by Holly Rayner
burn. But we could hear the sweet sounds of Eric’s breathing on the baby monitor and after we lay there in each other’s arms for a few minutes, Aiden said, “I need to go check on the steaks.”
“No,” I said, snuggling into him tighter, “Don’t go….”
“I don’t want to go, but you don’t want shoe leather for dinner do you?”
“I don’t care. I’ll eat shoe vinyl…”
He laughed and said, “We can do this again tonight, all night…and tomorrow morning, and tomorrow at nap time…”
“Mm sounds amazing,” I told him, “Go, go check on the steaks. I’ll try and survive without you.” I feigned a swoon with my arm across my face. I felt his weight shift on the bed and then he bent down and kissed my arm. It was a sweet, sensual move. When he was gone, I reluctantly got up and dressed. Eric woke up before dinner was finished and by the time I changed him and he and I got out to the patio, Aiden had dinner on the table, even Eric’s dinner. He had made it all himself from scratch. My heart felt like it was going to burst with the love I was feeling for him. How many billionaires actually cooked dinner for their wife and kids?
Dinner was delicious and with it we each had a glass of sweet wine that Aiden had brought off the yacht. It was from France he said, and the best wine that I had personally ever tasted.
After we had all finished eating, we took a walk on the beach, hand in hand. Eric toddled along and we all made frequent stops for him to inspect or discover one thing or another along the way. Aiden had thought ahead to bring a bucket so that we had something to carry all of Eric’s finds in back to the bungalow. It was a perfect family afternoon. I couldn’t imagine anything better.
Aiden and I made love again that night and fell asleep in each other’s arms. The next morning I woke up to the smell of cinnamon rolls. Aiden was gone and when I made it out to the kitchen I found Eric in his high chair covered in cinnamon icing and Aiden taking another batch of rolls out of the oven.
“You made cinnamon rolls?”
“Not from scratch,” he admitted with a grin. “I had them stocked in the freezer. But I cooked them to the perfect temperature and iced them when they cooled.”
“That’s the hardest part,” I said with a grin.
“Damn straight it is,” he said with a grin of his own.
After breakfast Aiden said, “There’s something that I have to do. I may be gone a while, will you trust me that this is about us and I’m not taking off on you to work or anything sinister like that?”
I laughed, “I’ll do my best to keep an open mind.”
He kissed us before he left and then as he was going out the door he said, “Oh yeah, I left yours and Eric’s clothes for this afternoon’s activity out on the bed for you, but promise me you won’t look in the garment bag until I get back, okay?”
“This afternoon’s activities?” I said. I had to laugh at that. He sounded like an activities director.
“Trust me, you’ll love it,” he said. “I love you; I’ll see you in a bit.”
Eric and I got dressed after he left. I have to admit that I was really curious about the black garment bag that was lying on the bed. But, I had promised him so I didn’t look. I took the baby out to the beach and he and I played in the sand and the surf until it was time for lunch and a nap. Not long after Eric got up, Aiden returned from whatever mission he had been on.
“Okay, are you two ready to dress up pretty and go on an adventure with Daddy?”
“We are dying to see what you have planned for us,” I told him. “It’s all Eric has talked about.”
He laughed and looked at his son, “Well, you’ll just have to wait a few minutes later little man. Go with your Mama and get dressed, our chariot is waiting.”
I shrugged and Eric seemed to be playing along with a confused look of his own. We went into the bedroom and when I unzipped the wardrobe, I nearly fell on the floor. It was my wedding dress and veil. My shoes were even there and in a shoe box next to the bed were my white flip flops and a gorgeous fresh orchid bouquet.
Eric’s suit was new, but the same color as he’d worn at the wedding. He’d long since outgrown that one. I dressed him first and then took him out to his father. Aiden was dressed in what he wore for our wedding, a handsome tailored suit with an orchid buttoner.
“Wow little man, you’re going to outshine the groom,” he said to Eric.
“What is this? What are we doing?”
“We’re renewing our vows. I want to re-promise you that this is all for better or worse and for richer or poorer until death does us part.”
“This is so…Thank you for doing all this, it’s so romantic,” I told him.
We shared a kiss and then I went to get ready. I curled my hair and put on my make-up in record time. I was so excited. When I was ready, Aiden picked up Eric and took my hand. Outside, just like the day we’d gotten married almost two years before was a white carriage covered with big, colorful tropical flowers and being pulled by a big, white horse. Eric was fascinated by the horse and Aiden took the time to let the baby pet him and talk to him before they got into the carriage.
We were taken to the spot where we’d gotten married the first time. There were no chairs set up, but a beautiful altar had been erected and covered with flowers and we found the minister who had married us as well as two of the staff who worked for Aiden on the yacht who were there as witnesses.
I was stunned, pleased and delighted and a whole gamut of other emotions. I was especially surprised when we got to the part where Aiden and I had said our vows before. I still had mine memorized, so I said the same ones. Aiden said his then and surprising me further he went on to say, “On our wedding day, I said those particular vows, and I meant them. I never meant to break even so much as one of them. Because that day, I loved you more than I’d ever loved another living being. I thought that was going to be enough to keep me from doing anything that would hurt you. I was wrong about that though. I forgot to factor in the part about being human and making mistakes. You never forgot that though. You’ve accepted my mistakes over and over and you’ve opened up your huge heart and you’ve forgiven me no matter how many times in the past year and a half that I have tested those vows.
In that short time, you have taught me that in love, there is forgiveness and there is something new to learn every day out of every situation. I want to thank you for that and I want to promise you that as we grow together and I learn more about how to be a husband and a man, that I will make less mistakes and you will have less to forgive. I want today to be our fresh start. I vow to you no lies, no secrets, and to never ever give you a reason to believe that you don’t own my heart now and forever…because you do and you always will. Today I reaffirm my love for you.” He turned to Eric then and with a proud smile he said, “And to you too.”
My eyes were brimming with emotion as Aiden pulled me in for a heartfelt kiss. The past year had at times pushed me to my absolute limit, but being on that beautiful beach with my husband, and our son by our side, I knew that things would only get better from here. We could finally start again. Hopefully, in time, Aiden would be able to move on from the pain of his past and maybe even begin to heal those old wounds and build a friendship with Jake again. Regardless, I know for certain where Aiden’s heart and loyalty lie and I am determined not to let anything come between me and my family, ever again…
