As soon as she saw the glint in her mother’s eyes, she quickly amended, “And not to Aidan.”
“Well, is there anything you do want to talk about?” her mother asked with a huff.
“How about your first impressions of Chesapeake Shores?”
The three women exchanged looks.
“There’s not much to it,” Danielle ventured.
“Of course, what there is seems to be charming,” LeeAnn said, sending a defiant look in their mother’s direction. “And the bay really is beautiful. It’s so peaceful.”
“When you’ve been to the Outer Banks as much as we have, the bay doesn’t seem like much,” her mother contradicted. “I could understand if you wanted to live by the ocean.”
Liz sighed. “This is perfect for me. Maybe once you’ve had a chance to walk around tomorrow and visit some of the shops and have lunch by the water, you’ll start to see it. Tomorrow night we have tickets for the local playhouse.”
“Oh, sweetie, do you really want to spend some of our limited time together at some little community production?” her mother asked, her disparagement plain.
“The woman who wrote this play and runs this little community playhouse,” Liz replied tartly, “has had plays produced on Broadway and in Chicago. Her works have been well reviewed by some of the most respected critics in the country. And several people in the cast perform in New York on a regular basis.”
Her mother looked taken aback by that. “You don’t have to take that tone with me. I didn’t know,” she said defensively.
“Could you just promise to be more open-minded?” Liz pleaded. “I love it here. The town is charming and the people have been very good to me. I hate that you don’t even want to give it half a chance.”
LeeAnn reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll try harder,” she promised.
Even Danielle nodded. “Of course we will. And if more of your friends are like Aidan Mitchell, we can’t wait to meet them, too.”
Liz noted that her mother made no such promise, but two out of three made the prospect of facing yet another day with her family almost bearable.
* * *
When Aidan arrived at the playhouse, he found his seat next to four empty spots, just as Liz had predicted. He glanced around and realized that they were surrounded by O’Briens. Mick and Megan were three rows in front, along with Nell and her husband, as well as Bree’s husband, Jake, and her older sister Abby with her family. Kevin and Shanna were in the next row with their kids, along with Thomas, Connie and Sean. Just in front of Aidan were Jess and Will, Mack and Susie, along with Connor and Heather. Though a few other people were interspersed with them, Aidan assumed they, too, were O’Briens.
Susie promptly turned around and gave him a broad grin. “Expecting anyone special?” she asked, nodding toward the vacant seats.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he told her, refusing to confirm her apparent theory. “Bree only mentioned that she was leaving a ticket for me.”
Susie didn’t look as if she believed him. Suddenly her eyes lit up. “Thought so,” she said triumphantly.
Aidan didn’t have to turn around to know Liz was coming down the aisle with her mother and sisters.
“Look who’s here,” Susie said in a voice meant to carry to everyone in the family.
All O’Brien eyes focused on Liz, then Aidan. A satisfied murmur seemed to circulate that had him flushing and Liz looking as if she wanted to bolt.
The only person who didn’t look happy by this turn of events was Doris Benson. She looked as if she’d swallowed a particularly sour bite of lemon.
“You again!”
“Good evening,” Aidan said, stepping aside to let them into the row. “Nice to see you all again. I hope you’re enjoying your visit.”
Liz’s mother ignored him as she marched into the row and took her seat. Danielle and LeeAnn gave him apologetic looks, but were quick to make sure they got into the row ahead of Liz, leaving her to sit beside him.
“This is just great,” she murmured with a moan. “I’ll be up half the night listening to yet another lecture about how I’m disrespecting Josh’s memory.”
He frowned at her heartfelt dismay. “Seriously? After all this time?”
“Saints are meant to be worshipped for eternity. Hadn’t you heard?”
Aidan blinked at her bitter tone. He could see the strain around her eyes and in the set of her lips. On impulse, he took her hand in his and realized hers was freezing even though it was a warm night. When she tried to pull away, he held tight and massaged gently until he could feel some warmth returning.
“That’s better,” he said at last, but he didn’t release her hand.
She gave him a wry look. “That’s what you think. Maybe you should come by the house so you can share in the pleasure of the postevening conversation.”
“Happy to do it, if it would make things easier for you,” he told her.
She looked into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, then shook her head in apparent disbelief. “You’d really do that, wouldn’t you? Even though you don’t owe me a thing and there’s nothing going on between us.”
His lips curved slightly at that. “Oh, sweetheart, there’s something going on. I think you’re the only one who hasn’t figured that out yet.”
Just then, with perfect timing, the lights went down and silence fell in the theater as the curtain slowly rose.
Aidan had absolutely no idea what the play was about, though he was certain from the frequent laughter and applause that it had to be good. The only thing he knew he was going to remember about the night, though, was that Liz never again tried to remove her hand from his and that nothing he could recall had ever felt quite so right.
