Thrill of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “I told Ty I wanted to invite you to join me and the girls tomorrow. We’re going shopping and then having lunch and getting our nails done for the wedding. Ty said it would depend on if your leg was hurting or not.” Maisy’s expression turned thoughtful. “I hope that’s okay, sweetie. He was just looking out for you.”

  Maisy hadn’t even met her and she already wanted to include her in their plans? Aiyla warmed all over. “It’s fine. I was just curious.”

  “In case Ty didn’t warn you, there are no secrets in this house,” Shannon said. “The day Ty came home after his trip to Saint-Luc, I knew something had changed. He’d changed. Of course I had to pry the truth out of him.”

  “And then tell everyone else?” Ty shook his head.

  “Well, yeah, of course.” Shannon rolled her eyes. “It was like you’d left part of yourself behind and you didn’t quite know how to manage without it.”

  Ty nuzzled against Aiyla’s neck and said, “I did leave part of myself with you. She’s right, baby. A man can’t function with half a heart.”

  She knew his family would see her feelings for him written all over her face. There was no masking how she felt, not when he said such romantic things and made her feel so special.

  “Everyone was worried about you,” Shannon explained. “I was just the only one willing to push hard enough to find out what had happened.”

  Aiyla wondered what it must be like to have so many people who cared enough about him to push and worry.

  Steve reached for Shannon and said, “Careful spilling all your family’s secrets, butterfly. It took Ty forever to finally find a girlfriend and you’re going to scare her off.”

  Butterfly. That was so sweet. She wondered why he called her that.

  “This coming from a reclusive mountain man who has hugged more trees than women?” Ty nudged Steve’s elbow.

  “I love my tree hugger,” Shannon said.

  Maisy smiled at Ace. “It’s good to see the kids so happy, isn’t it?”

  “It sure is, sweetheart. But I’m afraid it’s time for this old man to call it a night.” He moved from one person to the next, hugging each of them and saying a few kind words.

  When he reached Aiyla, he held her by the shoulders and gazed thoughtfully into her eyes. “We sure are glad you’re here. And I want you to know, our house is your house. Sleep in, raid the refrigerator, enjoy the beach. We’ve got only one hard and fast rule.”

  Aiyla stood up a little straighter, expecting him to say something about sleeping in a separate room from Ty. This must be what it’s like to have a father.

  Ace’s lips curved up, and in his smile she saw Ty—thirty years from now—handsome, strong, endearing.

  “Dad…?” Ty cocked his head, stepping closer to Aiyla.

  “Settle down, son.” He placed one of his hands on Ty’s shoulder, his eyes moving between the two of them. “Would you like to tell Aiyla what that rule is?”

  “All I know,” Shannon said, “is don’t try sneaking out at midnight when Nate’s down on the beach playing his guitar, because he’ll narc on you.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Ty laced his fingers with Aiyla’s and nodded, as if to say, Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got you.

  “Come on now, Ace,” Maisy said gently. “The kids probably want to get to bed.”

  “I know I do.” Ty glanced at Aiyla, and she felt her cheeks burn.

  His father gave him a stern look. “Our rule is simple. Once you’ve been part of this family, for an hour or a day, a year or a decade, you’re always welcome here.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, and Ty slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. “Welcome to my life, baby cakes.”

  The love in the room was so thick she wanted to wrap herself up in it and never leave. It reminded her of the moments she’d shared with her mother and her sister, before her mother had become ill. She missed them terribly right then, and, she realized, she missed being part of a family. She didn’t see her sister or nephews often enough, and she wanted to change that.

  Without any hesitation or embarrassment, she put her arms around Ty’s neck and said, “I think I’m going to like it here.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  TY AWOKE TO the sound of the doors to the deck opening. Aiyla was fast asleep, curled up against his side, bundled under blankets. The sun had just begun to rise, kissing the sky with varying shades of morning light. Maisy stepped outside, looking pretty in a pair of jeans and a colorful shirt with a thin cardigan over it. Her thick curls blew around her face in the morning breeze as she sank down to the chair beside them and offered Ty her coffee mug.

