living covenant 03 - eternal covenant Read online

There was one more thing I had to do.

  IF I WAS nervous about getting married – and I kind of was – all of it faded when I saw Aric waiting for me in front of the flower arch. Who bought that, by the way?

  He was handsome in his tux, and the look on his face when he saw my dress said more than I ever thought possible. It reflected love and forever, and those were the only two things I would ever need from him. Well, that and his cooking skills. I couldn’t forget those.

  I did a double take when I saw his best man, briefly wondering where they found a tuxedo for Rafael on such short notice. I pushed that out of my mind as I joined Aric, though. That question could wait until the reception.

  My mind was jumbled as we ran through the ceremony, and I tuned out most of the words. When it came time to recite our vows, though, I had no choice but to focus. I had something to say, although Aric was first.

  “Zoe and Aric have written their own vows,” the minister said. “Now they will share those vows.”

  Aric licked his lips as he gripped my hands. “I know you think I’m exaggerating when I say that I fell in love with you the moment I saw you,” he began. “It’s true, though. I always knew you were it for me.

  “We’ve been through a lot, and even though some of it was hard I wouldn’t trade any of it because it led us to this moment,” he continued. “You’re my whole heart, baby. I can’t imagine a life that doesn’t include you, and now I never have to. So, I give you my heart with the promise that I’ll never want it back. You really are my everything.”

  I bit my lower lip to keep from crying and sucked in a steadying breath. “The first time I saw you I knew you were going to be trouble,” I said. “I saw a handsome man with a big ego, but I saw something else that day, too. It was your heart, and it was huge.

  “You have no idea what you’ve done for me,” I continued. “You’ve stood by me in the worst of times, and you’ve pulled me back from a dark precipice more times than I can count. We traveled a few rough patches, but I think part of me always knew we would get past them, even when my heart and head were at war.

  “I won’t live a life without you,” I said. “I won’t give up everything we’ve built. I never knew I wanted you until I got you, and now I can’t imagine living a different life. I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone as much as I love you. You’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  The minister smiled indulgently and opened his mouth to finish the ceremony. He didn’t get a chance to, because Aric swooped in and grabbed my face, planting a huge kiss on my lips.

  “You need to exchange the rings first,” Paris whispered.

  Aric dug into his pocket, never moving his mouth, and slipped the wedding band on my finger, pushing it down until it fit snugly against the engagement ring he had given me. Paris handed me his ring so I could do the same, all the while never breaking the kiss.

  The minister could do nothing but chuckle. “Ladies and gentleman, I give you Mr. Aric Winters and Mrs. Zoe Lake-Winters. Long may they bask in perfect love.”

  30

  Thirty

  I walked into our bedroom behind Aric shortly after midnight, watching him remove his tie in the mirror. He looked happy. Peaceful. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was about to blow all of that out of the water.

  I considered keeping my secret until after the honeymoon, but it didn’t seem fair. This was something with which we both had to deal. And, let’s face it, I needed him to talk me off a ledge.

  The party continued outside, and I could hear Paris and Kelsey laughing as they cavorted with the groomsmen. They would leave tomorrow, but unlike before, I knew visits wouldn’t be stretched so far apart. Given the bomb I was about to drop, I had a feeling they would be a lot more frequent.

  “What are you thinking?” Aric asked, locking gazes with me in the mirror. “You look pretty unhappy for a woman who just married the man of her dreams.”

  “I’m not unhappy,” I said, climbing out of the dress and slipping it over a hanger so I could put it in the closet. “I’m … thinking.”

  “Oh, good. I love it when you do that,” Aric said, unbuttoning his shirt as he turned. “What are you thinking about, Mrs. Winters?”

  I arched a challenging eyebrow. “You act surprised that I took your name. I kept my name, too. Isn’t that what compromise is all about?”

  Aric shrugged. “I’m just messing with you,” he said. “I really don’t like that look on your face, though. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure anything is wrong,” I said. “It’s just … stay here a second.” I walked into the bathroom, my mind swimming with possibilities and worry as I reached into the top drawer. My hand was closed around an item when I returned to the bedroom, and with each step my heart pounded harder.

  “Zoe, you’re really pale,” Aric said, worry washing over his handsome features. “What is it? Please tell me you’re not sick again. We never did find out why that happened.”

  “Hold out your hand.”

  Aric wordlessly did as instructed, narrowing his eyes as I dropped the white pen-shaped item in his palm. Aric glanced at me and then studied the item. “What is this? Is this a pen? Why is there a plus sign on it?”

  I bit my lip. “I … .”

  Aric flipped the item over and read the product name on the back, color draining from his face as reality set in. “This is a pregnancy test.”

  “I’m pregnant,” I blurted out, gripping my hands together. “I think that’s why I got sick.”

