The outside of the Steffan home has more Christmas lights than I have ever seen on one house before in my life. Shannon and I stand back, enjoying the view.
“Wow, doesn’t it look breathtaking?” she asks.
“I know, it’s all so beautiful. Have you seen? They even decorated the guest house and stables.”
We link arms and lean our heads against each other, gazing at the twinkling, dancing lights. In excitement, then, I suddenly release our locked arms. “Did Johnny tell you that tomorrow he, Papa, and Aiden go out into the woods and cut down a Christmas tree? While they’re doing that, we’ll get the decorations for the tree ready. Then tomorrow night, we all decorate it.”
“He told me last week. I kept bugging him about when we were going to get one. Finally, he said it was a Steffan tradition to do it this way.”
“Walk with me to the stables. I want to feed the horses some carrots, not to mention spend some alone time with my best friend.” Although it’s cold, the night air feels good against my face. Tonight, the sky is clear. The stars are out and shining brightly. Heading through the walkway, I glance up. “I’m going to tell Aiden about the dreams and headaches the day after Christmas. I don’t want to start the new year with this secret. As you’ve been telling me, he has a right to know.”
She stops in her tracks. “He’s stronger than you think, Lexie. Let him help you through this. I would hate to think of something happening to you and blindsiding him. That’s what he won’t be able to handle. These secrets—remember what you both promised each other the day you were married? No more walls, no more holding back.”
I bring her in for a hug. “I love you all the way around the world and back again, Shannon.”
“Right back at you, Lexie.”
As we continue to the barn, she asks, “Can you believe we have been here a few days shy of a month already?”
Feeding the horses has become one of my favorite things to do. I don’t even mind the smell of the manure anymore; I’ve become accustomed to it. I have even learned how to saddle them all by myself. Ysabel says I have become a great rider. After each time, I brush the horse for a while. They have come to know me well enough that I can walk any of them all by myself. Although I love every horse, my favorite one is Italia. She is a tall, beautiful, and solid black mare. Papa says they named her in honor of their country. I think it fits her perfectly.
Every time I walk into the stable, it’s as if she knows I’m there. She starts dancing around in her pen until I walk up to her. If she is out in the pasture and sees me, she runs to me.
I have to admit, the first couple of times she did it, I got scared. Now the bond she and I have formed is undeniable. Aiden says he has never seen her react this way to anyone. He even made a joke about it, asking if he should be jealous of how much time I spend out here with her. I told him he never has to be in competition with anyone or anything. He is and will always be first in my heart.
“Hey Lexie, I’m getting really cold. Let’s head in and get some hot chocolate.”
“You go on, I’ll be there in a little bit. I just want to give Italia an apple before I head in.”
“I can wait for you.”
“No, I’ll be fine. You’re cold, go on.”
“Okay. Remember, we have your final fitting early in the morning.”
I give her a huge smile. “I remember. I can’t wait to try the dress on.”
***
While brushing Italia and feeding her the apple, I think back on these past four weeks and all the planning we have accomplished for the wedding. Brandy has been a gem, taking care of everything from ordering the flowers, centerpieces, and tablecloths to selecting the music and making sure it will all be ready for our big day. She jokes that if one day Aiden doesn’t need an assistant anymore, she can open her own business as a wedding planner. I’ve told her that I’d give her a glowing review for her website and future customers. Aiden has told us both to stop thinking about her leaving him.
We both know just how valuable she is; just the other night we talked about giving her a well-deserved raise. I mentioned that her Christmas bonus needed to be worthy of all she has done for us. He completely agreed, since she’s been here working instead of spending the holidays with her family—or so she thinks. I can’t wait till she sees the surprise we have for her tomorrow afternoon. We arranged for her parents, sisters, and brother to fly in.
Just as I’m putting the brush away, a sound makes me jump.
“Should have known you’d be out here when I couldn’t find you anywhere in the house.”
I turn to face him. “Did you miss me?”
Aiden says with a grin, “Baby, anytime you are not with me, I miss you. Come on, it’s cold. Let’s get you inside where it’s nice and warm.”
After making sure that the pen is locked so that Italia is safe, I let my husband lead me out of the barn. Halfway to the house, Aiden picks me up in his arms. “I can walk, you know.”
“Just practicing for our wedding night.”
“You already carried me across the threshold the first time.”
“Baby, there is no law that says I can’t do it again.”
***
Everyone is in the family room.
“We were about to send out a search party for you two.”
