Forgive Me All This

Chapter Five

December 25th , 2008

Around ten pm, Greenlee and Aidan walked back into their apartment after eating dinner at Kendall's house. The guest list had included Reggie, Lily, Sean, Erica, Jackson, Myrtle, Bianca, Miranda, Maggie, Ryan, Annie, and Emma. And Greenlee was sure everyone of them, even the little kids, and Kendall and Zach had asked her when her and Aidan were getting hitched. Finally she had to say "No more marriage talk! He just came home. Give us some breathing room, okay? Jesus!"

After which Lily told her that it wasn't right to take the Lord's name in vain on Christmas. Which Greenlee had to agree with, so she apologized for her outburst. The night was filled with laughter and hugs, bickering and eye rolling. As wonderful as their loud and crazy family dinner was, she was thrilled to be back home with Aidan. It felt like a miracle to be able to curl up on the couch with him. Such a simple thing. But she would never take it for granted again.

Aidan kissed her forehead, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Merry Christmas, baby."

"This is my best Christmas ever. Seriously. I couldn't ask for more. Even if you had given me diamonds and pearls and gold, for the first time ever, I wouldn't even care..because I couldn't be more excited and happy than I am right now."

He kissed her and then whispered "Oh, I think you could be."

She smiled. "You're insatiable."

"For you, always." But instead of making love to her right then, Aidan laid back on the couch and pulled Greenlee on top of him, hugging her close. The lights of the Christmas tree were the only illumination in the room. "Greens, I could die a happy man today."

"Don't even talk that way! I need you around to grow old with me. You don't think I'm raising our four kids alone do you?"

"Four?" he choked out.

"Did you want five?"

"Uh...well, whatever you want, I suppose."

"You don't sound too sure. You still want kids, don't you?"

"Of course I want to have kids with you. Even if we got to go with a surrogate or adopt or see one of those fertility specialists...whatever it takes...you can count on me. I'd do anything to create a family with you. But four...that's a lot of family."

She smiled. "Well, I guess we can work out the details down the road. We don't have to rush, you know. Of course, I always want everything now, now, now but I've learned that flinging myself into things sometimes just makes a mess out of everything I wanted to be so simple and perfect. I don't want to do that to us. When the moment is right to get engaged, get married, have babies...we'll know. But you best believe that the only man I want to do all that with, Aidan, is you. I'm going to be Greenlee Devane...you can best your last dollar on that one."

"Future Mrs. Devane, you've made me a very happy man, do you know that?"

"Oh, yeah, I know."

Aidan smiled. Greenlee brought her lips to his, right before they connected she said, "And you've made me an ecstatic woman. Because you're home and you love me still."

"Always, always, always," he murmured and then their lips came together.

(These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive.

These are the moments I'll remember all my life.


I found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more ) (Edwin McCain)

XXXXXXXXXXX

April 2009

Aidan walked onto the yatch. He had gotten a phone message from Greenlee for him to meet her there. "Hello? Greens?"

He walked below deck and found her in one of the bedrooms. Candles were on every surface. She wore a simple black dress and bare feet. As soon as she spotted him, a sexy smile curved her lips. "You made it!"

She was in his arms in a second and kissing him before he could even ask who owned this boat. Kissing her felt so right that Aidan was tempted to not even give a damn if they were stowaways and just make love to her right then and there. Greenlee pulled away though and asked "You like?"

"You? I love you, baby." He kissed her again.

Smiling she pulled away and said "I mean this yatch! She's ours. I bought her today for my big surprise." She took his hand and lead him over to the bed.

He said "I think I'm gonna love this surprise."

She forced him to sit down and then kneeled in front of him. She pulled out a ring box. "Surprise."

There eyes held for a long moment as Aidan realized what she was about to do.

(Looking in your eyes-

seeing all I need.


Everything you are is everything to me.
These are the moments
I know heaven must exist.


These are the moments I know all I need is this.


I have all I've waited for
and I could not ask for more.)

For months he had wanted to propose to her but she said that she would tell him when the time was right to talk marriage again. She took hold of one of his hands and said "Aidan Devane...you are one amazing guy...you put up with me...my moods, my selfishness, my addiction to shoes...you never complain when I make us late for dinner cause I change my clothes three times...or when I bitch about Kendall being too much to put up with, when you know I don't mean a word of what I say but I have to say it anyway...you've pulled me out of a bomb shelter and out of my own head, my own misery, and through my coma...you've saved my life, my heart and my hopes."

"And you've done all that for me right back."

"Did I? I hope I did. Because I'd do anything for you. Everything for you. I love you...not despite it all, Aidan. Because of it all. Because I hate being me when I'm away from you and because you swear you're not happy if you're away from me."

"I'm not even worth being around if I don't have your love, Greens. If I don't know I can come home to you...I'm bloody worthless."

"Well I don't want you to be bloody worthless," she said with a smile "I want you to be happy! If you give me the chance, I will try to make you happy each and every day. Even on the ones when I'm pissed at you, I'll still try and make your life better than if you never fell in love with me. Cause, for me, the luckiest break that ever came my way was you, Aidan. To ever be separated from you again would kill me. I want to take this yatch and sail around the world with you. See everything, do everything! I want to have a big fabulous life and I want to share every second of it with you. Right here, right now, I love you more than I did five minutes ago. And tomorrow I'll love you even more than that. You make my heart expand...you've made it bigger than I ever could have thought it could be."

He kissed her hand. "You proved to me that I have a heart at all. I only played at love till I fell in love with you."

She opened the ring box. "This belonged to my grandfather. Will you wear it...for every day of the rest of your life...as my husband? Will you marry me, Aidan?"

"Damn right I will!"

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Definitely. I thought you would never ask." He swept her into his arms and they kissed. Then Greenlee slid the ring on his finger.

She said "Perfect fit."

Greenlee said "I never would have thought...before...me and you..."

Wearing a huge smile, he said "Nah, me either."

"I'm so glad."

"Yeah...yeah...me too."

One kiss lead to him laying her on the bed, lavishing her body with more and more kisses, till she was lost in the feel of him over her...the feel of being safe and on the edge at the same time...for so long Greenlee had been hopeless, trying to find the right fit with all the wrong men, never knowing that her whole future was right there in front of her eyes. Now she could finally see. And what she saw was beautiful...her whole life laying before her, day after endless days of being Mrs. Aidan Devane. For once, this spoiled and selfish woman...she could not ask for more.

(I could not ask for more than this time together

I could not ask for more than this time with you

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream I have's come true

And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be

Here with you here with me...

I could not ask for more than the love you give me

cause it's all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more) (Edwin McCain)

THE END