Hi everyone, thank you so much to everyone who favourited/watchlisted and reviewed this story. It was originally planned to be a short multi-chapter, but as I'm writing it it's taking on a life of its own so will be longer than I first intended. In this chapter I had to set up the Calleigh/Aidan relationship so please forgive the displays of affection and if you're a die-hard EC fan consider yourself forewarned...again. But there is light at the end of the tunnel I promise. So please read and review it would mean a lot to me.
Calleigh was now feeling on a high from her morning run as she ascended the stairs of her home. She had needed to get out of the house, she needed the clarity the exercise and morning air gave her after a third consecutive night of barely any sleep. She'd sit up in bed silently not wanting to wake Aidan with her worries. Calleigh didn't know what to think of her recent insomnia: Probably just a case of cold feet. Everyone gets it right? Get it together Duquesne! She'd thought to herself, she decided to push it all aside and the run had been what she needed to clear her head. She walked into her bedroom, where she'd left Aidan sleeping so silently this morning. He was now up and showering in the en suite. They'd been out to meet her father for dinner the evening before. It was the first time Kenwall had met Aidan and any worries she had about her dad meeting Aidan were soon allayed when she saw how well they took to each other. It was like they had known each other for years.
They talked about all the usual guy things; sports, cars and then the most important thing they had in common; Calleigh. This causing Calleigh to blush profusely when Aidan clasped her hand atop of the table and commented to her dad on not just how smart and kind she was, but also how she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever been lucky enough to meet. Later when Aidan had gone to visit the restroom, Kenwall had the opportunity to relay his feelings about Aidan to his daughter.
"He's definitely a good man Cal, I like him" Kenwall started casually.
"I can tell Dad, the way you talked about your mutual love of baseball I thought we were going to be here until closing. When he told you he was a member at the stadium and had access to the suites there I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your head" Calleigh replied chuckling.
"Well he knows how to impress his future father in law, but seriously Lambchop the way he talks about you and he is with you I can tell he loves you".
"He does and I love him".
"I have to ask though baby girl, what happened with Eric?" He asked looking around to check Aidan wasn't returning "I know you two broke up, but y'all seemed so in love, you never wanted to try working things out with him? He seemed like such a nice gentlemen when I met him those few times".
"It's complicated Dad, you know? Like you and Mom".
"Baby girl, I've been sober for nearly a year now and your Mom still refuses to talk to me. Anything between you two surely can't be that complicated. But I see that you're happy now and I respect your decision Calleigh and I wish you and Aidan every happiness".
"I am happy Dad" she replied looking around to smile as she noticed Aidan re-approaching the table.
Calleigh heard the water shut off and the shower door open, as she sat down on the bed and began to unlace her running shoes.
"Morning sweetheart" Aidan chimed as he emerged from her closet that led through to her bedroom from the bathroom, he came to lean against the doorframe "Surprised to see you go for a run this morning, considering the day we've got ahead. You all packed up for Fiji?"
"Of course I am" she responded, she now had removed both shoes and stood, taking the few steps over to him. She placed a light kiss on his lips, looping her hands around his neck as he moved to stand upright and hold her at the waist. "Honeymoon bag is all packed and in my car ready, wedding stuff is ready to go too, except the dress which Alexx is guarding with her life away from your prying eyes! She is bringing it to the hotel tomorrow. As for the house that's pretty much all set and sorted now for renting out, just a few loose ends to sort before the movers come, but that can wait until we get back from honeymoon".
Calleigh had decided that she just simply couldn't part with her Bal Harbor home, so the last 2 weeks when she hadn't been working or doing wedding related jobs had been spent with Alexx and Natalia's help sorting through what would go with her to Aidan's house and what would go into storage. It had been her home for the last eight years or so. She'd bought it with help from an inheritance from her grandmother as well as working any overtime that had come her way. It was simply her home and she'd loved it and made it her own and with Aidan's blessing she decided that the best thing to do was to rent it out, at least for the time being. Now cardboard boxes filled almost every room of her home in anticipation of the big move.