“Johnny, stop teasing your big brother. They are young and in love.”
Papa walks over to Mama. “They remind me of us.”
Her head rests on his chest as he embraces her. “Yes, they do, Papa. Yes they do.”
He says to us all, “When I first laid eyes on your mama, I was paralyzed by her beauty. There were no words leaving my lips. I could not look away. It’s as if I had stared at the goddess Venus herself. With that first encounter, I knew my heart was no longer mine. It belonged to her.”
Watching them and hearing how they speak of each other reminds me of the love my parents had. Mom would always tell me that Dad was her soulmate. She would talk about their love as if it were timeless. It would withstand any storm because they had that type of connection. That is exactly how I see the love that Papa and Mama have. The way they look at each other, it is as if there is nobody but them in the room. It is the kind of love that Aiden and I have.
Gazing at them quietly, as we all listen to them speak of their love, my eyes wander throughout the room, gauging everyone’s reactions. It’s as if we are watching poetry in motion.
Johnny lovingly wraps his arms around Shannon. She looks into his eyes with pure and utter devotion. Ysabel and Gianni also embrace each other while listening. Papa tells us all, “The Steffan family is truly blessed, not because of our wealth, land, or business. We are blessed because we have each other. We have love, trust, and loyalty for one another. That, my children, makes us very lucky indeed.” He asks us to all raise our drinks to make a toast. “To love, and our growing family.”
“To love, and our growing family.”
Shortly afterward, we say our goodnights. Gianni bids us all farewell as Ysabel walks him out to his car.
On the stairs, I tell Aiden to give me a minute. Going back into the family room, I hug Mama, then Papa.
“Thank you for being such wonderful, loving parents to Aiden, for accepting me into the family, and for showing me so much love. I want you both to know that I love your son with all my heart and soul. I will honor him until my last breath.”
Mama cups my face with both hands. “Alexis, it is us who give thanks every day that our son has you in his life. That smile that is always on his face now is because of you, my child.”
Papa places his hand on my shoulders. “My boy has always had material wealth, but now he has the kind of wealth a father wants for his children. He has pure love with the woman of his dreams.”
***
Closing the door to our room, I find him fast asleep. I wash my face and brush my teeth, a thousand things going through my mind. From losing my family a few years ago, to all the events that have threatened to tear me and Aiden apart. The kidnapping of my best friend Shannon and the horrible things that Frank did to her. The love she has found with Johnny. I think about how close I came to death with Frank, realizing how much I do want to live. About how Chris is going through therapy with a doctor that Aiden had Brandy refer to him. How I still need to write my wedding vows. We’ve decided that we want to speak our own vows in front of our family and close friends.
I can’t help but laugh at that thought—the guest list started at a hundred and fifty of our closest friends. Now it has grown to five hundred. As I brush out my hair, I think about how I will tell Aiden about the dreams I’ve been having. Walking to the bed, I lovingly gaze at my husband who sleeps so peacefully. He hasn’t had a single nightmare since he was interviewed on television. The fear he had of being rejected by the sponsors has disappeared. They have shown him nothing but support and love throughout this entire time. People from all over the world have sent messages of love, sympathy, and support.
Carla, on the other hand, has faced a tremendous amount of backlash. Companies have dropped her from their ads. Photographers will not work with her. Her manager refused to represent her. I hate what she has put us through. What she tried to do to my husband. Yet in the end, she only hurt herself. For that, I pity her. Aiden has told me that she will be fine. She inherited enough money to last her a lifetime when her grandmother died.
He stirs and turns on his side. A small smile appears on his face as he lets out a hum. Sliding in behind him, I gently put my arm over his torso, kiss his back, and whisper, “I love you.”
***
It’s Thursday morning, December twenty-fourth, Christmas Eve. I rush down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, since there is no time for breakfast. Because my husband was asleep when I got into bed, he insisted we have morning sex—and I mean, really, it’s not like he had to persuade me much. I melt in his arms each time.
Mama, Shannon, Brandy, and Ysabel are waiting for me. We need to be at Renata’s studio by nine sharp for my final fitting of my wedding dress. She leaves for the holidays this afternoon and will not be back until the middle of January. Pouring my coffee into the mug, I drop the boot to the floor and quickly add the cream and sugar, stir, and cover the lid. I turn to find everyone staring at me. “What?”
Shannon walks over to me and runs her hand through my hair. “Well, first you should have brushed out your hair—it’s a mess. You only have one boot on and the other one is still in your hand. It’s cold outside.”
