by Susan Fox
Finally, she climbed into a cab and told the driver her destination. Though the distance wasn’t far, the drive seemed to take forever.
When the cab pulled up at the seaplane dock on the Fraser River, Aaron stood waiting on the side of the road. He was so tall and handsome in jeans and his brown leather bomber jacket, a dramatic figure against the smoke-gray winter sky.
He opened the door for her and she almost tumbled out in her eagerness to be in his arms. They kissed hungrily until a cough broke the spell.
“Lady,” the driver said, “you want your stuff or not?”
She’d paid him as they approached the dock but had forgotten about her bags.
Laughing, Aaron pulled them out of the backseat and handed her purse to her, then looped the strap of her giant tote bag over his shoulder. He put his other arm around her and guided her to the ramp that led to the dock. “Fly away with me, Eden Blaine. No, wait, let me change that. Fly home with me.”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do,” she said fervently.
“I was beginning to wonder. You’re half an hour late.”
“There was a headwind and then no taxis.”
“Always an excuse,” he teased. “I’d almost think you didn’t want to see me.”
“No, you wouldn’t, because you hate being wrong.” She wriggled her shoulders, the tension of the past few days dropping away. “It’s good to be here. I love you so much, darling.”
“Same goes.” He squeezed her shoulders. “You got everything packed up?”
“The furniture’s all been dealt with, either in storage, to the auction house, or to charity.” For the time being, her parents and sister were in a guest cottage at SkySong, planning next spring to buy a house on Destiny. “The cleaners and gardeners did a wonderful job. The new owners are going to love it.” She felt a pang at the thought of someone else living in the house that had always been home to her, yet when she’d met the family who’d bought it, she’d had a good feeling about them. “It’s someone else’s turn to build happy memories there.”
She climbed into the Cessna, the only passenger on this special flight. As Aaron went through the now-familiar routine, a light drizzle started to fall. Soon they were motoring through choppy waves. When the little plane separated itself from the river and launched itself into the gray sky, Eden’s heart rose with it. The man she loved was flying her home.
“About tonight . . .” he said. “There’s good news and bad news.”
“Bad news?” Her pulse fluttered, but she took a breath and calmed herself. If anything bad had happened to her mom, he’d never break the news this way.
“The bad news is, you’re not going to get to spend the evening alone with me, making mad, passionate love. That’ll have to wait for a few hours.”
“Damn, and I was counting on it.” She was only half-joking. Being away from Aaron for five days had, despite phone sex, left her body and heart aching for him. “And the good news?”
“A family dinner at SkySong, to celebrate tidying up all the details in Ottawa and, uh, how did Di put it? Turning the page on that chapter of the book and fully committing to the next one. Something like that.”
“A celebration does seem to be in order. Mom feels up to it?”
“You’ve talked to her on Skype. She’s better every day.”
“Yes, thank God.” Her mom had finished chemo and was on hormonal therapy and also on a diet and exercise regimen prescribed by Di. She participated in a cancer support group on Destiny and, along with Kelsey, had joined a local art club. Her health was still fragile and she had some bad days, but on the whole Destiny Island was agreeing with her. With Eden’s dad, as well. He was doing part-time consulting with the charity he used to run and learning to golf.
As for Eden, she was excited about starting her new job in January. She’d be the lawyer and program director for Arbutus Lodge, where her friend Gertie Montgomery lived.
“I talked to Di before I left Destiny,” Aaron said. “Your mom’s having a nap, resting up for the fancy dinner, and Miranda and Fairy-ana are with Di and Seal, getting everything ready.”
“I love it that they all get along so well. Miranda’s doing better, too, isn’t she?”
“Seems so. She has her down days, but on the whole she’s more confident.” He glanced over, a smile crinkling his eyes. “Your mom’s hooked on Ariana. Don’t be surprised if she starts hinting about wanting a grandchild.”
“Oh my! Has she been doing that with you? I’m mortified.”
“No, it’s cute. I’m just glad she’s finally decided I’m a good guy.”
