“I’m so sorry,” Tempest said. “But I’m glad your sister was there for you. Did you have any other family that helped?”
“No. I’ve never known my father. But my mother was a housekeeper, and one of her clients, Ms. Farrington, who I always say was our fairy godmother, paid for Cherise and Caleb’s move. Ms. F had been supporting my school sports activities for years in exchange for my traveling with her on school breaks and over summers. She’s the one who taught me about photography and introduced me to the world of traveling.”
“You traveled with her?” Jewel asked. “That’s a sweet deal.”
“Yeah. I was pretty lucky. Ms. F never married or had children, and she was in her late seventies when I started traveling with her. After my mom died, I worked anywhere I could after school, and then at sixteen I took my senior year of English in summer school, graduated early, and Ms. F helped me get a full-time job at a ski resort. Through her I’ve met resort owners all over the world who are happy to give me a job when I’m in their area taking pictures. Like I said, she was our fairy godmother, but it was Cherise who was there at night when I’d cry myself to sleep, and who made sure I still functioned and went to school. I owe my sanity to my sister for sure.”
Maisy touched Aiyla’s shoulder. “Your mother would be very proud of both of you, and I’m so sorry you lost her.”
“Thank you. I like to think she’d be proud. Cherise has two beautiful boys now, and she’s an amazing mother.”
“And you’re an incredible person, too, sweetheart,” Maisy said. “Ty showed us your photography books after Shannon spilled the beans about you a few months ago. You’re a gifted photographer, and I’ve never seen my son happier. For that alone, I will always be thankful.”
She drew Aiyla into a hug, and before Aiyla knew what was happening, all the girls were hugging her.
“I lost my father a couple of years ago,” Leesa said. “I don’t think our parents ever really leave us. I’m sure your mom is with you in spirit.”
“And now you have our mom, too.” Tempest smiled at Maisy, who nodded in agreement.
“And you’ve got me and Sam,” Faith said.
“You have all of us,” Shannon added. “And we’re pretty frigging awesome if I do say so myself.”
Tears welled in Aiyla’s eyes. It had been a long time since she’d felt like she belonged someplace other than in her own solitary world. She’d thought Ty’s love was a gift, but now she realized that what he’d said about his family was really true. She’d laid her past out before them and they’d still welcomed her with open arms.
“I lost my father and my older brother,” Jewel said. “If you ever need an ear, or a shoulder to lean on, I’m here.” She looked at the others and added, “And these crazy girls? They’re not just spewing kind words. They mean it. We all do.”
Aiyla opened her mouth to thank them, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Embarrassed, she turned away, wiping it dry. “Thank you.” Her voice cracked, and when they all hugged her again, it drew more tears.
Her phone vibrated, and she was thankful for the distraction. She pulled it from her pocket, and her overworked heart sped up even more at the sight of Ty’s name on the screen. They’d been apart for only a few hours, and she missed him already. She opened the text and couldn’t suppress a much-needed laugh. She turned her phone for the others to see, showing them the picture of Ace and Phillip, both of them draped in white silk togas and beaming at the camera.
“Uh-oh. Looks like Papa Ace is at it again,” Leesa said with a laugh.
“Why do I think my wedding decorations are going to all have grass stains?” Tempe asked.
“Breathe, baby,” Maisy said. “Nash would never let that happen. I’m sure those are extras.”
Maisy had so many endearments for all of them, it was easy to see why Ty’s love came out in that fashion, too.
“We can stop by and do a spot check after we get our nails done,” Faith offered. “We’ll fix whatever the guys mess up.”
Shannon leaned closer to Aiyla and whispered, “In case you had any doubts, boys always grow up to be like their fathers. See how lucky you are?”
Lucky was exactly the word she’d use.
Chapter Fourteen
“ARE YOU NERVOUS?” Ty asked as he and Aiyla walked into the Peaceful Harbor Pain Management Center Friday afternoon. He’d been thrilled when the girls had shown up to check up on them after their nail appointments. Going several hours without seeing Aiyla was not high on his list of fun things to do, no matter how much he’d enjoyed the time with the guys.
