Promise Me Forever

EPILOGUE 1

Cara

"There." I said, pulling the tiny hat over Daisy's head. "Now we're ready for the beach." I look down at the huge bag full of things I'd packed for the baby. Towels and blankets nestled next to bottles and diapers, along with a change of clothes and sunscreen to protect the baby from the rays. "You ready to feel some sand between your toes?" I asked her.

Daisy blinked as she looked up at me. She always looked as though she understood everything her mommy said.

"Oh look, we nearly forgot Ned." I grabbed the tiny teddy bear.

Stuffing the teddy into the bag, I slung it across my shoulder, cradling Daisy in my other arm. Aidan came and reached out to tickle Daisy under her chin. "You all ready?" he asked.

"Yep." I nodded, still smiling at him. It was strange how excited she was about this outing.

"Then let's go."

When we pulled into the parking lot behind Ella's car, it took us a few minutes to unclip Daisy, make sure she was covered from head to toe in sunscreen, and unpack the trunk of all our equipment. As well as the bag I had packed, there was a blanket for the sand, an umbrella, and a little pop-up tent where the princess could snooze away from the glare of the sun.

"How long are we staying again?" Aidan murmured. "We look like we're moving to the beach for the month."

I grinned. "We'll probably stay for a couple of hours. I don't want her tender skin to be outside for too long. She's still little."

Aidan lifted Daisy from my arms and pressed his lips to her chubby cheek. She smelled of sunscreen and baby shampoo. He breathed her in, feeling his body relax. He loved holding her, playing with her, making her smile.

He passed the baby back to me and took the blanket, umbrella, and beach bag, flexing his muscles to keep them upright as he closed the trunk. "I'll have to come back for the tent," he told her. "I don't have enough arms."

"Story of my life. And no worries, we'll get it if she gets sleepy." I kissed him. "First of all, I want to take her in the water."

We made their way along the sand, heading for their crowd of friends on their blankets. As we approached, we were greeted by loud hellos and lifted arms. Jake stood and came over to take some of the equipment from Aidan.

"Thanks!" Aidan said, as Jake put the blanket down on the sand alongside the one he and Ella were using.

"No problem. Us dads have to stick together." he winked. "It took me three trips to get everything from the car."

Ella had a wonderful litlle boy, Patrick, just two months ago. He and Daisy were best friends already. Aidan looked down to where I was sitting on the blanket, adjusting Daisy's swim diaper and tiny pink sparkled swimsuit. I pulled the hat down a little firmer on her head, making Daisy's face wrinkle up in protest.

"I'm just looking after your skin!" I told our daughter. "You'll thank me when you're older."

He loved watching the two of us together. I lay Daisy down gently on the blanket and pulled my own shorts and tank off, revealing a grey and white striped bikini.

"You look beautiful." he told me, pulling his own t-shirt off and throwing it onto the blanket.

"Thank you." My eyes sparkled. "It's easy to feel beautiful when you look at me like that." I reached out to trace his bicep. "And you don't look so bad yourself."

"Shall we go in?" he asked me, leaning down to pick up his favorite girl. She nestled her warm body against his chest. With his free hand, he patted his pocket to check that the waterproof pouch was still there, smiling when he felt the outline.

"We'll see you guys in a bit. Unless any of you want to join us?"

"Oh no!" Ella said loudly. "This is your special time."

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yep. Let's take our little girl for a swim."
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I watched as Aidan walked toward the water, his arms holding Daisy against his broad chest. His skin was toned, tan, and it made my fingers twitch with the need to touch him. How the heck did I get so lucky? As he reached me, his eyes met mine, his lips curling into a broad smile. Daisy kicked her legs against his chest, as though she was impatient to get this over with.

"Do you think she's going to like it?" I asked him, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

"She's going to love it. Shall we dip her toes in?"

"Okay." I grinned as he turned the baby in his arms and crouched down, slowly lowering Daisy until her feet were right above the surface of the ocean. He had one hand beneath her, the other across her stomach as she faced me, her eyes wide.

Then he lowered her further, until her tiny toes met the water. She kicked again, making the water splash. He dropped to his knees, until Daisy was up to her waist in the water, and she looked up at us with delight.

"You want to swim, little one?" he asked, moving her through the water, swooshing her left and right.

"She loves it." I said, grinning.

"A water baby." Aidan kissed my head. "Hey look, do you see that?"

"What?" I asked him.

"There's something down there on the ocean bed."

I leaned down to look at where Aidan was gesturing, and sure enough there was something down there. It caught the light of the sun, glistening beneath the gentle waves. "I think it's a shell." I said. "Or maybe a pebble." I reached down to pick it up, intending to show it to Daisy, but my finger touched a thin metal band. I lifted it out of the water, turning it in my hand.

"It's a ring." I said, watching the diamond catch the rays. "An engagement ring by the looks of it. Do you think somebody lost it?"

"It's not lost." Aidan's voice was scratchy. "I think it's exactly in the right place."

I blinked. "It's not..." my words trailed away, my breath catching in her throat. "Babe?" I asked, wondering if she was going crazy.

"Cara Davis, from the moment you exploded into my life things have never been the same. I'll never be the same. You make everything better. Right. And it would be the greatest honor of my life if you'd agree to be my wife."

I tried to swallow, I really did, but my throat was too dry. "You want to marry me?" I asked him, still breathless.

"I want nothing else. I want you to be my wife. I want the world to know how much I love you." His eyes softened as he took the ring from my and slid it onto my finger. "I want to shout it from the rooftops, take an ad out in the goddamn paper. Because you and Daisy are everything I've ever wanted."

I grinned at him through my tears. "Then the answer's yes." I laughed, her head tipping back.

He turned toward the shore. "She said yes," he shouted, his words carried by the breeze. A loud cheer came from their friends sitting on the beach.

"They knew?" I asked.

"I told Jake. I'm guessing he told Ella and the rest was history." Still holding Daisy against his chest, he lifted my hand, kissing the ring on my finger. He took a deep breath, his eyes warm. "There was a time when I thought nothing good was ever going to happen to me again. But you showed me that everybody deserves to be loved." He leaned over, still cradling Daisy against him, as he pressed his lips to mine. "Thank you for making me the happiest man alive."

I kissed him back, feeling the joy overwhelm me.

As Aidan kissed me again, and murmured sweet words against my lips, while holding our precious daughter close, I thought that some things are really really worthy. So next time, if you feel like doing that one thing, just do it. And enjoy it while you can. Cause even if it feels like a small thing, believe me, it's not.