"What a good fiancée I have" he said brushing her cheek with his thumb before moving in for another gentle kiss "Diligent, organised...speaking of organisation, I better get myself dressed. I told my parents I'd pick them up from the airport and their plane's due in from Connecticut soon. I also have to go pick up the tuxes from the tailors and drop them at the hotel before tomorrow".
"And I have to shower and dress, before Alexx picks me up for our girl's day" Calleigh answered releasing him from her arms, as he relinquished his from her waist "So picks me up around 7pm and we'll go to the rehearsal dinner together with the children, but what about your parents?"
Aidan had two children, Evan who was twenty and Nicole who was thirteen from his first marriage. Aidan and his wife Juliette had divorced almost ten years ago, Juliette deciding to move back up north to Connecticut where they were both from. However Evan choose to remain in his father's custody, spending the majority of school holidays with his mother, who'd remarried shortly after the divorce and gave the children a younger brother a few years later. Nicole had bonded with Calleigh immediately when she discovered that they both loved horses, she'd go out riding with Calleigh at every opportunity. Calleigh appreciated the opportunity to bond with the girl and getting back in touch with her horse riding roots calmed her. Evan took more time, but the more time they spent together the more he liked her. He found her to be kind, funny and more like a friend to him than a step mother. He'd even go to her for advice on dating. It wasn't long after that, when he saw how comfortable the children were with Calleigh that Aidan popped the question and she diligently accepted it.
"I said I'd drive my parents as they don't really know their way around Miami. Evan said he'd bring Nicole in his car and I said he could bring Sarah too, since we can't all travel in one car. I probably will have left before you get out the shower darling, so I'll see at 7pm...oh and wear that sexy black number of yours" he said with a smirk as he leaned back in to her, brushing her left hip with his right hand and pressed a kiss to that little spot behind her ear that made her melt, making her knees falter ever so slightly.
"Attempting to use your powers of persuasion on me again?" Calleigh chuckled softly as she broke away from him "Black dress it is then".
She moved away from Aidan and began walking towards her bathroom, she picked out the little black dress from the few clothes she had left hanging in her closet and hung it on the hook on the door, smiling cheekily at Aidan as she did. She then headed into the bathroom closing the door behind her tightly.
Alone in the room she grabbed a clean towel from the counter top and hung it over the shower door, opening the other side to switch on the faucet, allowing it to heat up before jumping under the steady stream of water. It was warm and comforting against her aching muscles; she really had pushed herself that morning for no intense purpose over than to get away from whatever was waking her up at night. As she began to feel her muscles relax, she began to remember how much she liked being with Aidan, how easy everything was and even felt excitement begin to build within her about their upcoming nuptials. Calleigh recognised that he didn't have high expectations of their life together as he'd already lived it all with someone else before; all he desired above all was for them to be happy and enjoy each other's company. Everything in her life had become refreshingly easy and settled.
She was hardly in the mood to socialise that evening, but she couldn't disappoint Alexx and Henry. It was their wedding anniversary party after all. Alexx had assured her that Eric hadn't RSVP'D to her invitation and he probably wasn't coming over the phone that day and she'd practically pleaded with Calleigh to come, it would be good for her. She'd been so down since their break up almost nine months ago and Alexx was concerned and thought being around friends would help her. So Calleigh put on one of her favourite dresses, lightly curled her locks and skilfully applied her make-up before setting off for Alexx and Henry's home for their party. She rang the doorbell, tucking her purse and the couple's anniversary card under her arm. She was greeted by the couple warmly at the door, Alexx first throwing her arms about her friend before kissing her cheek.
"So glad you could make it baby girl" offered the woman who was not only a friend, but like the mother she'd never had to Calleigh as she held her in her arms looking her straight in the face "Now, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you have a good time at the Wood's residence today".
Alexx took Calleigh back into her embrace again, holding her tightly.
"Alexx, darling, put the girl down" said Henry jokingly, Alexx let her out of the embrace, allowing Henry to greet Calleigh with a peck on the cheek "Good to see you Calleigh".
"You too Henry, happy anniversary, the gift is inside your card" she smiled as she spoke offering Alexx the card containing two tickets to a cultural event Alexx had been discussing with Calleigh about possibly going to for weeks now. Calleigh certainly knew how to take a hint from her best friend.
