Chapter 199
Aria’s POV
The happiness in Aiden’s eyes made my heart flutter. Those deep blue eyes of his sparkled like they’d captured every star in the night sky.
I couldn’t stop staring at him, completely mesmerized. Then he leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips, his breath warm against my skin.
“And I super duper like Mrs. Carter too,” he whispered, mimicking my earlier confession.
The morning sunlight streamed through our bedroom windows, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. God, he looked like some kind of movie star with those intense eyes catching the light.
My face burned hot with embarrassment at his teasing, and I buried my face against his chest. “Thank you,” I mumbled against his shirt.
It would have been a perfectly romantic moment if my stomach hadn’t chosen that exact second to growl loudly in protest. The sound practically echoed between us.
“Oh my god,” I groaned, pulling away from him. My cheeks flamed even hotter. “I’m starving, apparently p>
“Yeah, I heard,” Aiden chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
I practically bolted toward the kitchen, not even looking back. Could I be any more awkward?
When I reached the dining room, I stopped dead in my tracks. Aiden had prepared a complete breakfast spread—pancakes, fresh fruit, coffee—and in the center sat a beautiful birthday cake with delicate frosting roses.
“You made all this?” I whispered, fighting back tears.
“Happy birthday,” he said simply, watching me with that soft expression that made my knees weak.
After demolishing breakfast (seriously, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was), I ran upstairs to grab my phone. The flowers outside were too beautiful not to capture.
I hurried to the balcony first, snapping several photos of the garden below, then made my way downstairs and outside to get different angles. The morning sun wasn’t too harsh yet, but it cast this perfect golden light on the hundreds of red roses Aiden had arranged to be planted for my birthday.
Aiden followed me patiently as I took photo after photo, never complaining as I switched positions and angles repeatedly.
After thirty minutes of photography, I selected nine perfect shots and posted them to my I m: “27 years old today. Surrounded by so much love and so many roses. #blessed #birthdaygirl”
I glanced over at Aiden. “Just posted to I m p>
“I noticed,” he smiled, already pulling out his own phone.
Almost immediately, I got my first like-from Aiden, of course-followed by his comment: “Happy 27th, Mrs. Carter. Looking forward to celebrating many more p>
The notifications started pouring in:
Lillian: “Not gonna lie, Aiden totally nailed this birthday gift! #husbandgoals”
Claire: “Happy birthday to my gorgeous bestie! Love you p>
Summer: “Omg I’m so jealous right now p>
Julian: “Happy birthday, Aria. Hope it’s a great one p>
I tried responding to comments at first, but they started coming in too fast. By the
time I put my phone down, I had over two hundred likes.
I twirled my phone in my hand, suddenly hesitant. “Would it be okay if I posted on T r too p>
Aiden looked confused. “Why wouldn’t it be p>
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, feeling silly. “Seems a bit show-offy p>
Aiden considered this for a moment. “Could I post something too p>
“Of course!” I nodded enthusiastically.
Half an hour later, I discovered that Aiden’s idea of “posting something” and my idea were completely different universes apart.
I’d simply shared the same photos on T r. Aiden, however, had literally bought a trending topic. My media-shy husband had paid for the hashtag #HappyBirthdayMrsCarter to trend at number one nationwide.
I’d only asked because my follower count had jumped to nearly a million after that concert performance last month, and I didn’t want any social media posts to affect his company’s image. But apparently, Aiden had no such concerns.
His approach was classic Aiden Carter-direct and extravagant. The man didn’t do anything small.
Random T r users were flooding the hashtag:
“I literally opened T r and got force-fed dog food. Rich people are something else p>
“Damn! The wealthy really do flex differently p>
“WHO IS MRS. CARTER AND WHY AM I CRYING OVER YOUR ROMANTIC HUSBAND? Happy birthday, stranger, but please tone down the perfect marriage vibes p>
“Excuse me Mrs. Carter, can I borrow your husband for just one day? I’ll return him mostly intact p>
People quickly found my account since I’d posted before Aiden’s hashtag started trending. Within thirty minutes, my notifications exploded with thousands of comments and DMs wishing me happy birthday.
My phone actually crashed when I tried to check my messages. The sheer volume of notifications had broken the app.
My birthday had become something of a social spectacle thanks to Aiden’s grand gestures. Everyone-whether they knew me personally or not-was aware today was my special day.
I was unwrapping gifts from Lillian and Claire when Lillian’s message popped up on my phone. She’d sent me a handcrafted bracelet with a sweet birthday card. Claire, on the other hand, had gone completely overboard. The delivery guy needed a cart to wheel everything in it wasn’t so much a birthday gift as it was an excuse to shower me with presents.
This wasn’t the first time Claire had tried to lavish me with gifts. I’d refused her previous attempts, but she clearly hadn’t given up. I stared at the small mountain of presents on the table, genuinely perplexed.
“Who enjoys giving gifts this much?” I muttered, propping my chin on my hand.
My phone buzzed beside me, the screen lighting up. I glanced over, seeing Lillian’s name, and immediately grabbed it. Sinking back into the couch cushions, I opened her message.
“Holy shit, Sophia just posted on social media! She’s clearly doing this on purpose, knowing it’s your birthday p>
I blinked, surprised to hear that name after so long. “Wasn’t she supposedly
studying abroad p>
Two months ago, Sophia had
suddenly announced online that she
felt her writing lacked inspiration and needed to study overseas. After the scandal with her and Liam she’d maintained a squeaky-clean social media presence, acting as if nothing had happened. She’d simply posted about leaving the country a week after the incident and then
disappeared from the public eye.
If Lillian hadn’t mentioned her, I might have forgotten all about Sophia’s existence by
now.
“Who knows!” Lillian replied. “She just posted something about her new book coming out soon! She even paid to get it trending p>
I tilted my head, curious. “Let’s see what game she’s playing this time p>
After sending that, I added another message: “Love the bracelet, by the way! How long did it take you to make it p>
“So glad you like it!” she responded. “Didn’t take too long! I made one for myself too!” She attached a photo showing her wearing a matching one.
A warm feeling spread through my chest. We chatted about Claire’s excessive gift- giving for a while until Aiden returned from his phone call.
“Texting with Lillian?” he asked, coming up behind me.
“Yeah, she just told me Sophia’s active on social media again.” Realizing he might
not know who that was, I added, “Sophia’s the one who-you know-Liam’s ‘dear
friend p>
Aiden sat on the couch behind me, slipped his hands under my arms, and lifted me effortlessly onto his lap. My cheeks flushed instantly.
“What’s that for?” I asked, feeling his solid chest against my back.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Carter,” he murmured into my ear. “I don’t have any ‘dear friends’
of that sort.” His gaze shifted to the pile of presents behind me. “Though it seems you might have one p>
I glanced back at the gifts and sighed. “Don’t you think Claire’s behavior is weird? Why is she always trying to give me things p>
Aiden made a disapproving sound deep in his throat. “Don’t accept anything from her anymore. I’ll buy you whatever you want p>