CAROLE BRUNGAR

Six Months Later…

Aiden checked himself in the mirror, sweeping his hand over his hair, fingering the lapel of his suit jacket and adjusting the boutonniere of tiny red rose buds for the third time in as many minutes. Harper had insisted on red roses in her bouquet because they signified true love, passion and desire; he’d wear whatever she wanted, whatever made her happy. He loved the way her eyes lit up every time he walked in the room; it was a feeling that got him deep in his gut every single time.

They had agreed that when Ethan was six months old, they’d get married, and today was the day. The day he’d marry the woman who had taught him so much and who had given him a life. The only woman he would ever need.

“Move away from that mirror,” Jaxon said, stepping up behind him and slapping a hand on his shoulder.

“Just checking,” Aiden answered.

“Relax,” Jaxon coaxed. “She’s going to think you’re perfect even if you turn up in nothing but your underwear.” There was laughter in the background and some smutty comment about a certain body part that Aiden thought best to ignore.

Today, Jaxon would be his best man and Brock and Nick would be standing beside him as his groomsmen. He turned away from the mirror and studied the others. They looked pretty damned sharp in their matching suits and boutonnieres. Aiden gave a wobbly grin and took a breath, smoothing his hand down the front of his jacket.

“Believe me, she’ll be as nervous as you are,” Nick said.

“It doesn’t help I still have a hangover from last night, thanks to you lot.”

Brock picked up a can of beer from the coffee table and handed it to his brother. “Hair of the dog, mate.”

“I’m not walking into that service reeking of alcohol. Harper will kill me.”

Nick laughed. “That’s what they invented toothpaste for.”

“You, my friend, are pussy-whipped,” Brock ribbed.

“You’re a fine one to talk. Adelaide’s got you round her little finger. And you, too, Nick. The lot of you.” Aiden puffed his chest out a fraction more. He tolerated the jibes. He’d become closer to the four most important men in his life. They had spent the evening at Aiden’s apartment getting a little drunk, made steady progress on emptying a twenty-five-year-old bottle of single malt whiskey between them while building a stack of empty pizza boxes on one end of the coffee table, and watching reruns of old Die Hard movies.

Pretty tame as far as stag nights went, but it was all Aiden had wanted. He didn’t need bars and parties or strippers and fast cars. He simply wanted the night to pass quickly so he could marry the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Jaxon had told him a registry office quickie was out of the question. For all their sakes, Aiden had to front up and have a ceremony with guests and a reception. Jaxon had faced his mother’s wrath over his elopement with Ava, and it hadn’t been pleasant, according to his brother. Dorothy had rung Aiden after receiving his email, and although she’d been hard-pressed to keep the surprise from her voice, she had told him she was overjoyed at the thought she was finally going to have a grandchild.

“I never thought I’d ever see the day when my baby brother got married,” Brock teased. “She obviously hasn’t found your impediment yet.”

“Very funny.” They were in fine form today, egging each other on. Aiden didn’t know if it distracted him from feeling nervous or if they were making it worse. “I didn’t think I’d ever marry either,” Aiden agreed. “Or have kids, and now I have two beautiful children and I couldn’t be prouder when we go someplace and Rosie tells everyone I’m her dad.” Aiden beamed.

“Think yourself lucky,” Nick said. “I can’t wait until Lucy retires from racing because we’re going to have so many damned kids, we’re going to have to charter a plane any time we want to go someplace.”

The others laughed.

“Does Lucy know this?” Aiden asked.

“Nope. If I tell her, she might not retire.”

“Adelaide wants two, and what Adelaide wants, Adelaide gets. Have to admit I’m very happy to oblige in the process—practice makes the world a very nice place indeed.”

“I thought you were waiting a while,” Jaxon said, gathering up socks and jackets lying around.

“We are. Adelaide wants to wait another year. I’d have another one tomorrow if I could, but things need to be good with Adelaide first.” His voice dipped.

“Do you already have a child?” Nick asked.

“In another life, my ex fell pregnant and had an abortion.” He went silent, obviously disappearing into his thoughts. “I didn’t even know about the baby.”

Aiden remembered when Brock had arrived back in New Zealand, and was so grateful that Harper had kept his child.

“Jesus,” Nick said. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It happened a long time ago.”

“It’s time,” Jaxon announced.

