InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance)

by DeSalvo, Kim

  Kelley slipped her arm around Tia, resting her head on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you like it,” she said. “It’s your Christmas present, Tia. Grapevines are significant; they’ve been a symbol of abundance and fertility dating all the way back to Biblical Times. When Dylan stopped here on his way to New Zealand we sat in those two chairs right there,” she pointed at a comfortable seating area under a window to the left, “and he told me that he’d found ‘the one.’ I looked into his eyes and knew instantly that it was true. When he showed me this photograph and shared with me what he’d told you that night, I knew that I had to paint it. I hope that it will bring you joy as you begin your lives together.”

  “Thank you,” Tia breathed. “I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never owned anything so beautiful and truly significant.” She brought her hand to her heart and blinked back the emotion that suddenly filled her.

  “You are so welcome,” Kelley said, rubbing small circles on her back. “In every way, Tia. I hope you know I mean that very sincerely.”

  Tia wiped away a tear and a small giggle escaped her throat. “I can’t believe I was so nervous about meeting you!” she smiled. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, and especially thank you for raising such an incredible son. I couldn’t be happier than I am at this very moment.”

  Dylan came over and wrapped both his girls in a warm embrace. “Neither could I,” he said. “This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

  It was. Tia fell in love with Dylan’s family—aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends—and she cherished every minute of the next few days with them as they came in couples and small groups to welcome Dylan home and to meet the woman who’d captured his heart. On Christmas Day she chatted easily with the ladies as they moved around the large kitchen preparing the meal, Dylan strolling in every few minutes to steal a kiss and something off one of the many plates and platters that were filling the countertops; laughing as his mom or an aunt playfully scolded him and slapped his hand away from the food. The day was clear and bright, and Tia reveled in enjoying Christmas dinner outdoors for the first time in her life, and in playing games on the lawn with the children. She felt her heart flutter as she watched Dylan interact with them as well, chasing, twirling, and tossing them into the air as they squealed with delight. Remembering Kelley’s comment about fertility, an image of him as a father burst into her mind and burned there brightly. She couldn’t help but smile.

  The next day was Boxing Day, a national holiday Tia knew nothing about. The Miller family tradition was for all of the men to head over to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the start of the annual matches, and Tia insisted that Dylan go. After the joyful noise of Christmas Day and the arrival of the other men as they joked good-naturedly about the rivalries among the teams playing, the house was blissfully quiet when the caravan of vehicles pulled out of the driveway.

  “Ahh,” Kelley sighed, stretching her arms over her head, “peace and quiet at last. It’s been such a whirlwind, I feel like we’ve barely had time to really get to know each other. Why don’t we go into my studio so we can chat?” She poured some steaming tea into two mugs and handed one to Tia.

  “I’d love that,” Tia said, following her into the warm and inviting space and taking a seat on one of the large comfortable chairs.

  “Now that the boys are out of our hair, I really want to thank you, Tia,” she said sincerely, “for everything you’ve done for my Dylan.”

  Tia crinkled her eyes in surprise. “I’m quite certain I can assure you that he’s done much more for me than I’ve done for him.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that because that’s the way I raised him,” she smiled, “but you’ve done more for him than even he knows, and it goes back a long way. I know he’s told you his version of the story, but when Shelby got sick…he had a really tough time with it.”

  “I know,” Tia said softly.

  “You of all people do,” she said, “and the fact that you share that common bond of loss brings you closer—you can’t understand it unless you’ve been through it yourself. Then it takes on a whole life of its own.”

  Tia nodded. She knew it all too well.

  “They were close, the two of them,” she continued. “Oh, they had their usually sibling rivalry moments, of course, but he doted on Shelby, and she just thought the sun and moon set on her big brother.” She sighed, her eyes traveling away as the memories came flooding back. “Dylan suffered a lot during that time. Not only was he facing the loss of his sister but we were moving him to an entirely different country and he had to leave everything he knew behind. Plus, Shelby required so much time, so much care, and although he’d never admit it, he felt a bit neglected.”

  Tia reached out and touched her lightly on the arm. “He has only the very best things to say about his childhood, aside from losing her.”

  “Oh, I do know that,” she sighed, “but he had to grow up pretty quickly once we got to the States. Steve had to find work, and his long hours meant that Dylan had to kind of be the man of the house a lot of the time. I was a wreck, and Shelby needed so much. I just wanted to spend as much time with her as I could; knowing that I’d lose her; but at the same time, it was almost more than I could bear, watching her slip away day by day. It was a lot for a teenager to have to deal with. But he was so good with her, you know? He seemed to know exactly what she needed when Steve and I were at a complete loss. He spent so many hours sitting with her, playing his music for her, and even though I envied it at the time, he was what she really needed to deal with it all. I’ll be honest and tell you that too often I wished desperately for the relationship the two of them had—he always knew just how to make her smile while I was floundering around trying to keep a smile pasted on my own face. And then she asked him to write her a goodbye song…

  “It was so hard for him, and I hated watching him struggle with it. He wanted it to be so perfect, but he didn’t want to finish it, because he didn’t want to say goodbye. I know he was in denial a lot of the time, as we all were, and couldn’t face the fact that her time was short. She died just days after he shared it with her.” She wiped absently at a tear that had spilled down her cheek and Tia leaned over, pressing her hand to Kelley’s in support.

