Hearts Ablaze (Hearts On Fire Series)

by Heather Lyn

  He reaches into a desk drawer and hands me a small black box. My heart begins to race.

  “I know you aren’t ready for this, but this is my mother’s wedding ring. My dad gave it to me right after she passed, and he wanted Aubrey to have it one day. And I want you to have it. I know I won’t be there for the wedding. I won’t be there for the grandbabies. But tell them about me. I want them to know how much I loved them, even if they don’t know me. All I want is for Aubrey to have a beautiful life. Please give her that, Noah. You’re a good man, son, and I’m damn proud to welcome you into our family.”

  I can feel the tears running down my cheeks, but I don’t even bother to wipe them away. Taking the box out of his hand, I shove it in my pocket, walk around the desk, and hug him hard.

  “Thank you.” I don’t know what else to say. I let go of him and wipe the tears off my face. “I’ll take good care of this.” I touch my pocket and smile at him.

  “I have no doubt. Now, no more sappy bullshit. There’s a party to get back to.”

  I follow him out of the office and go get my drink. My duffle bag is sitting in the corner of the living room, so I quickly tuck the ring into a side pocket and head outside, finding Aubrey standing near the pool, talking to an older couple. I make a beeline for her, just needing to touch her, reaching her in only a few strides. Grabbing her to me, I kiss her with everything I have in me.

  She pulls away laughing, pushing on my chest. “Noah! What was that for?” She’s laughing, and the sound is music to my ears.

  “For being the best damn thing to ever happen to me.” The smile spreads across her face and she rises onto her toes to kiss me. I loop my arms around her waist and hug her to me, breathing in her scent. Over her shoulder, I can see Mike smiling at us. I give him a smile back and look down at Aubrey. She really is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life.

  “Well, I need to get the music hooked up. Be right back.” She kisses me on the cheek and then heads to the deck where she has her iPod set up. I can’t help watching her, hoping that losing her dad doesn’t cause me to lose her. She walks back over to me with a huge smile.

  “I have a surprise for you, Noah.” She grabs my hand and walks me to the other side of the yard. I have no idea what’s going on.

  “Surprise!” she shouts. Following her line of site, I see my parents standing there, huge smiles on their faces. I’m completely shocked.

  “Mom, Dad. What are you doing here?” I rush over to give my mom a tight hug, and then shake my dad’s hand.

  “Aubrey invited us. We were just meeting her parents. Lovely people. Nice outfit, honey.” Mom runs her hand over my shoulder.

  “Yeah, they’re awesome people. Can you excuse us for a second?” I grab Aubrey by the arm and pull her away from everybody. She doesn’t get a chance to say anything before I’m leaning down to cover her lips with mine.

  “Thank you, baby.”

  “You’re welcome. I know you’ve been missing them. I’m so grateful for all your help with my dad, and I’ve been feeling bad that we haven’t gone over to visit with them. I met your mom for coffee a couple weeks ago while you were on shift. I explained everything that’s been going on, so when my parents decided to throw this party I wanted to invite them.” I can see the blush on her cheeks from the nervousness of telling me. I can’t believe this girl is mine.

  “I get it, and it’s okay. I’m happy they’re here. Now they can get to know your parents and you. That was so awesome of you to invite them.” I lean down for another kiss before I drag her back over to my parents.

  ***

  A couple hours later, the party is in full swing. Food has been eaten and now everyone is relaxing and enjoying the night. The dance floor Sharon rented is filled with people dancing, and Aubrey’s country music playlist is a hit. My parents are dancing together at the edge of the dance floor. Grayson is definitely loaded; he still has the crown on his head and is dancing in the middle of the group, by himself. He’s attempted the running man and the sprinkler, which are a nightmare. At one point, he grabs Kennedy and tries to get her to do the ending lift in Dirty Dancing, but she’s smart and refuses.

  I’m on my fourth whiskey sour and definitely feeling good. I slam the rest of my drink back and head over to Grayson.

