“Where did you send him?”
“I told him I forgot Ian’s birthday card. He was running to Walmart to grab one.” Then she shook her head. “I’m telling you, he’s probably twenty miles from here and not looking back.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Aubrey said.
“You heard how Quinn was talking when you came over. It’s been like that since I got here. Once he saw Mark leave, he got on me to cover up with that stupid sweater.” She touched her dress again. “It’s not a bad little dress, and other than it being strapless, it’s kind of tame.”
Aubrey had to agree. It wasn’t a figure-hugging dress at all—more of a loose-fitting sheath. But the colors were bright and vibrant, very different from anything she’d seen Anna wear. “Well, his brothers are on to him so I’m sure you won’t have to deal with any more of his comments.”
“One can only hope.” Then Anna got a good look at Aubrey. “You look different tonight,” she said cryptically. “Something’s different—you’re all…glowy.” Hugh stepped back over and Anna looked at him. “You too.”
“Me too what?” Hugh asked, slightly confused.
“You’re both all glowy and have sappy grins on your faces. What’s going on?”
They looked at one another and Aubrey was about to speak when Hugh beat her to the punch. “We’re in love.”
“Aww…you guys.” She gave a happy little squeal before hugging them both. “Thank God. Some good news!”
Aubrey couldn’t help but smile. She took the drink Hugh held out and thanked him. “Why don’t you go and mingle? Anna and I are going to talk for a little bit until Mark gets back.”
“If he gets back,” Anna grumbled.
Hugh took the hint. He kissed Aubrey before walking away into the crowd.
“I knew you would be good for him,” Anna said, pulling Aubrey toward a quiet table in the corner. They each took a seat. “He needed someone like you.”
“I needed someone like him, too.”
“I felt bad after we talked last night. I can’t really say for sure what’s going on in Hugh’s mind. It was all speculation, you know that, right?”
Aubrey nodded. “It was great to have a little insight, though. And what you said made a lot of sense. I think he’s turned a corner. He’s so much more relaxed than he was two months ago. I’d like to take some of the credit for it, but I think he just needed a little nudge.”
“He needed more than a nudge,” Anna said with a smile. “And it came in the form of a good woman.”
“I just want him to be happy, you know?”
“From your lips to God’s ears.” Anna raised her glass in a toast. They clinked glasses.
“We’re happy, his family—for the most part—is happy, and he’s looking at some pretty impressive business expansion in the next year. He has plenty of reasons to feel good right now.”
“I really am glad, Aubrey. I’m sorry if I’m being a downer. I guess I let Quinn get to me more than I should have.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I thought bringing a date would be a good thing. A good distraction. All I managed to do was kill my good mood.”
Aubrey noticed Anna’s brother Bobby towering over Quinn menacingly. “Uh-oh…”
Anna followed the direction of Aubrey’s gaze and chuckled. “Don’t worry. It happens all the time.”
“They don’t get along?”
“That’s an understatement. Bobby won’t tell me why, but he can’t seem to help himself. If the two of them are in a room together, Bobby’s all over Quinn.”
“He’s looking out for you,” Aubrey said simply.
“Maybe. Or maybe he just doesn’t like Quinn.”
“Like I said, he’s looking out for you.”
“Okay, enough about me. Tell me about you and Hugh. Was it romantic? Did he do it over candlelight? He looks like the type who would say it over candlelight. Were there flowers? Roses?”
Aubrey laughed and stopped her. “You have a very overactive imagination. It wasn’t anything like that. It just slipped out.”
“Really?”
Aubrey nodded. “He said it as he was falling asleep last night.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Anna slouched in her seat. “Wow. I’m bummed. I thought for sure it would have been more romantic than that.” She shook her head. “Very disappointing.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know there were going to be points awarded,” Aubrey teased.
“Well, now you know. I’ll be expecting something much more romantic at the next milestone.” She paused. “Did you guys talk about the future? Getting married? Kids? Settling down? Any of that good stuff?”
Aubrey glanced down at the drink in her hands. “Not really. I mean, we talked about our feelings and the future in a general respect. But nothing specific. Nothing about marriage, that’s for sure.”
“Do you want to get married?”
“To Hugh?”
“No, to Diego, the dishwasher in the back. Of course Hugh!”
Aubrey couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. Sorry.” She thought about it. “I really do. I can’t believe it. I mean, two months ago I was willing to marry a man I didn’t like—let alone love—and now I can’t imagine my life without Hugh. When he said he loved me, it was everything I ever wanted to hear. No one’s ever said it to me before.”
“Ever?” Anna asked incredulously. “Surely your parents…”
Aubrey shook her head. “Never. My parents aren’t the warm, fuzzy types. Honestly, Hugh was the first.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s weird.”
“Well, I’m sure it won’t take long for you to get used to hearing it. From everything Zoe’s shared, Aidan tells her all the time how much he loves her. And when Lillian was still alive? She and Ian were very affectionate with one another. It was very sweet to see.”
