by Sable Hunter
“How did you know I found her?”
Noah chuckled. “I didn’t, but by the look on your face, I knew you were going to turn the world upside down looking for her.”
“Well, I found her, but there’s no need to call her. She wouldn’t come.”
“You sound pretty certain about that.”
“Yea, I am.” Revel looked at Noah. “Sometimes dreams don’t come true. She’s hurting and I would give anything if she’d let me help her. Of course, I’m in no shape to help anyone right now.”
“You’ll be fine.” Noah assured him. “The bullet didn’t hit anything major, the doc will fix you up.”
“That’s right, you saved my life, and I won’t forget it,” Isaac spoke from the door.
“We all thank you.” Noah stood. “Tyson is going to stay with you until Patrick arrives later on tonight. We’re going to get Aron home. Jacob has chartered us a plane back to Kerrville.”
“Be careful, and thanks for letting me in on the action, I wouldn’t have missed it.”
Revel was too weak to shake hands, but Noah saluted him. “This won’t be the last time our paths cross, we’ll be in touch.” As Noah walked away, he knew he had made a friend for life.
The flight back home was a happy one. Aron was feeling better. He had eaten a hamburger and a portable IV was hooked up to his arm, feeding glucose into his veins to hydrate him. The nurse had given them instructions on how to switch out the bags. Joseph had laughed and said he’d done the same thing for several cows, he knew the drill. As soon as they were in the air, the brothers grew quiet, wondering how best to handle the situation.
Aron didn’t wait, he handled it himself. “You’ve got to realize something,” he began with a sigh. “I’m flying blind here. My mind is pretty messed up. I don’t even know what all they’ve given me. Martina said I’d remembered everything and she couldn’t allow that, so she had some chemist feed me a dose of some crap that wiped out my memory. I don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you checked out. I’ve got an appointment all set up.” Jacob wanted to ease Aron’s mind. “And we’ll tell you everything. Hopefully something will wake up your memory.”
“What do you remember?” Isaac asked. “Anything?”
Aron paused, as if considering how to answer. “I have impressions. A sense of belonging, I knew you all existed, I knew I had a home and a family, I just couldn’t grasp the reality of it. Everything was a foggy dream.”
“Do you remember Tebow or Mama and Daddy?” Joseph asked, drawing closer.
“Tebow’s our home?”
“Yea, it’s our ranch. We’ve got a good size spread south of Austin near Kerrville. We raise Longhorns, Beefmasters and a lot of hell.” Isaac laughed.
“Our parents?” Aron has suspicions, because they hadn’t really mentioned them.
Noah hung his head. “God, there’s so much I want to tell you. I’ve missed you so.” Aron touched his shoulder in comfort. “Mama and Daddy are gone. They’ve been gone for years.” With sadness, they told Aron how their parents had died and how Aron had made sure the family stayed together. “It was you, Aron. You made our family possible,” Noah summed it up. Later he would tell him about the adoption and when Aron’s memory came back, he wanted to know everything his daddy had ever said about his birth.
“How about my wife?” They all grew quiet.
Finally, Isaac spoke, “You are so loved and so damn lucky.” Just that quick, the flood gates opened and they began telling him about Libby—the funny things, the messes she would get into, how much she loved Nathan. And that she was pregnant.
“I want to see her,” he whispered.
Jacob was the first to realize he was asking for a photo. They all pulled out their phones and started sharing. “This is Libby.” He handed him the phone. “She was giving Lady a bath.”
Aron stared at the image. Long dark hair, a smile that would light up the world, loving eyes and a killer body. “I’m a lucky man.” He kept looking, struggling to hear a voice, see a glimmer of a memory. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, and she loves you so much. This whole thing has nearly killed her.”
Aron accepted phone after phone and he gazed at photo after photo. “She’s pregnant.”
“Yea, you’re going to be a father.”
With a hoarse voice, Aron answered, “Martina said I was, but I thought she was just adding to my heartache.”
“Yea, you don’t know how much you wanted these babies. With Libby being sick…” Isaac elbowed Joseph and he hushed, abruptly.
