Page 54 of Into The Light

“Did you save room for cake?” I pulled the piece of cake from where they’d hidden it beneath the table.

“Is that Boston Crème Pie?” Her eyes grew as wide as the small plate.

“I heard it’s your favorite.”

“You have no idea. You haven’t lived until you’ve devoured an entire Boston Crème Pie in one sitting!”

“So, you have room?”

A child-like smile stretched across her face. “There is always room for cake. But we may need to go back to Barneys and get me some fancy sweatpants.”

Her clever wit made me chuckle. “Then cake it is.” I pulled out the small pink candle from my pocket and tipped it into the flame dancing on the table. The little wick sizzled before lighting up. After pressing it into the cake, I passed it across the table. “Make a wish.”

Emilia closed her eyes and then blew, the little flame dissipating into a puff of smoke that drifted up into the dark night sky.

“What did you wish for?” I asked while she took the cake.

She flashed me a staying look and a smile. “I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”

“We don’t want that now, do we.” I sat back and watched her devour the little dessert, again taken by how much joy the taste of it brought her. Her moan reverberated in every cell of my body, setting them all on fire. I’d never had chocolate before and couldn’t even imagine what it resembled.

“Aiden,” she said, scraping the last bit of chocolate off the plate, “tonight has been more than I could imagine. More than anyone could imagine. I... I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

“There’s one more surprise for you.”

“There’s more?” she said, the chocolate-covered fork still wedged in her mouth, mumbling her words.

I chuckled. “There’s more. Are you ready?”

She licked the last bit of chocolate from her fork and set it back on the plate. Moving to her side, I took her hand and lifted her from her chair. Together we walked arm in arm across the glowing bridge back to where the carriage awaited. Cyrus would be waiting for us back at the limo to whisk us away to her final birthday surprise... and the one I was most excited about.

CHAPTER TEN

Emilia

“We’re here,” Aiden said, startling me from my trance induced by the bright lights and activity that still lit up the city even though it approached midnight. Everything about this place was incredible... the fact that Aiden had given me my very own Cinderella evening made it even more special. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined such an amazing birthday. To say his thoughtfulness made up for all the non-existent celebrations before would be the understatement of the century.

I turned to look at him. That impossibly perfect face still glowed with the same excitement he had worn on it all evening. Secrets and surprises still danced behind his eyes, and I knew from the glint of mischief in them that this part of my birthday excited him the most. I didn’t dare even try to imagine what he had in store for me next.

Cyrus opened the door, and I squinted against the marquee lights illuminating everything around us.

“Miss Charles,” he said, offering me his hand. I clutched my new Birkin bag against my chest and scooted along the leather seat to climb out beside him. Aiden followed just behind and soon the two of us stood beneath the giant building towering over us.

“Are we at Madison Square Garden?” I asked. The thumping of the music from within caused me to raise my voice while I tipped my head back to take in the building glowing with colored lights.

“You are correct.” Aiden flashed me his most charming smile.

“Text when you’re ready for pickup,” Cyrus said before sliding back into the driver’s seat and pulling away.

“Is it a concert?” I listened closer to see if I recognized the band.

“It’s a benefit concert featuring some of the country’s top bands. It’s been going on all night, but there are still two acts left. There is one I am most excited to see.”

I had a hard time picturing Aiden fist-pumping at a concert, but the delight in his smile told me he was ecstatic about this next stage of my birthday surprise. “Sounds great. Who are the bands?”

Mischief flickered through his eyes. “That’s the fun part.”

He placed his hand on my lower back and guided me around the corner. I looked up to see a sign with the band names, impressed by the talent listed as I read. “Wow! Kings of Leon, Imagine Dragons, Thirty Seconds to Mars...” My voice trailed off as I saw the next name on the impressive list. “Is that my ex-husband’s band?” I gulped.