go to the foyer where he can’t hear us.

  “What’s wrong with the dresses? Why do you need to talk to me about them?”

  “It’s not that, but he can’t hear this. Is everything set for my wedding present to Aiden?

  “Everything is taken care of. They arrive here on the thirteenth. Don’t worry about a single thing. I have it all under control.”

  I clap my hands together. “He is going to be completely surprised. I can’t wait to see his face when they come in.”

  “Alexis, your wedding will be the biggest event this city has seen in forever. Hell, it will be right up there with the royal weddings.”

  ***

  Riding Italia is one of my favorite pastimes, and having Shannon with me on this beautiful, cold day just makes it that much more perfect. The horse she likes to saddle is Winterbourne, a white stallion. He blends in with the snow.

  “I’m glad we’re having a girls’ day. With everything going on, there hasn’t been any free time for us to do anything, just you and me.”

  “I know, things have been crazy. I can’t believe it’s already the eighth. One Republic arrives tonight, and tomorrow the shooting of the music video starts.”

  The ride is just what we need. It’s serene and relaxing. We don’t let the horses gallop; we keep them at a slow walk. It’s the only way Aiden or the doctor will let me ride. I had to beg them just to let me do this, and I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that this will be my last ride until after the babies are born. What’s funny is that my husband doesn’t think we realize a couple of the ranch hands employed by Papa are following us. I know he means well. He just wants to protect me and the babies. At least they’re keeping their distance. I suppose I should be grateful for that.

  Back at the barn, Johnny is talking to the ranch foreman. As I’m about to dismount, he orders me to wait for him to come over to help me down. Shannon winks at me and nods to let him. “The boys would like their uncle to assist you.”

  Italia stands perfectly still as he helps me down. The two ranch hands enter as I land safely on the ground. They take the horses to their stalls to brush and feed them. I kiss Italia on the head, telling her I will see her tomorrow and I love her. She shakes her head.

  Johnny laughs and says, “It’s as if she knows what you are saying to her.”

  We walk out of the barn. “She does understand me.”

  ***

  Even though it’s not even nine yet, we go to sleep early. Aiden has to look rested for the video. Shannon and Johnny retire early as well. She isn’t about to let me go without her to see our favorite band. We have both loved them for years now, all through high school and then through college. Since Shannon’s going, so is Johnny. He’s not going to miss this either. Not really because he wants to see them, but to protect her. When he told us that, though, we both said it was Ryan Tedder and the rest of the band members that needed protection from us.

  “Goodnight, baby. I love you.”

  “Goodnight, Aiden. I love you too.”

  ***

  Arriving at the high school where the cameo of Aiden will be shot, Shannon and I are both on the lookout for the band. We are escorted into the gym, where the band manager explains how and what is expected of Aiden. The scene is of a prom. The nerdy guy who is in love with the most popular girl of their class wants to try and dance with her. When he comes in, though, he finds her in the arms of the most popular guy. The nerd, unaware of the girl’s misery and the way the guy treats her, is about to leave. So, as he also walks out, they bump into each other and he gets his wish. They dance out in the parking lot. After the dance, they kiss, and that is how the video ends.

  Thinking of Aiden being a nerd in the video makes me smile. The manager turns to me. “Oh, Aiden’s not going to be the nerd. He’s the popular guy.”

  I shake my head. “I should have known. Well, at least my popular man doesn’t make me miserable.”

  As we wait for him to get in costume, we laugh and talk about how long he is actually going to be on video. All in all, it will be around twenty seconds.

  The complete cameo takes more or less an hour to shoot. The manager thanks him and tells him they’ll let him know when the video hits the air. We leave without seeing the band. Boy, what a disappointment!

  Chapter 23

  On February thirteenth, the house is alive with activity. There is not one quiet room in the entire place. Renata is in the guest room, putting last minute touches on my dress. A clerk is helping her make sure there is no lace or sequin out of place and all the little diamonds are perfect. Then the veil is ironed out. They’ve brought a mannequin so the dress won’t get wrinkled in the closet or lying on the bed.

  Brandy is at the church making sure that the decorations are all in place. The tailor in charge of the tuxedos for the groomsmen, Papa, and of course the groom is en route here with them. I picked up the gifts for the girls earlier today. They have been engraved with a special saying to each one of them. Mama made it perfectly clear that even though we are already married, we’re not going to sleep together tonight. I laughed when she told me. That is until I saw that she was serious.

  I said, “Good luck when you tell your son.”

  I was in the kitchen when I heard him yell, “What?” After that, there was silence. I hope I can control my sons the way she does hers. Even at this age, she still has the last word. God, I love that woman.

