The Nymph Ties The Knot: A Nocturne Falls Universe story

by J. L. Farey

  It must be quite a question, because Wade had started peeling the potatoes, as if the distraction of a menial task would help. She didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d planned on baking them. “Of course.”

  “It’s about Aurora.”

  Laurel took the bag of Russets out of the pantry and plopped it down beside Wade. He’d probably need them. “Shoot.”

  “Aurora is quite a...friendly woman. And we got pretty close the last time she was here. But then, she took off. So, I’m wondering...”

  Leaning back against the counter, arms crossed over her chest, Laurel kept her expression serious. It was so cute when big, strong men tried to talk about embarrassing things like emotions. “You want to know if she’s like that with everyone?”

  Wade stopped mid-peel, then resumed with so much vigor, strips of potato flew against the backsplash. “Yes.”

  “Aurora is a complicated person. She’s got a lot of our father in her.”

  “Your father?”

  “Zeus.”

  Wade dropped the potato and the peeler in the sink, his eyes darting to Laurel. “Seriously? I thought that was a gag.”

  She laughed as she shook her head. It never ceased to amaze her how even supernaturals had a hard time grasping the concept of her father. There was Wade, a man who could shift into the form of a snow leopard and back again, but he thought Zeus was a joke.

  “He’s real, all right.”

  “That makes you, and Aurora...demi-gods?”

  “Not exactly. The word god gets thrown around way too much. He’s just part of a group of powerful, immortal supernatural beings. And since he’s the most powerful one, he’s the leader. He’s more of a king, which makes my sisters and I more like princesses.”

  “Huh. That’s a lot to process.”

  Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned Zeus. Poor Wade’s eyes were slightly glazed over, like a pond starting to freeze. She reached past him and turned off the water faucet, then picked up the potato he’d dropped and put it with the other half-dozen or so on the counter. Looked like there were mashed potatoes in her future, for sure.

  “Why don’t we sit down?” She grabbed Wade’s wrist and dragged him to the couch. He dropped on one end, his back pressed into the corner. Laurel sat cross-legged on the other end, elbows on her knees, leaning toward him. “Do you want a drink?”

  He shook his head sharply, which seemed to clear his mind. “No, I’m fine. So, when you say Aurora has a lot of your father in her, what does that mean?”

  Making comparisons between the two of them was only going to confuse the issue. So Laurel went another way. “Aurora is a free spirit. She comes, she goes, she lives in the moment. She also feels deeply and honestly. I don’t think she has it in her to lie about her emotions. But she does run from them.”

  Wade frowned. “What you’re saying is, I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last.”

  “You’re definitely not the first, and I have no idea if you’ll be the last. What I do know is that, if you have feelings for Aurora that extend beyond just having fun in the moment, you need to talk to her. The sooner the better.”

  After a moment of mulling it over, Wade gave a slow nod. “Thanks. You give good advice.” The sparkle came back to his eyes, and his lips curled into one of his trademark, make-most-women-turn-to-giggling-fools grins. “Have you ever thought about helping out with the mentoring program?”

  “You know, I never have. Not even once. Although, I did hire Jason, so in a way, I guess I have helped.”

  They were talking about Jason and the progress he’d made at the nursery, when Aiden and Aurora came back. The two were laughing about something, but stopped short as soon as Laurel looked at them.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” Aiden said quickly.

  At the same time, Aurora smiled warmly at him and said, “It’s a private joke.”

  Really? Since when was anything private between Aiden and her sister? She’d just told Wade that Aurora was a free spirit who did as she pleased, but she’d never thought that would extend to making a move on Laurel’s soulmate.

  Laurel stood up, her smile brittle. “I didn’t know you two had gotten so...close.”

  Before either of them could respond, Wade jumped up and moved next to Aurora. “You know, I think it’s a little much having both of us drop in for dinner. Let’s go and give these two some privacy.”

  Aurora shifted her gaze from Wade, to Laurel, to Aiden, and back to Wade again. “Howler’s?”