  “Dylan fought the feelings for so long, and even after years had gone by, he still couldn’t really deal with it. He carried it with him, feeling so guilty that he was still here. It’s part of what drives him. I think he feels like he has to live up to something; that he has to be successful so he’ll be worthy of what she could never be. Like he has to live for them both.”

  “It’s something he’ll carry with him always,” Tia said compassionately, her own eyes welling. “But it’s also something that’ll make him stronger, especially now that he’s really coming to terms with it.”

  “You know,” she said, reaching over to take Tia’s hand. “I learned from that experience that life is short, and that death is so…final. It took me a long time, too, but I finally realized that you’ve got to love them while they’re here, mourn them when they go, and celebrate them once they’re gone. It’s because of you that he’s finally able to do that; celebrate her, I mean; and I’ll always be grateful.”

  “We’ve been dealing with it together,” Tia replied, “and at times it’s been hard on both of us, but his strength has been my rock, too.”

  “I can see how good you are together. I’m really glad you found each other.”

  Tia smiled. “It almost sounds cliché because I say it all the time, but I really couldn’t possibly be any happier.”

  Kelley stood and wiped the tears from her face. “Me either. So let’s get happy then!” she pronounced, smiling. “I hid a bottle of my favorite wine away from the Christmas toasts. How about we grab some leftovers and I’ll show you all the pictures of Dylan’s awkward years that he thinks he threw away when he thought I wasn’t looking?”

  Tia chuckled. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the after
noon. Lead the way!”

  Chapter 12

  The boys returned from their cricket game waving flags and oversized sponge hands over their heads; the victors singing their teams’ fight songs. Dylan caught Tia’s eye right away and a grin split his face. He strolled over and wrapped his arms around her, murmuring, “Ah, now the day is perfect…”

  “I missed you, too,” she whispered back, “but I had the best time with your mom—she’s such an incredible person!”

  “I told you that you had nothing to worry about,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “I just knew you’d love each other.”

  “You have an amazing family, Dyl. I love them all.”

  “They love you too, baby girl. I knew they would.”

  “This has been the best Christmas—thank you.”

  “And the fun has only just begun. We’ll do the show tomorrow morning, and then we’ll head out on the next part of your Aussie adventure. There’s so much more I want to show you.”

  “I can’t wait. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “I want most of it to be a surprise, but we’re going to end up in Sydney for New Year’s Eve. It’s an amazing city, and the fireworks over the Harbour Bridge are spectacular.”

  Tia smiled into his shoulder. “I can’t wait. As much as I’ve enjoyed your family, I’m really looking forward to having some time just for the two of us.”

  “We still have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “That we do,” she agreed.

  “There’s a lot to do in Sydney, but I’ll leave New Year’s Eve up to you. We could go down to one of the shows to watch the fireworks with the crowd or do something more private…”

  “Private,” she said immediately. “I think I’ve had more than enough public to last me a lifetime, and we’re going back to it all in just a week. I want all the time I can have with you. Just you.”

  “Private it is, then. We’ll have a great view of the bridge from our room.”

  “I was thinking we could make our own fireworks,” Tia whispered into his ear.

  “I like the way you think,” he said, pulling her in and brushing his lips against hers.

  They walked into the kitchen and caught Steve and Kelley in a passionate embrace.

  “Disgusting,” Dylan joked. “Nothing worse than seeing your parents snogging. I’m scarred for life.”

  “Really,” Steve said sarcastically. “Remember the birds and the bees—didn’t we have that little talk a long time ago? Maybe now that you’ve finally found a woman who seems willing to put up with you, we need to have a little refresher course.”

  Dylan put his hands up to shield his face. “Bloody hell, don’t remind me. That’s a memory better off forgotten.”

  “Don’t you remember, Dyl?” he joked. “It was the summer before your sophomore year…”

  “OK, I’m really going to have to insist that this conversation ends right here…”

  Steve grabbed Dylan around the neck and playfully roughed his hair. “It’s not you I want to talk to anyway,” he said, releasing him and offering Tia his arm. “It’s been so crazy around here that we haven’t had much time to talk. Will you take a walk with me?”

  “I’d be glad to,” she smiled, grabbing a sweatshirt off the hook by the door and linking her arm through his.

  They walked for a bit in companionable silence through the cool of the evening, under a blazing carpet of stars that seemed almost close enough to touch. The Milky Way—a wavy streak of dark and cloud—split the sky like a river, dotted along the edges by pinpoints of light that blazed and twinkled like jewels.

  “There are so many stars here,” she said wistfully, looking up at the unfamiliar constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. “It’s just beautiful.”

