Following The Light (Out of the Dark Book 3) Read online

  “Okay.”

  “Yes, I’m still having the headaches, but there is more to them that no test will ever show. I’ve been having dreams about my parents and Erik.” I can tell he’s about to say something. I hold my finger up to his mouth. “You promised.” As he relaxes again, I go on. “These dreams really scare me. They’re not happy ones. In them, my family is asking me to join them. I keep wondering why they want me to die. The only thing they are saying is to come back to them, that they miss me, and need me. I think they are in some way telling me that I am going to die. So we need to prepare for that.” His eyes widen in horror. “Please try to stay calm for me.” He lays his head on my stomach.

  “I can’t lose you.”

  I run my fingers through his hair. “You’re never going to lose me. You are stuck with me for life. We are going to have a baby. There is something that I need to ask of you.”

  He raises his head. “Anything, all you have to do is ask.”

  I kiss him softly on the nose and cup his face with my hands. “If I am close to the delivery date, or if anything goes wrong in labor, I want you to promise me that they will save the baby first.”

  He begins to cry. “You can’t ask that of me, Alexis. I can’t give them permission to let you die.”

  “We have to prepare for every possible thing to happen. Please, if you love me, you have to promise to save our son.” He looks down. “Wait.” He pulls away and sits up. I can tell he is in deep thought. Slowly, he gets off the bed. He starts pacing the floor once again, but this time as if he is trying to remember something.

  I stand in front of him. “What is it?”

  “Dreams. It all makes sense now. The dreams.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He looks at me, then paces again.

  “Aiden, what are you talking about?”

  Coming up to me, he puts his hands on my shoulders. “The dreams I’ve been having all make sense now.”

  “You have been having dreams too?”

  He shakes his head. “Only a few, but in the dreams my grandmother keeps telling me that I will have a full life with a girl named Alexis. I didn’t think anything of them because you are in my life. But don’t you see, she is trying to tell us that you are going to be fine. That we are going to have a long life together.” Picking me up off the floor, he swings me around.

  “Um, maybe you shouldn’t do that too much. I don’t want to throw up again.”

  He sets me back on the floor. “Sorry, I forgot. Here, let’s get you back in bed.”

  “Actually, I’d like to take a shower.”

  “Only a quick one. I don’t want you up too long.”

  We go into the bathroom. “I hope that you’ll get the door fixed tomorrow.”

  “Of course, I’ll get a handyman on it tomorrow.”

  As he gets the water to the right temperature, I undress. Stepping into the shower, I lean my head back, and let the water run through my hair.

  I’m about to get the shampoo bottle, but Aiden beats me to it. “I’ll wash your hair.”

  Afterward, I wrap a towel around me and get another one to wrap my head in it. But my husband tells me to sit on the bench and let him brush out my hair. I do as I am told. He proceeds to blow dry it for me, then tells me to get on the bed, goes into the closet, and comes out with one of his t-shirts. I hold both of my arms up in the air so he can slide it on me. After putting on a pair of underwear, he turns off the light and crawls in bed too. I fall into a peaceful sleep, knowing that I have finally told him everything.

  ***

  By nine o’clock sharp, we are at the clinic. Per the doctor’s instructions, I haven’t had anything to eat since midnight. I’m put through test after test. We are both assured that every precaution is being taken to not put the baby in any danger. After a few hours, we head home. Dr. Verdi promises that as soon as he gets the results, he will call us in.

  At the house I head straight for the kitchen. As always, Mama is cooking. This time it’s because Aiden called and told her we were on our way and I was hungry. “Hmmm, something smells awfully good.”

  “Both of you sit down, I will serve you.” She sets down two huge plates in front of us. Pasta primavera and garlic bread. I inhale the aroma, smile, and dig in. It’s the first time I finish my food before my husband.