  He shook his head and whispered, “Thanks. I’m okay.”

  She glanced thoughtfully at Aiyla, and then she looked at Ty the way he’d seen her look at each of his siblings when they’d fallen in love. A very distinct look of parental relief and happiness rose in her eyes and remained there. “I can’t believe you made the poor girl sleep out here.”

  “I didn’t,” he whispered. “Sleeping under the stars is sort of our thing.”

  “Your thing,” his mother said. “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that with regard to a special lady.” Her gaze dropped to Aiyla again. “She’s a sweetie, Ty. You said her mother is gone? It’s only her and her sister?”

  Sadness welled inside him. “It was. Now she has me.”

  “She looks at you like you hung the moon. Please don’t hurt her.”

  His arms tightened possessively around Aiyla. “I never would, Mom. I finally understand why Sam changed for Faith and why Shannon stayed out in Colorado with Steve after never wanting to leave home. I would do anything for Aiyla.”

  Maisy sipped her coffee and gazed out over the water, a small smile lifting her lips, but her brows knitted.

  His mother rarely held her tongue, and she sat silently for so long, he finally asked, “You aren’t going to say anything?”

  She looked at him with a tentative expression and said, “Our most adventurous child has found his forever love. I don’t want to jinx it.”

  “You can’t jinx it, Mom.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Aiyla’s head. “It’s fate.”

  “I thought you believe we create our own destiny.”

  “I used to think that, but how else do you explain me and Aiyla meeting up after so many months without so much as a phone call or email?”

  “Hearts have a way of speaking across miles and miles. But it takes the strongest kind of love to hear them. I think that’s how you explain it.” She set her mug on the deck and lay back in the lounger. “Your father and I used to sleep out here, too.”

  “I remember.” He’d woken up many mornings when he was a boy, searching the house for his parents because he was hungry or bored, and he’d usually find them out on the deck, in much the same position he and Aiyla were now. He hadn’t thought about those times in so long. Now he wondered if their love of nature had helped to inspire his.

  “You were always the earliest riser. You’d come out and sneak onto the chair with us, tucking yourself into the crook of Daddy’s arm, like you didn’t want to wake us up.”

  “I didn’t.”

  She smiled. “You were like a whirlwind as a boy, sweetie. You’d lie there for a minute or two, and then you’d start chatting about all the things you wanted to do that day. Those mornings usually ended with you and your father on the beach exploring or taking the boat out before anyone else woke up.”

  “Those are some of my favorite memories. Maybe while we’re here we can all go out on the boat.”

  “I’m sure your father would love that.” She finished her coffee and pushed to her feet. “Speaking of your father, I need to go wake him up. He and your brothers are helping Nash set up for the wedding today. I can hardly believe my baby girl is getting married tomorrow. It seems like she and Nash have been together forever.”

  “They will be.” Ty reached up and took her hand. “If Aiyla’s
leg doesn’t hurt and she goes shopping with you, I’ll go with Dad and help. But if her leg hurts, will you be upset if I stick around here with her?”

  “Why would I be upset? That’s proof that we did something right as parents. You’re really worried about her, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah,” he said quietly.

  “Jon’s a great doctor. I’m sure whatever is wrong, he’ll fix her right up.”

  “I know he will.” He trusted Jon, and Aiyla was probably right about her pain being from overuse. But that didn’t stop him from worrying, which was a new experience for him. He’d worried about his family and closest friends, but he’d never been in love before, and he was amazed by the depth of his emotions. He had a feeling he’d caused a lot of worry for his parents over the years, and when his mom touched his shoulder, he reached up and put his hand over hers.

  “Mom, I’m sorry for all the times I’ve caused you and Dad to worry.”

  “Are you under the misconception that you’re done causing us to worry?” She chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Wait until you have children of your own. The worry never ends, sweetheart, and that’s a good thing. It means you love them. Try to get some more sleep. We’ve all got a busy day ahead.”

