Beyond Promise (2 page)

“Tell me about it,” Gabby laughed. “Carla
has more ideas than I do about my wedding, and I seem to have to
hear about every single one of them.”

Carla was Gabby’s stepmom, and she was one
of the most well meaning event planners out there.

“Since it’s so far away, I mostly only have
to approve items the planner at the hotel emails me, like flower
colors and dinner options.”

“That’s the fun part,” Emily agreed. “So
what’s got you nervous?”

I traded glances with Gabby and let out a
deep breath. “Ayden’s got a huge fight coming up. He says it’s his
last, but from what I’ve heard about his opponent I’m a nervous
wreck. The guy is like a beast. Ayden’s undefeated and an amazing
fighter, but I—” I stopped myself. I didn’t want to say it out
loud. I didn’t want to jinx his winning streak, but the truth of it
was since Ayden and I found out we were pregnant, my priorities
shifted and my worries became more pronounced. Since we hadn’t
announced that I was expecting, I didn’t detail why I was more
worried than usual. Emily already knew I always got nervous when
Ayden stepped in the ring.

“When is the fight?” Emily asked, wiping
down the counter with a cloth.

“It’s three weeks prior to Bermuda. On the
off chance that he doesn’t dodge a fist, he should have enough time
to heal up before our big day,” I laughed nervously. That was
actually the least of my worries. There was something primal
driving me to not want him to get into the ring again.

But I also didn’t want to be one of those
fiancées who made their partner change everything about who they
were before the relationship. I hadn’t asked him to stop fighting.
It was Ayden’s idea.

“Well, I can understand your worry, hun,”
Emily said, shaking the cloth off outside. “But he’s got it
down.”

Gabby nodded in agreement as she worked on
rolling the fondant. She’d already managed to place the fondant
twigs along the first two layers and was focusing on the third. The
cake, like usual, was spectacular. Fondant cherry blossoms canvased
the cake, creating an elegant yet natural theme.

“I wish you were doing my cake,” I told
Gabby, trying to change the topic.

I hated thinking about the fight. It almost
made me ill when I thought too long and hard about it.

“I’m sure the hotel will provide a beautiful
cake,” Gabby assured me.

“Won’t be the same.”

“Well, you could cancel your tropical
wedding and have it right here in the middle of rainy season.” She
smiled. “I’m sure Mason’s girlfriend would love to host a beach
wedding in Forgotten Cove in the middle of November. Sounds just as
wonderful as the sun soaking into our bones in Bermuda.”

Emily brought over a croissant and set it
down in front of me. “Go ahead. You look hungry.” She eyed me
suspiciously so I returned the favor, giving her a once over with a
wry grin firmly planted on my lips.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing at all.” Her eyes dropped to my
hands that were resting on my nearly flat stomach and I rolled my
eyes. To prove my point that I had no idea what she was getting at,
I reached over and took a bite of the croissant. The flaky crust
melted in my mouth as I stared blankly at Emily.

“This hits the spot. Thank goodness I ran
those five miles this morning,” I lied.

“Would you like me to make you a triple
mocha?” Emily asked. “I know how you love your caffeine and you
must be exhausted after the run.”

Playing dirty, I see. “No, the tea is
perfectly fine.”

“What kind of tea?” Emily asked.

“Passion fruit.”

Emily nodded “Interesting. No caffeine. Have
you gotten your wedding dress yet?”

Nice try, my friend, but I wasn’t going to
let it out. I hated to keep secrets and was possibly the worst at
it in the world, but I wasn’t going to say a word, regardless of
the fact that Emily already guessed. It was actually nice sharing
this news with only Ayden for as long as we could. It was our own
private moment that happened to extend over several months.

I stood up from the stool and stretched as
Emily scooped cookie dough onto a metal tray. I was supposed to
meet Ayden at his brother’s house on Fireweed Island. Actually, it
wasn’t exactly his brother’s house. It was a home Mason shared with
his new girlfriend, Tori. I really wasn’t sure who owned what.
There were a lot of complicated things that went down between the
two of them, and I didn’t really follow the dirty details, but the
important part was that they had a guestroom and didn’t mind us
spending a weekend now and again. Mason had remodeled the entire
home and it was beautiful.

“I should get going so I don’t miss out on
lunch. I’m starving.”

“You just had a croissant,” Emily replied
smiling.

“Lily’s appetite always amazes us all,”
Gabby said, and I knew the unsaid secret was no longer a secret,
but I refused to confirm or deny.

I gave Emily a quick hug and walked over to
Gabby, squeezing her in between twigs.

“Enjoy your weekend on Fireweed.”

“I will. Ayden’s been out of town all week
at a trade show and I’ve missed him like crazy.”

“That’s right,” Gabby said, forming the next
twig. “Weren’t you supposed to go with him?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but there was a bit of a
distribution issue on our latest launch so I needed to stay back
and get that straightened out. Nothing like sponsoring a party and
having no product to hand out. Anyway, I got some trucked in from a
different distributor and all was saved. And I have to admit the
party was pretty fun.”

“Where was it at?” Emily asked.

“The actual party was at the convention
center in Seattle. They were holding a women’s science and
technology fair and we sponsored the after party.”

“You never cease to amaze me,” Gabby
chuckled. “I didn’t even know there was a women’s science and
technology fair.”

“That’s what I do.”

And I loved my job, but I couldn’t wait to
see Ayden. We’d originally planned a week together in Boston while
we attended the trade show so I was kind of annoyed I didn’t get to
go, but I had my own fun at the party we hosted back in Seattle. It
was a CosPlay party where people could dress up as their favorite
video game or comic book or anime characters. I was a little out of
my element, but I loved every second of it. I might even have to
put my costume back on for Ayden this weekend. If he was lucky.

