Kenna

His family members are standing in this room as they turn to look at me but what catches my attention the most is the sight of Aidan, not laying on his back in a coma but sitting up straight with both of his brown eyes looking directly at me.

''Let's give them some s.p.a.ce,'' Diana says which causes the whole crowd to step out of the room, leaving Aidan and I to ourselves.

The way both of his brown eyes are staring directly at me causes me to panic, as if it's the first time that I've seen that stare even though he has done more than just staring before this whole chaos happened. Maybe, it's just the vibe or how much I've missed him in the past three months but I can't seem to stand up straight or keep the eye contact for any longer without trembling.

''You're awake . . . '' I take a few steps closer towards him, trying to find the reality in this.

''Do I know you?'' He asks, raising an eyebrow as he stays still at his spot—leaving me to grow speechless and somewhat confused. ''Do I know you, Dr. Anne?'' He glances down at my name tag before looking back up at my face.

''What do you mean?'' I let out a chuckle, realising how my lips are slowly curving up into a smile. ''You don't know me . . . ? This must be some kind of joke. I'm your—''

''—doctor?'' He cuts me off.

''Wife,'' I correct him with a frown in between my brows before I make my way closer towards him. My hands begin to reach out for his as he looks at me as if he doesn't even know I exist which ends up giving me a certain amount of pain, feels more like my heart is clenching.

He laughs, ''Wife? I'm married? You're telling me that I got married?'' The way his eyes are just wandering around the room as his lips curve up into a playful smile, it shows that he's not paying attention to any of this and seems to think that what I told him was a plain joke.

''Yes, Aidan. You got married to me,'' I reply.

''Prove it,'' He responds, his eyes piercing into mine as I blink a few times; trying to remove the tears and avoid them from falling down onto my face but I fail miserably, expectedly.

''What's there to prove? Stop it. Stop. This is not a joke—don't do this to me,'' It sounds like I'm begging for him to know me, to understand and even to pull me in for a hug but he ignores my gestures. He doesn't feel bothered by how I'm gripping tightly onto both of his hands in order to make him look back at me and just pull me close but no, he keeps on looking at me like a stranger.

''Oh, come on. You don't even know me!'' He exclaims, pulling both of his hands away.

My eyes widen, ''No, no, no. What are you talking about? You're Aidan Gabriel Ashton, you're turning twenty-seven this year and you're the CEO of Empire. You and I have been friends for twenty years before we got married, seven months ago. We even went to middle school and high school together after kindergarten—you pushed me off the swing, that was how we first met. We were young, we were kids, we were six. Something happened to you three months ago and that's why you ended up in a coma. I was there to diagnose you in the operating room—''

''That doesn't make any sense,'' He frowns.

''Yes, it does! Of course, it does! It makes perfect sense. What more do you want me to say? You're my husband, we got married, remember that. Why can't you remember who I am?'' I feel desperate as if my whole body is clinging onto this thin line of success, as if one wrong word can cause this whole situation to flip over before we can even react which causes me to grip harder onto his hand, wanting him to look at me and remember.

''Look at me. Look at me and tell me you don't know me because I know that you know me. Just don't do this to me, Aidan. Why are you doing this to me? I waited months for you to wake up but why are you being like this?'' My heart clenches at the sound of my own voice and at the sight of him, seeing him staring at me as if I'm a wild tape.

I immediately raise my left hand up before pointing down at the ring, ''This! You gave me this on our wedding day, remember? What more proof do you want, for G.o.d's sake. Don't be like this,'' I hear the sound of my voice breaking at the end which is to my dismay, unattractive yet forgettable.

It takes me awhile to realise the tears streaming down my cheeks as the pain increases in my chest which causes me to wipe them away immediately, looking back up at Aidan who seems to be staring back at me with full concentration before he starts to lean forward, slowly grabbing my hand.

Just like that, he kisses the back of it.

''Wh—what are you doing?'' I ask, raising an eyebrow at his sudden gesture.