  He nodded. “My treat.”

  “You’re speaking my language.” Aurora stepped toward the door, then stopped. “Laurel, I—”

  “It’s okay,” Aiden interrupted as he gently squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Laurel felt cold from the inside out. What was he going to take care of? She looked over at Lola and Bailey who were sitting by the fireplace, watching the humans. With a jerk of her head she motioned to the door. Bailey gave a grunt of disgust, then he and Lola scooted outside before Wade pulled the door closed behind him.

  Aiden smiled. “Well, now that we’re alone—”

  “You can do what? Let me down easy? Tell me you’re in love with my sister? My sister! Of all the people you could dump me for, it’s my sister? Have you lost your mind?”

  The words exploded with such force, even Laurel was surprised. Worse yet, Aiden looked like she’d just slapped him with something gross and unexpected, like a large, spoiled cod.

  Fists on his hips, he looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. Held it. Exhaled. When he looked back at her, she couldn’t read his expression. “If anybody in this room has lost their mind, it’s you. What brought that on?”

  What an excellent question. All she had to go on were feelings, suspicions. Nothing concrete. Still, she had to try to explain. “The last few days, I’ve been feeling weird.”

  “Weird?”

  “Off. Like...like something is wrong between us. Like you’ve been hiding something. Keeping secrets.”

  Aiden’s expression softened and he dropped his hands. “Wow. That soul-binding stuff is more powerful than I thought.”

  Laurel’s stomach seemed to drop to her toes. “Then it’s true?”

  “That I’ve been keeping a secret, yes. But it’s not what you think.” He took her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come outside with me.”

  Her feet felt heavy as she moved. What in the world was coming next? They went down the porch steps and around the house, Aiden talking the whole time, but she didn’t hear the words, just an annoying buzz in her ears. All she could think about was how he’d kept the truth from her. How could that be anything but bad?

  “Here we are.”

  He’d brought her around the side of the cabin and stopped facing a potted sapling.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “I’d expect the owner of Nocturne Falls’s newest nursery to know a tree when she sees one.”

  “I know that. What does it have to do with your secret?”

  “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” Aiden sighed and shook his head. “It was so dang eloquent, too. Now you get the condensed version. This,” he motioned proudly, “is your tree.”

  Laurel cocked her head to the side. There was something about it that was familiar, even comforting, but she was still confused.

  “Okay, obviously, that was too condensed.” Aiden frowned and started over. “This sapling is related to Horatio.”

  Understanding came with more questions. “This is amazing. How did you find it?”

  A proud grin lit Aiden’s face. “I remembered what you said about saving Horatio before he could be bulldozed for the golf course. That got me thinking about how there were more trees, and how trees spread their acorns or seeds or whatever, and there must be a little Horatio out there somewhere. Not that I knew how to find him. But your sister did.”

  Laurel slapped her hand over her
mouth. “Aurora found it.”

  “Yes,” he said with a slow nod. “And that’s why she showed up today.”

  “I’m amazed. When you asked me earlier about missing my tree, I thought you meant—” Uh oh. Maybe that was exactly what he meant. “Are you tired of being tied to me? Do you want to break the binding? Is that why you brought me a new tree?”

  “See, this is what I was afraid of, except I thought it would go the other way.” Aiden put both hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “I love you, Laurel Barker. I want to be with you and no one else. But I knew if I asked you this without the tree, you’d think it was only because I felt obligated. I got the tree so that, when I asked you to marry me, you’d know it was because I want to.”

  She got a little lost mid-ramble, but the last bit got through. “You want to marry me?”

  “More than anything.” He leaned closer. “Why else would I voluntarily contact your sister?”

  Laurel gulped down her embarrassment. “I thought you were interested in her.”

  A look resembling fear contorted his features right before he burst out laughing. “Me? And Aurora? You’re joking, right?”

