Is this destiny?

Aiden took a deep breath and scolded himself. Why is he acting like an immature jerk, when Sarah is in distress? It's obvious that she is upset by this situation, and instead of supporting her, he ended up acting out. He knows that Sarah did everything she could to keep him safe and that she shared this information because she trusts him… and because she needs him.

He told himself to stop sulking. 'Get yourself together, and be the rock that Sarah needs right now...'

Aiden got out of the bathroom and he saw on the floor a half-opened box with some black fabric hanging out of it. The second box is also on the floor next to it, and the letter and the envelope are also scattered nearby. It's obvious that Sarah threw them on the ground; in anger, probably.

His heart cracked at the sight of Sarah who is curled up on the bed. He could not see her face, but he hoped that those shoulder-shivers are not because she is crying.

Aiden got on the bed behind Sarah and cocooned her into his embrace.

"Hey, love… I am here…", he murmured into her hair and she clutched onto his arms that were around her.

Aiden heard Sarah exhale a shaky breath and he kissed the back of her head before whispering: "I'm sorry for being useless… I'm sorry for letting you deal with everything on your own. I should have seen that you are suffering. I will not leave your side, we are in this together."

Sarah's grip on his arms tightened, to the point of hurting, but he didn't say anything. He knows that when she is upset, Sarah loses control of the force her left arm is exerting, but he will not remind her to ease up the grip, because he wants her to hold onto him.

"I'm sorry for not seeing this disaster before it came right in front of us." Sarah's words were breaking as her breath hitched. "I wanted to warn you right away, but I feared that it might muddle your head and that you will lose it during the mission. Maksim promised not to hurt you so I believed that things will be alright. Maksim…"

"Can we not talk about him?", Aiden cut her off.

Sarah turned to face Aiden and directed her questioning gaze at him. "I thought we are talking about him."

Aiden sighed at the sight of Sarah's tear-stricken face and he wiped tears from her cheeks with his palms while explaining: "Now it's Maksim, tomorrow might be someone else. No matter how many of them come, this is not about Maksim or Vanya or Dusan or anyone who came before them. This is about the two of us. It was always only about the two of us. I should have protected you so that none of them can come close enough to disturb you. I failed."

Sarah's lips moved into a crooked smile. "Don't blame yourself for my failure. Your wife is not a weakling. But this time, I miscalculated."

Aiden smiled and leaned his forehead on hers. "We have grown. If this was three years ago, I would blow up with accusations why you didn't tell me right away. But if you told me, I would end up fighting with Maksim while disregarding the mission."

Sarah held her breath. "Are you admitting that you were wrong?"

"No. I am telling you that I WOULD be wrong IF this was three years ago. Aren't I acting like a grownup now?"

Sarah burst into a laugh. Of course, he would not admit it even if it's a hypothetical scenario from the past. She thinks that men are wired that way, they will never acknowledge their failures (at loud). But this is her man. And he is perfect, just the way he is.

She stopped laughing as her eyes landed on his dark ones that stirred with love.

"I'm glad your mood improved…", Aiden murmured. "Don't let anyone spoil your day because the only thing that matters are the two of us, and the little life sprouting inside you. Both I and our child love you very much. Anyone with bad intentions can take a hike."

Sarah knew that he is right. No matter how troublesome Maksim is or how scary the Voronin family is, Sarah and Aiden faced many things together. There was Ed, and Madison, and Philip, and Evalina, and many others. Both Sarah and Aiden nearly died, yet here they are… stronger than ever, expanding their family and fighting for their right to live a peaceful life.

Sarah noticed that Aiden addressed their baby as a 'child' and not as 'daughter', and she wondered if that is a sign he started accepting the possibility that their baby will be a boy or if he chose those words only to make her take the test. Actually, Sarah is confident that JoAnna did the test, and that the only thing pending is for them to find out the results, but she will talk about that some other time because right now, her smoking-hot husband is holding her and gently stroking her back, and he said all the right things… and he has only a towel around his waist.

Aiden watched Sarah as a sly smile slithered on her face as she pulled a blanket over them. A second later, her top flew on the floor. He felt her palms roaming over the muscles of his back as her lips captured his in a smoldering kiss.

When she tugged his towel away, Aiden wanted to ask if this is the right time to make love. Don't they have a Maksim-emergency going on? Considering the letter and package delivery, Aiden guessed that Maksim wants to have dinner with Sarah tonight. But that is for dinner, and dinner is still hours away… and for him and Sarah, every moment counts, and it should not be wasted.

…

One hour before dinner…

Hong came to Sarah's and Aiden's room.

He told them about the results of the event, and that the final rankings and rewards will be announced tomorrow morning.

"Did you tell him?", Hong asked Sarah.

Sarah confirmed. "Yes. He is aware of Maksim."

Sarah gestured toward the two boxes and the letter that were delivered previously. "Maksim wants to make it a fancy dinner and he sent things so that I dress accordingly." She snorted. "I'm surprised that he didn't send a hairstylist and a makeup artist also..." 

Hong's brows furrowed. "This will not end easily. You said that this is the third time he approached you. It is not a matter of wooing you, but it's about his pride as a man."

Sarah nodded faintly. "I know. But I don't care if he is deeply in love or just thickheaded. My answer will not change."

Hong hummed in confirmation. He expected something like that from Sarah, but he has no idea what to expect from Aiden. Hong saw Aiden break bones to people just because they looked at Sarah in the wrong way, and this… is much worse. Can Aiden keep his cool for the sake of the mission? Hong was not so confident.

"What will you do?", Hong asked Aiden.

Aiden exhaled and chose his words before responding because he is aware that someone might be listening, and someone probably is.

They agreed from the first day of this mission that when they talk about something Voronins should not know, it will happen in whispers and codewords (if they are unable to go out for a walk).

Officially, they are Natalia's people who came here with a goal to make a name for themselves and gain the right for a base that will be under Aiden's leadership; and Aiden is supposedly loyal to Natalia, so technically, Natalia will get her second base with Aiden as her second in command.

Sarah and Aiden did more than one 'confidential' talk under the noise-cover of a running shower that ended up steamier than the hot water which splashed on them, but that is not a topic for this chapter.

Back to the present…

Aiden looked at Sarah gently and responded to Hong's questions. "I don't want to force Olga into anything. Her safety is my priority, and I don't want her to be in danger. I will do my best to keep Maksim away from her. We went through a lot to reach here and by tomorrow this time we will be on our way to my newly assigned base."

"What if you don't get a base?", Hong asked Aiden. "What if they give you a position that is in this base and we can't leave?"

Aiden knows how that is a possibility, but there is no point in worrying about it beforehand. "We can talk about it if that happens. We need to address our current situation, and this is about Olga, as she is being pestered. I will leave this decision to her."

Aiden gave Sarah an encouraging smile and asked: "What do you want to do?"

Sarah was touched that Aiden is letting her make this decision.

Sarah is not sure about many things, but she is certain that there is no way she is going willingly to that blasted dinner with Maksim, no matter how many dresses he sends. For a moment, earlier that day on the bleachers, she thought that maybe meeting Maksim one-on-one will be a good chance for her to gather some information, but now she is confident that Maksim will not stop only at dinner and she does not want to put herself and her baby in more danger than what they already are in. Responding to his unreasonable demands will only encourage him further, and that is the last thing Sarah wants to do.

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