His lips curve up into a smile before he starts to pull me by the hand, making sure that the distance between us are lessening. Within seconds, we're already just inches apart . . . making me glance down at his lips for a couple of seconds for a few times in which he responds by tilting his head to the side before slowly brus.h.i.+ng his lips against mine, spreading an unexpected amount of electricity to overflow in my body.

The kiss starts off slow in which I respond back by running both of my hands under his jaw and straight to the back of his head near his ears, deepening the kiss as he does the same—wrapping one hand around my waist to secure me from falling off the bed in a sitting position.

A tear glides down my cheek as soon as we stop kissing, letting Aidan use his thumb to wipe it away; making me stare deeply into his brown eyes, confused yet I remain quiet.

''What were you thinking? You would actually believe that I've forgotten the love of my life?'' He speaks, his voice deeper as he continues to gaze into my eyes after glancing down at my lips for a few seconds, liking how we're just inches apart.

''I don't get it . . . '' I try to lean back but he grabs onto my hand, pulling me closer to him.

He leans in to my neck before trailing down soft and light kisses near my collarbone, ''I'd never forget you even if I was. .h.i.t on the head—meaning I was actually hit on the head but that's not what I mean,'' We both chuckle lightly as he smiles, ''I was just teasing you, Kenna . . . I remember you. I remember us and I'm sorry that it took me too long to wake up,'' He continues to speak.

''You remember me? You, really, really do remember me?'' I raise an eyebrow.

''I remember everything about you, Kenna Anne. What do you think this would be? A romantic novel where the main character forgets about his wife just because he was. .h.i.t on the head by a baseball bat? No, baby, this is real life and I remember you, every inch of you and all that there is to you.'' He caresses the side of my face with the back of his hand, the warmth of his touch is familiar again.

''Are you sure?'' I breathe, entwining our fingers as he starts to lean forward. His lips meet mine in another everlasting kiss, causing me to slowly move mine with the rhythm, somehow catching up on the past few weeks of what we lost.

I break the kiss, ''Then, what was my full name before I married you? How old am I? What's my favourite colour? What's my spirit animal? When's my birthday? When did we get married? Am I—''

''—Kenna Anne Roosevelt. You're twenty-six and you're turning twenty-seven this year in June, sixteenth. You favour the colour white and burgundy. We got married in October, twenty-third and you're a dolphin. Now, can I kiss you?'' He cuts me off.

To my surprise, he tucks the few strands of hair behind my ear before cupping onto my face to kiss me fully on the lips, this time the kiss turns out to be a little bit more intense and pa.s.sionate, somehow showing the mixed emotions he's currently feeling from the amount of anxiety. Then, without me even expecting, he lays me on the bed which causes me to chuckle as he continues to kiss me, up to my cheeks and my eyes, leaving me to smile at his sudden behaviour.

Just as we stop kissing, we both continue to stare into each other's eyes before I begin to grab onto his hand . . . slowly kissing each of his fingers and place it on the side of my face, causing him to smile down at me; leaning in to kiss me softly on the lips again, overjoying me.

''Wow, wow, wow. Keep it PG-13, guys.'' Mia enters the room with the rest of the family, Diana, Marc, Harley and even Alain—who seemed to return after he found out about Aidan in the news. He and Mia didn't even bother to pick up another fight as he ended up supporting her, just like how Aidan told him to.

My cheeks heat up as I move away from Aidan, letting Alain pulls him in for a hug; seeing that both of his eyes are red with tears as Aidan pats onto his back, somehow they seem to be having a silent conversation. ''It's good to have you back, man.'' He mutters.

''It's good to be back,'' Aidan replies.

''Group hug!'' Mia exclaims before making her way towards Aidan and Alain, pulling them in for a hug. From my distance, I can see Aidan grinning widely as Alain continues to chuckle as the three of them hug each other, leaving me to think that they're always going to be inseparable. They're one of the most loving siblings I've ever known, too.

As soon as they pull away from the hug, Diana steps to take her turn in which Aidan responds before kissing her on the cheek. Then, Marc pats lightly onto Aidan's back as he smiles down at him, his eyes glistening with joy.

''Come here, Harley.'' Aidan says to his sister-in-law before he starts to pull her in for a hug, causing everyone to laugh at them.