16
Liz couldn’t believe she’d spent two hours holding hands with Aidan in public, especially with her mother just three seats away and the O’Briens all around them. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that every single person nearby had been aware of what was happening.
Even so, she hadn’t been able to make herself jerk her hand away. It had felt way too good to have that connection with him, to remember what that current of sizzling electricity between two people could be like. Why it had to happen now and with this enigmatic man was beyond her, but it had. More and more, she was starting to think it would be self-destructive folly to ignore the possibilities. She had to find some way to put the past behind her and open her heart.
When the lights came up at the end of the play, she cast a panicked look in Aidan’s direction. He winked, but he did release her hand.
Susie turned around immediately. “You’ll all be at the inn for the after-party, right? I know Bree is expecting you to come.”
Liz was about to shake her head, but several other O’Briens joined in issuing the invitation.
“You have to come,” Shanna said. “It’s Bree’s big night. All of her friends should be there.”
“It would be rude not to attend,” LeeAnn said.
Even Danielle implored her to say yes, a hopeful note in her voice that was far too telling about the lack of fun in her life these days with three demanding children and an inconsiderate husband.
Liz conceded defeat. How could she possibly say no when it meant so much to them. This was supposed to be their vacation, albeit a brief one. They deserved to have a little fun, even if some of it was likely to come at her expense. And, who knew, perhaps getting to know her friends would help to convince them of what a great place she’d chosen for her future.
If that possibility weren’t enough to persuade her to attend the party, there was the fact that it was bound to be better than going home to face the music with her mother. She forced a smile for Susie’s and Shanna’s benefit. “Sure, we’ll be there, at least for a little
while. I definitely want a chance to congratulate Bree on another great production.”
Clearly satisfied at having accomplished one mission, Shanna turned her attention to Aidan. “And you?”
Never taking his gaze from Liz, he said, “Wouldn’t miss it. Sounds like the perfect way to cap off a surprising evening.”
Liz promptly pulled him into the aisle. “Please don’t...”
“Don’t what? Come to the party?”
“No, of course you should come, but don’t do anything to give people the wrong idea.”
His lips quirked in a worrisome way.
“Wrong idea? As I suggested earlier, I think you may be the only person who sees it that way.”
“Aidan,” she pleaded. “Not with my family here.”
Apparently her genuine distress finally registered, because he gave a slow nod. “But you and I are going to have a long talk once they’re gone. It’s time we get everything out on the table.”
Liz didn’t even try to hide her shock at his words. She wasn’t sure which she found more startling, having him call her on her secrets or his hint that he was finally going to reveal his. Perhaps he saw it as a one-sided conversation.
“Are you really ready to open up with me?” she inquired.
He nodded. “I think it’s time. There have been way too many secrets for way too long. We need to clear the air so we can move forward.”
“Okay, then,” she said, though the promise filled her with trepidation. Could she really open herself up the way he was obviously expecting? Could she explain why she had so many doubts, about herself, about him, about relationships in general?
And what would happen once she’d bared her soul?
Of course, the one thing that made that prospect less terrifying was that Aidan was clearly willing at last to do the exact same thing. Was it possible that once they had, they could move on together? Or would stripping away their illusions tear them apart?
* * *
Tables in the dining room at The Inn at Eagle Point were overflowing with delicious appetizers and desserts, but Aidan only had eyes for Liz as she made her way around the room, laughing with her friends, even with her sisters and her mother. She seemed surprisingly at ease, given her earlier tension.
“Everything okay?” Thomas asked, coming up beside him, his gaze following Aidan’s to settle on Liz.
Aidan nodded.
“You worried about how she’s going to react to the news?” Thomas asked, surprising Aidan with his perceptiveness.
Aidan turned to look at him. “No more than you must be about the truth coming out. You have a lot more at stake with the people in this room than I do. I could totally understand if you wished I’d never come to town.”
Thomas regarded him with what looked like genuine dismay. “Aidan, I won’t deny that this is going to stir things up and that I’m going to face some unwelcome scrutiny.” His expression turned rueful. “I imagine Ma is going to have quite a lot to say. She’ll never in a million years believe that I didn’t have an inkling that I’d fathered a child.”
Aidan gave him a sympathetic look. He’d only been around Nell a couple of times, but he knew the hold she had over her sons and how much they wanted her respect. “For what it’s worth, I do believe you about that. I think my mom made a conscious choice to keep it from you. I may never totally understand why she did what she did, but I don’t think you deliberately turned your back on us.”
Thomas looked relieved. “Thank you for that.” He smiled. “Not for being willing to defend me with Ma, but for believing in me.”
Aidan shrugged. Faith in Thomas hadn’t come easily or quickly—there had been years of anger and resentment to overcome, after all—but he’d spent enough time with him recently to accept that he was as honorable as his mother had clearly believed him to be.
“Any idea when the results will be in?” Aidan asked.
