If she wasn’t happy about the way the marriage had happened, they could rewind. They could do it again and invite family and friends. He would make sure she had the wedding of her dreams.
All he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her.
Kate turned off the faucet and stood up looking ashen. As Aidan let go of her hair and the fiery red strands fell around her shoulders, he was certain she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“You okay?” he asked.
She shrugged. No wonder she wasn’t excited. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and sleep.
“Do you think it is food poisoning?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t have stomach cramps. I only had a couple of sips of alcohol, but I feel sick to my stomach. Maybe I picked up a bug on the flight out here. Or maybe I’m just tired.”
She and her sisters and mother had flown in from Savannah, Georgia, a week before the wedding to get everything ready for Gigi and Charles. It was entirely possible that she had picked up something on the plane. Even though he didn’t want her to feel bad, it was a hell of a lot more palatable than thinking that waking up to the reality of being married to him made her physically ill.
“Come in here and lie down.” She let him steer her back into the bedroom of the suite. He removed the robe and tucked her into bed. “I am going to get you a cold cloth for your forehead. That always helps when you’re feeling queasy. Then I’m going to go down to the lobby and get you some cold water and some of that pink stuff to settle your stomach. Try to sleep while I’m gone. After I get back, I’ll call Elle and Daniel and tell them we can’t make it to brunch. That we want to sleep in. They’ll understand that.”
It didn’t seem like she had slept, but she must’ve dozed. Because the next thing she knew, she was waking up to Aidan sitting on the bed next to her, offering her cold water and Pepto Bismol.
She took a sip of the water and felt remarkably well again.
“It is weird,” she said. “I feel a lot better. I appreciate you getting the Pepto, but I don’t think I need it.”
“That’s great,” Aidan said. “Drink more water. It will keep you hydrated. At least you’ll have the pink stuff if you need it later.”
He poured the cold liquid into a glass and handed it to her.
“I haven’t called Daniel and Elle yet. Do you feel up to meeting them for brunch? Or do you still want me to cancel?”
Kate’s stomach rumbled at the suggestion of food, and she suddenly realized she was ravenous. It was odd that one minute she felt like she was coming down with the flu and the next she was perfectly fine and starving. It would be a good idea to get some food in her stomach. Not to mention the fact that being around other people would get them away from the big marriage-elephant in the room. They didn’t have to tell Elle and Daniel what had happened.
“I think I can make it,” she said. “But let’s not share our big news with them just yet. You know my family. If I tell one person and the others find out before we tell them, it will start an uncivil war. Besides, I don’t want to do anything that might overshadow Gigi and Charles’s wedding. This is their time. Let’s let them have their moment, even though they’re probably in Paris by now.”
“Does that mean you’re open to telling them at some point?” he asked.
Kate took a long sip, buying herself time before she answered. Aidan was looking at her expectantly. Unless she planned to chug the entire glass of water, she owed him an answer.
“Aidan, we have a lot to think about. A lot to talk about. Getting married the way we did changes everything, and I have to be honest, I—”
He held up a hand stopping her words. “I agree. We do have a lot to consider. And I’ll be completely honest. While I was downstairs, some things dawned on me.” He shrugged, and Kate realized he didn’t look like the happy newlywed who had greeted her with a kiss when he had woken up. “I have Chloe to consider.”
“Oh my gosh, Chloe,” Kate said. “Of course. She has to be the first person to know.”
Chloe was Aidan’s six-year-old daughter from his previous marriage. Kate loved her like she was her own. They needed to handle this situation carefully.
Of course, he had to protect Chloe. Kate wanted to kick herself for being so self-absorbed and not thinking about the sweet little girl as soon as she opened her eyes. She had been trying to process everything as she coped with feeling like her insides were trying to wring her out. This marriage didn’t affect her alone. They had to think long and hard about how this would impact Chloe.
Which brought to mind another delicate matter. Chloe’s mother, Veronica, had walked out on the two of them just days after the child was born, leaving Aidan to raise her as a single parent all these years.
After his motorcycle accident, which was the catalyst that had brought Kate and Aidan back together, Kate had cared for Chloe as she helped nurse Aidan back to health and saw him through physical therapy.
Marriage was not something to trifle with. Of course, an annulment was always a possibility. Although they had consummated the marriage last night—a couple of times—and many times over the decade they had known each other.
After Aidan had recovered from his accident, he used to joke that making love to her was the very best kind of physical therapy and he owed his speedy recovery to it. She had certainly