As a few minutes pa.s.s, Owen comes inside to check up on Aidan as half of the family members have went out, leaving Aidan and I with Diana and Marc. Owen continues to use the small torch to look into his eyes before nodding his head. Then, he begins to examine for any unhealed bruises or any certain complications.

''How are you feeling?'' Owen asks.

Aidan glances at me for a short couple of seconds, ''My head's hurting a little bit but nothing too unbearable. It feels weird moving for the first time in three months—is that normal?'' He asks after answering.

''It's very normal. You don't have anything to worry about but it might take you a few days or up to two weeks to finally be able to balance your body properly because you were in coma for a certain amount of time and you were in an unaware state. Don't worry about that either because we will be giving you a wheelchair to use until you are able to walk on your own, again.'' Owen replies, looking at Diana and Marc before turning to look back at Aidan who seems to be nodding his head.

''I will prescribe you to an adequate dose of painkillers and you should only take them if you feel like you need to. Fair warning, you might feel pain at the back of your head and also in the middle of your forehead when you are in a large crowd or when you hear any loud noises. It's best to avoid these situations for awhile, maybe a couple of weeks, yeah?'' Owen continues to speak.

''I understand,'' Aidan responds.

''Good . . . if that's all, you will be discharged in a couple of days if we find that your brain activity is going back to normal. We just need to make sure that you are heading back on track but you will be moved to a regular ward,'' He turns to look at me, ''We'll run a few tests to make sure that you're as stable as you were when you were in a coma. We want no complications,'' He adds.

Diana and Marc walks out of the room with Owen, continuing to speak about Aidan's condition while I remain staring at him, seeing him looking down at his fingers before running them through his hair, somehow making me realise how he feels odd doing the things he used to do.

''You okay?'' I ask, heading closer.

''Yeah, just feels a little bit weird. That's completely normal, right? Nothing to be worried about or exaggerated?'' He replies, leaning back on the bed after letting out a deep sigh.

''Completely normal. Your body is responding back after being unaware for three months. Don't worry, you'll be fine. You just need to take things slow,'' I respond.

Both of his brown eyes meet mine, ''You were there with me everyday.''

''What do you mean?''

''I heard you. Your voice. It was not clear but I knew it was you—you were telling me different things everyday and you even made listen to this music that got stuck in my head. The lyrics were like 'but we sobered up, swear my heartbeats all you better' and I kept on feeling like it was being replayed in my head. Not just that, I even heard you crying . . . laughing and just being there.'' He replies with full antic.i.p.ation, silencing me.

''I couldn't go through the day without seeing you. Even though you were just laying there but I . . . I wanted to see you to make sure that you were there,'' I look down at my fingers, eyeing my wedding ring before clearing my throat. ''Maybe, I was expecting you to wake up and I did all of those things to make you feel eager to come back. I was worried, Aidan. Patients in coma are really, really hard to deal with—we never know what might happen. You might wake up and you might not,''

''I'm sorry for making you worry about me,'' He grabs onto my hand. ''But at the same time, I'm thankful that you were there for me even though I was just laying here. I appreciate that, thank you.''

''I'd do anything for you,'' I reply as he kisses onto my knuckles, leaving electricity on my skin; letting me feel satisfied and content even with his tiny little kisses. ''How did it feel like being in a coma?''

He rubs the back of my hand with his thumb, ''Hard, especially when I could hear you everyday but was unable to respond. I was like in between life and death because your voice felt close to me but at the same time, I was near the edge. I don't know if what I'm about to say would make any senses but I think . . . I could've died,'' He looks up into my blue eyes, leaving me to frown.

''What do you mean? What happened?'' I ask.

''There were two paths down this infinite road. One s.h.i.+ning bright with lights while the other was just really dark which means I was intrigued to choose the bright path. Just as I was almost confirm with my decision, I heard you.'' He stops for awhile, ''Your voice was loud and clear down the dark road. It wasn't just your voice because it sounded more like memories of us being together mixed into one. I heard you laughing, talking and I even saw glimpses of you smiling. There was nothing down the dark road but you and I was instantly attracted to that path more than I was attracted down the bright path which was quiet without a single sound. So, when I walked down that dark path and straight towards you . . . I felt it,''

He continues to speak, ''I felt my body.''