“About the appointment with Jon?” she asked. “Not even a little. You know if it was anything horrible the pain wouldn’t wax and wane, or be alleviated by Motrin and Tylenol. If you hadn’t been so pushy, and if Jon hadn’t been so darn nice, I would have waited to see how it felt in another week, then made an appointment with my doctor back home.”
“That would have cut it very close for our climbing trip.” He pushed the button for the elevator and kissed her softly. “Thank you for putting my worries to rest.”
“It was the least I could do. You did carry me over the finish line.”
The elevator arrived, and when they stepped inside, Aiyla went up on her toes and kissed him. “I missed you today.”
“Not half as much as I missed you.” He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly, because if he kissed her as passionately as he wanted to, he’d be sporting wood when they left the elevator, and Jon would never let him live that down.
The elevator doors opened, and as they stepped into the hall he said, “Tomorrow’s going to be all about family, so tonight I’m kidnapping you.”
“That sounds promising.”
“You look hot in those little khaki shorts, but I bet they’ll look even sexier on the floor.” He pulled open the office door and smacked her butt as she walked through.
“I was hoping if I wore shorts Jon wouldn’t make me wear a paper gown.” She lowered her voice as they approached the reception desk. “I hate those things.”
Brandy, the petite brunette receptionist who had worked for Cole and Jon for the last few years, greeted them with an eager smile. “Hi, Ty.”
“How’s it going, Brandy? This is my girlfriend, Aiyla Bell. She has an appointment at four.”
“Yes. Dr. Butterscotch said you were coming in.” She handed a clipboard and pen to Aiyla. “If you wouldn’t mind filling these out, then we’ll get you right back to see him.”
Aiyla filled out the documentation and provided the necessary identification cards, and a few minutes later they were brought into an examination room. Even though she’d said she wasn’t nervous, Ty noticed her fidgeting with the edge of her shorts.
He reached for her hand and said, “No paper gown. Must be those sexy shorts.”
“Or the fact that you told the girl who brought us back not to bother leaving the paper gown.”
“Yeah, it could be that.”
A knock at the door sounded and Jon peeked his head in, shielding his eyes with his hand. “I heard you two were in here. There’s no hanky-panky going on, is there?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Ty said.
Jon hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “Want me to come back later?”
Ty chuckled as Jon walked in and shook his hand. He looked every bit the part of a professional doctor in a dress shirt and tie, with his hair neatly brushed. He pulled a chair over to the desk and motioned to the seats beside the exam table. From that moment on, nothing about the way Jon acted resembled their race buddy Speed.
“Why don’t you two sit down while we go over Aiyla’s medical history, and then we’ll do the exam.” He looked over her paperwork and asked a number of routine questions. His expression softened, and he said, “I see your mother had pancreatic cancer? Has there been any other family history of cancer?”
Cancer? Ty’s heart lurched, and he reached for Aiyla’s hand. “I thought your mother died from a st
aph infection after a medical procedure.”
“She did.” The sadness in Aiyla’s eyes was palpable. “The infection was the result of a procedure she’d had because she had cancer.” She shifted her gaze to Jon and said, “No one else in my family has had cancer. Just my mom. Although I don’t know my father, so I have no idea about his medical history.”
Jon nodded.
Ty’s heart took another hit at her confession. “Is that hereditary? Pancreatic cancer?”
“About ten percent of pancreatic cancers are thought to be related to genetic factors,” Jon explained. “That means an inherited gene mutation can be passed from parents to their children. Although those genetic conditions are not known to directly cause pancreatic cancer, they can increase a person’s risk for developing the disease.”
Aiyla squeezed his hand and said, “Ty, I’m here for pain in my leg, not digestive problems. Trust me, if I thought for a second I had cancer, I’d have been in the doctor’s office first thing. I watched my mom die. I wouldn’t mess around.”
