In two different time zones, both Kate and Emily without knowing it were doing the same thing. Both were sitting in wooden chairs on the balcony of their homes looking out at the horizon. For Emily it was the ocean, for Kate it was the sunflower and lavender growing in her garden. For Emily it was a little after lunch time, for Kate it was early evening but the sun was still quite high and shining. Both were drinking a glass of fresh ice tea.
"You feel like some company"? Emily looked up and saw Jack standing with Carl in his arms.
"Hey you two! Of course I'd love a little company".
Emily took Carl in her arms and Jack sat down next to her and put his arm around her. The moment was perfect. It was quiet, you could hear the waves crashing on the sand and she was surrounded by people she loved.
She sighed. "I need to apologize to my sister. I was angry and jealous and it wasn't fair. I hope she'll forgive me".
Jack caressed her hair. "I'm sure she will, but I think you don't have to be envious of the life she had. Remember that no matter how great her life seemed to be, she probably sacrificed 15 years of her life, that's a long time to put your life on hold especially at the age she was. Now look, she's 35 and alone and has to start her life all over again. Heck I wouldn't want her life and I'd be damn scared to".
"You're right! I had the better half of the deal. I can't believe how egocentric I have been"!
Jack stood. "Come on, why don't we go for a stroll on the beach and put our feet in the water"?
Emily stood with Carl. "Good idea.. What do you say Carl, you want to build a sand castle"?
Carl smiled and they went down the patio stairs to reach the beach.
Aiden arrived in the village of Firenzuola. It was a beautiful village and he couldn't believe his eyes when he reached the address that Nolan had given him. He was exhausted but he didn't care. He had thought the entire flight about what he would say to Kate. Seeing that the front door was closed he walked around to the back of the property. It was huge. There were horses in the prairie and a lot of fields with sunflowers and lavender. He arrived at the side of the deck and saw her sitting in a wooden chair with a blanket around her looking at the sunset. The sun was reflecting in her face and hair and she looked more beautiful than ever, it reminded him of one of the nights they were sitting on the beach in Japan watching a similar sunset.
"What are you running away from Kate"?
Kate turned her head towards the voice she heard and there in front of her stood Aiden.
"Aiden? What are you doing here"? She stood and the blanket fell to the floor.
He walked up the stairs slowly. "You left without saying goodbye".
"I had to come for an emergency. I'm sorry".
He picked up the blanket from the floor and stood in front of her. "You mean for your daughter, Juliette".
She frowned and started shaking. "How do you know about Juliette"?
"Emily was there when the will was read". He paused a moment and swallowed. The moment of truth had arrived.
He looked Kate right in the eyes. "I need to know Kate. Is she mine"?
Kate's eyes widened. "Why would you ask that"? she said as she started to walk away from him toward the inside of the house.
He caught up with her and grabbed her hand. "I'm not an idiot Kate. I did the math. You told Margaux she just turned four. We were in Japan around that time, remember"?
"Remember? Aiden I have never forgotten what happened 5 years ago in Japan. How could I ever forget".
She looked away and he took her chin and made her look at him.
"I left Japan the day after our night together Aiden and when I got back to Paris, Pascal and I reunited like any couple does after being apart. When I found out I was pregnant, I was shocked. The thought did cross my mind and when Pascal was in Switzerland, I had an amniocentesis and decided to do a paternity test".
"Is Juliette my daughter Kate"?
Kate's eyes started to fill up with tears. "Aiden, I'm so sorry".
He let go of her hand and looked around him. There were plenty of pictures on the wall; most of them were of Juliette. She was an adorable little baby and then little girl. She was smiley and made your heart melt. He felt sad suddenly.
"So she's not mine".
Tears started to flow from her eyes. "No Aiden. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But Juliette is your daughter"!
Overwhelmed by what Kate had just said, he looked again at the pictures on the wall.
She continued. "I should have contacted you to tell you, but not only would it have been too risky but it would have complicated things. I hope that you can find it in you to forgive me".
