“I’m tired, for one, but I also felt kinda old.”
“You’re not old.”
“I know, it’s just that in my head I still feel like I’m eighteen, but when you are at a party with people that age, you realize you’re not really as young as you think.”
Aiden wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. “I’m glad we aren’t that young. I much prefer our life now to our life then.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do.” He tilts his head slightly. “I take that back. We did have a lot of fun. It’s just that I’m really looking forward to what’s next for us—a slower pace, spending more time together, and raising a family.”
“I’m excited too. Did you notice Gracie was dancing with that Dylan kid?”
“He’s in that boy band, right? Isn’t that how you said she got to Eastbrooke’s homecoming? She hitched a ride on their plane?”
“Yeah, which was kind of weird. At homecoming, she seemed all into Baylor Hawthorne.”
“I know his dad. He’s a good kid. But you remember what it’s like to be that age. You like a different person every week.”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“The boy band guy seems a little old for her though.”
“He’s seventeen.”
“And she’s fourteen.”
“She’ll be fifteen in a few weeks.”
“I know, but I just didn’t like where his hands were. I’m surprised Tommy allowed it. I’m not even her dad, and I was ready to go kick his ass.”
“That’s pretty sweet of you,” I tell him. “What are you going to do when it’s your daughter out there?”
“I’ll definitely be kicking some ass. No way is some little punk going to get away with that shit.”
“You danced like that with me when we were in high school,” I tease.
He waves his hand, like whatever. He’s so cute, and I am dying to tell him about the triplets, but now doesn’t feel like the right time. When I tell him, I want it to be special, not when we’re both exhausted after a long day.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going on our honeymoon,” I pout. “How am I supposed to know what to pack?”
“You’re going to be naked the entire time. No need for clothes,” he says, sounding serious.
“Come on, Aiden. Give me a hint. Or at least a rough idea of the climate so I can pack.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, actually. Kym is already at the vineyard, and she’s packing for you.”
“Can’t I at least have a hint?”
He kisses me, which still fills my head with cotton candy, making me forget my question and focus solely on the feel of his lips on mine.
When we get home, a little ball of fur races toward us, barking.
“This dog is a—how you say it—hell raiser?” Marvel says in greeting.
“What did she do now?” Aiden says, laughing, while I cuddle with our new puppy. I still can’t believe Aiden surprised me with her the other night.
“She shredded one of my dishtowels, but then she fell asleep on my lap, and I can’t be angry further. On that note, I bid you bonne nuit.”
The puppy is on our heels as we head into our bedroom suite.
“We need to decide on a name for her,” Aiden says as we’re getting ready for bed.
“I thought you had a list of possible names.”
“I do. I’ve narrowed it down to three and want you to choose.”
“Okay,” I say, snuggling next to him in bed, the dog in between us, licking our faces with its rough little tongue.
“One I was thinking of is Chardonnay, since she’ll be at the vineyard, and she’s yellow.”
“That’s cute.”
“Another idea is Grigio, same reasons.”
“Hmm. I don’t really like that one. What else have you got?”
“Bliss.”
“Oh, Aiden,” I say, my eyes filling with tears. “Do you remember?”
“Vos lèvres sont mon béatitude. Of course, I remember telling you that your lips are my bliss, Boots.” He kisses me. “Especially because they still are.”
“I love the name. It’s perfect for her.” I rub the puppy’s ears. “What do you think, Bliss?”
The puppy lays her head on Aiden’s chest, sighs, and closes her eyes.
“She’s in love with you, just like I am,” I tell Aiden, lying my head on his shoulder, sighing, and feeling pretty blissful myself. “When I went to my doctor’s appointment, he told me the date when we probably conceived. Remember the day we were up at the vineyard, and we took the Gator out, got caught in the rain, and ended up covered in mud?”
“I remember you kissing me and telling me it reminded you of when we got caught in the rain that night at the Cave in high school.”
“That was one of the best kisses of my entire life,” I confess. “So was the one in the mud, apparently.”
“You think that’s when we got pregnant?”
“It had to be. You’d been traveling, and I’d been filming. Remember, we met up there for the weekend?”