''Aidan . . . '' I feel my eyes begin to water. These last few weeks have been hard for me and my eyes seem to have wasted a lot of tears but wasting a lot of tears for this man in front of me would always be worth it.

''I could've died, Kenna. I could've made the wrong decision because I wasn't ready to die—I want to spend my whole life with you. I wasn't ready to leave you, no matter how perfect it would be to walk down the other path. You are much more meaningful to me.'' He says, ''We have a lot in store, I wasn't going to throw it all away just because I was offered heaven because baby, you're already heaven to me. I'll be d.a.m.ned if I didn't choose you,'' The way the words slip out of his mouth with full sincerity leaves me with a very, very bizarre feeling in my stomach. Something full and instantly I know it was more than just feeling b.u.t.terflies in my stomach because this is like feeling the whole zoo.

''Why are you so perfect?'' I lean in to kiss him.

With both of his hands around my waist, I continue to feel the softness of his lips mixed with one as we show our feelings through this kiss. The way he runs his hands down my neck and near my ears while I moan lightly with antic.i.p.ation, I feel like I need him and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to ever be blessed with him.

''I can't wait to get the h.e.l.l out of here,'' He whispers near my ear before tickling me by sending kisses down my jawline.

Luckily for us, the days went by quicker. It took him about six days to actually being able to leave the hospital because they wanted to make sure he was able to walk first before he could be discharged and I didn't mind . . . I work at the hospital and I got to see him all the time.

Slowly, I push the door open as he starts to step inside the apartment. Both of his eyes wander around the living room to find a cute banner hung on the wall near the television which causes him to chuckle, ''Welcome home, Uncle Gabby.'' He reads and just like that, the whole family surprise him as soon as I turn on the lights.

My lips curve up into a smile at the sight of Ava running towards him before wrapping her arms around his legs, ''Uncle Gabby!'' She smiles.

Aidan laughs as he picks her up, placing her on his waist with both of his hands holding onto her. ''Wow, you're getting quick heavy, aren't you? Do you miss me, Ava? Do you miss your Uncle Gabby?'' He starts to lean in to kiss her on the cheeks, causing her to giggle as she nods.

Just as I stand behind him with a smile plastered on my face, it brings me joy to being able to see this moment. Aidan would spare me a few glances as he continues to entertain Ava is such a cute moment for me . . . for some reason, I find him much more irresistible.

''Now, Ava. Let's give Uncle Gabby some s.p.a.ce, okay?'' Alain reaches for Ava before taking her away from Aidan who seems to be nodding his head, causing me to reach out for him immediately as he starts to frown.

''Are you okay? Is this too much for you?'' I ask, grabbing onto his arm but he responds back by shaking his head—reaching down for my hand before entwining his fingers with mine as he leans in to peck me on the cheek. ''Are you sure?'' I ask, again and this time he is interrupted by Mia.

''Is this my sister? Have you been eating a lot of pizza while I was gone?'' Aidan jokes which causes both of them to laugh before he starts to pull her in for a hug, ''How are you, Mia? How's the baby?'' He asks, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears while he continues to gaze down at her baby b.u.mp.

She smiles, ''I'm good and the baby's healthy. I'm also twenty-two weeks along.''

''That's good, Mia. So, do you have anything planned?'' He replies, clearing his throat as he places his arm around my waist.

''Actually, yeah. Tony and I are getting married,'' Mia answers which causes the whole room to remain silent, Alain staring with wide eyes while Marc and Diana are looking at each other. As for Harley, she seems like she has been knowing about this all long. Then again, this news is not as shocking to me as to Aidan who seems frozen at his spot—knowing Mia, she likes to drop the bomb like that and would give someone a d.a.m.n heart attack.

''W—what?'' Aidan asks.

Alain nears us, ''You didn't tell us.''

