Whisper of Love (The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor, Book Five)

by Melissa Foster

  “Stage fright, maybe?” Tempest whispered as Phillip stepped up to the front of the stage and Nash picked up his guitar. She was so proud of him. He had finished the sculpture of the boy looking up at the clouds, and he’d told her it had reminded him of PJ and his dreams of playing in the major leagues. They decided to keep those three pieces, and they now displayed them proudly. Nash was working on a new piece for Hattie, and he’d already begun talking about reaching out to Larry next fall.

  Shannon tapped Tempest’s shoulder.

  She turned, taking in her sister’s radiant smile and laced hands with her fiancé, Steve. Last weekend Shannon had helped with Tempest’s music class. They’d spent a month preparing the barn, painting the inside, adding carpet, heat, and real lighting, and Nash had built her a wonderful, kid-friendly storage area, where the kids could reach the instruments. Shannon had been amazed and had said it looked better than any kids’ classroom she’d ever seen. Phillip joined them on the days he wasn’t in school. He’d been there when Shannon had helped, and Tempest had seen a longing look in her sister’s eyes. They were still deciding on a wedding date, but Tempest had a feeling it would happen soon. Maybe Cole and Leesa wouldn’t be the only ones expanding their family in the near future.

  Shannon leaned forward and pointed to Ty, standing off to the side with his video camera. Then she pointed to the other side of the room, where their father was doing the same. “Dad insisted on getting every angle. I think he’s more in love with Phillip than he was with us.”

  Tempest nodded in agreement. Phillip had taken to calling her parents Papa Ace and Granny Maisy.

  “Phillip Morgan will now sing ‘Jingle Bells,’” Miss Juliana announced, calling Tempest’s attention back to the stage. “He’ll be accompanied by his father, Nash, on the guitar.”

  Phillip looked out nervously over the crowd. His eyes found Tempest’s father on the side of the room, and a smile lifted his cheeks. “Hi, Papa Ace!” He scanned the crowd, zeroing in on Tempest, and waved, calling out, “Hi, Tempe! Hi, Granny Sandy! Hi—” Miss Juliana hurried across the stage and whispered something to him. Phillip nodded, and she moved back to the rear of the stage.

  Nash began playing “Jingle Bells,” and Phillip sang so quietly at first, everyone leaned forward to try to hear him. His voice slowly rose.

  “Tempe B,

  Tempe B,

  Tempe all the way,

  Oh what fun

  Life would be

  If you say yes today!”

  Tempest grabbed her mother’s hand. Her heart leaped into her throat. Had she heard him right? There was a collective gasp as Nash rose to his feet, strumming the guitar as he walked toward Phillip, his eyes locked on Tempest.

  “Ohmygod,” she whispered.

  Phillip drew in a long breath and belted out the next verse as they descended the steps from the stage.

  “Tempe B

  Tempe B

  Tempe all the way

  Oh what fun

  Life would be

  If you say yes today

  Hey!”

  They walked to where Tempest was sitting in the front row, and Nash handed the guitar to his mother and nodded to Phillip. They both got down on one knee. She could barely see through her tears.

  “Tempe,” Phillip said. “Me and Daddy want to marry you.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but only a strangled noise escaped.

  Nash took her hand in his, his eyes glistening, too. “Angel, you have given us more love than I knew existed. You’ve shared yourself, your time, your heart, and your family with us, and we hope—I hope—you’ll share the rest of your life with us, too. Tempest, my sweet, wonderful angel, will you marry me?”

  “And be my mom.” Phillip cast an angry look at Nash. “Don’t forget ‘be my mom.’ You said—”

  Nash swept an arm around Phillip and hugged him, pressing a hard kiss to his cheek.

  Everyone laughed, and Tempest cried harder, remembering last month, when Phillip had pasted pictures of them on the family tree they’d made out of construction paper for his family unit at preschool. He’d asked where to put Tempe’s picture, and Nash had told him to put it anywhere he wanted. Phillip had glued it over the space for mom.

  “Tempe, will you marry me and be Phillip’s mom?” Nash asked.

  Phillip nodded, his curls bouncing wildly around his face. He stepped out of Nash’s embrace and pushed his whole body between Tempest’s legs, blinking up at her with hopeful eyes. “Please marry us and be my mommy.”

  “Yes, sweetheart. Yes, I’ll marry Daddy and be your mommy.”

  Everyone clapped, and Nash threw his arms around both of them, lifting her right out of her chair. “I love you so much, baby.”

  “I love you so much, baby,” Phillip parroted, making everyone laugh again.

  “The ring,” Sandy reminded him.

  “Oh, right.” Nash took Tempest’s trembling hand and slid a beautiful matching ring to the one he wore onto her left ring finger.

  “It matches Daddy’s,” Phillip said. “He’s gonna make me one when I’m bigger.”

  “I can make you something different,” Nash offered her, “if you’d like.”

  Curling her fingers around Nash’s, she said, “It’s perfect. Just like the two of you.”