“What?” Aron caught the word. He sat up straighter. “Sick?”
“She’s not anymore.” Jacob was quick to add. “Libby beat leukemia.”
“God.” Aron looked into the distance. “I feel so helpless. You don’t know how much I just want to scream and beat my head against the wall, make myself remember.” He looked back down at Libby. “How could I forget someone like her?”
“You’ll remember, Aron.” Joseph tried to comfort him. “We’ve all been so blessed.” He began to tell him about Cady and what all they’d been through. “I’m going to be a father, too.”
“More babies?” Aron smiled.
“I’m a father now,” Jacob said proudly. “Little Bowie Travis McCoy should arrive at Tebow right after you do.” He told Aron about the surgery and how Jessie had been a surrogate mother and the battle they’d gone through to get her out of the clutches of Kevin McCay. “As soon as we land, I’m headed to the hospital and if the doctor has BT’s release papers ready, I’m bringing him home.”
“Some of this sounds a bit familiar,” Aron admitted with a laugh. “Either that or I’m recalling episodes from that TV show Dallas. Sounds like our family is full of drama.”
“You remember Dallas?” Isaac thought that was a good sign.
“Yes, I remembered how to ride and that I knew ranching. Martina let slip that I had remembered I was from Texas and at one point I knew where home was and all of you. She made me think she was going to come after all of you and she probably would have if you hadn’t got to her first.”
They took turns telling him about their lives. Noah spoke of Skye and Isaac told him about Avery and Hardbodies. When Joseph told him about being paralyzed, Aron pulled him in for a hug. “How did we survive all of this?” He asked with emotion.
“We’re McCoy,” Isaac said. “We can survive anything.”
“Tell me what happened to me.” He was trying so hard to piece it all together. “Tell me what you know of the accident. How did this come about?” Aron touched his head.
“You and Libby were on your honeymoon in the Caymans,” Jacob explained. “You hate the water.”
“That I remember.” Aron laughed.
“Nothing would do Libby but that you go on snorkeling together. But when Libby came up, you didn’t.” Jacob shook his head; all of it had been so hard.
“It was a nightmare.” Joseph picked up the story. “We didn’t know if Jaws had eaten you or if you’d been swept out to sea.”
“You thought I was dead.” Aron looked at them.
“No,” Noah assured him. “Libby never gave up and we have turned the whole damn southern hemisphere on its ear looking for you. There have been massive searches, not only in the water, but on the islands and in Mexico. All we’d found to hold on to was your wedding ring.”
Aron look down. “How did that get off?”
“Well, if I had my guess, I’d say Martina,” Joseph snarled.
“Yea, probably,” Isaac agreed. “We even had DNA tests run on a piece of your dive suit we found shredded with remnants of blood and bone on it.”
“Dang,” Aron frowned. “The first thing I remember was being at Los Banos. Tomas was good to me. Martina was all hands.” He shook his head. “She told me we were engaged to be married.”
“Did you?” Joseph hesitated.
“Did I what?” He looked at his broth
ers, their question finally dawning on him. “Did I sleep with her?” He looked affronted. “Hell, no. My mind might not be a hundred percent, but my instincts were damn good. That woman didn’t do a thing for me.”
“I’m not surprised. Since you’ve met Libby, there could be no one else. You fell in love with her at first sight.”
“Yea.” Joseph laughed. “I well remember the day she came to stay with us. The look on your face when your first saw her was priceless. Plus, she made you brownies. You always were a sucker for chocolate.”
The pilot informed them they were approaching the Kerrville airport. “Well, here we are. Home sweet home.” Jacob looked at Aron. “Are you ready for this?”
“I’ve been ready for this for a long time.” He stood up. “How do I look?”
“Like shit.” Joseph laughed. “But don’t worry, Libby’s going to love you anyway.”
“Does she know I’m coming?”
“Nope, we didn’t tell her. We wanted you to surprise her.”
As they got ready to disembark, Aron had one more question. “What do I tell her about my memory? That’s going to hurt her.”