“Okay, before we go,” Brock said, changing the subject, “Aiden, we’ve got something to share with you.”

“With me?” He narrowed his eyes, not knowing whether to trust Brock or not. “What are you lot up to now? If you stuff this up for Harper, I’ll kill you with my bare hands—the lot of you.”

“Just sit down and listen,” Brock directed. Aiden sat.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but I have a friend who runs a rather nice charter out of the Sounds. He takes it wherever a client would like to go.”

“So? What’s this got to do with me?”

“Just shut up and listen.” Jaxon nudged him.

“So, the relevance is, that he’s happily agreed to bring the yacht up here for your wedding.”

Aiden looked from one face to another. “I don’t understand. What do I need a fucking yacht for?”

“You’re getting married on it,” Nick told him.

“No. I’m getting married at The Brinkley followed by a reception in their Sunset Room.”

“Nope. I’m afraid you’re not.”

Aiden looked from one face to the next. What the hell had they done? He hoped they weren’t playing some crude joke on him. “No. The Brinkley’s booked. We called in yesterday morning and checked on the final details.”

“Sorry, it was nothing but a sham; a very well-executed secret,” Jaxon informed him, looking smug about the whole thing.

“Does Harper know about this?”

“She’s finding out right now,” Brock replied as he checked his watch.

“Jesus.” Aiden hauled himself up off the couch and paced across the room. “So, you’re telling me an hour out from my wedding, that everything Harper and I planned has been changed for an elaborate scheme thought up by…who? You lot?”

“Guilty.” Brock flashed his palms in the air in surrender and then dropped them to his thighs. “But in my defence, everyone was in on the idea.”

“Right,” Jaxon said. “Now he knows, I think it’s time we left.” He turned to his brother. “Brock, did you shift the bags?”

Brock nodded a confirmation.

“What do you mean, shift the bags? We’re staying at the hotel. They already have our overnight bags.” Now he had a growing sense of panic that the whole day would be a freaking nightmare.

“Lucy took care of the bags,” Brock informed him.

Nick moved through the room, collecting glasses and bottles and placing them in the kitchen. He and Lucy, along with Jaxon and Ava, were staying in the apartment. Brock and Adelaide were staying in Harper’s home.

“Have you changed every single fucking wedding plan we made?” Aiden asked in disbelief.

“Maybe.”

“Fuck you, Brock.” He wished he and Harper had done what Jaxon did and just eloped.

“You’ll thank me later.”

There was a limo waiting down on the street, and the four men bundled in. Nick slipped an arm over Aiden’s shoulder. “How’s the nerves?”

“I’m more nervous now you guys told me about the boat. I can’t believe you did that. And how the hell are we going to have our reception on it?”

Brock smirked. “Everything will be fine.”

“I’m just worried Harper is okay with the changes.”

“A little bird told me she loves them.”

They drove through the city down towards the Viaduct Basin and out along the marina. The car came to a halt in front of a super yacht with bobbing silver and red coloured balloons tied to the railings and a sign on the wharf that welcomed guests to Harper and Aiden’s wedding.

“This is the boat?” Aiden asked amazed at the sheer size of it. It towered above the car and looked like it boasted several decks, and from the car, he could see at least three crew members all dressed smartly in white waiting for them.

“Yeah. Sorry we couldn’t get a bigger one,” Brock answered. “You get to spend three days cruising around the Bay of Islands as a wedding gift from the six of us.”

“What about the kids? We can’t just swan off and leave them.”

“Oh yes, you can,” Jaxon added. “Harper’s girlfriends are looking after them while you two take a couple of nights off.”

Aiden opened his door and stepped out, impressed by the beauty of the boat. It was backed into the wharf so that guests could easily step aboard. They were going to spend three days cruising on this? Just the two of them? It would be a luxury neither of them expected after the last six months of chaos.

There was a floral arch over the gangplank, and flowers adorned surfaces while balloons and ribbons fluttered gently in the light late afternoon breeze. A man Aiden assumed was the captain, waited for them. Brock took the lead and shook hands with him.

“Garth, this is our very nervous brother, Aiden, and my brother, Jaxon, brother-in-law, Nick.” They took turns shaking hands.

“Welcome aboard, gentlemen. I hope you find everything in place. I think most of the guests are already here. I’ve been informed the bridal party is twenty-five minutes away.”