  Phillip threw his arms around her legs, and she lifted him up as Nash embraced them both and cheers sounded out around them. She’d watched all but one of her siblings find their happily-ever-afters. She’d witnessed perfect proposals, cried at beautiful weddings, but nothing—nothing—came anywhere close to this. To them. To us.

  NASH HAD SPOKEN to every one of the parents from Phillip’s class about his plans to surprise Tempest, and he’d arranged for Phillip’s solo to come at the end of the program, so none of the other children missed out on their special moment. After a whirlwind of congratulatory hugs and more pictures than he’d ever had taken in his life, he finally had a chance to catch his breath. The women had gravitated across the room, talking in excited bursts interspersed with hushed laughter. Nash caught Tempest watching him and blew her a kiss. Oh, my sweet angel. I love you more with every passing second.

  “Welcome to the family,” Ty said. He’d come back from his photography assignment two weeks ago, and was due to leave for another one in a few weeks.

  Nash was glad he’d had a chance to get to know him. Her brothers had brought Nash into the thick of their tight-knit group.

  “For a minute there I thought you were going to chicken out,” Nate said. “You looked like you were going to pass out on the stage.”

  “Not a chance in hell,” Nash insisted. “I’d marry her tomorrow if she’d let me.” The day after they’d decided to move into her room together, Nash had taken Tempest out to the barn and shown her what was in the trunk. They’d talked about every item, hung up every picture, along with the pictures Sandy had brought for them. When Phillip asked about the baseball mitt, Nash had told him that he’d once had an uncle, who was now in heaven. They’d talked for a few minutes about how much PJ had loved baseball, and Nash had let Phillip play with the mitt, which was too big for his little hands. That afternoon he’d taught Phillip how to catch a baseball. One day, he’d pass PJ’s hat down to his son. And he hoped his son would wear it with pride.

  Ace put an arm around Nash’s shoulders. “I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law and little boy for Tempest. She’s a lucky woman, Nash, and I just want to put my request in early for more grandbabies. We’re having a hell of a good time with little Phillip.”

  He and Maisy had come to visit once a week since the trip to Oak River. The family unit at school had turned out to be quite extensive, sparking questions about grandparents and aunts and uncles. He’d gotten away with vague answers, telling Phillip he could think of Tempest’s parents and siblings that way if he’d like. And his gut instincts had been right when it came to talking with Phillip about his mother. He’d told him that some mommies and daddies liv
ed together and some didn’t, and that although his mother didn’t live with him, he was very, very loved. That seemed to satisfy him for now. One day he’d have to tell him the truth, but hopefully by then Phillip would have experienced so much unconditional love from him and Tempest and their close-knit families that it wouldn’t turn his world upside down.

  “He’s having just as much fun with you,” Nash said to Ace. “He’s gone from a family of two to a family he’ll never outgrow. Thank you, Ace. Not just for welcoming us into your family, but for raising Tempest to be the incredible woman she is.”

  “She’s a good egg, all right,” Cole said. “But, Dad, give the guy a break. You’re going to be a grandfather again in a few months, and they’re not even married yet.”

  “Right now they’re all planning the big day.” Ty pointed to the girls huddled together like they were scheming about something. “I give you a month, maybe two. Tops.”

  Sam nudged Ty. “You’re the last single Braden in Peaceful Harbor. You know what that means?”

  “That it’s a good thing I’m going away on another assignment so you guys will stop pressuring me to settle down?”

  Tempest broke away from the group, heading their way. She stopped to talk to Sandy, who was holding Phillip and tickling his tummy. Nash had thought that seeing his mother again would stir up all the anger he’d felt over the years, but when she’d stepped from the RV the week of Thanksgiving, all he’d felt was love and relief. She looked older, but she looked happier than he could ever remember seeing her. They’d both broken down in tears.

  “I was going to say it means you had the pick of the town,” Sam said, bringing Nash’s thoughts back to the conversation.

  “Been there, done that,” Ty said. “Besides, I’ve got places to go, things to do. I don’t have time to settle down.”

  “You realize you didn’t say, ‘women to do,’ like you usually do.” Nate pointed out. “I think we’re getting to you after all.”

  As the guys gave Ty a hard time, Nash watched his fiancée walk toward him. He’d never been the type of guy to fall into a woman’s bed, and it had surprised him how intensely he’d been drawn to her. Everything had changed the moment she’d stepped from her Prius in that floral skirt and set those gorgeous blue eyes on him. His sweet girl had come into their lives like a summer breeze, effortlessly breathing new life into their cracks and crevices, gently peeling back each scarred and chipped layer until she’d uncovered his heart and soul. And as he gathered her close, and she melted against him in the warm and wonderful way he’d come to expect and love, he knew he’d never stood a chance. She’d been right all along. There were forces bigger than either of them at play.

  “We didn’t overthink,” she whispered in his ear.

  “We did pretty well with being carefully present,” he answered. “And I can’t imagine anyplace more magnificent than where we ended up. I love you, sweet angel, and I always will.”