He looked from brother to brother. Finally, Jacob answered. “That’s your call, but neither choice is going to be a piece of cake. She’s been holding on by a thread, praying ceaselessly for your return. But finding out you don’t remember her, I don’t know how she’ll handle that.”
“Shit.” His heart ached for his wife.
“One thing I do know though,” Jacob stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You’re being alive is going to be the most important thing. Libby loves you. She’ll work through this; all you have to do is love her back.”
The ramifications of what Jacob said sank home. Aron looked at her photo one more time. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”
***
Tebow Ranch
“Libby! Can you check those cookies in the oven?” Cady was all a dither. She’d heard from Joseph and knew what was going down.
“Yes, I’ve got them,” she called, wiping a bit of flour off her pooching tummy.
“How’s your book coming?” Avery leaned on the counter munching on a celery stick.
“Good.” Libby smiled. “Sure did bring back a lot of memories. But when Aron reads it, it will be worth it.” She sighed. The idea that he’d be home for Christmas was beginning to seem impossible. Did everyone think she was crazy?
“I’m sure it will.” Avery met Cady’s eyes over Libby’s shoulder. She was in the know also.
“How are we ever going to get this all done?” She looked around the kitchen. “The tree is decorated. The presents are wrapped. The baking is done.” Then a look of horror came into her eyes. “Punch, what about the wedding punch?”
Cady came and hugged her. “This wedding is going to be a family affair. We don’t need punch.” She kissed her soon to be sister. “I want to marry Joseph. I want to be a part of this family. None of the extras are important.” She had thought about putting off the ceremony, considering, but she just couldn’t. “When I get his ring on my finger, I’ll be the happiest woman in the world.”
Libby’s face fell. “I know the feeling.”
“Stop it,” Cady said. “Smile. This is the season of miracles.”
“I know.” Tears were in her voice. “It’s just so hard.”
It took all Cady had not to say anything, but she had promised.
“Libby!” Nathan called. “Lady wants a stocking. Everyone has one but her.”
Libby laughed. “Well, how about one of Aron’s socks? He wouldn’t mind.”
A commotion at the front door drew their attention. “Do you think that’s Jacob and Jessie bringing the baby home?” She threw off the apron. “I have a cake made and the nursery is ready.”
“Calm down, breathe.” Avery held her shoulders. “It could be Skye. She went to the store to pick up some last minute items.” Truthfully, Skye had gone to the airport to pick up the guys, but that was something she couldn’t say.
A shout from the other room caused them all to pause. “Oh my God!” Nathan yelled at the top of his lungs.
“What’s wrong with him?” Libby asked. She started for the living room, but a voice—a familiar voice froze her in her tracks.
She put a hand over her heart. Tears welled up and started spilling down her cheeks. She took one step and then two. Avery opened the door, her eyes twinkling. “I think Santa just dropped off a great big present.”
“Aron,” she whispered. She held her breath as she walked up to the door. There was several people in the living room, hugging. Nathan, Joseph, Isaac, Noah, Skye, and then they moved back.
And she saw him. Her knees almost gave way. “Aron.”
He turned. Their eyes met. He was thinner, there were rough red marks on his face and neck, but he was the most beautiful sight in the whole world to her. “Aron!” She ran. She couldn’t have held back if her life depended on it. “My Aron!” She flew across the room, arms open wide and he caught her.
Time stopped.
She was in his arms. He was breathing. His heart was beating against her chest. “You’re alive. I knew you were. I never gave up. Not for a moment.”
“Libby,” he whispered. “I’m home.” He winced at the pressure she was putting on the places where his skin was bruised and raw. But there was no way he was going to tell her. He’d suffer all day long for the privilege of holding Libby.
“Yes, you are my darling.” She looked up into his dear face. “I missed you so much.” She went up on tiptoe and placed her lips against his.
Aron was knocked for a loop. They were alone. He hadn’t even seen the others leave. But his family had given him and his wife some privacy. His wife. All of the horror and hopelessness, all of the nightmares and desperation seemed to dissipate as the reality that he belonged somewhere began to sink in.