He would give anything to go back in time and be with her when she’d lost her mother, to help bear the burden of that pain. “I know, babe. I just want to understand, that’s all.”
Jon asked her more questions, some of which he’d asked when he’d examined her in Colorado. When did the pain start? Is it persistent? Does it wake you up at night? Ty had a feeling Jon was comparing her answers to last time, just as he was. He also asked several new questions: Any fevers? Rashes? Weight loss? Fatigue? Changes in sleep patterns? She answered no to each one.
“Okay, Aiyla.” Jon pushed to his feet. “Why don’t you hop up on the exam table and we’ll take a look at that leg.”
He took his time, inspecting and palpating her legs, knees, and joints and checking her range of motion on each limb. He put her through a litany of flexing and raising exercises, and he explained that back pain could refer to the legs and an unbalanced gait could also cause issues. He watched her walk up and down the hallway.
Ty found himself holding his breath during each and every stage of the exam, and when they returned to the exam room, he couldn’t wait any longer. He tried to temper his anxiety and asked, “What do you think, Doc?”
“It’s hard to say right now. This could be nothing more than an overuse injury, as Aiyla thought. But you mentioned going on a climbing trip in two weeks. I’d like to send you over to radiology for an MRI so we cover all our bases. That way we’ll know what we’re dealing with. I should have results Monday morning, and I can have Brandy fit you in first thing Monday if you’d like for a follow-up.”
“Yes, please,” Ty said.
“Okay. Eight o’clock Monday morning. Until then,” he said to Aiyla, “you said the Motrin and Tylenol are helping?”
“Yes, they seem to be.”
“Then keep that up if you need to.” Jon wrote up an order for an MRI and told them to head down to the radiologist’s office, which was in the same building. “And if you do any heavy exercise, ice, rest, and elevate.”
“She’s not doing any heavy exercise,” Ty said firmly.
Jon nodded and asked Aiyla how long she was going to be in town.
She looked at Ty. “We haven’t really talked about that. A few days, maybe?”
“As long as it takes to get her healed up.” Ty draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close. “Are you okay with that?”
She smiled and said, “I doubt I have a choice.”
BY THE TIME they finished getting her MRI, it was almost seven o’clock. They stopped for energy bars at a convenience store and headed to Ty’s parents’ house before going out on their special date. After throwing on her sweatshirt and taking some medicine, she found Ty in the driveway putting a cooler in the back of an old Jeep.
“Where did this come from?” She peered into the backseat and saw a camera bag, blankets, and towels.
“The garage. It’s my father’s. We need four-wheel drive to get where we’re going.”
He opened the door and she climbed in. “That sounds interesting. Where are we going?”
“To one of my favorite spots. Think you can handle a five-minute walk?”
“I can handle an hour walk.”
He ran his hands up her legs and leaned in closer, his eyes turning dark and seductive. “My brave, strong girl. I brought dinner, but we might want to skip it and go straight to dessert.”
His warm lips pressed against hers and he squeezed her thighs, making her body hum. As their mouths parted, “Dessert” slipped from her lips, and he chuckled.
They drove through the small town, the wind whipping her hair across her face, as strip malls and residential streets gave way to fields and the bar Faith had mentioned Whiskey Bro’s came into view. The rustic shack had blacked-out windows, and the parking lot was full of motorcycles and trucks. She couldn’t imagine Faith going anywhere near that place, which only made her more curious.
“That’s the bar Faith said she went to with Sam,” she said as they passed. “We should go there.”
“You like biker bars?”
“I’ve never been to one, but Faith went, so it can’t be too bad, right?”
“We know the owners. They’re good people. But it’s definitely a biker bar. If you’re afraid of long-haired, tattooed guys who look like they can rip your head off and have no filter whatsoever, you should stay away.”
She couldn’t resist getting a rise out of him. He was so cute when he was jealous. “I like hot bikers.”