My gut said he was going to be very
lucky.

I gave a quick wave to Emily and Gabby and
walked through the bakery and out to my car. The chill in the air
made me tighten up my scarf as I stood and looked out over Puget
Sound. The water glittered in the October haze, and my heart
skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Ayden. I loved that even
though we were quickly approaching our one-year anniversary of
being together, I literally couldn’t keep my hands off him or my
mind pure of thought when he popped in. I glanced at my phone and
was surprised to see a missed text from Ayden.

Are you tormenting me on purpose by keeping
me waiting? Can’t wait to see you. X

My entire body warmed and I quickly texted
him back. I thought back to the very first time I saw him in a
different light. No longer just my best friend’s brother, but
someone more endearing, layered and complex who wanted to know me
and try to understand me. Another flutter flitted through my body,
and I knew that the weekend was going to be incredible.

Ayden was standing on the front porch, his
blond hair getting tousled in the wind as his eyes connected with
mine, and I wanted nothing more than to be held in his arms. I
spotted his brother in the garden on the side of the house,
trimming dead perennials, while his girlfriend pruned one of the
shrubs. It made me chuckle to see Mason so in his element. I was
happy he’d found someone, and Tori was a lot of fun to be
around.

“You look sensational,” Ayden almost
growled. His arms snaked around my waist.

He brought me tightly into him, and I felt
the strength of his embrace. There was no reason to worry about the
fight, yet it was at the tip of every conversation and on the
surface of every thought.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, sensing my
unease.

I shook my head. “Sorry. Nothing.”

The worst thing I could do was convey my
fears and make him lose focus during training. The contracts were
already signed. He was stepping in the ring regardless, so the
least I could do was keep quiet and allow him to concentrate on
winning.

“I almost let the secret out,” I
whispered.

“You know, I think it’s fine to tell people
now.”

“Yeah…I guess. But I like you and I sharing
this little secret.”

He smiled and it felt like we were the only
two people on Fireweed Island as he held me tightly. “Big secret,
you mean.”

I tilted my head and looked into his gaze.
“Big, little secret.”

He gave me a devilish grin and my insides
stirred as if it were the first time he held me.

“Hey, Lily,” Tori called from the garden.
“Thanks for coming over.”

Ayden let me go and I waved. “Are you
serious? Thanks for letting us hang out all weekend. It was much
needed after the last few weeks at work.”

“Ayden’s that hard to work for, huh?” she
teased.

“Yeah. It’s brutal. Some mornings he forgets
to bring me coffee at the office, and then there are those days
where I have to go get my own lunch. As an assistant, he’s really
got a thing or two to learn.”

“Just like this one.” Tori thumbed Mason and
he laughed. “We’ve got some lunch in the crockpot, if you two are
hungry.”

“I’m starved.”

“What’s new?” Mason shouted from behind
Tori.

“Hey, now. Is that polite for a potential
sister-in-law?”

“Not potential.” Mason started walking our
way. “As far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal, and before you know
it, I’ll be calling you knucklehead and pounding the top of your
head.”

I shook my head and chuckled. Poor Brandy
still had to endure endless brotherly shenanigans. Between constant
ribbing and impromptu wrestling sessions, I didn’t know how she
managed not to thump Mason or Ayden. But I was definitely looking
forward to becoming a Rhodes.

Ayden slipped his hand in mine and led me up
the steps.

“I need to get my bag,” I told Ayden.

“No problem. I’ll get it for you,” Mason
said from behind us.

“Wow. Such service. I tell one twin my
request and the other fulfills it.”

Ayden beamed as he opened the door, and I
walked in underneath his raised arm. Tori was right behind and took
my coat and scarf from me and hung it in the closet. The most
delicious smelling aroma of cooked tomato and onion wafted through
the house.

“What smells so amazing?”

“Stew,” Tori said, closing the door. “I
found the recipe in one of my mom’s recipe boxes and now it’s
Mason’s favorite.”

“Yum. One of my favorites too.”

“Let’s be honest,” Ayden said, releasing my
hand. “What’s not your favorite?”

“Good point.” I took a couple steps forward
and without warning a wave of nausea hit me at full impact. My
entire body got clammy, and it felt like my insides were suddenly
about to make their way to the outside world. I spotted the rustic
bench only two feet away and quickly made my way over and took a
seat.

Locking my elbows into place so my arms held
me up, I stared at the wood floor in front of me. I’d only
encountered nausea like this a handful of times during pregnancy,
and lucky me, it hit again.

“Babe, you okay?” Ayden asked, kneeling next
to me.

I nodded. “Totally, just need a second.”

“Is she okay?” Tori asked Ayden.

He must have nodded because I didn’t hear a
response.

“Let me get you a cool washcloth,” Tori
offered, trundling off to the powder room.

Within seconds, Tori returned with a damp
cloth and Ayden pressed it on my forehead. The coolness drifted
over me, and my stomach settled as quickly as it had become
unsettled. I took in a deep breath and brought my gaze to
Ayden’s.

“You okay? We can go to the doctor,” he
whispered.

I smiled and touched his cheek. Seeing the
concern in his eyes unleashed a sense of apprehension and worry for
the decisions we were making as a couple. Were we in over our
heads? While my pregnancy certainly hadn’t been planned, we were
both over the moon with excitement. Was that normal? Shouldn’t we
be petrified?

Okay, sometimes we were beyond
petrified.

“I’m fine. I think it was the ferry ride and
the onion.”

I glanced up at Tori. “Sorry. I don’t know
what came over me.”

Tori grinned. “No worries. I have some soda
crackers if you’d like.”