“Aww…”
Anna nodded. “So what about kids? Do you want to have a bunch of kids? I imagine Hugh wants to. Out of all of the Shaughnessys, I picture both him and Aidan with a bunch of kids.”
Aubrey paled. “Why do you say that?”
“Because deep down, those two are the most nurturing of the family. Plus, they had the most years watching Ian and Lillian raise their family. Zoe’s excited to get pregnant and already said she wants at least four. And a dog.” She stopped and chuckled. “Aidan said he was completely on board with it—including the dog—but wasn’t sure he’d want any more than that.”
“I didn’t think people had big families anymore.” Aubrey quickly finished her drink.
“Well, for them it’s more about Zoe not wanting to have an only child like she was and Aidan coming from a big family. They’re sort of on the same page. So what about you? How many do you want? Three? Four? Seven?”
“Dogs or kids?”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
“I…I don’t…” She cleared her throat and looked around for a way to snag another drink.
“So? What are you thinking?” Anna asked excitedly.
“I really haven’t thought about it.”
Anna made a bit of a face. “Really? I thought everyone thought about stuff like that. I know I want at least two but no more than four.” She took a sip of her own drink. “Two is very manageable but it could be fun to have a few more.”
Aubrey nodded, scanning the room distractedly. “I suppose.”
“Hey,” Anna said, reaching out and touching Aubrey’s hand. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”
“What? Oh…no. It’s nothing. I guess it just hit me that kids and marriage and all those things are going to start coming up. I’m barely able to believe someone like Hugh is in love with me and it’s hard to
wrap my head around anything beyond that.”
Anna looked relieved. “Oh. Good. Whew! I thought I’d upset you.” She relaxed in her seat for a minute before asking, “What are you thinking right now?”
“Tell me again how lucky I am,” Aubrey said, smiling and pushing the negative thoughts that were creeping in aside.
“You are the luckiest woman I know. Well, next to Zoe.” Anna’s gaze landed on the woman in question. “I look at what she and Aidan have and I can’t help but be envious. Now I’ll have to look at you that way too.”
“And someday, we’ll both look at you like that. Deal?”
“Deal.”
* * *
“Mmm…this is nice,” Aubrey murmured as Hugh held her in his arms and swayed to the music.
“It certainly is,” he agreed, pulling her just a little bit closer.
“Your family knows how to throw a party. Believe me, I know. I’ve done dozens of parties for my father’s company and never have I ever seen so many smiling faces.”
Hugh chuckled. “Probably because everyone here is just happy to celebrate Dad’s birthday. No one’s hitting them up for money or business deals.”
“Maybe.” She sighed and lifted her head from his shoulder. “Your dad is enjoying himself.”
The sight of his father dancing with Martha Tate was a little much for Hugh to process so he put his focus back on Aubrey. “He deserves it. Normally we have a family dinner to celebrate his birthday, but as he’s getting out and socializing a little bit more these days, we all thought we’d try this. I guess it was a good call.”
“I’d say it was definitely a success.”
They swayed until the song ended and then made their way off the makeshift dance floor. Looking at his watch, Hugh saw it was nearing midnight and the crowd was starting to thin. It would have been easy to make the rounds and say good night to everyone, but he wanted to wait until it was just the family left.
His eyes scanned the room and he saw Aidan and Zoe sitting in the corner talking with Owen. Darcy was standing with a small group of ladies from the neighborhood—no doubt talking about how she was enjoying college. Riley was over by the bar talking with one of the waitresses. Hugh realized it was Tina Kay—a girl his brother had dated in high school. He couldn’t help but smile and wonder if it was awkward for Riley when he ran into old girlfriends.
Anna and Mark were talking with the rest of the Hannigans, and Hugh was relieved the earlier tension had died down. But where exactly was Quinn?
A loud bark of laughter rang out from across the room and Hugh breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Quinn talking with a few of his father’s cronies. They were all interested in the classic cars Quinn specialized in, so there was probably a heated debate going on.
“You’re smiling,” Aubrey said softly beside him.
“This is good.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’m looking around the room and it’s filled with all the people who mean the most to me. They’re all here for Dad and they’re all having a good time.” He kissed her temple. “In my book, that makes it a good night.”
“A great one,” she said.
For the next hour the crowds continued to thin until it was only the Shaughnessys along with Bobby, Anna, and Mark. Even though the restaurant’s waitstaff was cleaning up, everyone lent a hand. When the room was completely put back together, everyone began to herd toward the door.
Ian stopped in the entryway and turned to everyone. “You all have no idea how much this night meant to me. I know I’m not usually the party-going type, but I really think that could change. You made this old man feel like a king tonight and I love you all for it.”
“Oh, Daddy,” Darcy said, walking over to hug her father. Soon the rest of the family piled on.
They stayed like that for a solid minute before Ian called out, “Of course I’d love to try it again sometime if I don’t suffocate first!”