  There was no more sleep to be had. Shortly after his mother disappeared into the house, his family converged on the deck. Now, nearly three hours later, Ty and Cole were busy hanging white sheers around the doors of the barn by the pond in Nash’s yard. The afternoon wedding was going to be held outside, but the rustic barn made for a pretty backdrop. Sam and Nate stood on ladders, hanging mason jars with colorful solar lights from the limbs of trees. Nash had built a gorgeous wooden altar, with intricate musical notes and animals carved into the frame. Tempest and Nash both played the guitar, and Phillip loved animals. They raised chickens, goats, and had about a dozen cats running around their property. The carvings were perfect, and the altar looked beautiful by the pond.

  Nash and Phillip were busy wrapping the columns with strings of white lights. Both father and son wore leather work belts and red baseball caps. Ty smiled to himself, remembering all the years he and his brothers had spent following their father around, helping in the yard, on the boat, and as they got older, at Mr. B’s, the microbrewery their parents owned.

  Not much had changed.

  TY’S ENTIRE FAMILY had shown up for breakfast, giving Aiyla a chance to meet each of his siblings and to get to know their significant others. Cole and Nate were more serious than Ty and Sam, who horsed around endlessly. And Tempest, like Cherise, seemed like a careful, watchful older sister. Aiyla was also learning just how small the quaint seaside town was. Faith, Sam’s fiancée, worked as a physician assistant in Cole’s office. Both she and Cole had taken the day off to spend it with the family, preparing for the wedding. Nate’s wife, Jewel, had three younger siblings, and her brother worked for Sam at his rafting company. Peaceful Harbor was bigger than her hometown, but it seemed to be closely knit, and she found that—and the open affection of his siblings—comforting. She’d noticed around the breakfast table that someone was always brushing the hand of their significant other, stealing a quick kiss, or passing a furtive glance. She’d been on her own for so long, she wondered what it would be like to be part of such a big, loving family. And this afternoon she got a good dose of just how wonderful it could be.

  After shopping for most of the morning, Aiyla, Maisy, and the girls had lunch at a café. They decided to take advantage of the gorgeous sunny day and walk three blocks to the nail salon. Aiyla enjoyed getting to know everyone. They acted more like sisters than sisters-in-law, daughters-in-law, and friends. She wished Cherise could meet them. She’d get along well with everyone, and she’d probably love to talk about her boys, Danny, who was four, and David, who was two, with Leesa, who doted endlessly on little Avery, and Tempest, who gushed about Phillip.

  “I can’t believe I’m getting married tomorrow,” Tempest said excitedly for the millionth time since they’d met. She brushed her hand over her cute summer skirt and said, “And my wedding dress?”

  Shannon clasped her hands beneath her chin, fluttered her lashes up toward the sky, and said, “‘It’s stunning, dreamy, and romantic!’”

  Tempest rolled her eyes. “Excuse me for being excited. You just wait. When you and Steve get married you’ll do the same thing—and I’ll tease you just as much.”

  Ty had told Aiyla that Tempest was like the wind. She can calm you down or stir you up with the same easy demeanor, and she writes songs that’ll melt your soul. It was easy to understand why he saw her that way. She was thoughtful and easygoing, but she was no pushover.

  Shannon draped an arm over Tempest’s shoulder. “I look forward to it. Besides, I don’t blame you. Jilly and Jax made the perfect dress for you.”

  Maisy explained that Jillian and Jax were their twin cousins who lived in the next town over, Pleasant Hill. They were dressmakers and each owned their own business, though Jax’s specialty was wedding dresses, and Jillian tended to make dresses for every occasion.

  “Ty mentioned his cousin Beau, and I met Ty’s friend Trixie, who said she worked with another one of his cousins,” Aiyla said. “Nick, I think his name was. Are they in the same family?”

  “Yes, they have a big family, like us. You’ll meet everyone at the wedding except Zev and Graham. They’re traveling and couldn’t make it back in time,” Shannon said.

  Aiyla was connecting the dots between cousins. She’d meet Graham, she realized, when they went on their climbing trip.