  “Noah! C’mon, man! Break out those moves!” Gray grabs Kennedy and Aubrey and pushes them back a little. I stand next to him just as one of Aubrey’s favorite songs comes on. I might not sing as well as Luke Bryan but I can definitely shake it better than him, so I face away from Aubrey and shake my ass at her, cracking up when we start getting cheers and whistles. I turn around to see her and Kennedy holding each other up as they laugh. I hold my hand out to her and when she grabs it, I pull her into me.

  “What? Don’t I have the moves as good as Luke?”

  “Sorry, nobody does. But that was really cute.” She grins and kisses me. I throw my head back and laugh, then pull her closer. The song has ended and some slower song is playing now, so I don’t hesitate to keep her close as we start swaying to the beat.

  “You and Grayson are gonna be hurting tomorrow, ya know?”

  “Nah, I’m good. I know how to handle my liquor. That idiot, on the other hand, does not.” We look over to see Grayson place his Statue of Liberty crown onto her mom’s head, and then kneel down in front of her.

  “Did he just try to knight my mom?”

  Shaking my head, I look away. Grayson is such a jackass it’s not even funny. Actually, he is funny. I just hope everyone else thinks he is.

  “I’m gonna grab him and get him some water. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I give her a quick kiss and then go find my best friend. He has now taken his shirt off and is wearing it draped across his shoulders.

  “Don’t you think you should slow down, buddy? You’re gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.” I wrap my arm around his shoulder and steer him over to the coolers, pulling out a bottle of water for myself before handing him one.

  “Well, maybe if Kennedy stopped brushing me off I would. That girl is a serious fucking pain in my ass, man.” He downs half the bottle and places it on the deck.

  “Thought you were just friends?”

  “That is bullshit and we all know it.” He finishes his water and throws it into the trashcan next to him, then reaches into the cooler and pulls out another.

  “Yeah, I know. Maybe stop acting like a dumbass trying to put the moves on her and just tell her how you feel?”

  “I have, dude. She wants nothing to do with me in that way. Whatever. Her loss. I need another drink. I’ll be back.” He heads into the house and I’m left standing there trying to figure out what’s going on. And that’s when I decide. No talking to Grayson about girls and feelings when we’re both drunk. I don’t have the patience for it.

  CHAPTER 17

  AUBREY

  The party is going perfect. Noah’s parents are fitting in wonderfully with everybody, my dad is feeling good enough to mingle, and Mom hasn’t stopped smiling and laughing. It’s a nice break from the cloud hanging over all of us. Noah and Grayson are both wasted, Grayson more so than Noah. It was pretty funny to watch them trying to dance like Luke Bryan, but unfortunately, they both missed horribly. I head to the deck and grab a bottle of white wine, pouring myself a glass. Catching Kenni’s attention, I hold the bottle up to her. She nods and heads my way, holding out her wine glass with a smile on her face.

  “The party is going great, huh? Your mom looks so happy.”

  I take a sip of wine and look over at my mom. She has her head thrown back, laughing at something my brother’s saying. She has a glass of red wine in one hand, her camera in the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s taken hundreds of pictures, but I know she wants to have plenty of memories from tonight.

  “Yeah, she really is. It’s nice.” I smile watching them, wishing I could freeze time. I don’t want to go back to reality. We continue to stand there listening to the music, ju
st taking it all in, when the music cuts off. I look over to see my dad quieting everybody down so he can talk. He’s pulled my iPod off the dock and is scrolling through it. He puts it back in and turns to look around the yard.

  “I’m sorry, I just wanted to take a minute to express my gratitude to you all. Thank you so much for being here tonight and giving my family a night they won’t forget. Thank you for the continued support as we continue to deal with the situation we are facing. And thank you to my beautiful wife of almost thirty years for putting this together. I love you.” Dad lifts his bottle of beer, smiling at my mom. She has tears shining in her eyes as she raises her glass.

  “Now, for something special. Where is my lovely daughter? Aubrey? Baby girl, come over here for a minute.”