He turned his attention to her. "I understand why you had to do it. You were only protecting Juliette and yourself. Knowing that you carried our child and brought such a beautiful little girl into the world is enough for me to not even need to forgive you, because, there is nothing to ask forgiveness for. I just wish I had been there".
Kate felt relieved. "I do too. I was blessed because I lived most of my pregnancy knowing she was yours and nothing made me happier"!
"I just regret not having seen you pregnant, feeling her move inside you or being there for her birth. They are such magical moments and I may never get that chance again".
"So what? Are you ruling out having any more children with me"?
He took her in his arms. "You're serious"?
"Aiden I would never joke around about these kinds of things. I fell in love with you after spending those two months in Japan. That's why I had Juliette. If she hadn't been yours, I would have and could have terminated the pregnancy without Pascal ever knowing I had been pregnant in the first place".
She paused for a moment and looked in his eyes that were sparkling.
"Aiden back in the hotel the other night, you were waiting for me to say something but I couldn't considering the moment we were in".
"I know. And I'm sorry; I shouldn't have put you in that situation. When you left Japan, I built a wall around the feelings I had for you and seeing you in Emily's home a week ago, that wall crumbled and I let my feelings resurface much quicker and stronger than I had expected them to".
She put her finger on his lips to stop him from talking.
"I love you Aiden. I know that while I was with Pascal, I also fell for the man he was and I felt so guilty, but being with a man for so long, it was only normal for it to happen. I like you, put my feelings aside when it came to you. I thought that you would have turned the page and moved on yourself. But that is the past Aiden and all I want to do is focus on the present and future. I want you! I want to be with you"!
It was all he needed to hear. He pulled her in closer and kissed her. He wanted nothing more. He wanted her by his side, in his life. He wanted to be a family with Juliette and have more children. After a few minutes he pulled away.
"Is she here"?
Kate smiled. "Yes, she's sleeping in her room upstairs".
He turned and looked towards the stairs.
"Can I see her"?
"Of course".
She took his hand and led him upstairs. Once at the top of the stairs, they turned left to a hallway with three doors. Kate stopped in front of the second door and opened it slowly. Aiden had a quick look around before going in. It was everything he imagined a little girl's room to be. There was a doll house, dolls, a table with a tea set. The colors ranged from white to pink to purple. In the corner of the room he noticed the bed.
He nervously looked at Kate who smiled and nodded for him to go in. His heart was pounding as he walked slowly and quietly towards the little bed. Once he reached it, he knelt down beside it and looked at his daughter. Tears filled his eyes. She was beautiful. She had long brown hair and seemed quite tall. Looking at her face, he could make out the harmonious mix of him and Kate. He put his hand on her hair and caressed it gently. He leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead before heading back to the door.
He closed the door gently and wiped his eyes.
"Kate, she is beautiful".
"You can't see it because she's sleeping but she's got your eyes and your smile. There were so many times when she would look at me and I would find myself saying 'that is such an Aiden look'. She would laugh when I would tell her; she looked just like her father".
Aiden's eyes widened. "She knows about me"?
"Yes, she does. When I was pregnant and when I was alone with her as a baby, I spoke of you so often. When she got old enough to understand I told her that Pascal was not her father. That her father was on a secret mission to catch the bad guys and that someday, he would come and we would hopefully be a family. She only spoke of you when we were alone and never mentioned you in front of Pascal. She's a real smart little girl".
He took her hand. "Thank you for doing that".
"Aiden, it's not because I was living a life of lies that I wanted her to also. I want her to have as normal a life as any kid. She shouldn't have to pay for the sacrifices we've had to make all these years. I know my father would have wanted it that way".
He again took her in his arms. "I want us. I want this family, Kate. We are going to be alright. It's only a matter of time before all of this is behind us. I promise"!
She kissed him and all the while led him further down the hall. She opened the door, easily as she could, still kissing him and they entered her room. Yearning turned into passion and within minutes they had stripped off their clothes and spent the night rediscovering every inch of their bodies.