  “Of course,” Laurel said quickly. There was no way she’d admit to the niggling worry that had toyed with her emotions. It was ridiculous, especially now that she knew the truth. “She’s just, you know, so...friendly. That’s what Wade and I were talking about, how she’s like that with everybody, and—”

  Aiden grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stop talking about your sister and get back to us.” He lowered his head so his forehead almost touched hers. “Is that all right with you?”

  The warmth of his breath across her lips nearly made her forget how to speak. “Yes. Very all right.”

  “Will you?” He brushed his lips across hers, teasing.

  “What was the question?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Okay.”

  He was enjoying the fog he’d put her into, but enough was enough. It was time to take matters into her own hands, so she grabbed the back of his neck and made him kiss her.

  He pulled back with a chuckle. “That’s more like the reaction I was hoping for.”

  As her shock wore off, giddy excitement took its place, along with the desire to tease him right back. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Aiden arched an eyebrow in question.

  “Something else that goes along with a proposal.” Laurel raised her left hand and waggled her fingers in the air.

  “Ah yes, the ring.” He pointed behind her. “He’s holding it for me.”

  She turned and saw a small blue box balanced between the young tree’s trunk and a branch. With a squeal, she stepped closer, but Aiden hurried around her and snatched the box before she could.

  “Let me at least do this part right.” He got on one knee and pulled back the lid, exposing a gorgeous stone that glowed in the fading daylight. “Laurel Barker, nymph of my heart, will you marry me?”

  She giggled at his over-serious delivery, even as tears formed in her eyes. What a wonderful, crazy man he was. “Of course I will, silly old bear.”

  One corner of his mouth rose in a sexy smile, and a growl rumbled in his throat. He took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. “Perfect.”

  It really was. The white gold band was made of many delicate, intertwined bands made to look like branches, and leaves formed the setting for a teardrop cut emerald. “It’s gorgeous.”

  He stood up, still holding her hand. “I designed it myself. With a little help from Willa.”

  Owner of Illusions jewelry store, Willa Iscove had quite a way with precious metals and gems. “Fae jewelry, hmm? Are there any spells attached to this that I should know about?”

  “Nope. We don’t need any.”

  He had that right. From the moment they met, the attraction had been instantaneous and undeniable. She’d worried that the stories her sister had told her about human males being driven mad by their desire for nymphs had been true. But it turned out Aurora had, in her usually dramatic way, exaggerated the stories for effect. In the end, there was no explanation for the connection between her and Aiden other than the chemistry of soul mates.

  His arm encircled her waist and pulled her close against him. “I have no objections if you want to charm me with your own personal spells.” Then he kissed her cheek and nuzzled her ear before nipping the lobe.

  A zing went through her, and she gave him a playful push. “Not in front of the tree, dear.”

  “Oh, fine.” He gave the sigh of a long-deprived man. “So what are you going to name him?”

  “It’s not a him, it’s a her.” Laurel cocked her head to the side. “And why would I change her name?”

  “She already has a name?”

  “Sure. How else would the trees know who they were talking about?” she laughed. “You didn’t think I came up with Horatio on my own, did you?”

  Laurel slipped away from Aiden and hunkered down beside the tree. She rested her palm against the pale, slim trunk and waited.

  Behind her, Aiden cleared his throat. “If this is a private conversation, I—”

  Laurel held up her hand, cutting him off. After a few more seconds, she stood and gave the tree trunk a gentle pat. “We’ll figure out a good place to plant you in the next day or so. Have a nice night.”

  “Everything all right?” Aiden asked.

  Laurel smiled and nodded. “Brittney’s quite happy here.”

  “Brittney?” His voice rose in surprise. “Her name is Brittney?”

  “Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just, well, I expected something a little more...dignified. Like Elizabeth. Or Mariah.”

  “No, that’s not a tree name.” Laurel struggled to keep a straight face. “They call the wind Mariah.”

  “You’re dating yourself, you know,” he said with a playful scowl.