His eyes narrowed, and she leaned across the seat and kissed him. “I’m teasing. I want to check it out, but for the adventure, not for the guys.” She put her hand on his thigh and inched her fingertips up, grazing his cock. “The only guy I want is right here.”
He guided her hand over his growing erection. “I’m all yours, baby. There’s nothing I won’t do for you, including taking you to that bar, but if anyone touches my girl, you might have to bail me out of jail.”
“My big, bad Bradonian is very possessive.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it, then placed it between his legs again, sliding her a hungry look. “Hang on, sweet one, we’re hitting the trail.”
He turned onto a steep mountain road lined with lush plants and tall, looming trees, which shaded the road from the moonlight. The Jeep rocked and rumbled over the uneven terrain. When the road narrowed, turning to rutted, overgrown tire paths, Ty slowed to a snail’s pace, barely clearing trees on either side of the vehicle.
“This feels like we’re going to end up in a movie like Wrong Turn.”
“There are no wrong turns in Peaceful Harbor.”
After a mile or so the trees opened up and the road disappeared. Ty continued driving through a field of long grass, the headlights bouncing over the rugged terrain. He cut the engine, and blue-gray moonlight spilled over the wilderness. The sounds of tree frogs and crickets, animals scurrying across the forest floor, and leaves brushing in the gentle breeze surrounded them. The first few anxious and exciting moments that always came with unfamiliar territory made Aiyla’s pulse quicken.
“Now I know why you brought your camera,” she said. “This is gorgeous.”
“This is just the beginning.” He climbed from the Jeep and tossed the blankets and towels into a backpack she hadn’t noticed before.
He put his camera bag over his shoulder and head, so it hung across his body, and hoisted the pack over his shoulders before grabbing the cooler. As she watched him preparing for their evening, taking care of everything, she remembered the sadness and concern in his eyes when he’d heard about how her mother had died. She knew she owed him an explanation, but he hadn’t pushed for one, as if he’d known she didn’t want to get caught up in it in front of Jon. And now he stood before her with his hair hanging over his eyes, his broad shoulders carrying the weight of his surprise romantic evening. He looked rugged and manly, and when he reached for her hand and pulled her in closer, touching his lips to hers, sh
e knew it wasn’t his looks that made her heart take notice. It was all of him. Maybe it was the emotions from spending the day with his family and feeling so welcome, or the way he cared so deeply about her well-being, or maybe it was just that she was too in love with him not to share it.
Whatever the reason, her emotions spilled out. “I never thought about what I wanted in a boyfriend, but if I had, you’d surpass anything I could dream up. I love you, Ty, and I appreciate your help during the race, and going to see Jon with me, and sharing your family with me.” She looked up at the starry sky. “And tonight…” When she met his gaze again, he was smiling. “I just want you to know all of that.”
His arm circled her waist and he said, “I do know. I had no idea what love meant before you. But now I know it means that someone else is always there. You’re in my every thought, in everything I do, everything I hope for. Our stars have collided, babe, and the universe awaits our exploration.”
“Then let’s not keep it waiting.”
Chapter Fifteen
TY AND AIYLA walked through the woods and came upon abandoned railroad tracks. Green plants and spiky grasses sprouted up between aged wooden ties overgrown with wildflowers and weeds.
“This is beautiful,” she said as they walked beside the tracks.
“When I was in middle school and I got too rambunctious, my dad would take me hiking all over these mountains. I probably wouldn’t have been rambunctious if you were around.”
“You would have been all over me like white on rice, and then I would have been one of the Ty harem. Then I’d have had to find some other guy to go adventuring with and leave you in the dust.”
“Girl, you are so wrong.” He hauled her in for a kiss. “If you’d have been mine, I never would have let you go.”
“I love that you think so. Tell me more about rambunctious Ty. Your dad used to take you here?”
“He did, and as I got older, I’d come here when I wanted peace and quiet. There was another place that Cole took me before he left for college, out by the river, where he used to go to be alone. But this was mine. There’s a creek up ahead. That’s what I wanted to show you. I took my first pictures there.”
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