  With a look of surprise, I hand my glass of wine to Kenni and head down off the deck. I pass Noah, who looks at me with a smile, clearly not knowing what is going on. My dad is standing on the dance floor with his hand outstretched to me. He nods to Landon and then pulls me into his arms, placing one hand on my waist and holding my hand in his against his chest. “Dance Baby Dance” by Chris Cagle starts playing, and I can immediately feel tears burning my eyes. I close my eyes and lean my head on his shoulder, swaying with him. I don’t risk opening my eyes to look around, because I know I won’t be able to hold the tears in.

  “I love you, daddy,” I whisper, hoping he can hear me.

  “I love you too, sweetheart. You’ll always be my girl.”

  There’s no use trying to hold them in anymore. I have tears pouring down my face as hold onto him as tightly as I can. It doesn’t take long before the song ends and I’m pulling away. I quickly wipe the tears and give my dad a quick hug, then back off the dance floor and head inside; I need just a minute to break down and compose myself. Rushing past Kenni, not wanting to stop until I’m inside and get some privacy, I race upstairs and into my old bedroom. Not bothering to shut the door, I go into my walk-in closet, pulling the light cord. I lean against the wall and hang my head, the sob breaking free from my chest before I can stop it. Sliding down the wall, I only stop once my butt hits the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest. I wrap my arms around my legs and bury my face, letting go of everything.

  I should have known Noah would follow me, so a few minutes later when I feel someone kneel in front of me I know it’s him. He reaches down and pulls me onto his lap, holding me tightly. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and just cry.

  “It’s gonna be okay, baby. I’m here.”

  I can feel his arms pull me closer as he whispers his reassurances to me. I take comfort in his warmth, breathing in the familiarity of him. He holds on until I start to calm down and my tears stop. I pull back to wipe my cheeks, knowing I probably have raccoon eyes and look a mess.

  He brushes a few stray tears away and kisses me, holding my forehead to his. “You all right now?”

  I nod. “Yeah, sorry. I just wasn’t expecting him to do that.” I stand up and brush my dress off, straightening it.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. It was really beautiful. Landon grabbed your mom’s camera and recorded it. He thought you’d like that.”

  I can feel new tears burning, but I blink them away.

  “Yeah. That was nice of him.” He stands up and pulls me out of the closet by the hand. “I’ll be down in a second, Noah. I just need to fix my makeup.”

  “You look beautiful.” He gives me a soft kiss then heads back outside.

  Going into the bathroom, I wipe all the makeup off my face then reapply my mascara and lipstick. I run my brush through my hair again and head back out to the party. People are dancing again, and I can see a few sympathetic smiles, but I brush it off and head over to where my mom and brother are standing. Landon throws an arm around my shoulder.

  “You okay, Aubs? You ran out of here pretty quick.”

  I can feel him kiss the top of my head when I rest my head on his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just needed a couple minutes to myself. Noah checked on me.”

  “That guy is completely gone over you, I hope you know that.” Landon squeezes me once and then excuses himself to get a drink.

  I look over at my mom, who has a huge smile across her face. “What?”

  Mom takes a sip of her wine and shakes her head.

  “Nothing. I like Noah a lot. He’s really good for you. He’s been a big help with your father, and he is a wonderful young man. I couldn’t have picked a better man for you. I’m just really happy for you, Aubrey.” She kisses me on the cheek and walks away, stopping to talk to one of her neighbors.

  Taking a sip of wine, I realize she’s right. Since the day I met Noah almost three months ago, he has been nothing short of amazing. He has always put me first, even when we weren’t together. He is a good man.

  Damn, I’m one lucky girl.

  ***

  Mom and Dad’s final Fourth of July party was a huge success. It went on until after one in the morning. Dad ended up leaving and going up to bed around eleven, but he had a huge smile on his face the whole time. Kenni and I headed up to my bedroom after the party to crash. Noah and Grayson were both passed out in the den, sleeping like the dead.