  Papa walks into the kitchen and comes over to hug me. We ask them to sit with us so we can tell them exactly what is going on. “So I can tell everyone at the same time, Papa, can you call them all in, please?” He calls out for them to come have a family meeting.

  I turn to Mama. “Did Brandy’s family board the plane fine?”

  “They left with no problems at all, right after you went to the doctor’s.”

  Once everyone is seated at the table, Aiden says, “I think you should be the one to share the information.”

  I take a deep breath, and begin. “For quite some time now I have been getting these really bad headaches. Normally I wouldn’t think much of them. These are different, though. They are very intense, so bad, that the light hurts my eyes and I get really dizzy. I’ve also been having strange dreams about my parents.” I rub my hands together and take a couple of deep breaths.

  Aiden covers my hands with his own. “It’s okay, baby, go on.”

  I nod my head. “In my dreams, my parents ask me to join them. I think they are in some way letting me know that I am dying.”

  Mama’s expression changes in an instant. “No, Alexis. No.”

  Papa rises from his chair and stands behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he says, “We will find the best doctors to come and get you back to being healthy.”

  Aiden says, “We trust and believe in Dr. Verdi. He ran several tests. As soon as we know, we’ll let you know.”

  ***

  Two days, it’s been two days. I’m starting to panic when my phone goes off. Grabbing it off the nightstand, I see that it is the doctor’s office.

  Aiden comes up behind me. “Put it on speaker.”

  I answer. “Hello, doctor. I have you on speaker so we can both hear you.”

  “Sorry it took longer than expected to get back with you, but I ran one of the tests twice.”

  We look at each other and say at the same time, “Twice?”

  He laughs briefly. “Yes, I wanted to be sure before I gave you the news.”

  My heart is racing with anticipation. Without meaning to, I shout, “Please tell us!”

  Aiden rubs my back and signals me to sit down. He takes the phone from me. He says, “I’m sorry, doctor. It’s just that we are both so nervous.”

  “I understand. I cannot find anything wrong. I went over the tests very thoroughly. As I said, one of them I even ran twice. I see nothing to worry about. Alexis is healthy as a horse, and so are the babies.”

  “Wait. What?” I look over at Aiden. “Did he say babies?”

  We both start to laugh. “Dr. Verdi, did you say babies?”

  “Yes, my dear. You are having twins.”

  Dropping the phone, we hug each other. Aiden jumps up, throw his hands in the air, and shouts, “I’m having twins!”

  “Um, don’t you mean I’m having twins?” I reach down for the phone. “Sorry, we just got caught off-guard. This is the best news you could have given us.” Before hanging up, we agree to go to his office and get my vitamins. Just as I am about to hit the end call button, I remember to ask, “Oh, can you tell me the due date, please?”

  “July fourth.”

  I tell Aiden, “We are going to have firecracker babies!”

  We rush downstairs, yelling the whole time for everyone to meet us in the family room. After they are all seated, I tell Aiden to make the announcement. With the biggest smile on his face, he puts an arm around my shoulders. “We have the best news to tell you all.”

  Everyone starts saying, “Tell us already!”

  “I am having twins. Well, Alexis is having them, but we are having twins.
”

  Ysabel jumps up and races to hug me. Following her is Shannon. One by one they hug us, kiss us on the cheeks, and let us know how happy they are.

  Mama lays her hand on my growing belly. “We are going to have to get Renata to let out the dress some.”

  I stare at her in shock. I hadn’t even thought about that with everything going on. Brandy gets on the phone with Renata, who agrees to come here instead of us going to her studio.

  ***

  These last couple of weeks have been so busy with planning of the wedding and getting all the final details ironed out. Aiden has a very important photo shoot coming up tomorrow, plus the music video with One Republic this weekend. I’m so excited about that. I’ve never seen a music video shot before, and now my husband will be in one with my all-time favorite band.

  Renata has done wonders, letting the dress out enough for me to fit comfortably in it. She has also put in a few extra inches, since I seem to be growing every day. Everyone keeps telling me I still look rather small for carrying twins, but I’m only a week shy of four months and I already feel as big as a house.