  “But … you said that was impossible,” Aric said, dumbfounded. “You said … .”

  “I know what I said. I was wrong.”

  “Holy crap,” Aric said, his knees going out from under him as he sank to the end of the bed. “We’re going to be parents. I … holy crap!”

  “Are you angry?”

  “No,” Aric said, shaking his head.

  “Are you happy?”

  “Kind of,” Aric replied. “I think I might be in shock. I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “That makes two of us,” I muttered.

  “How did you know?” Aric asked, lifting his conflicted brown eyes to mine. “You had to know. That’s why you took the test.”

  “I was curious about why I got sick,” I said. “I blamed it on Pemberley until he said it wasn’t him. Then all that other stuff happened, so I pushed it out of my mind. I didn’t get a chance to think about it again until last night.”

  “And you just knew you were pregnant?” Aric asked, his voice climbing an octave. “Holy crap! We’re going to need a baby room.”

  Of course he would focus on details like that. “I don’t know whether you’re happy or sad,” I said. “I need a sign.”

  “I’m … confused,” Aric said, shaking his head. “When did you first suspect?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, flapping my hands as I paced in my trousseau. “It was at the back of my mind as this far-off possibility until last night. Then, well, I shared a memory with someone while we were sleeping … and it wasn’t you.”

  Aric stilled, stunned disbelief washing over him. “You shared a memory with the baby? How? What did you see?”

  “It was different,” I explained. “It wasn’t a memory as much as flashes of the past few days. I saw glimpses of you and me, but they came from a third point of view. They kind of came from lower, too. As if someone was looking up at us, in fact. That’s when I decided to take the test. Paris bought it when I was sick.”

  “And the baby shared a memory with you,” Aric murmured, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “Holy crap,” he added, with slightly less shock.

  “You need to pick something else to say,” I ordered. “I … do you not want it?”

  “Of course I want it,” Aric said, snapping his eyes to me. “It’s our baby. It’s part of us. I’m just … stunned. I thought we would have time before this happened.”

&nbs
p; “Well, we still have nine months,” I said. “I think it’s early.”

  “Wait, you drank last night,” Aric said, shifting an accusatory finger in my direction. “Did that hurt it? Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “It’s just an it right now. And I don’t think I hurt it. We’ll go to the doctor when we get back from the honeymoon.”

  “Can you fly?”

  Good grief. If I thought Aric was overprotective on a normal day, he now kicked into overdrive. “We’re going on our honeymoon,” I said. “I’m also going to ride the Loch Ness Monster. You can’t stop me.”

  “I guess the good news is that you’re pretty solid,” Aric said. “You’ll be able to protect it.”

  “You mean ‘solid’ as in upstanding and strong and not fat, right?”

  “Don’t start that,” Aric warned, wagging a finger. “Holy crap!”

  “Stop saying that!”

  Aric reached for me and pulled me to him, burying his face in my hair and holding me tight. “I’m going to say it one more time,” he whispered. “Holy crap.”

  “We’re going to be the worst parents ever,” I said.

  “Probably,” Aric agreed, nodding.

  “We’re going to get a little us,” I added. “It will probably be a little terror.”

  Aric nodded again. “Probably,” he said. “I was a good kid, though. We’re going to get a miniature you. I just know it.”

  “Do you still want it?”

  Aric sighed, and this time when he locked gazes with me I recognized the love that usually resided there. “I already love you. Heck, I already love miniature you. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be a family.

  “Sure, it might be an odd and really loud family,” he continued. “Happiness isn’t one thing only, though, Zoe. Happiness is many things.”

  “So, you’re happy?”

  “I am happy,” Aric confirmed. “I have you forever. We can put up with a kid for eighteen years, even if it turns out to be a brat.”

  “Ha, ha,” I intoned. “I’m really frightened.”

  “I know you are,” Aric said. “I’m frightened, too. We’re going to screw up. That’s what parents do. We’ll still love Zoe or Aric, Jr. That’s also what parents do.”

  “I’m so relieved,” I said. “I thought you might … I don’t know … run.”

  Aric snorted. “Oh, Zoe,” he said. “If I was going to run it would’ve been the first time I saw your bedhead. This can’t make me run. This isn’t the end of anything.”

  “Oh, yeah? What is it then?”

  “A new adventure,” Aric said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “I’m kind of excited for it.”

  “Me, too,” I admitted. “You know what else I’m excited for?”

  “What?”

  “I brought a big slab of that cake Pemberley got me up here,” I answered. “I still can’t believe he got me an underwater wedding cake and had it dyed eight different colors.”

  Aric snorted. “Are you saying you want to start our life together with cake?”

  I shrugged. “Is there any better way?”

  “No, baby. There’s not.”

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  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.

  If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that..

  Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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