  Ready For More Bradens?

  Fall in love with Ty and Aiyla in Thrill of Love

  Fall in love with Ty Braden, a world-renowned mountain climber and nature photographer. He’s about to take on his toughest assignment yet—winning the heart of the one that got away.

  Buy THRILL OF LOVE

  Ready for some seaside fun?

  Meet the Bayside Summers crew in Bayside Desires

  Fall in love at Bayside, where sandy beaches, good friends, and true love come together in the sweet small towns of Cape Cod.

  Buy BAYSIDE DESIRES

  See more of Melissa’s upcoming releases here – AVAILABLE PRE-ORDERS

  DOWNLOAD FREE ebooks from Melissa here – FREE SERIES STARTERS

  See all of Melissa’s series here – ROMANCE SERIES

  SIGN UP for Melissa’s newsletter for new releases alerts and to receive a free short story. NEWSLETTER

  The Bradens are just one of the series in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection (40+ sexy romance novels). Characters from each series make appearances in future books so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth.

  Visit Melissa’s Reader Goodies page for…

  – Complete Love in Bloom series list

  – Series reading order checklist

  – FREE Love in Bloom ebooks

  – FREE downloadable family trees and more

  More Books By Melissa

  LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES order

  Love in Bloom books may be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters from each series carry forward to the next.

  SNOW SISTERS

  Sisters in Love

  Sisters in Bloom

  Sisters in White

  THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)

  Lovers at Heart

  Destined for Love

  Friendship on Fire

  Sea of Love

  Bursting with Love

  Hearts at Play

  THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)

  Taken by Love

  Fated for Love

  Romancing My Love

  Flirting with Love

  Dreaming of Love

  Crashing into Love

  THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)

  Healed by Love

  Surrender My Love

  River of Love

  Crushing on Love

  Whisper of Love

  Thrill of Love

  BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS

  Daring Her Love

  Promise My Love

  Our New Love

  THE REMINGTONS

  Game of Love

  Stroke of Love

  Flames of Love

  Slope of Love

  Read, Write, Love

  Touched by Love

  SEASIDE SUMMERS

  Seaside Dreams

  Seaside Hearts

  Seaside Sunsets

  Seaside Secrets

  Seaside Nights

  Seaside Embrace

  Seaside Lovers

  Seaside Whispers

  BAYSIDE SUMMERS

  Bayside Desires

  THE RYDERS

  Seized by Love

  Claimed by Love

  Chased by Love

  Rescued by Love

  Swept Into Love

  SEXY STAND-ALONE ROMANCE NOVELS

  Tru Blue (Set in Peaceful Harbor)

  Truly, Madly, Whiskey

  BILLIONAIRES AFTER DARK

  WILD BOYS

  Logan

  Heath

  Jackson

  Cooper

  BAD BOYS

  Mick

  Dylan

  Carson

  Brett

  NICE GIRLS

  Phoebe

  Francine

  Nicole

  Genevieve

  HARBORSIDE NIGHTS

  Includes characters from the Love in Bloom series

  Catching Cassidy

  Discovering Delilah

  Tempting Tristan

  Chasing Charley

  Breaking Brandon

  Embracing Evan

  Reaching Rusty

  Loving Livi

  Standalone Books by Melissa

  Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)

  Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)

  Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)

  Love, Lies & Mystery (3-book bundle)

  Megan’s Way (literary fiction)

  Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)

  Where Petals Fall (suspense)

  Acknowledgments

  I hope you enjoyed Nash, Phillip, and Tempest’s story and are looking forward to reading about Ty, the last of the Peaceful Harbor Braden siblings. I can’t wait to get to the heart of that mysterious bad boy. If you haven’t yet joined my Fan Club on Facebook, please do. We have a great time chatting about our hunky heroes and sassy heroines. Several Fan Club members have inspired stories, and you never know when you’ll end up in one of my books, as several members of my Fan Club have already discovered.
>
  www.Facebook.com/groups/MelissaFosterFans

  If you don’t yet follow me on Facebook, please do! I always try to keep fans abreast of what’s going on in our fictional boyfriends’ worlds.

  www.Facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor

  Remember to sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date with new releases and special promotions and events and to receive an exclusive short story featuring Jack Remington and Savannah Braden.

  www.MelissaFoster.com/Newsletter

  And don’t forget your free reader goodies! For free family trees, publication schedules, series checklists, and more, please visit the special Reader Goodies page that I’ve set up for you!

  www.MelissaFoster.com/Reader-Goodies

  As always, heaps of gratitude to my amazing team of editors and proofreaders: Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, Elaini Caruso, Juliette Hill, Marlene Engel, Lynn Mullan, and Justinn Harrison. And, of course, to my main heartthrob, Les.

  ~Meet Melissa~

  www.MelissaFoster.com

  Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. Melissa has painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

  Visit Melissa on her website or chat with her on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event. Melissa’s books are available through most online retailers in paperback and digital formats.