Chapter Forty-one

Kenna

Maybe, just maybe, I was too happy to begin with. The love that Aidan has been giving me is worth more than put into words and because of that, I truly believe in our own happy ending. Even though there isn't a happy ending in reality but only in fantasy yet I choose to believe and look forward to the kind of ending where Aidan and I get to share a kiss underneath the moonlight or even more like The Notebook where we get to kiss under the rain.

It has crossed my mind for me to make a new list. Something not on my own but with Aidan that we can fulfil it together, more like a list to complete the journey of our life and our marriage. After everything we've been through, I think it's fair to say that my life isn't everything without the appearance and presence of my twenty-two years best friend.

Like I said . . . being truly and fully happy has made me forget about the whole reality of the world, of what's happening in the East or even in the West which makes no sense. Aidan make me forget those things, no matter how important they tend to be, no matter how much value they mean to everyone else because he makes me focus onto my own path while being aware of my surroundings and somewhat the people around me.

We've been married for two years and a half now and our friendship is only growing stronger with every passing year which makes me believe into what I call 'fairy tale'. Not only does my friendship with Aidan keeps on growing stronger but also my friendship with Dimitri. There's nothing else that matters to me other than Aidan, my family which includes his and of course, Dimitri and yes . . . my career.

So, I guess there's only a few left of us in this.

''Wake up, we're going to be late!'' I exclaim before running around the room as I try to look for my phone that has somehow went missing as Aidan continues to snuggle with the sheets still wrapped around his body.

My eyes widen at the sight of him, wanting to rip his boxer off and just push him into the shower so he can finally get ready but I hold myself back by pulling the sheets away from his body. ''Aidan Gabriel Ashton, you're going to be late for your sister's wedding if you don't wake up in this instant!'' I say, clenching my fists.

Both of his droopy brown eyes open as they look at me, ''What is wrong with you?''

''What is wrong with me? What is wrong with me?!'' I mentally smack my own head, ''You have less than an hour to get ready. You're your sister's groomsman or flower boy, whatever you want to call it and she would be upset if you show up late.''

Aidan starts to lean on his back, only to realise that he has been sleeping on a red rose for the past few hours which causes him to grab it before eyeing it for a few short seconds as he continues to watch me running around the room for my phone. ''Aidan, can you please get up and take a shower. You're stressing me out,'' I breathe.

Within seconds, I find him slowly getting off the bed as he starts to make his way towards me, both of his hands placed on my hips before he leans in to kiss me on the lips. The softness of his lips has never failed to intrigued me into something more and by far has been magic, ''What's wrong? You're tense,'' He replies as he kisses down my neck.

''I can't find my phone,'' I mutter.

''You mean this?'' He reaches down to the comforter to find my phone being hidden. Both of my eyes widen at the sight of my phone—not exactly expecting to find it on the bed and hidden underneath the comforter.

My body relaxes at the touch of his hands running down my arms and with his lips slowly giving me kisses down and my neck and near my collarbone, ''It's not good for the baby if you're stressing out. Relax, love . . . breathe,'' He whispers near my ear as one of his hand travels down to my small baby bump, not even big enough to be seen with clothes on.

''I'm breathing . . . I'm breathing and I will not be stressing out if you're already taking a shower right now,'' I reply with my eyes piercing into his which causes him to smile down at me. ''You're smiling, why are you smiling? You shouldn't be smiling, you should be in the shower and getting ready.'' I add.

He caresses the side of my face, ''Relax.''

''I'm relaxed,'' I fake a wide smile, causing him to laugh.

''Okay . . . I'm getting in the bathroom to take a shower. Just give me about forty-five minutes and I'll be standing in front of you in my suit and tie with my hair perfectly managed and my face handsomely made.'' He replies before leaning in to kiss my lips, leaving me to smile at the way he has been lately due to my pregnancy.

Not only has he been passionate or caring when I started getting pregnant but ever since he woke up from his coma . . . he has been different, good different. He remembers everything that we've done in the past when we were kids, teenagers and even up till now—he would sometimes remind me of what I've forgotten and it has made our relationship stronger. It's just that when we found out that I was pregnant, he has becoming more and more passionate.

Yet, the memory of me telling him is still fresh, a week ago:

''Are you busy?'' I lean near his doorstep to find him glancing up at my direction, his hands moving away from his laptop before shaking his head. ''Are you . . . really, really not busy because I want to talk,'' I add, causing him to freeze for a few short seconds.