  Mama laughs at me. “My dear Alexis, you are still so slim, it’s just that the dress was a snug fit for a really skinny girl. Yes, you have gained a little bit of weight, but not that much. You are still going to be the most beautiful bride anybody has ever seen.”

  I spend the next hour at the barn brushing out Italia’s mane. I love the way she rubs her head against my belly. She knew before anybody who I had growing in me. “You will always be my first baby, Italia.”

  Chapter 22

  On the morning of the shoot, Aiden has to be at the location by five a.m. He refuses to go without me. Actually, I’m excited to see my husband in action. It’s funny how he completely becomes a whole other person. He is still my husband, and in private he shows me his vulnerable side, his warm, loving side. In public he commands a more powerful stance. He is a force of nature all on his own. He knows what works for him, and he is not afraid to say what needs to be done.

  Brandy knocks on our door to make sure we’ll be downstairs and in the car in ten minutes. I put on my jacket as I walk out. It seems colder than the last couple of days. I shiver as the wind goes through me. In the car, I slide over to let Aiden in, then snuggle into him. He gladly lets me curl into his arms. He starts to rub my hands together. “Don’t worry, baby, in a minute you’ll be warm.”

  Pulling my phone out of my purse, I look at the temperature. “Oh my god, it’s forty-one degrees. No wonder I’m cold to the bone!”

  Aiden and Brandy start to laugh. I look between them both. “Laugh all you want, but I am really cold.”

  Finally, I begin to feel warm, and just as I do, we come to a full stop. The driver turns off the car, walks around, and opens the door for us. Brandy is the first to get out, then Aiden. He holds his hand out for me to take.

  The place is a skiing lodge. Stepping out, I look up at the mountains. “It’s absolutely breathtaking.”

  In the lobby, there is a group of women, each have a pen and paper in hand, just waiting for us to enter. I should say, waiting for him to enter. They all start waving their pens at him, asking for autographs. I’m about to step aside, but he grabs my arm. “You are the only one I want by me.” After he signs about a dozen, Brandy lets them know that we have to leave. A couple of them boo a little, but most are gracious.

  As we step into the back of the lodge, where they have a dressing room set up for Aiden, I recognize the photographer: the one and only Brock Quincey. He smiles and walks over to me, holding out his hand to shake. “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Steffan.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Quincey.”

  “Please, call me Brock. All my friends do.”

  “Really? I hadn’t realized we were friends. As a matter of fact, I was under the impression that you disliked me.”

  He laughs rather loudly. “No, dear, from the moment I saw you and Aiden together, I knew that it was a forever kind of love. That’s why I asked him if I could be the one to take your wedding pictures.”

  “He hadn’t told me about it, but I would be honored to have someone of your caliber take the pictures.”

  Aiden steps out of the dressing room in tight-fitting jeans and a tan thermal shirt with three buttons. Of course, all three are undone. The ad is for the cologne he represents, Givenchy for Gentleman, the cologne that drives me crazy. Then again, if you ask my husband, I’m crazy all on my own.

  As we head outside for the shoot, I shiver again, as it is really cold up in the mountains. The higher we go, the colder it gets. At the top there are a few people waiting for us. All the camera equipment is set up already. Brock yells out orders. “It’s freezing up here, so let’s get this right the first time around and we can get off this damn mountain.”

  Aiden removes his coat. The makeup artist walks over to him. She fixes his shirt and makes sure that the sides open and fold outward. Then she hands him the skis and walks away.

  I watch her closely. “That’s right, step away.”

  I hadn’t realized that Brandy was standing behind me until she bursts out laughing. “Jealous, are we? Girl, he only has eyes for you.”