"Thank you Calleigh, can you believe it twenty five years we've been married now?" Alexx replied beaming as she accepted the gift and took Calleigh by the hand and leading her towards the back yard "Now come on let's go have some fun".
The Woods' back yard had been transformed magnificently into to some sort of wonderland, a dozen or so white wooden tables had been laid out, around a small dance floor, for the guests to sit at. Each one was beautifully adorned with white orchid centrepieces, with tea lights used to provide intimate lighting to the tables. A buffet table was stood on the patio near the house. There was soft music playing in the background accompanying the light mood of the party. White lanterns hung overhead and beyond the pool contained pretty water-lily shaped candles that floated majestically on the water, the intoxicating scent of Star Jasmine filling the air. Calleigh noticed it was growing up the trellis fixed against the house and around an elegant wrought iron loveseat that sat on the slate patio.
"It's beautiful Alexx" Calleigh complimented her friend's work in awe.
"Well thanks honey, I had a lot of help from the family, how about some food for you? You look like you haven't eaten properly lately".
There Alexx went again looking out for Calleigh; they sat down together at a nearby table after getting some food. They talked about work, Alexx's family, Calleigh's dad and eventually the topic of Eric cropped up into conversation. Alexx expressed her concerns about the two of them and she declared that she hadn't really heard from him since he and Calleigh had broken up, which was unusual as he always made sure he'd call or visit at least once a month. She was after all a motherly figure to him and friend as much to him as to Calleigh.
"I think it's hit him hard baby girl, you are the first and only woman he's ever truly loved and I know he saw you as the one, he wanted everything with you". Alexx stated to her, reaching out to clasp Calleigh's hand in hers. Calleigh shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not really sure of how to reply at first, she knew Eric had wanted to settle down with her and a part of her wanted that too. However she couldn't stop thinking that if they'd carried on in their relationship eventually she'd hurt him irreparably.
"It's been hard for me too Alexx, but I really think I did what I had to do to protect everyone involved, it will all get better in time. This way we can eventually move on".
"But is that what you want? Think about it sugar, I want you both to be happy".
With that Alexx stood up, patting Calleigh's shoulder tenderly and she disappeared into the party somewhere. Calleigh sat there and picked slowly at her food for five minutes before pushing it aside, she'd come here today to cheer herself up and not think about Eric. She really wanted to move past all this, not think about it and there was Alexx dredging it all up again. She decided she wanted to go home and escape all this nonsense, maybe watch one of her favourite reality TV shows she had saved on her DVR. She picked up her purse from where she'd placed it on the table and started to make her way to the back door so she could leave. When she got there she found herself trying to use the door at the same time as someone else. She shuffled a little to move out of the way and looked up to see who it was.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry" said Calleigh"after you; you seem to be in a hurry".
"No not really, I just realised I left my cell phone inside and I'm expecting a call from my daughter to say her plane landed safely. You're leaving?" asked a smart looking gentleman, he was attractive and appeared to be in his late forties. He had piercing blue eyes and sandy blonde hair.
"Yeah"
"May I ask why so soon before I get a chance to introduce myself to you? I'm Aidan, Aidan Williams"
"Calleigh Duquesne, it's southern" Calleigh responded suddenly forgetting why she was in such a hurry to leave as he shot her a smile. She noticed a distinct lack of a wedding band on his left hand, reassuring considering he appeared interested and had mentioned that he had a daughter.
"I can tell by the accent" he said letting out a small laugh "So are you a friend of Alexx's or Henry's?"
"Alexx, we used to work together when she was an ME for Miami Dade PD".
"So that must make you a cop then?"
"Crime scene investigator actually" she corrected him with a grin.
"You're into science then, me too well at least I was at school, I'm an orthopaedic surgeon that's how I know Alexx. We work together at the hospital; I have my own practice as well specialising in sports medicine" he paused "This may be a bit forward of me, but would you like to go for dinner sometime?"
"I'm not sure" she said shuffling her feet a little and looking down to fiddle with the clasp of her purse. Although he was cute, she wasn't sure she should be putting herself out there again so soon.
"Oh come on just one date, if it doesn't go well you'll never have to see me again I promise".