“Damn, you two have a lot of sex.” We all look at Ysabel.
“Watch your mouth,” Mama scolds her.
Handing Brandy my coffee cup and purse, I slip my boot on. When I take my purse back from her, I pull out my brush as we make our way out to the waiting car. During the drive, I brush out my hair. Taking a sip of my coffee, I make a humming noise. Mama looks out the window and shocks us all. “That’s the exact same noise I make when Papa pleasures me.” While gasping in shock, we all start to laugh.
“Oh my god, I don’t want to know about you and Papa having sex.”
“What, how do you think that you and your brothers got here?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to know about my parents still doing that.”
We erupt in laughter again. For the first time I really look at Mama, and see her as a woman instead of just the mother of my husband. I’ve always thought she and Papa were young, but never asked their age. “Mama, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you and Papa?”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Papa and I are both forty years old.”
Shannon chimes in. “Wow, you are young. How old were you when you…you know, when you found Aiden?”
A silence falls upon us as she turns to look out the window again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
A few more minutes pass. I reach out to touch her hand. “Mama, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to stir up painful memories.”
Facing us, she says, “No, no, Shannon, you aren’t prying, dear. You are family and we don’t keep secrets from each other. Those days were painful for Aiden, but the day I set eyes on him, I fell in love with him. That beautiful little face that was so tormented, was the face of my first born.” There is a glow on her face as she speaks of her son. “To answer your question, Papa and I were both twenty-one years old when he came into our lives. That was the day we became parents.”
The car comes to a stop, and as we get out, there are paparazzi waiting. Questions are thrown my way about myself and Aiden and about the wedding.
“Alexis, how are you feeling?”
“Alexis, are you and Aiden going to start a family right away?”
“Where is Aiden right now?”
Photographers are pushing each other to get in front for the perfect picture. It takes a while, but we manage to finally make it inside. Renata quickly closes the door and locks it. She brings the shutters down so there is no possible way to take any pictures of me in the dress until the day of the wedding. We are well aware of how much that kind of picture would be sold for.
My heart pounds from the cameras being shoved in my face. I have never had to deal with anything like that, not even in New York. The paparazzi there were bad enough, but these guys are relentless.
Brandy says just what I was thinking. “God, that was actually scary.”
All of us nod our heads.
“While we wait for you to put on the dress, I’m calling Aiden.”
“I don’t know, Brandy. I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily.”
“Lexie, this is necessary. I wouldn’t call him if I didn’t think it was.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I nod my head in agreement.
Renata takes me into the back room. A sales clerk joins us and helps her put the dress on me. Once it’s on and I am zipped up, they both stand back. I can’t believe my eyes as I look in the mirror. A lump rises in my throat as I just stare at myself.
Renata smiles. “Come and let the ladies take a look at the beautiful princess you are.”
Opening the curtains, I walk out to the viewing room. They’re talking amongst themselves. Shannon is the first one to see me. “Oh my god, you look so breathtaking.”
They all fall silent. Mama has tears in her eyes. Ysabel has her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Renata and her assistant help me up on the stand to be able to fix the dress. I’m starting to get nervous as they are all still not speaking, and now they all have tears in their eyes.
“Is there something wrong? Do you not like the dress?”
Mama walks up to me. “Alexis, you look absolutely breathtaking. My son is right, you are more beautiful than Venus, the goddess of love.”
“You are going to make me cry, Mama.”
They all take turns telling me how they love the way I look in my dress. How Aiden is going to fall in love with me all over again. I stare into the mirror, smiling. “This is the dress that I and my mom created in our minds.”
Shannon reaches for my hand. “Your mom is smiling down on you right now. I know she is proud of you.”
After carefully taking off the dress, they wrap it up and put it in the garment bag. With the weight of the dress, it takes two people to carry it. I hadn’t noticed how much it actually weighed while I had it on. My strength must have been from all the excitement.
Putting on our coats, we prepare to exit the store. “Brandy, is there going to be someone out there to protect us all from the paparazzi?”
“Yes, Aiden sent Anthony to us.”
“He wasn’t upset or angry, was he?”
“We are talking about your husband, aren’t we? He said something to the effect that he told you you needed Anthony in the first place.”
Walking out the door, we see nobody out there but Anthony. He is standing guard at the car. All the anxiety I felt is gone and replaced by comfort. Holding the car door open for us, he gives me a smile and lets me know that we are all safe now.