  “I know. I remember when that song was released. I— Never mind.” Having lived a long, long time, it wasn’t hard for her to reminisce, but this was the wrong time for a trip down memory lane. With a firm shake of her head, she pushed the memories aside and concentrated on the present. “As Brittney and I get to know each other, I’m sure she’ll share the story behind her name. And then I’ll share it with you. But right now, I want to share something else with you.”

  “Oh, you do?”

  “Mm hm.” Taking his hand, Laurel pulled him back toward the front of the cabin. Once they came around the porch, she put her arms around his neck and gazed into his honeypot eyes. “I want you,” she purred, “to take me to dinner. I’m starving.”

  His laugh rumbled from his chest through her arms. “Not in the mood to cook anymore?”

  “Not even a little.” She kneaded the back of his neck with her fingertips. “Why don’t we go to Howler’s? I’d kill for a burger.”

  “And if Wade and your sister are still there?”

  “Then I can show off my ring.”

  “You’ve got a deal.”

  They sealed the deal with an intense kiss that almost swept them into the bedroom, but Laurel’s hunger for food won out. After a quick trip into the house to put the abandoned dinner fixings in the fridge and get Bailey and Lola caught up, they were back outside and headed for Aiden’s pickup.

  As he drove them to the bar, Laurel gazed out the passenger-side window, not really watching as the landscape blurred past, absent-mindedly fiddling with her engagement ring. Why had she been jealous? Just the thought of Aiden and her sister together was ridiculous. Still, Aurora had never tried to hold back her feelings. She was a very sensual person in that she lived with abandon; if she wanted to do something, she did it, and the consequences really didn’t matter. Of course, even if her sister had thrown herself at Aiden, there was no way he’d reciprocate. Would he?

  “Hey.”

  Aiden squeezed her shoulder, bringin
g her out of her imaginings. “What? I didn’t hear what you said.”

  “Obviously.” He laughed, but sounded more concerned than amused. “Is something bothering you?”

  “Of course not!” She swatted a hand through the air. “How could anything bother me now? I think I just went too long without food. Once I get a burger in front of me, I’ll be fine.”

  He glanced over at her and smiled, then squeezed her shoulder one more time before returning his attention to the road.

  She almost started fiddling with her ring again, but stopped herself by clasping her hands together in her lap. Why was she feeling so odd? For the past few days, she’d been positive Aiden was keeping something from her, and now she knew what it was. His surprise for her had been sweet, thoughtful, and totally innocent. She shouldn’t be feeling anything but happy. But that buzz had returned, hovering in the background, warning her that something wasn’t right.

  Laurel simply had to face the truth: There wasn’t anything wrong with Aiden. There was something wrong with her.

  2

  Howler’s was packed by the time they got there, but Aiden had no trouble spotting Aurora. She stood near the bar where she held the attention of several men, and a few women, as she told an animated tale. From the motions she was making, it involved a ferocious squirrel. Or a small, irritated bear. It was hard to tell.

  “See if you can snag a table, and I’ll order our food.” Laurel was halfway across the bar before she turned mid-stride and called back to Aiden. “You want your usual?”

  He gave her a thumb’s up, then looked around. Not a single table was free. Thankfully, Wade occupied a nice-sized corner booth.

  “Mind if we join you?” Without waiting for an answer, Aiden slid behind the table.

  Wade’s blue-on-blue eyes, the one part of him that never changed when he shifted from human to snow leopard and back again, peered over his ever-present sunglasses. “We? Got a friend in your pocket?”

  “Laurel’s over there.” He jerked his head in her direction.

  At the moment, she was talking to Bridget, owner of Howler’s and sister of their boss, Sheriff Hank Merrow. They stood opposite each other, leaning across the bar with their elbows on the polished wood, foreheads almost touching, deep in conversation. Bridget’s wild, auburn hair fell forward, partially covering her face. Laurel shot a quick look in Aiden’s direction, then tapped her fingers on the bar. With a whoop of excitement, Bridget shot upright and hurried over to Laurel, who she crushed in a hug.