Aiden nodded. It all felt surreal. He was being ushered aboard this luxurious super yacht of sizable proportions while around him people were taking care of everything. He swallowed, trying to settle the cauldron of emotions that simmered in the pit of his stomach as Brock led the three of them into a large atrium where guests were mingling over drinks. He spotted his mother and Robert, and an aunty he hadn’t seen for a while talking to Reid and a woman with bright pink hair who was clinging to his arm. Holy shit. And Connor was across the room gazing stupidly into the eyes of a tall brunette.

Jaxon offered him a drink, but Aiden shook his head. He was much too nervous to drink anything. As the guests started taking their seats, Aiden noticed an area had been set up at the far end of the room for the service where the captain was standing at ease waiting for them. The captain was officiating? “What happened to the marriage celebrant we organised?” he asked Brock.

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. It took the girls a while to find out who it was and cancel them.”

“Why?” Shit. Harper was going to kill Brock.

“Well, it was Garth’s call. He’s the captain of this floating beauty and said he’d come to the party as long as he got to do the honours.”

“Okay. I think it’s time, bro,” Jaxon said to him, slapping him on the shoulder.

Aiden ran his hands down the side of his suit and took a deep breath. “Have you got the rings?”

Jaxon nodded and patted his suit pocket.

“Do I look okay?”

Jaxon grinned. “You’re good to go.”

“I feel like I’m sweating tennis balls.”

All three men laughed. It didn’t make Aiden feel any less nervous. Was Harper feeling this nervous? The four men made their way to the altar and organised themselves in order. At the end of the line, Nick took his phone from his pocket, checked the screen and then slipped it back in, passing along a message for Aiden. The bridal party had arrived. Aiden rocked back and forth on his feet; the waiting was the worst part. Now he could do with something strong to drink. Real strong.

Wedding music filled the air and one by one, the girls appeared, walking through the chairs to the altar. First Emma, then Jill and Sophie, all in matching emerald green cocktail dresses. Aiden followed their progress, his eyes darting from each of them to the entrance, waiting for his first glimpse of Harper. His Harper.

And then she appeared. Standing at the far end of the aisle in a knee-length shimmering pale green dress with emerald green detailing around the neckline and hem. It hung off her shoulders and exposed so much bare skin. Their eyes met, and from that moment, it was as though everyone had left and there was just the two of them as they sent each other private messages.

She smiled as she jiggled baby Ethan on her hip, and held Rosie’s hand. Her daughter looked like a miniature version of her mother. He lifted his hand and waved his fingers at her. Rosie waved back. Total cuteness overload in her ballet slippers and hair done to match her mother’s. He couldn’t take his eyes off them. They were his family and they filled his heart with so much love right now, that he thought his chest might explode.

Looking down, he lifted his hand to his face, swiping the moisture that was threatening to spill. Jaxon handed him a tissue. Damned emotions. He hadn’t known happiness like he’d experienced with her.

He watched them walk towards him, and when she stepped up beside him, he leaned in and brushed his lips over her cheek and whispered, “I love you,” in her ear. Then he kissed his son on the forehead before crouching and kissing Rosie on the cheek, too.

“You look so pretty, I almost didn’t recognise you,” he whispered to her. “You look like a fairy princess.”

“Can I call you daddy, now?” she whispered back.

“You can always call me daddy.” And he kissed her again before straightening and taking Ethan from Harper.

As he stood in front of the captain, Harper’s hand in his, each of them with a child, he realised he didn’t care where the wedding was or who was there; he just wanted to commit himself to taking care of Harper and Rosie and Ethan for the rest of his life.

As the captain began the ceremony, Aiden glanced at Harper and she turned her face to him as if she knew what he was thinking. Her eyes were full of tears, and he grinned as his own tears fell and quickly turned his attention back to the captain.

Then Emma took Ethan and Rosie sat beside Jill, as the couple exchanged rings and made their vows. Finally, he was allowed to kiss his bride. And the deck erupted in woof whistles and clapping, as they lingered over their first kiss as husband and wife.

It was the beginning of a world full of adventures together as they stood holding each other. Aiden took her face in his hands and told her again what he’d told her every single day since Ethan was born, and what he’d tell her every day for the rest of her life.

“I love you darling, with all my heart.”