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Aidan wasn’t supposed to see me tonight, but then he’d been breaking that rule all week, so I was surprised when he stopped at my door and didn’t immediately pull me inside.
“Are you alright?” He asked, pulling me close and slipping a hand in my hair.
I let out a hard laugh. “I just want tomorrow to hurry up so there can be less time for things to go wrong.” I’d had a knot of anxiety in my stomach since we’d got on the plane.
“Nothing,” he gripped the back of my head to make sure I was looking at him. “Nothing is going to stop me marrying you tomorrow. Do you hear me?”
“Something always happens…”
“I don’t care if the world fucking explodes around us. Nothing is stopping this wedding, Cait. I promise.” He pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent.
I hoped he was right.
“Time for bed,” he said, kissing my hair and opening the door to my room.
“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping down there?” I grinned, pointing down the hall. He raised his hand, checking his watch.
“It’s already past midnight so we’ve already broken the rules.” He shrugged and shot me a devilish smile. “I promise I’ll be gone by the time you wake up, okay?”
I couldn’t help but smile back. I hadn’t been looking forward to sleeping on my own anyway.
“Fine,” I laughed, watching the flare of joy in his eyes. Then I dropped the smile. “No sex though,” I said with a completely straight face.
“Yeah, fuck that.” He grabbed the back of my thighs and lifted me, capturing my lips at the same time. I shrieked as I wound my arms around his neck so I didn’t fall.
He walked into the room, slamming the door behind us and then paced across to the bed, dropping me on the mattress.
“You and me, forever, Clover,” he said softly, pushing my dress up my thighs.
“Forever,” I agreed with a sigh… and then I was lost.
* * *
“Holy shit, this is it,” I muttered to myself as I stood in the doorway that led out to the deck. Goosebumps raced up my arms. It was cold, but thankfully dry, and the sun was desperately trying to make an appearance through the thick clouds.
I could just about hear the muted conversations of our guests, and the gentle lullaby of the piano that had been wheeled down to the pavilion from the grand living room.
As promised, Aidan had left this morning before I’d seen him and he was now waiting at the end of the aisle. Enzo was at his side in his pristine navy suit, his beard trimmed and his pale pink tie perfectly straight. Aidan jigged around, and I wasn’t sure if it was the chilly breeze or nerves that had him light on his toes.
I reached down, smoothing my hands over the lace on my fishtail skirt, making sure it wasn’t creased or rumpled anywhere. The bruise on my hip was thankfully not visible thanks to Bree’s expert coverup skills.
“Are you ready?” Bree called from behind, joining me in the doorway and passing me my bouquet. I raised it to my face, inhaling the soft, sweet aroma of the pink peonies. It had been hell to find the flowers, but they’d been my mother’s favorites, so there was no way I was walking down the aisle without them.
Bree looked amazing in a floor length, dusty rose tulle gown that draped over her curves. It had long meshy sleeves, cuffed with silk and she looked like Aphrodite.
“I guess,” I murmured, distracted by the sight of my soon-to-be-husband. Everything within me told me to sprint across the deck and tie myself to him in every way possible. My heart pulsed with the ache of being so far from him. My fingers itched to reach out and touch him. But my head… my head was a much more tangled web.
“You guess?” Bree exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me around so I could see her green eyes. “Do you not want to do this?”
I paused, my eyes flickering between my best friend and her brother, waiting for me to walk down that aisle.
“I-”
“What’s going on?”
The knot in my stomach tightened again.
“He’s hiding something from me,” I finally confessed, chewing on my bottom lip and staring at the floor to avoid the bubbling anxiety when I looked at Aidan. “He said he would tell me everything after the wedding, but I just can’t shake this feeling that something is really wrong and I’m scared.”