  We both start laughing too loud. Brock turns our way and clears his throat. It feels as if we have been here for hours. I worry for Aiden. I know he must be cold, but being the professional that he is, he never complains. Finally, the words that sound like heaven: “That’s a wrap. Good work, people.”

  Holding Aiden’s coat, I walk over to him. I help him put it on. When I touch his hands, they are frozen. We get in the trolley car to go down the mountain. The whole ride down, I have my arms around him.

  Once in the lodge, we stand in front of the roaring fire and one of the hotel clerks brings us cups of hot cocoa.

  “Do you want to stay here tonight? We could have a romantic night.”

  The old me would have said something like, But I don’t have anything with me. The new me jumps at it. “Yes.”

  Calling Brandy over, he tells her to go home. “We are going to enjoy the accommodations. Tell my parents we will be home tomorrow. Oh, but before you leave, book us a suite, please.”

  A short time later, she comes back with the room card. “You have the honeymoon suite.”

  “Thank you, and get some rest tonight. You have been working hard these past few months.”

  After she is out of sight, I take the key from him. “Sweetheart, she’s been working hard for more than a few months.”

  “I know, that’s why we brought her family here for her. We gave her a huge bonus and a rather generous raise.”

  I slide the key card into the door. As I’m about to walk in, Aiden picks me up and carries me over the threshold. “Hey, exactly how many times do you plan to do that?”

  “As many times as I damn well please.” He pours himself a glass of wine and asks if I would like my one glass now or after we shower.

  “Now, please. It’ll help me to warm up.”

  “Baby, I’ll take care of that part.”

  While he pours the wine, I walk over to the French doors that open up to the balcony. I look out at the clear sky and the white blanket of snow covering the mountain. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Come sit with me.” I join my husband on the couch in front of the fire.

  He hands me my glass of wine. “Oh, but I might not like this one. Remember, I only like the one from your parents’ vineyard.”

  “This lodge carries our wine.”

  I take a sip. “Thank you, sweetheart.” I set the glass on the table in front of us. I lift my leg to remove my boot.

  “Let me do that for you.” Kneeling, he slowly slides them off. Then he begins to run his hands up my legs. As he watches my reaction, his eyes are hypnotizing. “You are my forever home. Wherever you are is where I belong.”

  He stands and holds out a hand for me. “Come bathe with me.”

  The tub is a claw foot one. Filling it just enough, we s
tep in. I lie back against his chest. Aiden grabs the sponge off the edge of a seat next to us. Dipping it into the water, he begins to gently wash the side of my neck. Down my shoulder, and the length of my arm. Doing it again on the other side.

  “Hmmm, I want to stay like this forever.”

  “Just say the word, and we will never leave this room again.”

  I turn my head to look at him. “Silly, remember the wedding is in a little over three weeks. I think your mom and dad would have something to say about that.”

  “We will go home the day of the wedding, then come right back here again.”

  “We have the rest of our lives to come back here.”

  “Whatever makes you happy, bellissima.”

  “Oh, Aiden, feel—the babies are moving.” I bring his hand to my belly. We stay still. Suddenly, they move again. This time I can actually see his hand pop up from the movement.

  Sitting up, I turn to see his look of surprise. I can’t help but laugh along with him. The love we share is undeniable. It can weather any storm, anything that comes our way. Carrying these babies makes the bond we have that much stronger, into that forever kind of love you read about in fairytales. The kind they make movies about.

  As Aiden crushes me against his chest, we kiss with all the love and fire we have for each other. He releases my mouth long enough to whisper, “I crave you. I need you. You are the only one who can put this fire out tonight.”

  Rising from the water, he carries me to the plush rug in front of the fire. There we let our fingers, our hands, and our lips touch every single part of our bodies. Our minds and souls have no sense of time. The last kiss comes as the dawn rises. Aiden takes a few more of the throw pillows from around the fireplace. He lifts my head, lays them under me, then lowers my head back down. Pulling the blanket off the couch, he covers us. We fall asleep, warm and surrounded by love.