  I woke up about twenty minutes ago. Seeing it’s almost ten in the morning, I walk downstairs to make a pot of coffee, knowing we’re all going to need it. I pull out the serving tray and load it up with six mugs and the container of creamer. Adding the sugar bowl and spoon, I carry it all into the dining room. The coffee has just started to pour out, so I busy myself with finding ingredients to make pancakes. I look in the fridge and see my mom has a couple packages of bacon, so I grab those as well. I pull out my mom’s huge metal griddle and place it on the stove, turning it on to heat as I finish mixing the pancake batter. The coffee is done, so I quickly snag a cup of it before I place it on the dining table. I grab another large skillet and set it on the other side of the stove for the bacon. Plugging my iPod into the docking station, I turn on the newest Keith Urban album. As I make all the bacon crispy and a huge platter of fluffy pancakes, I dance around, drinking my coffee.

  Kenni comes in just after the first couple songs. “Morning, girl. Where’s the coffee? I can smell it!”

  “Dining room. Hey, would you mind going and waking everybody up? This is gonna be done any minute now.” I place the last couple strips of bacon on a plate and pour the rest of the pancake batter on the griddle.

  She comes out of the dining room with a mug in her hand, heading into the living room to wake the guys up. A few minutes later, they come walking in, looking like death warmed up. Landon and my mom follow closely behind.

  “Good morning, honey. You didn’t have to do all of this.” Mom gives me a quick hug and then kisses my head.

  “I know, Mom, but I wanted to. Is Dad still sleeping?”

  “Yeah, he is. He ended up getting a headache in the middle of the night, but the pain meds should have worked. He just needs to get some rest.” Everyone heads into the dining room while I finish the food. I grab the other serving platter and add the butter, syrup, and then the plates and silverware. When I grab for the platter, Grayson takes it out of my hands.

  “I got this. Thanks for breakfast, Aubrey.” He carries the tray to the other room and I’m left alone in the kitchen with Noah. I grab the roll of paper towels and walk over to him.

  “How’d you sleep?” I ask, reaching out to touch his jaw. He looks beat, but his eyes are happy and I know he’s in a good mood.

  “I slept good, thanks. That couch was comfier than I thought. Gray snored like a fucking freight train all night though. How about you? Are you doing okay?”

  I know he’s referring to my emotional state after last night, but the truth is I’m okay.

  “I’m fine. Honestly. I’m not even sure that the tears I shed last night were sad tears. I was just really overwhelmed. Dad knows how much I love that song. It was always our song, and it was just so good to s
ee him happy and dancing. He was only diagnosed a few months ago, but it’s been so vicious that he hasn’t been himself. Last night, he didn’t have to be the sick guy. He was just able to be Mike Stevens and it was amazing for him.” I shrug, not really sure what else to say.

  Noah steps over to me and pulls me in for a quick hug.

  “He looked good last night. And that dance was incredible to witness. I’m glad you guys were able to share that moment.” He grabs the paper towels from me and heads into the other room to join everybody. I walk in and sit down between him and Landon. Most of the food is already gone, and Grayson and Landon are arguing about who gets the last piece of bacon when I reach down and take it. I quickly bite the end and give them a huge grin.

  “Sorry, boys. You snooze you lose.”

  Kenni and Mom start laughing. Then I pull the cover off a plate nobody noticed, revealing another whole plate of cooked bacon.

  “Aubrey! Thank you! If you weren’t already dating that idiot over there, I’d have to steal you for myself.” Grayson reaches over and grabs several pieces.

  “Yeah, you wish, Gray.” I throw a wadded-up napkin at him and laugh. When I hand Landon the plate of bacon, he eagerly takes a couple more pieces.

  Breakfast is a great affair, with lots of laughing and teasing. Dad comes down about hallway through, sitting down next to Mom.

  “Morning guys. Hope everyone slept well.” He helps himself to a cup of coffee and Mom goes into the kitchen to make him some toast. When he’s had a headache the night before, he usually has trouble keeping food down. It sucks knowing that, when he would normally be putting Grayson and Landon to shame. But he seems happy this morning, so I choose not to dwell on the negative. My father is alive and happy, and that’s a good way to start the day.

  ***

  Later that day, we all pack up our stuff up and head home. Kenni and I go back to our place to shower and change, since we’re going mini-golfing and then getting pizza with Noah and Grayson tonight. I quickly rush through my shower and throw my hair up in a bun, then change into a pair of cotton shorts and a T-shirt and go out into our living area.