Page 26 of Neptune

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CASSIE

I t has been a few days since Luke left his marks on my neck and upper chest, but they're not gone yet. Damn it.

Consequently, today, I'm wearing a turtleneck sweater. It would be too embarrassing for anybody to see these hickeys, especially a poor and innocent kid like Aiden.

What if he asks, What are those marks? How would I be able to answer that? I shudder in disbelief.

It's almost dinner time, so I walk out of my room to have dinner with Aiden and Luke, like usual. The good thing about Luke is that he's always less of a jerk when he's around Aiden.

Just as I turn around a corner, I bump into Aiden.

"Cassie!" He grins. "I was just about to check on you. I want to show you something."

My eyebrows rise. What could it be? Aiden looks so excited.

I smile at him. "Wow. Is there something exciting that you want to show me?"

He nods, still smiling from ear to ear. His small hand takes mine as he leads the way, and I chuckle. Oh boy, what is this little boy trying to show me?

I notice that we're heading to the back patio of the house. But before we can reach it, someone behind me covers my eyes, making me yelp. These hands are big, so it must be—

Luke whispers in my ear, "Keep walking."

What is he doing? If Aiden wasn’t holding my hand and leading me, I would probably knock Luke down and throttle him on the ground.

Slowly and carefully, I keep walking. By now, I must have reached the back patio. Luke releases his hands from my eyes, and when I look at what's waiting before me, I gasp.

There, at the back patio of the house, stands a small round table and three chairs, already set for dining, lit by candles.

Lights from the garden and patio lamps also illuminate the place, so it isn't dark at all.

Another table stands next to the dining table, on which sits a cake. Colorful daisies decorate the place.

I'm stunned.

What? A surprise? But... What date is it today?

" Happy birthday!" Aiden and Luke exclaim at the same time, making me jump.

My mouth drops open, my eyes still traveling around the place. I shift my gaze to Aiden, who's giggling. Then I snap my head toward Luke, who has a smirk on his face.

"Happy 25th birthday, Cassie," he says.

Oh, God, did he have to mention the number? I feel old. But, my birthday isn't supposed to happen until tomorrow.

Luke grins, noticing the confusion on my face. "I know that it's tomorrow, but Aiden wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday, and he can't do that after midnight because it will cross his time for bed."

I'm still speechless. I turn to Aiden again, and he hugs me, burying his head in my tummy.

I hug him back, tightening my hold on him, feeling my heart melt again because of him. "Sweetheart, thank you so much."

Aiden pulls away and grins. I approach the cake, and a smile touches my lips as I look at the cute characters on the cake.

It's a woman, hugged by a man on her right and a little boy on her left.

It looks like a family of three. I have to suppress a laugh because this is so not like Luke—he wouldn't be this cheesy.

But then, what would he not do for his beloved nephew?

I turn to face them, a genuine smile on my lips, showing them how I appreciate all of this. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

"And yummy too," Luke adds. "Don't worry. We'll eat it later." He then turns to Aiden. "Show her the present, Aiden."

Excitement skates on Aiden's face as he steps away to get the present.

What? Did they prepare a present for me?

Luke steps closer to me and gently places his hands on my shoulders. His eyes soften as he stares down at me. My heart thuds as I look into his tender hazel eyes. “Cassie,” he whispers. His voice is laced with guilt. “I’m sorry for what I said to you after Jamie’s car ride.”

I stare at him, only to find sadness crossing his expression. I remember how Luke told me that I was such a weakling for not being aware of how people were using me for their advantage.

“I shouldn’t have said such things to you,” Luke says. “Anger had taken over me. I should have apologized to you right away. I’m sorry for making you remember all of those things from the past.”

The way Luke speaks to me shows how much he regrets those words. Somehow, I feel like he’s trying to assure me that he wouldn’t hurt me like those people did, as though he’s someone I can trust. I might not know him that well, but his apology makes me sigh in relief.

I give him a playful look, shaking my head in disbelief. "You really know how to make up for everything, don't you?"

Luke just laughs in response. Aiden arrives before me, holding a canvas of his painting. The size isn't that big, but it definitely is for a kid like him.

My eyes widen in disbelief as I stare at his painting. It might not look like a painting done by a professional artist like his father, Victor, but it's beyond beautiful.

