Aiden.
The name was simple. The choice was simple. Sitting there beside the woman he loved... simple.
Knowing he was still in love with her after all this time. Simple.
Aiden. The little boy had all the marks of his mother. Her personality. Her smile. The light in his eyes when he was trying to get away with anything... everything.
He was his brother's child. His own nephew.
But he loved him like his own.
He shouldn't. But he does. Because ever since he heard the words 'Elizabeth is pregnant' he knew that he'd never be complete without her again.
He'd never take another breath in the world without knowing that it was all because of her.
Aiden.
He'd been there when the baby had taken his first breath, cut the cord that bound him to his mother in the most elemental of ways, and he'd been the second person to hold him close.
His mother... and then...
Father, Nikolas affirmed to himself, he was and would always feel like a father to this little boy.
Watching through the window at the tumble of excitement within, Nikolas felt a yawning hole inside his soul. Cameron flopped down on the couch beside his little brother, his hands on the attack, tickling Aiden until they both looked like they would burst with laughter. Into the happy fray came Elizabeth with a tray full of breakfast and a smile like the sun.
He watched and felt all the more empty because of it.
He watched and felt a little of their joy through the cold glass of the window.
He watched and felt as though his heart would shatter with a single taste of a life with her.
Aiden.
A mouthful of pancakes. Cheeks rounded with the appetite of a little boy. Eyes bright with mirth.
Aiden saw him and nearly toppled over the table in his haste to get up from his chair.
Aiden, who rushed past his mother toward the door.
Aiden who could almost reach the doorknob.
But there was Cameron, only a half-step behind him and willing to help.
Before Nikolas could say a word or get down on his knees he was embraced, syrup sieving through the fine material of his slacks, little arms wrapped just above his knees.
His hand brushing through curls that reminded him of Laura's hair, he looked up at the woman who ruled his dreams as much as she did his waking hours and saw her surprise... and her smile.
Giving Cameron a smile he drew Aiden up into his arms and looked into the dear face of the young boy he'd loved for an age. "Happy Birthday, Aiden."
A kiss on his cheek, a hug around his neck, and a giggle of laughter had him weak in the knees.
Aiden.