  “Funny thing about stars,” Steve answered thoughtfully, “There are literally billions out there, but only a fraction shine brightly enough for us to see. They overpower the others with their brilliance, and are revered—worshiped even—for the sparkle they bring to the world. But all of them must endure a lot of heat and inner turmoil to maintain that sparkle, or else they’ll fade out and be overshadowed like so many others that came before them.”

  “You’re talking about Dylan,” she said.

  “In some respects,” he answered, “but we all have our moments of sparkle; even if no one ever sees them. Dylan is definitely one of the ones shining brightly right now, but fame is a fickle mistress. And goodness knows he’s endured a lot of heat and turmoil, especially these days.”

  “I hope you know that I’m not with Dylan because of his…”

  “Oh no, no,” he said with a shake of his head and a wave of dismissal. “That’s not what I’m suggesting at all. It’s obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together that what you have is real and very deep.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her so that she was facing the Milky Way. He stepped behind her, took her hand, and extended her index finger; pointing it so that she could follow up the length of it with her eyes to where it rested on one of the most brilliant points of light in the sky. “See that one there, the really bright one?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s Alpha Centauri. It’s actually two stars, close enough together that we see them as one. You’ve acquired your own brilliance for the world now, Tia, so close to Dylan’s that you shine together as a single entity. But you’re smart enough to know that it won’t last too long. Another big story will overshadow this one, and even though your brilliance won’t fade, it will be overpowered.”

  “I’ve always preferred to cast a softer glow over a bigger area,” she said. “I never had any aspirations to be a star.”

  “A very wise answer,” Steve smiled, and they both watched as a shooting star streaked across the night sky.

  “Then there are stars like that one,” Tia said. “A bright flash that burns out much too quickly and never gets a chance to truly shine.” She knew that Steve would understand her meaning, as she had understood his.

  He smiled warmly at her and put his arm across her shoulders, pulling her into a knowing embrace. “There are those,” he agreed, “and we know it all too well, don’t we? You know, one group of Aborigines believe that when their people, the Yolngu, die, they travel to the spirit land in the sky on a mystical canoe. Once they’ve arrived at the spirit land, their canoe is sent back to the Earth in the form of a shooting star—it’s meant to let the grieving family know that the one who has left them arrived safely at their final destination. They say that the lights along the edge of the Milky Way are the burning campfires of those who have passed on.

  “I know that Kelley has already thanked you for what you’ve done for our son, but I also want to thank you for what you’ve done for my wife. The night we buried Shelby we dragged a blanket into our backyard and laid for hours, under the stars, just holding hands and watching for that sign from her that she was OK—that she’d made it to heaven. We had no idea that there was going to be a meteor shower that night, and when they started filling the sky, they were more beautiful than any fireworks display.” Tia heard the change in his voice, the shake as he recalled the memory, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “We cried together that night, after so many months of holding the tears at bay, and mourned the loss of our daughter.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Tia whispered.

  “Between you and me, Tia, Kelley has been hoping for a long time that Dylan would meet someone; so she could have a daughter again. She’s worried out loud though, over the years, about him getting caught up in the celebrity scene and making the wrong choice—more than a few times she cringed openly when she caught wind of Dylan dating some actress who she knew didn’t have his best interests at heart. But as the years went by, she started worrying that he’d never find the right partner to share his life, and that bothered her even more. I knew that my son had a good head on his shoulders, and that he’d know when he found the right one. I’m really glad it’s you.”<
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  “Me too. You know, I was so nervous about meeting you—I worried that I wouldn’t measure up to other girls he’s brought home—that I didn’t have much to offer. You’ve really made me feel like part of the family, and I appreciate that so much. I can see where Dylan gets so many of his best qualities.”

  “Dylan’s never brought anyone home before,” Steve said, and Tia’s eyes widened in surprise. They hadn’t discussed it, but she assumed he had. A little spot in her heart tingled at the revelation. “He’s very protective of his mum,” he continued, “and he knows how much she’s missed having a girl around—someone to share in all those things the way only women can. That’s how we knew that you were the real deal, Tia. He’d never bring a woman here if he wasn’t sure she had staying power, and that she’d be able to bond seamlessly with our family—especially when it comes to Kelley.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me, Steve,” she said gratefully. “You have no idea how much it means.”

  “Which brings me back to the reason I want to thank you. We’ve celebrated a lot of holidays since Shelby’s been gone, but there’s been a hole in every one; a shadow that everyone can see but no one wants to acknowledge.” He looked at Tia. “She would’ve been about your age, you know,” he continued, “and there’s always that wonder about what sort of woman she would have turned out to be if she’d had the chance. Having you here, seeing the relationship that you and Dylan have built despite a lot of complications, has been like a breath of fresh air. You brought a particular kind of joy to our house that hasn’t been here in a long time; your sparkle kept the shadows at bay. It’s been so nice watching you and Kelley bond; seeing how much she’s enjoyed getting to know you.