Ace turned and waved his hand. A second later, Aiden popped in between the two of us.
“I’ve got the rings,” he whispered loudly.
Out came the same pastor that married us seventeen years earlier. When Ace and I turned to face each other, holding onto each other’s hands, this felt like the fresh start we needed. The one we deserved.
I vaguely heard the pastor mention the bridge that was the backdrop of our wedding, and just as before, that love is the bridge to one another’s hearts. We recited our vows and promised always to be true to one another.
“Captain Townsend, you may now kiss your bride. Again,” he declared.
I heard the applause from our friends and family and Aiden cheering, but mostly, my senses were overloaded when Ace cupped my face and pulled me in for a deep kiss.
“My forever,” he whispered as his lips brushed against mine.
“Forever.”
“Yay,” Aiden cheered, causing all of us to laugh out loud.
The rest of the day was a whirlwind. We ended up at The Rustic for our reception. We danced, partied, and celebrated our second chance at love.
By the end of the night, everyone was exhausted. Micah and Jodi volunteered to take Aiden home with them overnight, so Ace and I could have the night to ourselves.
Aiden didn’t hesitate. He loved spending time with his baby cousin, Lonzie, and his Uncle Micah. When Gabriel promised to take him to the gym the following day and then take him over to Grandpa Joel’s to feed and ride the horse, Aiden acted as if he barely knew Ace and me.
The way Ace’s family had taken in Aiden warmed my entire heart.
As for Aiden’s birth father, soon after the kidnapping, news broke that Senator Flores was involved in a sex trafficking ring. He was in a boatload of trouble and looking at federal charges.
Flores was no longer a threat to Aiden, given that all of his ties had dried up, and he sat in a federal prison awaiting trial.
Not long after that, Ace started the process to adopt Aiden formally.
“I have an appointment next week,” Ace said as we slow-danced again to one of Lena’s songs from her last album. We were the final two people in the bar.
“For what?”
His grin widened. “Vasectomy reversal.”
I stilled. “Really?”
We’d talked about it briefly, but I didn’t want to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want.
“There was always only one woman who was going to be the mother of my children,” he said. “Now that she’s back, nothing is stopping us from making more babies. Aiden will need at least a few more siblings.”
I leaned up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips across his. “I think we should go home and practice.”
“I love the way you think.”
EPILOGUE
Twelve months later
Savannah
“Mm,” I hummed as I paced back and forth in the hospital room, with one hand gripping onto the pole holding my IV fluids.
“How’re you doing, baby?” Ace asked as he rubbed my back in the circular motion that he’d learned in the birthing class we took.
“Well,” I paused to inhale deeply. “I’m considering never having sex with you again.” I blew out a shuddering breath as another contraction gripped the lower half of my body.