And in his arms was an angel. Her sweet lips were touching his, gently, searching, learning. And he could no more have resisted her than he could have denied himself his next breath. Accepting her kiss, he returned it. Lips as soft velvet caressed his. She tasted like the sweetest honey, and her tongue teased him, lured his out to play. There was no hesitation here. She was welcoming him home and he would be a fool not to accept the invitation.
Emotions swelled and exploded in Libby’s heart. She tightened her arms around his neck and hugged herself close to his big body. The familiar sensation of hard muscle against her softness—husband and wife—male and female—was enough to make her moan. “Aron, are you real?” Her breasts swelled, her nipples drawing tight.
“Yea, I’m real, baby.” Aron wanted to cry. For her. For him. For what they’d lost. God, she didn’t even know. How would he tell her? Should he tell her? Looking at her face, the joy in her eyes, Aron knew he had to tell her, he couldn’t lie to her. But not just yet.
“Kiss me, please. Kiss me like you’ve missed me.”
Her small request nearly floored him. His eyes devoured her face. “You’re so beautiful.” He put a hand on her belly. “My babies.” He breathed with a smile.
“Yes, your babies.” She covered his hand, interlacing their fingers; the naked happiness in her eyes took his breath away. Aron cupped her face in his hands. Slowly he lowered his mouth, allowing his lips to relearn the softness and shape of hers. Rich, smooth velvet. One smooth touch of his lips blossomed into a dozen drugging kisses. At the insistent rub of his mouth, teasing nibbles and tiny flicks of his tongue, Libby’s lips parted with a soft sigh. His tongue slipped inside and her flavor burst in his mouth - sweet chocolate, sweet woman and sweet promise. He knew it had been an eternity since he’d kissed her this way, with need, with promise, with a renewal of commitment.
Aron slanted his head, kicking the kiss up from a slow get reacquainted touch to an aching hunger. For Libby. Only ever for her. A warm, intense reunion of tangling tongues, panting breaths and the powerful build into passion their hearts and bodies had been denied s
o long. In spite of the passion and the heat of yearning, he held himself back. Tthis was too critical to rush. He had to tell her everything before he could lose himself in her softness. Aron forced himself to ease up, break the kiss.
But Libby would have none of it. “I missed you, Aron.” She stood on tiptoe and pressed butterfly kisses from his jaw to his neck. “I dreamed of you.”
“I dreamed of you, too.” He knew he had.
“Who hurt you?” She gently touched the marks on his face and neck. Before he could answer, Joseph knocked on the door.
“Hey, you two.” He stuck his head inside. “Can we come back in?”
“Oh, lordy.” Libby fanned herself. “I forgot we weren’t alone. They missed you as much as I did.” Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Putting her hand on her hip, she pinned him with a stare. “Where have you been?”
Isaac broke out in laughter. “It’s gonna be a long night.”
Chapter Thirteen
Aron let himself be led into the living room. He had a hard time taking it all in. Nothing was familiar, but it all felt right. He could feel the pull of the connection with his brothers, especially Nathan. When the young man had hugged him, an overwhelming sense of love had welled up like a fountain. Their ladies seem to take it all in stride. He looked from one to another, just enjoying the fact he was a part of something so beautiful. A family.
And Libby. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. She belonged to him? What a treasure. Her every touch spoke love. She brought him a plate of food, then sat at his feet while he ate, handing him a glass of tea when he needed a drink. Not once did she cease to touch him somewhere as if she couldn’t quite believe he was actually here.
After they’d finished their meal, he drew her into his lap. She had been patient. “Libby, I don’t remember the accident that caused all of this.” He spoke of their snorkeling trip and how he had been injured. “The next thing I knew I had been picked up on a yacht and told I was someone else. They weren’t good people,” he spoke slowly. “The Delgado’s were part of a drug cartel and when my memory started to come back, they drugged me. I didn’t know who I was or where I was. You have to realize, I would never have stayed away from you if I could help it.”