Everyone laughed and moved back, making their way out the door to the parking lot. Within minutes, Hugh and Aubrey were in their car with Aidan and Zoe in the backseat, watching the other cars pull away first.
“Thanks for driving us home, Hugh,” Aidan said. “We came with Dad but he and Darcy were anxious to get home. You’re saving him the stop.”
“I don’t know why we didn’t come together earlier,” Hugh said, pulling out of his spot.
“Because I wanted to get here early and make sure everything was set up as we wanted it,” Zoe replied. “I think it was an amazing night. Yay us.”
Aidan leaned over and kissed her on the cheek—a move Hugh witnessed in the rearview mirror. It made him smile.
“So,” Aidan said, clearing his throat, “I know it’s late but…do you guys think you could hang out a bit back at the house?”
“Sure. What’s up?” Hugh asked.
“We wanted to pick your brain about wedding locations,” Zoe said. “I know Aidan called a while ago and we said no rush, but…”
“Is there suddenly a rush?” Aubrey asked, turning around with a broad grin.
“What?” Zoe croaked. “Oh dear…no. No, no, no, no, no.”
“Oh. Well, darn.” Aubrey turned back in her seat. Hugh reached over and squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, we can hang out for a little while if you’d like,” Hugh said.
The rest of the ride was spent talking about the party and how happy Ian had been. By the time they pulled up at Aidan and Zoe’s, everyone was starting to mellow.
“You sure you’re up for it?” Aidan asked.
Truth be known, Hugh had other plans he’d rather be following up on right now. Aubrey had looked like a fantasy come true all night, and his fingers were twitching with the need to peel her dress off her. One look at her and he saw she was reading his mind.
“Later,” she whispered.
Hugh made up his mind to give his brother thirty minutes to describe what he wanted, and if they hadn’t decided by then, they’d pick up the conversation another time.
There was a lot he wanted to do to Aubrey—with Aubrey—tonight. Seeing her with his family after having declared his love for her sealed the deal for him. He wanted to talk about their own tomorrow—their future.
And he wanted them to start right now.
Chapter 11
Something was off.
Hugh couldn’t put his finger on it, but for the last several weeks, things hadn’t been quite the way he’d hoped.
After the night of his father’s birthday, he and Aubrey had begun to talk about the future but she always pulled back a little. Hugh didn’t doubt she loved him—he knew it. He felt it. But talking about planning their future seemed to make her uncomfortable. She wanted to take it slow, enjoy the moment…and normally it would have been fine for him, but lately? It wasn’t enough.
And for a guy who normally thrived on taking things slow and planning them out, that was saying something.
Sitting at his desk in his Napa office, he looked over the list for the final preparations for the first gala launch in Montana this weekend. It was hard to believe it was already here. He had to hand it to Aubrey, she had outdone herself. Even if he wasn’t already in love with her, he’d be blown away by her skills and the way she had taken on this project and made it her own.
On a typical work day, Hugh would read reports like this for hours on end, but right now he couldn’t quite concentrate. He needed to know what was going on with her and how to break down her defenses where their future was concerned. He’d been willing to ride the wave, so to speak, but he wasn’t used to this feeling of being in limbo.
While he thought they’d been on the same page, lately he’d been a bit bold—talking about marriage, children, settling down. Aubrey had seemed like she was on the same page at first, but the more Hugh talked about it, the quieter she became. For the life of him, he
couldn’t imagine why and he’d hoped she’d share her concerns with him, but as she’d remained mum on the subject, he knew it was going to be up to him to find out what was going on.
Glancing at his calendar, Hugh calculated he would be seeing Aubrey in a little less than forty-eight hours. He had wanted them to fly in together, but she had told him she had some things she wanted to oversee at the resort for the party and would be arriving before him, and to please not change his schedule for her.
She was considerate like that and normally he appreciated it, but he had a feeling not wanting him there was more personal than business.
But why?
There was a war raging within him. Hugh was torn between respecting Aubrey’s request and getting to the bottom of things. She had turned his life upside down from the moment he’d first seen her, and he’d come to realize not all unexpected surprises or spontaneous events were bad. While one spontaneous act had led to something horrific, Hugh had realized he had gone to extremes to avoid making that mistake again.
It would have been easy to wallow and obsess about missed opportunities, but what was the use? No, right now all Hugh could focus on was how he was going to change—how he was going to live his life. Starting right now.
And that meant going to Aubrey and finding out where exactly they stood, and what was obviously scaring her about marriage.
Picking up his desk phone, he called through to Dorothy.
“Yes, boss?”
“I need to get a flight to Montana for today,” he said, his pulse racing with anticipation.
“Today?”
“As soon as possible.” He felt the tension of only moments ago easing from his body. “I need to get to Aubrey.”
“Why? Is she all right? Did something happen?” she asked nervously.
Hugh chuckled. “No. I just… I need her, Dotty.” And although he couldn’t see her, Hugh could have sworn he heard his assistant smile.
“Give me ten minutes. Go pack,” she said before hanging up.
* * *
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