Mia breathes out, ''We were planning it for awhile and I didn't want to tell anyone but Harley because I know how stressed we were about Aidan being in a coma and believe me, I didn't want to spill the beans until he wakes up. I didn't even want to get married before he wakes up. It was just simple planning after Tony proposed to me a month ago, you guys know how much I love him and besides, we're having a baby together . . . we're already one step ahead.'' She says, the rest of us hearing to her without uttering a single word.

''Guys? Say something,'' She continues as soon as she realises that none of us are muttering anything for a couple of minutes—only trying to process the sudden news.

''I'm happy for you,'' I pull her in for a hug in which she responds back with a grin, thanking me.

Aidan and Alain stares at one another as if they're having a heated conversation on their own while the rest of us are just keeping quiet. Aidan's eyes narrow at Alain before he starts to sigh and begin to pull Mia into his arms, leaving Aidan satisfied. ''If you're happy . . . I'm happy,'' Alain says with a smile plastered on his face before he starts to hug her tighter.

As for Aidan, he starts to gesture for Mia to hug her in which she responds immediately. ''You're going to be very happy with him,'' He says as he messes up with her hair, making her groan.

''If—if he tries to hurt you in any way possible, I will make sure that he doesn't see the next sunrise.'' Alain says from behind which causes Aidan to laugh and Mia to join him. ''We love you, Mia. We are being overprotective because we love you,''

''We need to talk,'' Marc says before heading out the door, leaving Mia to sigh.

''Mother?'' She turns towards Diana.

Diana smiles at her, ''Explain to your father, sweetheart. I understand the decision you made and I'm happy that you've found someone who will love you for the rest of your life. I'm in this with you,'' She replies.

Just like that, Mia walks out of the door to meet up with Marc before placing her arms around him from behind as they start to have a conversation but the door closes, them being out of view.

''This was very unexpected,'' Alain mutters.

A couple of hours have pa.s.sed and the Ashtons have already left the building, leaving Aidan and I by ourselves. Mia seems to have sort out things with Marc as they entered the house with smiles plastered on their faces which made the rest of the family somehow happy. Now, with Aidan sitting on the sofa with both of his eyes closed and his head leaning back, I can't help but make my way towards him.

''Hey,'' I sit beside him before running my fingers slowly through his hair, causing him to open his droopy eyes as he turns his head towards me.

''Hey,'' He breathes out with a smile.

I place my hand at the side of his cheek as I eye deeply into his brown eyes, liking how they have always appeared as warm. ''Are you hurting anywhere? Was it too much for you?'' I ask, feeling concern about this condition.

He leans closer towards me before he starts to place my hand on his chest, near his heart. Our eyes remain gazing into one another, ''I'm hurting here from missing you.'' He replies, his other hand slowly reaching down on my thigh, making me smile up at him.

''How can I heal your pain?'' I ask, my voice low and almost inaudible as he leans closer with his lips brus.h.i.+ng against mine which causes me to close my eyes as soon as I recognise the softness and the same feeling of his lips mixing with mine. The way his hand is going deeper down my thigh as the other make its way up to my stomach underneath my s.h.i.+rt, it causes me to part my lips, giving him a chance to slip in.

''Mmm, just like that?'' I moan as he starts to trail kisses down my neck.

''Just like that,'' He whispers, his voice deeper and huskier before he begins to spread my legs in which I do without denying. Then, he caresses both sides of my thighs without breaking the kiss, leaving me to feel my body burning with pa.s.sion, missing his every single touch.

''I missed you,'' He adds, slowly pulling my s.h.i.+rt off my body—revealing me in my bra with my pants still attached while he takes his time to eye over my body as if it's the first time for him. ''I missed how you would react to my touch, how you would moan my name—'' He stops by staring at my features, his brown eyes l.u.s.ting over the beauty I hold as his body responds with love.

To my surprise, he starts to unb.u.t.ton my pants before slowly slipping it off, my legs in full display. My matching royal blue undergarments seem to have caused him to clench his jaw before he starts to lean in near my stomach, trailing kisses down my centre, causing me to lean my head back.

His fingers move up and down to make me bite onto my lower lips as both of his eyes continue to stare into mine, watching my every movement and my every flinch. The way his lips curve up into a seductive smile, it's such a turn on which causes me to grab onto his hand before letting him touch my lower lip, inserting a finger in my mouth as it sends off a dirty meaning.