“You know it was never about you personally. It was what you represented: the idea that she might lose me.”
“I know. And instead, I led her to Di and to Destiny, and I helped bring you here, too. So I’m in her good books.”
“Where you deserve to be.”
Contentedly, she gazed out the window even though the usually spectacular scenery was partially obscured by the drizzle. As long as Aaron had sufficient visibility to fly, who cared what the weather was like? All the pieces of her world were falling so wonderfully into place.
Except for one niggling question. “Aunt Di and Uncle Seal still won’t say anything more about Merlin and Starshine.”
“You heard what Marlise said about the cornucopia of drugs at the commune. Some of those drugs fried people’s memories.”
“There’s more to it than that. They’re holding back. You’re a mystery reader, too. Can’t you sense they know something they’re not saying?”
“Yeah, maybe. But it’s their right. We may have to accept that we’ll never know the whole truth.”
“I hate it when a book ends like that.”
He chuckled. “You and your mom, the romance reader. You want your happy endings.”
“That’s the truth,” she said wholeheartedly. She really hoped she and Aaron were getting theirs and, perhaps even more than that, she hoped her mom won her battle with cancer.
Aaron pointed out the windshield. “There’s Blue Moon Harbor.”
They were approaching from the south, flying into the bay. The days were so short now that lights shone from every building in the village. “It looks so welcoming,” she said. “I love that it’s so small that I’m getting to know every business, every owner, every employee.” Her friendships with Iris, Marlise, and Gertie continued to grow, as well.
When Aaron had tied up the plane and helped Eden off, she pulled up the hood of her coat against the light rain. She expected him to hoist her tote, but instead, to her surprise, he got down on one knee on the dock. She caught her breath. “Aaron?”
He gazed up at her, his face and hair growing damp from the drizzle. “This would be better in sunshine. Or moonlight. I hadn’t planned on rain.”
“This?” Her voice quivered. “What’s this?”
“I love you, Eden. Well, you already know that. And you love me back. We’ve known each other six months now, and these have been some crazy months. But they’ve been the best ones of my life. I figure that if we can survive everything we’ve been through so far, we can do anything together.”
She gave a tremulous smile. Was he really doing what she thought he was?
“You told me right at the beginning,” he went on, “that what you value most in the world is your family. Well, I dream of us being family. I want to marry you, love you, and raise children with you. I want to be your friend and partner—and lover—for the rest of my life.”
He unzipped the pocket of his jacket and produced a small box, which he opened. Inside was a stunning ring, a band woven of gold and silver strands and studded with little diamonds that managed to sparkle even in this gray weather. “What do you say, Eden? Will you share my dream? Share my life?”
She stared into his soulful bluish-gray eyes, the lashes dotted with tiny raindrops almost as dazzling as the diamonds in the ring. “You are my dream, Aaron. Yes, I’ll marry you, love you, and build
a family with you.”
Carefully, he took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. Then he rose, giving her the sexy grin she loved so much. “Who’d have guessed, when I first flew you here, that this is how we’d end up?”
She smiled back, showing him all the love in her heart. “I suppose there’s no arguing with destiny.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the launch of my new Blue Moon Harbor series! I hope you’re as excited about these stories as I am.
It was difficult winding up my Caribou Crossing Romances and I feel a certain sorrow at leaving that wonderful Western community and the characters who populated the eight titles in that series. But at least I know that all my heroines and heroes are living their happily-ever-afters!
In the Blue Moon Harbor books, you’ll find the same kinds of contemporary romance stories. My protagonists are intelligent, caring people who deserve love and face significant challenges as they strive to find their happy endings. The setting is close to home for me: a fictional island set among British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, not far from Victoria. Tiny Destiny Island is ruggedly scenic and its residents tend to be unconventional—and proud of it! It also happens to be a very romantic spot. When you meet your love on Destiny, life will never be the same.