''I'm not busy. We can talk,'' He replies.

Just like that, he starts to take off his glasses and place it on his desk as I make my way inside his office and straight towards him—my body slightly nervous with this current situation as he starts to eye me up and down, trying to find the flaw somewhere. The words 'we need to talk' or 'I want to talk' or 'we have to talk' are quite scary if the person means a lot.

''What's wrong, Kenna? Did I do something wrong? Is there anything wrong with us that I did not realise?'' He asks, his brows frowning in confusion before standing up, standing in front of me as he starts to reach out for my hands. ''Tell me . . . tell me what's wrong,'' He adds.

''I've been doing a lot of thinking about us and about our future. Things will change in the upcoming weeks and I want to know what do you expect from our marriage,'' I reply with my lips slowly curving up into a smile as he continues to stare at me in confusion, his thoughts probably running wild of trying to figure this whole thing out.

I don't simply want to tell him like 'I'm pregnant' and not hear any point of view from him, only to force him into a certain situation where he's forced to be in this with me. We've talked about how babies are cute and children are a blessing to the world and even to the parents, I've seen Aidan treat Ava and Leo—Mia and Tony's boy with care and love. I see how he looks at them with light glistening in his eyes yet I still wonder if he ever want one of his own.

He clears his throat, ''You're asking if I see something in our future?''

''Yeah, sort of. When you think of me and what we have, what do you see? If you look at other people who are also in a relationship, what do you think? Do you get envious? Do you feel like you want to have what they don't have?'' I continue to ask, trying to solve the hints.

With his hands still gripping tightly onto mine, I find him leaning back on his desk before taking a seat, pulling me closer towards him as I stand in between his legs. ''When I look at you, I see the woman that I love. My best friend, my wife and my lover—you're the one that completes me in every single way that I lack . . . when I look at other people in a relationship, I think that I have more than what they have which answers to your other questions.'' He replies, his eyes looking deeply into mine as if he's trying to ensure me.

''I don't understand, Kenna. What is it that's in your mind?'' He raises an eyebrow, taking one of my hand and place it on his chest near his heart.

Without even thinking, I place his the palm of his hand on my flat stomach which causes his frown to grow as he looks down at my stomach and up to my face but everything crushes down as soon as I realise that he doesn't seem to understand a single thing. ''Do you have a stomach ache? Are you on your period?'' The next couple of questions that has escaped his lips, ends up making me laugh.

''Do you want to have kids, Aidan?'' I ask, straight forwardly.

The way his pupils dilate at the word 'kids' has somehow ensured me of the possibility. My heart is somehow 'jumping' up in joy at how his grip softens, ''Yes, I do want to have kids. Is that question has been bothering you? You do know that I love Ava and Leo, which means more than just me liking my niece and nephew, right?'' He continues.

''I mean, do you see yourself with one?'' I keep on asking, trying to make sure that I get the answer that I need.

He chuckles softly, ''Yeah, I see myself with one or more if it's with you—''

I cut him off, ''—generally speaking, Aidan . . . do you see yourself as a dad? Do you see yourself having kids to take care of and unintentionally end up wasting your youth? Do you see yourself waking up in the morning to change their diapers or sing them to sleep?'' I say, as I start to grow impatient, wanting an instant and clear answer instead of something blunt.

After staying quiet for a couple of seconds, ''Yes. I do see myself as a dad, I see myself having kids to take care of and unintentionally end up wasting my youth, I see myself waking up in the morning to change their diapers and I see myself singing them to sleep. At the end of the day, I see myself having kids with you. I see myself experience it with you,'' He lifts my chin up.

''So, Kenna . . . the answer to your questions is yes. Now, tell me, what's wrong? Why is this suddenly bothering you?'' He asks.

I breathe out, ''Because I'm pregnant.''

Just as I expected, he would be frozen at his spot. Rigid. The way his body tenses for a short couple of seconds as both of his hands loosen its grip around my own causes me to look deeply into his brown eyes and search for some kind of escape if he ever needs one but what I find is his lips curving up into a smile as his arms begin to wrap around my waist.

''When did you find out?'' He asks, one hand on my stomach which spreads warmth all over my body, letting me relax.

''A couple of days ago. I was late and I started to have the symptoms. It just occurred to me but I was scared if you didn't want the baby,'' I reply with my hands placing on his shoulders as he keeps on holding me close, letting me lean forward towards his body.