  I am in our room, going over the vows I have written for the ceremony. Or at least the ones I’m trying to write. It’s just that there are so many things I want to say. I need to shorten them. If not, I’ll be reciting them for an hour.

  A few days ago, I walked into the library. There were pieces of wrinkled paper thrown all over the floor by the desk. My husband was writing his vows, grunting with effort when I entered. I told him to write whatever was in his heart. Pointing to his chest and heart, he said, “I know what’s in there. I know what I feel. It’s just hard expressing those thoughts in the right words.”

  I calmly sat in his lap. “Sweetheart, the words don’t have to be p
erfect. There is no one to impress. Just say what you’re feeling. That’s what is important.”

  I really should listen to my own advice.

  I’ve already torn countless pieces of paper from this tablet. Each one is wadded up in a ball. I scribble down a whole paragraph, then as I read it out loud, it doesn’t feel or sound right. I want it to be perfect. I want my husband and everyone else to know exactly how much Aiden has brought into my life. How because of him, I started to believe in love again. How I now know that everything happens for a reason, even the horrible, tragic events. He is my present and my future. Without him, I would still be in the dark.

  After so many attempts and pieces of paper, I finally have the one. This is how I feel. The words make perfect sense. They say just what is in my heart. Damn, I should be an author. They have all come together as if written for a novel. “Yup, Lexie. You are a genius.”

  Looking at the clock on the nightstand, I’m surprised nobody has come in search of me. It’s taken me almost half a day. I fold the paper and hide it in my top drawer. I’ll need to read it again tonight before going to sleep. It’ll be my reading material since I am sleeping alone.

  As I exit the room, the gorgeous man of my dreams strolls in. He’s been downstairs getting a haircut. The barber made a house call for the occasion. Aiden bends down and sweeps me up as if I didn’t weigh anything. He carries me back into the room and lays me on the bed.

  “Oh, no, you don’t. I need to get downstairs and make sure the bouquets the girls will be holding are here and put away.”

  “I thought Brandy was taking care of all that?”

  “Aiden, she’s at the church. I can and want to be able to handle some things for our wedding.”

  “Okay, I just wanted to relax with you for a few minutes before getting in the shower. Remember, my bachelor party is tonight.”

  I playfully tap his arm. “Ha, I know the kind of relaxing you want would probably lead to sex.”

  He has a shocked look on his face. “You make it sound like that is all I ever think about.”

  Now it’s me who is stunned. “Duh, hello. If I remember right, it was on our first date that you told me, and I quote, ‘Alexis, you have started a fire in me. One only you can put out.’ Then, when I said I wasn’t going to sleep with you, you came back with, ‘Oh, trust me. We won’t be sleeping.’”

  Aiden throws his head back in laughter. “Wow, I am good. Look where we are now.”

  Laughing along with him, I slide off the bed. “Now I’m going downstairs to check on things. You go take your shower and get ready for the party.” I close the door before he can say another word.

  ***

  At the bottom of the stairs, Shannon and Ysabel are waiting for me. They both wear little, devilish smiles. I give them a sideways grin. “What are you two up to?”

  Each taking me by the arm, they walk me into the family room. “Well, my brother has a bachelor party tonight. It’s only fitting that you have a bachelorette party too.”

  I laugh. “Did you both forget that I’m pregnant? I can’t drink anything except one glass of red wine a day.”

  “You don’t have to drink to have a good time. Remember all the fun we had growing up? And we didn’t drink either.”

  “Alexis, there is this little club in town that we can go to. I promise we will have you home early.”

  My eyes go back and forth between them. “Okay, but just for a little while. What could happen in just a couple of hours?” I slip out of their hold, but as I am walking away to enter the library, I turn back toward them. “Let me tell Aiden before you two start talking about it.”

  I wrap the gifts for the girls with Mama’s help. As she ties the last bow, I pull a small box out of my pocket and hand it to her. “This is for you, from me, because I love you.”

  Her eyes get all shiny as they fill with tears. Opening the box, she pulls out a silver necklace. It’s a heart with a single diamond in the center.

  “Turn it around. I had them write something in the back for you.”

  As she reads it out loud, the tears start flowing. “To Mama—ti amo.” She pulls me in for a hug. “Ti amo, Alexis.”

  Breaking the embrace, I tell her the babies are very lucky to have her as a grandmother and that I am also lucky to have her as a mother-in-law.

  “We are the ones who are lucky to have you in this family.”

  After clearing her throat to let us know she’s in the room, Brandy tells me all the decorations are in place and I will love the way they look. Leaving the library with her, I fill her in on the plans for tonight. “Oh, they convinced you then?”