"How about I stay a bit longer and we can talk and if we get along then we can discuss dinner?"
"That would be okay with me, I'll just go retrieve my cell phone and I'll join you".
She walked over to the loveseat on the patio and sat down; he joined her a couple of minutes later not only had he retrieved his cell phone, but two plates of the chocolate dessert they were serving at the party.
"I hope you like chocolate" he said passing one of the plates to her as he sat down next to her.
"I love it, thank you" Calleigh responded taking a forkful of the cake to her mouth and tasting it, it was divine, not too sweet "Oh wow, this is good".
"I made a good choice in getting dessert then, good. So you're a CSI, must be quite a challenging job. Do you have a speciality?" he asked her as he too decided to dig into his dessert.
"Ballistics and tool marks" she said digging her fork back into the chocolate cake that was slowly dwindling in mass on her plate. She noticed Aidan looked slightly surprised, but impressed by her admission "And yes it is challenging, sometimes dangerous but it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do and when you get an arrest at the end of the day it's all worth it. What about surgery that's got to be tough?"
"Yeah, it is, like you it was all I've ever wanted too. My dad was a surgeon too so I followed in his footsteps so to speak. I think all the training involved was the hardest part. It probably didn't help that my wife and I had our son when I was half way through my surgical internship. But that's how it happened for us and we were happy. We've been divorced for quite some time now though".
"I'm sorry to hear that. So you have two children? You mentioned you have a daughter too".
"Yes just the two, Evan is twenty and Nicole is almost thirteen. They're pretty much grown up now; it's good though because now I get to spend time on myself. I've been able to set up my practice and not have to worry about not being at home for the kids every evening. That used to really get to me not being there when they were growing up. Nicole's been here spending some time with me, but she flew home to her mom's today, hence me wanting to check my cell. My son lives and attends college here though, so that's nice to have him close by. What about you Calleigh, any children?"
"No it's just me" she said trying to be chipper about it. She shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable by his question and placed her plate down on the ground beside her.
"Well sometimes it's easier that way" he wasn't quite sure how to respond, he didn't want to berate her for her life choices after all they'd only just met and he really liked this woman. He noticed that the music got louder and turned his head and noticed that people were beginning to get up and dance. "Hey...How about a dance Calleigh?"
He thought it might break any uneasiness he'd bought upon by bringing up children and he was glad when she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. The trick worked and soon she was smiling and at ease again. Calleigh felt calm as he whirled her around the dance floor. They spent a good half hour dancing, before collapsing onto chairs at a nearby table where they talked the night away in each other's presence. At the end of the night Calleigh felt comfortable enough to give Aidan her phone number, maybe he was the perfect diversion for her or possibly the best way to move on. A few days later he called and the first of many dates was arranged.
After finishing up in the shower and getting herself ready she headed downstairs to wait for Alexx to come pick her up. As she descended the last step and began to walk across her living room to sit down she managed to stumble upon a rogue box. It had somehow been neglected when they had been piling them up ready for the movers against one of the living room walls the other day. She bent down as she noticed the gleam of something silver catch her eyes tucked amongst the various bubble-wrapped ornaments in this particular box. She picked it up; it was a photo frame, sitting down on the soft couch with it in her hands she flipped it over to reveal the picture it contained. Her face lit up as she delicately traced one of her hands along the frame and down onto the cool glass that covered the portrait of herself and a man taken at the beach sometime ago, they'd spent the day frolicking in the waves before having a barbeque on the beach. She noticed how their smiles almost touched their ears in this picture. It was taken by a kind passer by just before the couple had had a fight with ice cream. Calleigh winning when she managed to get it all over his face; she'd of course intended to in order to kiss it off of his nose and full lips. The playful nips and licks turned into a heated kiss as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and he gripped her tightly at the waist not ever wanting to let go, a preview of the passion they'd share when they arrived home later that day. She remembered they'd been so happy and carefree that day. She allowed her fingers to wander down to the man's face in the picture, caressing the glass that covered it a few times, before the door bell rang startling her making her jump out of her seat. She quickly tucked the picture back into the box not wanting Alexx who'd just arrived at her doorstep to discover it.
The picture that Calleigh had hidden away from her friend was of herself and Eric.