He frowns, ''Why wouldn't I want the baby? It's our baby,''

''I don't know—you're you!'' I groan, ''You're busy and I'm busy. I was just scared if you would want something else other than a baby in the nearest future and having a baby would just disappoint you or make your life harder. I was just so scared of what you might think,'' I add.

A deep sigh escapes his lips, ''Kenna, you've known me for twenty-two years, now. You have got to believe me when I say that I love you and you've got to trust me just as much as I trust you in everything. You're mine and I'm yours till the end of time, till our last breaths, what makes you think I'd pass the opportunity to have a beautiful baby with you? We've been married for two years now and it might seem a little bit early for some couples out there but we've known each other long enough to go through this. That's not even the matter,'' He stops.

''My point is . . . you don't have to doubt me. We're best friends, we're husband and wife, we're supposed to go through this stage. I will love our baby just as much as I love you,'' He adds before slowly leaning in to kiss my forehead, ''Thank you. Thank you for everything,'' His right hand cups onto my face as he leans in, meeting my lips with his.

My eyes wander back to my Aidan who is currently standing in front of the mirror as he eyes himself, trying to make sure that he looks extremely presentable for his sister's wedding. The way he is standing in great posture, well-managed hair and even well-made face, I can't help but let my lips curve up into a smile and remind myself of how I lucky I am.

''Look at you. You're so sexy,'' I wink at him which causes him to grin.

He starts to make his way towards me before wrapping his arms around my waist, ''Am I making you go weak on your knees?'' His lips curve up into a seductive smile, leaving me laughing at the way his soft lips meet my earlobe. ''That's weird . . . you weren't ticklish there before?'' He raises an eyebrow, leaning back.

''The baby's probably ticklish there,'' I shrug, pretending to even agree with my sudden statement.

''That makes no sense. You're carrying an embryo that's generating about one hundred new brain cells each minute,'' He replies with a slight frown but he continues to hold me close without showing any signs of letting me go even though we both know that the clock is ticking and for sure, we're going to be late if we don't walk out of the resort now and head straight to the location.

I smile, ''Looks like someone has done his research.''

To our surprise, the sound of someone knocking onto the door causes him to immediately make his way towards it, leaving me to trail behind him. As soon as he pulls the door open, he starts to reveal Alain who seems slightly annoyed with his hair being blown by the wind and his brows turning into a frown, ''Oh for god's sake, Aidan. You've made me walk the entire Spain to get here. You should be punctual,'' He rolls his eyes.

''Stop being dramatic. We were just caught up in time,'' He replies before grabbing onto my hand, letting me step out—feeling the wind starting to blow onto my face as I fix my dress. Then, he starts to place his hand at the back of my waist as we both walk down the pavement towards where the wedding is held.

As soon as we've reached the location, Aidan gestures for me take a seat near Diana and Harley as Aidan and Alain goes straight to Mia; leaving me to clear my throat. Just as I'm about to check my phone, Diana has already turned towards me. ''How are you feeling? I hope that your flight last night did not give you any unbearable symptoms,'' She says.

''No, not at all. I'm doing just fine,'' I smile.

''Anything new planned for the baby? The nursery? What about the checkups? Has Aidan said anything?'' She starts to ask questions which causes me to blink a few times, gazing around to find Aidan's figure while I'm trapped here with my mother-in-law who seems a little bit obsessed about my pregnancy.

Just as I'm about to say something, the cello and the piano starts to play which leaves me to smile mentally, turning my head to find Alain walking down the aisle with a flower in his hand, somehow making a face to show how he's forced to do that which causes the guests to laugh as Aidan trails behind him—to me, they appear to be some sort of supermodel walking down a fashion show and that's something intriguing.

Aidan gazes into my eyes before winking as he smiles, leaving me smiling back at him; watching him stand at the exact spot beside Alain. Everyone starts to mutter under their breaths at the sight of Mia walking down the aisle with Marc accompanying her, causing everyone to say how beautiful and perfect she looks in which I choose to agree.

Everything about their wedding seems to remind me of when Aidan and I got married. The way Tony smiles as he continues to look into Mia's eyes as they recite their vows and how they start to exchange rings before kissing each other, it appears to be something beautiful to me. I've never paid much attention to people getting married or weddings before but for some reason, the two people standing in front of me is by far making it very beautiful.

