by Jillian Dodd
He grabs my hand and says, “Now, please.”
And I’m thinking now what until a pathway is revealed, lit up by twinkle lights. We walk down the path, which leads us around the barn—where there’s a Ferris wheel.
“Ohmigosh, Aiden! It’s beautiful.”
“Want to go for a ride with me?”
“Uh, yeah.”
As we’re getting ready to board the first car, I notice gold scrolling letters on the pale pink paint.
Keatyn and Aiden
October 18th
We’re sorta like fate.
“Did you buy this?”
Aiden grins. “I did. It’s my wedding gift to you. I had it completely restored. Thought it would be a good addition to the farm.”
“Our kids will love it. It’s beautiful,” I say, getting on the ride.
As we approach the top, I squeeze his hand. “You know, I have to admit when I first fell for you, it was because you were so hot, Mr. Shirtless Goalie.” I pat his stomach. “You’re still pretty sexy looking, but you’re so much more than that, Aiden. You’re so wonderful to me. I’m so incredibly lucky.” I start to cry.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he says as I lean my head against his shoulder, just like the first time we rode the Ferris wheel together.
When we get to the top, it feels like time stops again.
Especially when he presses his lips into mine.
“I’ve died and gone to hottie heaven,” I say, teasing him.
“That’s because I just gave you a slow, perfect, time-stood-still, fireworks-in-your eyes kind of kiss,” he teases back.
“You’re stealing my lines.”
“There’s a reason for that,” he says, as fireworks light up the sky.
“Fireworks. You think of everything,” I tell him. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Boots.”
As we watch the fireworks, I can’t help but remember when he lit up the sky for me in a different way. When he put hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars all over my ceiling.
And I know now is the right time to tell him.
When the fireworks show is over, and the Ferris wheel starts moving again, I say, “Top of the Eiffel Tower. Top of the Ferris wheel. Top of the hill overlooking the ocean. All special places to us. Places where our lives have changed.”
“And now we’re officially hitched.”
“Always. Only. Ever.”
“Now you’re stealing my lines,” he jokes. “Just like you did the night you told me you’re pregnant.”
“And the night you proposed. I have something I need to tell you, Aiden. When I went to the doctor on Monday, they did an ultrasound because my hormone levels were off.”
Panic fills his eyes. “Is the baby alright?”
“Yes, but I found out that there’s not just one baby. There are three. We’re having triplets.”
“Triplets?” he repeats slowly.
Then he leans over the seat, causing it to rock unsteadily as he yells down to the crowd. “TRIPLETS, EVERYONE! WE’RE HAVING TRIPLETS!”
“Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Did you hear that, Ma?” Grandpa says from the car above us just as Aiden’s mother screeches, “Triplets?!”
The crowd below us murmurs with excitement over the news.
“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Holy shit, Aiden! You just told the world I’m pregnant!”
He pulls me close and kisses me again, leaving me breathless and not caring about anything other than his lips.
“When Inga read your palm during high school, she was wrong,” he says.
“She told me I’d have twins, then two single pregnancies. Very close together.”
“Twin boys, a girl, and then another boy.”
“Maybe the triplets are two boys and a girl. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
“As long as they’re healthy,” he says, sliding his hand across my belly in wonder and shaking his head in disbelief. “Triplets.”
Asher Vineyards — Wedding
RILEY
“Triplets,” I say to Dallas, shaking my head. “How crazy is that?”
“It’s pretty crazy,” Ariela says from behind me.
I turn around and face her. “The wedding has been incredible. You did an amazing job. Keatyn couldn’t be happier.”
“And what about you?”
“Logan told me that making this wedding perfect wasn’t just for Keatyn—that you wanted to show all of us that you were sorry.”
“Mostly you,” she says softly. “My duties are officially done for the night. Would you like to dance, Riley?”
“I would,” I reply, pulling her into my arms and swaying to the music.
“So tonight’s supposed to be the big night,” she says, looking grim. “But I meant what I said about us not needing to decide anything yet.”
“Let’s go talk somewhere in private,” I say, leading her off the dance floor and stopping to grab some champagne on the way to my room.
After popping the bottle and pouring us each a glass, I get to the matter at hand.
“Explain why you didn’t send me the letter. I need to understand why you didn’t fight for us.”
She sits on the bed, crossing her legs into a pretzel, just like she used to when we would sit on my bed and talk and kiss for hours at a time in high school.
“I cried most of the way home. As we were pulling into our driveway, my dad finally spoke. He asked me if I told you. I said yes, and that’s when I noticed I was still clutching the note in my hand. I told my dad that I had written you a letter but forgot to give it to you, so he asked what I was going to do with it. If I would send it. I checked my phone for the millionth time, but upon seeing nothing from you, I told him that I didn’t know what I was going to do, but that I was surprised you hadn’t called or texted me. My dad smiled and said that the reason you hadn’t is because he was right. That you didn’t care about me. I decided I would keep the note on my desk for three days, and if I hadn’t heard from you, I would throw it away and try to forget about you.”
“But you didn’t,” I state.
