A Sterling Silver Love

twenty two

A SOFT VOICE WHISPERED Aida's name in her ear. She groaned, pushing moving the unruly hair out of her face, muttered something incoherent and slumped back against her pillow.

"Celeste wake up, Sweetheart."

With a grunt she opened her eyes and stared back at her mate.

"Happy birthday," he smiled softly.

She sighed, after Tyler's death ten years ago she banned family members from celebrating her birthday, but they rarely listened. The big parties were thrown out the window, allowing a sliver of space for presents and dinner. "Thank you," she mumbled, gripping his thick bicep as he kissed her forehead.

"I know you don't like to celebrate."

She snorted as his understatement.

"But I do have a few small things planned, so get dressed."

Pushing herself off of the firm yet inviting mattress she stared at the clothes in her closet. There wasn't much to her outfit; black boots, black pants, black shirt, and black jacket—this was after all, a day of mourning. "Where are we going?" Aida asked as the family of three and Catherine piled into a helicopter. "And don't say it's a surprise," she warned her mate.

Draco gave her a cheeky grin and said, "It's a surprise. It's a long flight..." Aida nodded, he didn't explicitly say she should go back to sleep, but that was the jest of his message. The flight was long for Draco, and it felt even longer due to the fact that the other three passengers were asleep.

Three hours went by before Aida woke up, her hand immediately beginning to play with the pearl choker Tyler gifted her six years ago. The beads were starting to show some wear and tear, but it made sense—she almost never took it.

"I uh," Draco started and then stopped, trying to find the right words. "I talked to your parents about what you normally do on your birthday and they said you all are normally in Italy."

"You flew us to Italy?"

Draco nodded. "We still have a drive to get to our first destination and then we'll be staying here for the rest of the week."

The drive was shorter than the flight. Aida continued to stare out the window, not really seeing the things that were passing by.

"I didn't want you to not visit him today."

Her head jerked up to meet Draco's eyes, before they flickered out the window. He had taken her to the cemetery where Tyler was buried. Tears pooled in her eyes as she stared at her mate.

"We'll be right here."

With a nod, Aida slid on her sunglasses and stepped out onto the pebble covered ground. Some people talked to the headstones, sharing their life stories since their loved one had passed but Aida never did. Instead she would stand there, hair blowing in the wind, crying.

"Thank you," she whispered into Draco's chest, after an hour. "You and Doni are the best birthday present I've ever gotten." Kissing her son's forehead they climbed back into the car. "Where to next?"

"Porto, Rotondo."

Despite the sad day, Aida was all smiles for the rest of the drive to her grandparents house.

"How long have your grandparents lived here?"

"Nonna moved to Italy when she was 10, Papa was born and raised here. The house they live in is the one Nonna grew up in."

Draco nodded and placed a hand on her thigh. "Do you want to stop and get coffee?"

With a grin, Aida pulled off into the lot and parked the car. Unbuckling Doni, she slid him onto her hip and shut the door.