  “Don’t you just love Trixie, by the way?” Shannon added. “She’s on my matchmaking list.”

  “Isn’t every single female you know on that list?” Jewel teased. “Shannon wants everyone to be in love.”

  “Don’t quote me or anything, but Jon seemed pretty sweet on Trixie,” Aiyla said.

  “Jon Butterscotch is sweet on everyone,” Faith said. “I shouldn’t say that, since he’s one of my bosses, and thank goodness he’s not like that in the office. But Sam and I went out for drinks at Whiskey Bro’s with him, and I swear he looked like he was ready to haul Dixie Whiskey into the back room. The man loves women.”

  “He’s just taste testing,” Maisy said when they reached the corner and stopped to wait for the light to change so they could cross the street.

  “That sounds dirty,” Leesa said, and Jewel laughed.

  “I might be a grandmother, but I’m still a woman.” Maisy bent down and tickled Avery’s foot, earning a cheeky smile from the baby. “Some people find their soul mates early on, but others are forced to wait until the universe brings them together. Mark my words, Jon will settle down when the right woman piques his interest. They all do.”

  The light changed and they made their way across the street.

  “I think we should skip the nail salon and lay out on the beach until I digest that chocolate lava cake.” Shannon held her belly.

  “I’m all for lying in the sun,” Aiyla chimed in.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Jewel said as she looped her arm around Aiyla’s. She was a petite blonde who knew how to take charge. “You’re not getting out of this.”

  Aiyla had admitted that she hadn’t ever had a manicure or pedicure. Her nails were short and she wasn’t exactly careful with her hands or feet. “I’m not trying to get out of it, but I don’t have long, pretty nails like you guys do.”

  She held out her hand and Maisy took it in hers and squeezed it gently. “It’s not the length of the nails that matters, sweetie; it’s how you use them.”

  “Mom!” Tempest chided her.

  “Oh, please, Tempe. Do you think I don’t know about loving up a man? There are secrets to being married as long as your father and I have been.”

  Tempest wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to know this about you.”

  “I wasn’t going to share. Anyway, I’m excited that we get to be there for Aiyla’s first mani-pedi,” Maisy said. “Everyone needs a little pampe
ring. And trust me, even my mountain-climbing son needs a subtle reminder that behind this strong, capable woman is a lady who deserves to be treated like one.”

  “He treats me better than anyone has ever treated me in my life,” Aiyla said. “You raised him well.”

  “Thank you,” Maisy said, touching the stroller as she walked beside Leesa. “We tried with all of our babies, and I hope we did a good job.” She glanced at Tempest and said, “Because now my babies are raising babies.”

  Tempest smiled. “I adore Phillip.”

  “Cole is the best father in the world,” Leesa said proudly.

  “Ahem!” Tempest shook her head. “Not that I don’t think my brother is a great father, but Nash Morgan? That man knows how to parent. Don’t you think?”

  “Oh gosh, yes,” Leesa said apologetically. “I just meant—”

  Tempest hugged her. “They’re both great dads. We’re very lucky.” Her gaze moved over each of them. “Actually, we’re all very lucky. The question is, who’s next in line to give Mom more grandbabies?”

  “Steve and I aren’t even married yet,” Shannon pointed out.

  “Well, neither are we,” Faith said, “but we’re thinking of starting a family right away after we get married.”

  “More power to you,” Jewel said. “I practically raised my brother and sisters. I want a little more time to enjoy Nate before I go down that path.”

  Aiyla’s ears perked up. “My sister raised me, too.”

  “Really? Did your mom work a million hours, too?” Jewel asked.

  “She did, but we lost her when I was fifteen.” Even after more than a decade, she bristled at the shock of sadness that accompanied thoughts of losing her mother. She could talk about her mother’s life without getting mired down in too much sadness, but when it came to her death, she still felt like she was swallowing sand. She tried to push away the sadness and focus on her sister instead. “My sister, Cherise, was twenty-one and just married at the time. She and her husband, Caleb, moved into our mom’s house with me so I could finish high school.”