  “So, you knew about it?”

  “They informed me all about it this morning.”

  “Well, like I said to them, let me let Aiden know before any of you start talking about it.” I grab a sandwich in the kitchen before heading up to the bedroom to tell my overprotective husband.

  ***

  He is in the closet, picking out his clothes for tonight. Strolling in causally, I ask him to keep an open mind and let me finish before he says anything. He looks at me. “Should I prepare myself for this? Am I going to like it or not?”

  “Would you please just do as I ask?” He walks over to the bench by the bed and sits, never taking his eyes off me. Sitting next to him, and giving him the biggest smile I can, I bat my eyes. “Now, you know I didn’t say a word when you told me they were giving you a bachelor party tonight. I want you to have a night of fun.”

  Folding his arms across his chest and narrowing his eyes at me, he asks, “Alexis, what are you getting at?”

  “Well, if you be quiet and let me finish, you’ll find out.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  “I think it’s only fair that I go out with the girls tonight.”

  His whole demeanor changes in the blink of an eye. His jaw clenches and he lets out a breath. I put my hand up before he has a chance to say anything. “Wait, okay? It’s only for a little while. Plus I’ll be with your sister, for one. Shannon and Brandy will be there as well, and you know I would never do anything to put our sons in any kind of danger. If I didn’t oppose to you going out with the guys, then why can’t I go out as well? Unless you don’t trust me?”

  He stands and walks to the bathroom door, turning around to look at me. “Okay, since the bodyguards will be keeping an eye on you. Besides, I do trust you to be careful and take good care of the babies. I don’t see a problem with it.”

  Jumping up, I run to him and throw my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Aiden. I love you.”

  He wraps his arms around me. “Don’t thank me yet. I’m going to make sure the bodyguards are close to you all night. We’re talking just an arm’s length away.”

  I remove my arms from around his neck. “It is really necessary that they be that close? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to get kidnapped or anything. Frank is dead, and everybody seems so nice here in the village.”

  With his jaw clenched, he says, “Alexis, humor me, please. Do not fight me on this issue. I do not want to be worried about you all evening.”

  Letting out a sigh and crossing my arms over my chest, I walk over to the bed and plop on it. “Fine, I don’t want to argue with you the night before the wedding. Just so you know, I’m letting you have your way this time and this time only.”

  He tosses his head back in laughter. “Baby, are you trying to warn me? Are you actually challenging me? Because remember, I always get what I want.”

  My head whips up and I let out a laugh now. I stare directly into his eyes. Narrowing mine at him, I tilt my head to one side. “It is my turn to be perfectly clear with you. I let you have what I want you to have, and that is me, because as much as you want me, I want you more. Remember the most important quote of a married man’s life: happy wife, happy life.”

  Rising from the bed, I walk out of the room. As I make my way down the stairs, I wonder what Aiden’s expression is like. I love my husband more than my
own life, and I would do anything for him, but this marriage is going to have to be fifty/fifty.

  Back downstairs, I find Brandy. “Is everything in place for Aiden’s wedding present?”

  With a smirk, she says, “Lexie, it’s all set. Trust me, I’m good at my job.”

  I place my hands on her shoulders. “I do trust you. I just need everything to be perfect. I can’t wait to watch the look on his face when he sees it.”

  ***

  After giving my husband a sweet, passionate kiss, I join the girls, who are already in the car waiting for me. “You and my brother act like teenagers. Neither one of you can keep your hands off each other. No wonder you got pregnant so quickly.”

  We all start laughing. I rub my knuckles on my blouse, then blow them. “Hey, what can I say? The sex is amazing.”

  Brandy and Shannon start whistling and yelling. “Woohoo!”

  “Eww, I don’t want to know that about my brother.”

  “Where are you all taking me?” I ask as we drive into town. Shannon assures me that I will be very pleasantly surprised. Not really being familiar with the city, I’m not sure where we are. A sleek, modern building with no windows comes into sight. It looks completely different from all the other ones on the street. All the other buildings are stone or brick. This one seems cast from silver.

  We get out of the car. There is a line in front of the club. I read the sign, which says, ‘Il Corpo/The Body.’ Then I notice that there are only women in line. “Where did you bring me? Is this what I think it is?”

  None of them says a word. They all have evil little grins on their faces.

  “Oh my god, are you serious? Aiden is going to blow his top.”

  “Oh, come on. One last hoorah before you tie the knot.”

  “Before? Hello, I am married!”

  Brandy goes up to the doorman and he signals us to enter.