“They told me we should have a preliminary report on Monday if there’s no obvious match based on blood type, but it could take longer for a detailed workup of the DNA results.”
Before Aidan could express his frustration, obviously shared by Thomas, Connie appeared and inserted herself between them. “No shoptalk,” she scolded, clearly assuming that they’d had their heads together over a far different topic.
Thomas leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Now, why would I talk shop when I have an opportunity to be out on the town with the most beautiful woman in the room?”
A blush tinted Connie’s cheeks, even as she laughed. “And that is exactly the sort of outrageous blarney that convinced me to marry this man,” she told Aidan.
Aidan couldn’t help wondering if that innate Irish charm had been directed toward his mother, as well. Had she fallen for it as readily? How could she not? As smart as she’d been, she was as susceptible to sweet talk as most women were. And at eighteen or nineteen when she and Thomas had known each other, Aidan could imagine that hint of an Irish brogue that appeared from time to time with all of the O’Brien men had seemed extraordinarily appealing.
He couldn’t help wishing he’d seen the two of them together just once, experienced the bond that had connected them and resulted in a child. Oddly, he found himself envying his friends whose parents were divorced. At least before whatever acrimony had caused the split, there must have been a few good memories they could treasure.
A glance at Thomas suggested he had some idea of what Aidan was thinking. Whatever answers he could share about the past wouldn’t be revealed tonight, though.
“Liz looks as if she’d welcome some company,” Thomas told him.
Connie elbowed him in the ribs. “Meddling is Mick’s territory, not yours.”
“It was just an observation,” Thomas told her, then winked at Aidan. “And taken in that spirit, isn’t that so?”
Aidan laughed. “Absolutely. Enjoy the party.”
He left them and headed in Liz’s direction, snagging a couple of flutes of champagne on the way. By the time he’d caught up with her, she’d reached the French doors that opened onto a terrace. He joined her outside and silently held out a glass.
“Thanks,” she said, meeting his gaze for an instant’s connection, then quickly looking away as if afraid to allow that connection to last more than a heartbeat.
“You thinking about making a run for it?” he asked, nodding toward the lawn just past the terrace. It sloped away toward the bay.
“It crossed my mind,” she admitted.
“You seemed to be successfully evading your family even indoors.”
“I can thank the O’Briens for that. Megan has my mother cornered. Shanna has taken on Danielle, and Jess is showing LeeAnn around the inn.” She grinned at him. “I sense a plot.”
“What sort of plot?”
“I’m here on a moonlit terrace alone with you, aren’t I? It was Susie’s idea that I come out here, by the way. The only thing they haven’t done is lock the terrace doors behind us.”
Aidan laughed and glanced around, noting that the doors were still wide-open. “They probably didn’t think of it.”
She lifted a brow. “Do you honestly think they leave much to chance?”
“Probably not,” he conceded, then set his glass of champagne on a white wrought-iron table and took a step closer.
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”
“I’d hate for all that careful planning to go to waste. How about you?” He reached for her glass and set it down.
“Didn’t you just hand that to me?” she said, her eyes following the champagne with longing.
“And now it’s in the way,” he said, stepping even closer. He stroked a finger along the curve of her jaw and felt her tremble. “I can’t imagine how I’ve waited so long to do this again.”
&
nbsp; “Aidan.”
It was just his name, part plea, part protest, but it set his blood on fire.
“Yes, Liz,” he whispered, tilting up her chin and gazing into the depths of her eyes, watching them darken with unmistakable passion. She could deny it all she wanted—to him, to herself—but she was as desperate for another kiss as he was.
“Aidan.” This time it came out as barely more than a sigh.
He didn’t waste breath on answering, just covered her mouth with his and felt the impact of the kiss rocket through him like jet fuel that had just been ignited.
Liz clung to his shoulders and this time she was the one who moved, inching closer as if she couldn’t bear to have even a hair’s-breadth of space between them. Her lips parted, her breath turned ragged and the air around them seemed to crackle with the snap and heat of an unexpected blaze.
Aidan threaded his fingers through her thick hair, knowing that her careful topknot was toppling in a way that no one inside was likely to misconstrue. He needed to feel those silken strands, to see how they looked when wayward curls framed her face. It would be easy enough, then, to imagine how she’d look after making love, flushed and tousled and beautiful.
The sound of voices grew closer, cutting into his thoughts with the effect of ice water splashing over heated bodies. Liz stilled, but when she would have pulled away, he kept her in place, hoping whoever had thought to come outside would turn around and go away.
Sure enough, there was a knowing masculine laugh, a hurried exchange, and the voices faded. The intrusion had lasted less than a minute, but it was enough to bring them both back to reality.
“You were obviously wrong,” he said, still keeping her encircled in his embrace.
“About what?” she asked, looking up at him with a dazed expression.
“About there not being any more kisses. I warned you they were pretty irresistible, that you are definitely irresistible.”
Dogwood Hill Page 22