“No, I couldn’t do either. That’s what I don’t think you understand, Riley. You weren’t the only one who was devastated.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have given up. I should have called and texted and stalked your house.”
“I kept praying for some kind of sign. What I should have been praying for was strength. I should have been strong enough to call you myself. I just want you to know how sorry I am. I was young, and scared, and foolish then, but I’m not anymore. I want to be with you, Riley. And I’m not afraid to say it. I still love you.”
I reach out and touch her cheek, caressing it. “And I still love you.”
“It’s not going to be easy, Riley. I still have to get a divorce. But I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”
“I don’t want that,” I tell her, causing a frown to form.
“I see,” she says softly, looking ready to burst into tears.
“I want us on a level playing field, Ariela. We were supposed to decide today if we want to go forward. If we want to date. What do you want?”
“You, Riley. Just you. Actually, that’s not true. I want to marry you, have babies with you, and love you until you’re old and gray.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, too,” I say as her lips land on mine. “And I think it’s about time we let ourselves be happy.”
She hugs me and then rests her head on my shoulder, causing me to feel like I’ve stepped back in time.
“I want to be happy,” she says.
“You know, maybe it wasn’t meant to be back then. Over the last ten years, I’ve worked long crazy hours to make the company what it is. I gave it my life. Now we’re selling it and I can now reap the rewards. I’m getting my life back. And I want to spend that life with you, Kitty.”
“I want that too,” she says, pushing her
lips against mine and ripping off my clothing as quickly as she can.
We’re naked, lying on the bed, making love when my phone rings.
And then rings again.
And again.
“Uh, I better check that,” I say, reluctantly pulling out.
“Who is it?” she asks as I look at my phone.
“Shelby. I’m going to call her back.”
Ariela frowns but nods in agreement as I make the call.
“Riley!” Shelby cries into my ear. “I was robbed. Mugged! A man put a gun to my head and told me to give him my new Fendi baguette. I told him no, so he punched me in the stomach and took it anyway. Now I’m having cramps, and I’m afraid I’m going to lose our baby, Riley. I don’t know what to do. Please, don’t make me go through this alone. Please come home.”
Even though the girl of my dreams is lying naked in front of me, I know I’m being pulled in a different direction. My child’s mother needs me.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” I tell Shelby, grabbing my clothes and quickly getting dressed.
“Where are you going? What’s wrong?” Ariela asks.
“Shelby got mugged. Punched in the stomach. She’s cramping.”
“Is she in the hospital?”
“I don’t know. I think she’s at the hotel.”
“Riley, it’s not unusual for pregnant women to cramp from time to time. And honestly, if she’s cramping and losing the baby, there isn’t much you can do about it. Why don’t you stay the night and go home in the morning?”
“The mother of my child was fucking mugged, Ariela. Sorry, but I have to go.”
Asher Vineyards — Sonoma County
ARIELA
The beautiful and meaningful wedding I planned for Keatyn and Aiden in under three weeks was perfection. In every event I have ever done, there is always some kind of crisis—the officiant gets stuck in traffic, the cake gets cracked, the bride’s dress won’t zip, there’s a bird in the ballroom, the best man faints at the altar, a guest has too much to drink. I even had one event that was interrupted by near hurricane-force winds. But not this wedding. It was flawless. The pinnacle of my career.
Soon I’ll be helping Asher Vineyards develop the perfect on-site wedding venue as well as planning events for many of tonight’s guests, but for now, I’m going to bask in the beauty of it.
As Aiden surprises Keatyn with a vintage Ferris wheel that he bought and refurbished just for their wedding, I tick off the last box on my massive To Do list for tonight then find Riley in the crowd just as Aiden yells out, “TRIPLETS, EVERYONE! WE’RE HAVING TRIPLETS!”
Everyone cheers. Based on the look on Keatyn’s face, I’m pretty sure Aiden totally just let the cat out of the bag, and I doubt she was ready for the world to know. I smile, though, happy for them.
“Triplets,” Riley says to Dallas, shaking his head. “How crazy is that?”
“It’s pretty crazy,” I say from behind him.
He turns around, a grin on his face. As the best man, he’s wearing a classic black tuxedo and looks ridiculously handsome. “The wedding has been incredible. You did an amazing job,” he says. “Keatyn couldn’t be happier.”
“And what about you?” I dare to ask.
“Logan told me that making this wedding perfect wasn’t just for Keatyn—that you wanted to show all of us that you were sorry.”
“Mostly you,” I say softly. “So, my duties are officially done for the night,” It’s well after midnight. “Would you like to dance, Riley?”
“I would,” he replies, pulling me into his arms and swaying to the music.
“So tonight’s supposed to be the big night,” I say, my stomach suddenly filled with butterflies. After going to Eastbrooke’s Homecoming last weekend, I thought we’d put the past behind us. But I gave him the note. The note I was supposed to have given him on graduation day that explained what I had to do. Why I had to go to Princeton and not come to California with him. I thought if he read it, he would understand my decision back then. But all it did was piss him off. I know I can’t push things with him. I have to earn back his trust. “But I meant what I said about us not needing to decide anything yet.”