The island became the perfect home for Aaron Gabriel, who transformed from a delinquent teen to a seaplane pilot who owns his own business. But even Destiny Island couldn’t heal the wounds of his dysfunctional childhood. It takes Eden Blaine, an Ottawa lawyer who’s pursuing a quest on behalf of her ailing mother, to open Aaron’s heart to the realization that love might actually be his destiny. I hope you enjoyed Eden and Aaron’s story, as they struggled to find a way to realize their dreams while honoring their deep emotional bonds with their families.
Next in the series is “Blue Moon Harbor Christmas” in Winter Wishes (November 2017), a holiday anthology also containing novellas by Fern Michaels, Jules Bennett, and Leah Marie Brown. My heroine is Jillian Summers, the single-parent mom who flies for Aaron’s Blue Moon Air. Following that title comes Aaron’s sister Miranda’s story, Come Home With Me, in January 2018. And after that, Iris of Dreamspinner bookstore will get her turn.
I’m grateful to Kensington Publishing for being so supportive of my Caribou Crossing Romances and for committing to the first four titles in the Blue Moon Harbor series. Special thanks at Kensington go to my fabulous editor, Martin Biro, his wonderful assistant, James Abbate, and terrific publicist Jane Nutter. My deep gratitude goes to my agent, Emily Sylvan Kim of Prospect Agency, for her belief in me and my writing, and for always being there. Thanks also to her assistant, Jes Lyons, who isn’t a relative, though I wish she were.
I’m also truly appreciative of the feedback I received from my friends and great critiquers: Rosalind Villers, Alaura Ross, and Nazima Ali. Their input always helps me make my manuscripts stronger. Thanks also to John and Bonnie for research assistance.
And last, but most of all, thank you to my readers. It’s through your eyes, minds, and hearts that the characters I create truly come to life.
I love sharing my stories with my readers and I love hearing from you. I write under the pen names Susan Fox, Savanna Fox, and Susan Lyons. You can email me at [email protected] or contact me through my website at www.susanfox.ca, where you’ll also find excerpts, behind-the-scenes notes, recipes, a monthly contest, the sign-up for my newsletter, and other goodies. You can also find me on Facebook at facebook.com/SusanLyonsFox.
If you enjoyed Fly Away With Me,
be sure not to miss the next book in
Susan Fox’s Blue Moon Harbor series,
COME HOME WITH ME
It may be a dot in the Pacific Northwest,
but tiny Blue Moon Harbor always has room for love....
Miranda Gabriel has finally hit rock-bottom. As a high-school drop-out, she fled Blue Moon Harbor and her shattered family life, and chased after love in all the wrong places. But now, as a single mom, her priority is her two-year-old daughter. Her only choice is to swallow her pride and return to the island she’s always hated. At least between working and studying, she’ll be too busy for romance—especially when the prospect is a nice guy, exactly the kind she knows she doesn’t deserve . . .
The island veterinarian, Luke Chandler is a widower raising four-year-old twin boys. In high school, he’d found bad girl Miranda fascinating—and though life has changed them both, he’s still intrigued. Luke has known true love, and something about Miranda makes him long to experience it again.
Yet he’s wary of opening himself, and his boys, to hurt. But his heart may not give him a choice.
And together, maybe he and Miranda can give each other the courage to believe in themselves, and to embrace a promising new future....
A Zebra mass-market paperback and eBook on sale January 2018.
Turn the page for a special sneak peek!
“Guess what?” Miranda Gabriel’s brother cried, raising his girlfriend’s left hand like a boxing referee proclaiming the champ. “We’re engaged!”
Diamonds sparkled on Eden’s finger, and when Miranda stared from the ring to Aaron’s face and his fiancée’s, their excitement was no less dazzling.
Miranda’s heart sank like a heavy, cold stone.
She had been peeling sweet potatoes in the big kitchen at SkySong when Aaron and Eden burst into the room. Tonight’s dinner at the serenity retreat was planned as a celebration of Eden tidying up all the details around the sale of her family’s home in Ottawa now that she, her parents, and her sister were becoming Destiny Island residents. Aaron, owner of Blue Moon Air, had flown over to Vancouver in his Cessna seaplane on this chilly, early December day to pick Eden up after her Ottawa flight. Now it seemed the celebration would be a dual-purpose one.
