Virgin Marriage by Alexa Riley

Epilogue

Caroline

Two weeks later…

Aiden’s finger brushes against my skin as he zips up the back of my dress. He kisses my bare shoulder and I gaze at him in the mirror. I’m not paying any attention to the wedding dress I’m in, merely staring at the man who is going to be my husband in a few short minutes. I don’t know how I was lucky enough to find him, but I did. Well, with a little nudge from Elvis.

This isn't the first time I’ve put on the dress. I’ve seen it before. Aiden’s mom Joyce and Gia helped me pick it out. They’re both as excited for this wedding as we are. Then pouted when we informed them it would only be Aiden and me there at the wedding. It was what we both wanted. Him and me alone, making the choice to do something because it was what we chose to do. No outside influence anywhere. Two people starting a life together. We weren't leaving everyone behind—it was just more symbolic to the two of us.

It helped that it gave me a reason to not invite my own family who was trying to work their way into my life. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I’m not in a rush to try and figure that out. It was like they put me to the side when they were busy, so I’m simply choosing to do the same. Maybe it’s petty of me, but right now I don’t care.

“I hope you’re not in love with this dress.” Aiden gives my shoulder a nip before kissing the same spot. I turn in his arms and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss. I’m not in love with it. As much as it cost, though, I should care about his destroying it. But I don’t.

“I’m in love with you.” I smile against his mouth. “You can rip the thing from me after we say ‘I do’ for all I care.” It’s the truth. Aiden’s mom and Gia made me try on dozens of dresses. To be honest they all felt the same. All I cared about was getting married to this man and living up to the promise he’d made to me about us making a family of our own. Picking the dress was more to get close to his mom.

She’s sweet and I could see, like Savannah, she still has hurt riding her from the loss of her daughter. She’d actually been upset when she found out that Aiden and Savannah never shared true love. Once Aiden told his mom and dad, it was like the scales fell from their eyes and they now saw things they should have seen long before Aiden told them they didn't love each other.

Now both his parents are making an effort to make sure they’re involved more in Aiden’s and my life. It’s sweet and I can see they love him. They had only done what they thought was best.

“Come.” He locks his hand with mine and pulls me from our bedroom. Elvis jumps up from where he was lying on the floor in the hallway. For some odd reason he enjoys plopping himself down right in the center of the hallway so that we almost trip over him in the mornings. He’s either there or in his window watching the ducks. His bittersweet love of chasing the ducks is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen. More so because the ducks are onto his hatred of water. Now they toy with him and know he won’t get too close to the water. It really is a love hate-relationship. Still, I got scared of what would happen if he finally caught one. That fear passed when I saw him sleeping on the dock, a duck resting its head on him, fast asleep too. Elvis is all bark and no bite.

He barks as he follows us, as if knowing today is special. I smile when we step outside. The sun feels good on my skin. Aiden and I haven't spent much time anywhere but locked in our room. He’s trying to fill the spare rooms of the house already.

We only left for a few visits to the city to see his family and for me to finish up with my dress. It was bittersweet having to let my clients go. Not because I’d wanted to, but the paparazzi didn't make walking a herd of dogs the easiest task to do. Luckily Aiden made sure someone could take over for me. I hated leaving clients hanging. I knew dog walking wasn’t my long-term career choice, but I still took my responsibility seriously. I followed through on my work and I was thankful that I had Aiden to help me do that.

“Judge Prescott and his wife are here.” Aiden tells me. I’m ready to be his wife. He told me Prescott was a friend and had a hand in getting the annulment taken care of quickly. He knew all too well what it was like to fall madly in love with a woman and do anything to make her yours. Even if that meant bending the rules to make it happen. He’d done it himself to claim his wife, who is now standing by his side to bear witness to our marriage.

We walk hand in hand down to the pond where the judge and his wife are waiting. The vows are short but sweet. Aiden is kissing me before the judge finishes his instructions. Somehow when I open my eyes I find myself in our bedroom, in the center of our bed.

I remember hating the house I grew up in. It was so far from the rest of the world—a giant mansion filled with pretty things but somehow still always felt empty. I felt alone in it even when Yana was there. She tried her best and gave me all she could, but there was always an ache for something else. At one time I thought maybe it was not having my parents’ love. Now I know it was an ache from not having the other half of my soul with me. Here, I know it will never be that way. I enjoy being away from the rest of the world because this home was filled with love. So much it could burst.

“You can stop trying so hard to knock me up. One of the rooms will be filled soon.” I tell him the thing I’ve been dying to tell him since Gia snuck me over a pregnancy test yesterday.

He closes his eyes for a moment, taking in what I’m telling him. I smile up at him and know he’s going to be a wonderful husband and dad to our baby.

“Love you so much, my heart,” he tells me, opening his eyes to stare down at me, eyes I know our baby is going to have somehow. I just know. Like I know I will always be his heart and he will always have mine.