“Let’s go talk somewhere in private.” He leads me off the dance floor, stopping to grab some champagne on the way to his room.
If he were going to tell me to get the hell out of his life, I don’t think he’d bring champagne, and for the first time tonight I relax.
He pops the bottle and pours us each a glass. “Explain why you didn’t send me the letter. I need to understand why you didn’t fight for us.”
I take a seat on the bed and take a deep breath, not wanting to relive what was the worst day of my life again, but knowing I have to for him. “I cried most of the way home. As we were pulling into our driveway, my dad finally spoke. He asked me if I told you. I said yes, and that’s when I noticed I was still clutching the note in my hand. I told my dad that I had written you a letter but forgot to give it to you, so he asked what I was going to do with it. If I would send it. I checked my phone for the millionth time, but upon seeing nothing from you, I told him that I didn’t know what I was going to do, but that I was surprised you hadn’t called me. My dad smiled and said that the reason you hadn’t is because he was right. That you didn’t care about me. I decided I would keep the note on my desk for three days, and if I hadn’t heard from you, I would throw it away and try to forget about you.”
“But you didn’t,” he says softly.
“No, I couldn’t do either. That’s what I don’t think you understand, Riley. You weren’t the only one who was devastated.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have given up. I should have called, and texted, and stalked your house.”
“I kept praying for some kind of sign. What I should have been praying for was strength. I should have been strong enough to call you myself. I just want you to know how sorry I am. I was young, and scared, and foolish then, but I’m not anymore. I want to be with you, Riley. And I’m not afraid to say it. I still love you.”
He caresses my cheek. “And I still love you.”
My heart feels like it’s doing flips in my chest. He still loves me. But I know the path to our happily ever after won’t be easy. We aren’t kids anymore. Our lives are messy. “It’s not going to be easy, Riley. I still have to get a divorce. But I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”
“I don’t want that,” he says, bursting my bubble.
“I see,” I say, trying to hold back the tears.
“I want us on a level playing field, Ariela. We were supposed to decide today if we want to go forward. If we want to date. What do you want?”
“You, Riley. Just you. Actually, that’s not true. I want to marry you, have babies with you, and love you until you’re old and gray.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted, too,” he says, kissing me. “And I think it’s about time we let ourselves be happy.”
I cling to him tightly, barely believing after all this time, after all the hurt, all the pain, that I could be so lucky. “I want to be happy,” I mutter out, resting my head on his shoulder.
“You know, maybe it wasn’t meant to be back then. Over the last ten years, I’ve worked crazy long hours to make the company what it is. I gave it my life. Now we’re selling it, and I can reap the rewards. I’m getting my life back. And I want to spend that life with you, kitty.”
“I want that, too.” His words are all I’ve ever wanted to hear, and they cause me to be overcome with desire. I quickly rip off our clothes, wanting nothing more than him inside me.
The world disappears, and there is only us, desperate with need, consumed by passion, filled with emotion, our bodies engaged in fervent lovemaking.
My breathing speeds up, pleasure practically coursing through my veins—Ring.
I ignore the sound of his phone. I’m so close—Ring.
Just one more exquisite
thrust and I’ll—Ring.
“Uh, I better check that,” Riley says, pulling out and leaving me feeling empty.
“Who is it?” I ask as he looks at his phone.
“Shelby. I’m going to call her back.” I want to say are you fucking kidding me, but I don’t. I need to respect the fact that Riley is trying to do the right thing regarding her. But couldn’t it wait?
He makes the call, and I hear her screechy voice but can’t understand what she says.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” Riley says to her, grabbing his clothes off the floor and quickly getting dressed. Wait. What? He’s leaving? Me. Here. Naked?
“Where are you going? What’s wrong?”
“Shelby got mugged. Punched in the stomach. She’s cramping.”
“Is she in the hospital?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I think she’s at the hotel.”
“Riley, it’s not unusual for pregnant women to cramp from time to time. And honestly, if she’s cramping and losing the baby, there isn’t much you can do about it. Why don’t you stay the night and go home in the morning?” Please. Please stay with me.
“The mother of my child was fucking mugged, Ariela. Sorry, but I have to go.”
I make a snap decision, jumping out of bed and throwing on my clothes. In the past, I might have let him leave and sat here and cried about how fate can be so cruel, but not anymore. I’m fighting for my man. “Fine, but I’m going with you.”
“You don’t need to,” he says. “I’ll deal with it.”
“Riley, I told you I would love your baby, too. I meant it.”
“Really?” he says, pulling me into his arms and looking deep into my eyes.
“Absolutely,” I reply confidently, because there’s no fucking way I’m going to let Shelby get in the way of our happiness. Not when it’s so close.
Shelby’s Bungalow - Sunset Boulevard
RILEY
“Shelby, this is Ariela. Ariela, Shelby,” I say awkwardly a few hours later when Shelby meets us at the door, but then I get to the heart of the matter. The reason I rushed here. “Are you okay? Are you still cramping? Did you call a doctor?”