“He proposed on the dock,” Eden said, her voice bubbly, neither she nor Aaron seeming to notice that their wet jackets were dripping on the terracotta-tiled floor. “Right there in the middle of Blue Moon Harbor.” She laughed up at him, her amber eyes glowing with happiness and love. “In the rain, and it was the most romantic thing in the world.”
Engaged.
Eden’s aunt and uncle, Di and Seal SkySong, who owned this rustically lovely retreat on four acres of waterfront, rushed over to the happy couple, offering hugs and congratulations. Miranda’s two-year-old daughter remained in her booster chair at the kitchen table, still absorbed in the tea party game she and Di had been playing with one of Ariana’s cloth fairy dolls. And Miranda herself stood rooted at the teal-topped kitchen counter, her feet as leaden as her heart.
Of course she’d known where Aaron and Eden’s relationship was heading. In truth, the depressed, pessimistic, defeated spot in her soul, the one she hated to surrender to, had known ever since that day back in June. The day when her pride had hit an all-time low. Evicted from her tiny apartment, without the funds to rent another, she’d felt worthless and powerless. For the sake of her precious daughter, she had phoned Aaron and admitted she had no choice but to accept his offer of help. There she’d been, more pathetic than ever before in her life. She’d had no strength left, no option but to leave Vancouver and drag herself and Ariana to Destiny Island, a place she’d always hated, to shelter under her big brother’s roof.
But Aaron, the one person who’d always been there for her, was away in Ottawa, visiting a woman he’d just met.
Sight unseen, Miranda—selfish bitch that she was—had hated Eden Blaine for threatening the one bit of stability in her and Ariana’s lives. But then she’d met the smart, sensitive, beautiful Eden, seen her with Aaron, listened to what her brother said and didn’t say. She’d seen that despite the huge problems the two lovers had faced, Eden made him happy. And Aaron’s happiness was the second-most important thing in the world to Miranda. Only the welfare of her daughter ranked higher.
Now, realizing she’d been silent too long, she forced herself to walk across the kitchen, a bright, spacious room
. Normally, she found this room so warm and welcoming, with its white-painted wood and brick walls and cabinets, accented by a hodgepodge of vividly colored chairs, kitchen accessories, and artwork. But today her heart was a frozen lump in her chest and it would take a lot more than Di and Seal’s cheerful, eclectic décor to warm it.
Throwing her arms around the happy couple, she squeezed both of them, but Aaron a little harder. Her handsome, dark-haired brother, her best and only friend for all their lives, now belonged to someone else. “I’m so happy for you guys.”
It wasn’t a lie. Honestly, it wasn’t. It was just a truth that jostled uneasily side by side with her selfishness and her envy. The guy who’d been so cynical—or, as he called it, realistic—about love had for the very first time had the guts to throw his heart into the ring. And what did he get? A freaking happy ending. As compared to her. She truly did believe in love and she’d been brave enough to go for it, to love and lose and try again, over and over. She’d been doing it ever since she was a tiny child, hoping against hope that one day her mom would love her and be there for her. And yet here she was, twenty-seven years old and still alone.
So many times, as the children of a cocaine-addicted prostitute, she and Aaron had been the kids left outside, looking in windows at happy families eating together, at stores full of shiny new toys and games, at grocery shelves stocked with more food than anyone could possibly eat in a lifetime. Wanting, always wanting, but not getting.
Now Aaron had crossed over and he was on the inside. And she was left outside, no longer shoulder to shoulder with her big brother but all by herself.
She drew in a long breath, trying to flush the sour gray tang of depression and self-pity from her mind and heart. The fact was, she wasn’t alone; she had Ariana. Having a daughter made life so much richer and more wonderful but also created pressures so heavy that a few months back, Miranda had almost cracked under them. Because it was one thing to be strong and resourceful enough to look after yourself. It was quite another when you were responsible for a small, fragile human being who deserved so much more than you’d ever been able to give her.