It takes me awhile to realise that Aidan has already grabbed onto my hand, ''You okay?''

I nod my head before smiling. Then, we start to walk towards where the reception is held—greeted by the classical musics playing in the background as the sky darkens. Mia and Tony standing in the middle of the dance floor as they begin to have their first dance while Aidan and I sit on our assigned seats.

''What's wrong?'' He asks, leaning closer.

I turn towards him, ''They remind me so much of us when we got married. Did you look at me like that before we even fell in love with each other? Because, when you were in a coma, I looked through our wedding pictures and I saw how you were always smiling as you kept on gazing down at me. I think it was the most romantic thing,'' I reply.

''Aha, it has been two years since that and you're only telling me it, now?'' His cheeks redden before he starts to raise an eyebrow, leaving me smiling. ''I want to tell you something. Something that I've been keeping for awhile because I thought it was best if I knew alone,'' He adds, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

''What is it?''

''Remember when we kissed after we said our vows?'' He asks, making me nod. ''Well, when we kissed . . . I felt something and you might think I'm being stupid but it's true. I felt like some sort of electricity overflowing in my veins when our lips touched,'' He continues to speak, ''Did you feel that, too?'' He asks.

''You felt that when we got married?'' I ask, not quite believing.

''I was probably hallucinating, okay? It was weird but it felt nice,'' He replies. ''It doesn't matter now, anyway. We're both here, in love with each other after spending the first few months being somewhat stupid with our marriage.'' We both laugh softly at the end, leaving him to stare down at my face.

''Join the bride and groom, everyone!'' The DJ says, causing the whole family to stand up and make their way towards the dance floor—also, causing Aidan to pull me up, making me walk with him before he starts to slowly place his hand on my waist and the other lifting my hand up as we both stand close, our foreheads resting on one another.

The song starts off slow, letting everyone enjoy the moment. As for Aidan and I, we start to move to the rhythm with my left hand on his shoulder and the other holding tightly onto his. My lips continue to curve up into a smile, reminding back of the exact moment almost three years ago.

''I love you,'' He whispers near my ear.

I lean back to look into his brown eyes, seeing them staring back at me with hope and love. The way his holds his gaze down, it's somehow leaving me be thankful of what I have, of him. ''I love you, more.'' I reply, smiling. ''You know . . . you need to have an extra love for someone new soon,'' I chuckle.

He laughs, ''I'm already loving him with all of my heart. Believe me when I say this, you two will be my main priority—I can swear that, Kenna. There's nothing in the world that matters most to me than you and our baby,'' He kisses onto my forehead, long.

''Him? Why are you so sure that we're going to have a boy?'' I raise an eyebrow, leaving him to grin down at me.

With his hand gripping tightly onto mine, he starts to twirl me around which causes my smile to grow wider. Then, I come back close towards his body before feeling him leaning his face near mine, ''I just know . . . that maybe, we're going to have a boy.'' He replies.

''What if we end up having a girl?'' I ask.

''If we end up having a girl, I know that she's going to be the most beautiful baby girl in the world. She will have your beautiful bright blue eyes, small little nose and full perky lips. Then, she will be exactly like you—funny, brave, intelligent . . . perfect in every way possible. Not just that, she will be loved for the rest of my life and she will get whatever she wants in the world,'' He answers with his eyes staring deeply into mine. ''But, baby . . . he or she will be loved by me in every way possible with all of my heart.''

Just like that, he places one hand down on my stomach, still flat from being only seven weeks far but Aidan has somehow made it as a habit to always lean closer towards the baby bump, even though it's not yet showing much but he enjoys that. Then, he'd spend his time placing both of his hands, somehow spreading the love he has with his fingers.

''Look at that,'' He grips my dress to the back, causing it to cling onto my stomach—revealing a small bump for display.

''I'm going to get fat and heavy and just annoying. You're probably going to lock me in the basement soon enough when I'm around twenty weeks,'' I joke which causes him to laugh as he starts to think, leaving me to lightly slap onto his arm; instantly making him pull me close.

''You can get fat. You can get heavy and fucking annoying but I'm going to love you in every way, Kenna. Remember that I'm not standing here as your husband and in love with you because of your looks but because of who you are. So, what if you gain a few pounds? What if you end up heavier than now or much more annoying than you already are? I don't mind because I'm always going to be here for the best and worst version of you,'' He replies.