Aiden has painted a woman with long wavy chestnut hair playing the piano with a smile on her face. It's me. And what takes my breath away even more is the writing on the painting.

It says, The most beautiful woman in the world .

Sudden tears form in my eyes, and I choke. I bend down to the ground, still staring at the painting. Words can't express how I'm feeling right now.

I feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest.

His words sip right into my soul. I feel like nothing else matters in this world and that only Aiden's words matter.

How could his words bring such warmth to my heart? I feel like all of the other people's opinions about me, all those haters and all the cruel things that Morgan has said to me vanish into thin air just because of Aiden's words on this painting.

Before I know it, a tear rolls down my cheek, followed by another, and another. Why won't my tears stop flowing after Aiden said to me that I'm the most beautiful woman in the world? I've heard those words before from people.

I knew that I had a strong connection with Aiden the moment we met for the first time, but what is this feeling?

Why does it feel like I love him so much to the point that it hurts?

"Cassie, what's wrong?" Aiden looks at me with horror in his eyes. "Why are you crying? Are you not feeling well? Are you sick again?" His voice is shaking due to his worry.

I abruptly shake my head, signaling that it isn't like that. "It's tears of joy. I'm just so happy, Aiden," I whisper. "Thank you. I love it so much. This is the best present I've ever got."

Relief crosses Aiden's expression, and his grin is back again. "I'm glad that you love it and that you're happy. I'm so happy too. I'm happy that you're here with us."

I smile, cupping Aiden's cheek. When I look up at Luke, I find that he has turned the other way, his back facing us, his shoulders shaking.

"Luke?" I ask.

"I gotta go get my present," he says, his voice hoarse. With that said, he walks back into the house.

I focus my attention back on Aiden, who has tears of joy too at the corner of his eyes, still smiling at me. He seems to cherish our togetherness as a family more than anything.

More tears roll down my face as the fear of losing Aiden builds up in my heart. I've agreed to the one-year contract of this marriage. What will happen after that? Would Aiden hate me if he knew about all of this?

The thought of that makes me feel like my world is suddenly crumbling, so I snap it out of my head.

No, I don't have to think about that now, do I? I can't even imagine such a thing .

Luke comes back, and I stand up, wiping my tears. He approaches me, a small box in his hand. I wonder what's inside it. It seems like a jewelry box.

But Luke has given me two rings already: the engagement ring and our wedding ring.

"This is from me." He opens the box, and I stare in amazement at the gift.

There inside the box sits a diamond necklace in the form of a snowflake. It's so pretty, glittering in front of my eyes.

"It's beautiful," I gasp, and a small smile tugs at Luke's lips.

"Let me put it on you," he says.

I turn around and flip my hair to one side so that he can put the necklace around my neck. Slowly, he secures it. Then he holds my shoulders, making me face him again. I stare down at the diamond snowflake on my chest and look up at him.

"Thank you." I smile. "But how did you know that I love snow?" I ask, curiosity evident in my voice.

It's like he knows that winter is my favorite season even though I've never told anyone about this, not even the people close to me.

Winter and I are like two secret friends.

Surprisingly, a playful smirk forms on his lips. "Isn't it clear? You're too hot, so you need something cold for you to not burn."

I immediately roll my eyes. That's a typical answer from Luke. I'm stupid to think that I could get an answer that would make sense.

We stand in silence. I'm still so overwhelmed by this birthday surprise that I don't even know what else to say.

A growl from Aiden's stomach startles us, and we look down at him, only to find his face flush.

"I'm hungry," he mumbles in a low voice, making Luke and I laugh.

I take Aiden's hand in mine and lead him toward the table. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's eat dinner and the cake."

???

After the three of us finish eating our dinner and the cake, it's time for Aiden to go to bed. We're in his room, standing beside his bed as he slips under the covers.

"Have a good rest, Aiden." Luke places a kiss on Aiden's forehead, and I watch them in awe. No matter how irritating and devilish Luke can be sometimes, he always turns into an angel for Aiden. He'll be a good father. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Aiden smiles before looking at me. "Can I get a goodnight kiss from Cassie too?"

A warm smile touches my lips. Of course. He doesn't even have to ask for that.

I lean closer to him and kiss his forehead. "Goodnight, Aiden. Sweet dreams."

Aiden closes his eyes, a big smile on his face.

"Perfect," he whispers.