''You know what you're doing,'' He smirks.

''When it comes to doing you, yeah?'' I raise an eyebrow which causes him to laugh before I start to grab onto his hand, letting him fall onto the sofa beside me as I go down on my knees in between as soon as he has spread his legs.

With my hands slowly running up on his toned abs, I reach out for his s.h.i.+rt before throwing it away on the ground and slowly unb.u.t.toning his jeans to reveal him in his boxers.

As soon as he's sitting in front of me with nothing to cover him up, I begin to pleasure him in ways he can only imagine as he leans his head back, his breathing getting heavier with his hands slowly gripping onto my hair, making sure they stay away from my face. My eyes wander up to his face, seeing him staring down at me as his chest moves up and down, trying to control himself from letting out moans but he fail miserably.

I perk my body up and within seconds, I find him pulling onto my body to make me use my knees to hold myself from fully sitting on top of him. With both of his hands caressing my body, I find myself feeling aroused and in heat—the way his hands reach up to my bra before throwing off onto the ground and his fingers slowly tugging onto my underwear, I am left being needy.

''Do I make you feel things?'' He looks up at me.

''What do you think?'' I reply before placing both of my hands around his neck, causing him to kiss me down in between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s to my stomach, his eyes mesmerising my body before I begin to low my body near his, feeling him thrust inside of me.

''f.u.c.k,'' He breathes out as soon as he feels himself going full and deep with both of his hands gripping hard onto my hips as I move them to the rhythm with my moans escaping near his ears. ''You're making me go crazy, Kenna. You're making me go crazy over you,'' He moans.

''That's how it should be. Now, let me.'' I kiss him down his neck as my hips move slowly, letting him clench his jaw at the amount of pleasure building up for the both of us. ''Because I missed you, too. Everything about you,'' I add as I lean closer towards his body, letting my hair fall down as my body moves.

''Mmm, baby. Like that,'' He moans.

''Like what?'' I stop moving which causes him to groan at me, his jaw clenching as he chuckles. He eyes my face without making any further movement while I tease him and to my surprise, he starts to lay me on the couch before he goes down to my centre, using his tongue and fingers to pleasure me until my body ends up shaking.

''Oh G.o.d,'' I lean my head back and grip harder onto his hair as soon as he reaches the exact spot, making me moan in surprise.

It doesn't even take me long to feel the amount of pleasure to explode, letting him feel it down his fingers before he starts to hover on top of me. ''We might need to buy a new couch when we're done,'' He says, his voice deep as he chuckles.

''Why is that?'' I smile, seductively.

''It's getting a little dirty,'' He whispers near my ear before he starts to thrust in, making my lips part at the sudden surprise before feeling him slowly building up the pleasure for me.

The next morning, I find ourselves entangled on the couch with his arm wrapped around my waist as I turn to see his face inches from mine. Not only that we're laying naked with only a thin amount of blanket to cover our bodies but the whole night felt comfortable with our warmth mixed.

My cheeks heat up at how hot things were getting and how it felt really good to please each other. The sound of his moans, groans and even the way he was breathing was definitely a huge turn on for me to keep on going through the night and he was also pleased by the sounds I was making. It was like the first time we did it in Paris but much better because we were confident than before.

I remove his arm from my waist before I begin to sit on top of him, causing him to groan lightly in his sleep as he starts to open his droopy eyes, eyeing down my body. Just like that, his lips curve up into a smile while I lean in to kiss him.

''Good morning,'' I smile after breaking the kiss.

''Morning,'' He replies as he places both of his hands on my hips, pulling my body closer towards his.

Within seconds, I am already pulling onto the blanket away from him to fully wrap my body which causes him to grin, seductively. I slowly make my way towards his bedroom as he sits up straight, ''I'm going to take a shower. Do you want to save water?'' I ask, winking.

We both laugh but just like that, he starts to make his way towards me with nothing covering his body as he starts to kiss me after cupping onto my face before he pushes me softly into the room and straight towards the bathroom, causing my laughter to interrupt the silence.