“Okay, everybody, back off. There’s somebody we need to see.” He scowled at the rest of the family. “In private.”
Leading the way, he took the two of them to the kitchen, where Nell was bustling around with the assistance of Mick’s oldest daughter, Abby, and her twin daughters, Carrie and Caitlyn. Caitlyn held a baby in her arms, but still seemed to be doing a deft job of stirring a pot of something that smelled delicious.
“Ma,” Thomas said quietly, immediately stopping the buzz of conversation. “I’d like to reintroduce you to Aidan Mitchell, your grandson.” He winked at Liz. “And to the woman I’ve been led to believe may have agreed to become his wife.”
As Aidan stood there, feeling more nervous and exposed than he ever had before the first play of any professional football game, a smile slowly spread across Nell’s face. She crossed the kitchen and put her hands on his face. She had to reach high to do it, her touch gentle and full of such wonder that it brought tears to his eyes.
“I can’t tell you how much joy it brings me to have another grandchild to cherish,” Nell told him. She turned to Caitlyn and Carrie with a quick wink. “Maybe you can teach those two how to be more respectful of their elders.”
“Gram!” Carrie protested indignantly.
Caitlyn quickly shushed her. “You know she’s just teasing. We were her very first great-grandchildren. She adores us. And I’m holding her first great-great-grandchild right here in my arms. Do you really think she’s going to risk me keeping this sweet boy away from her?”
Nell laughed. She took one of Aidan’s hands in hers, then reached for Liz’s hand, as well. “I couldn’t be happier about the news, any of it. I wish you both all the blessings and happiness you deserve.”
Aidan felt that salty sting of emotional tears in his eyes once more. He’d shed more tears today than he had in years. Even at his mother’s funeral, he’d been stoic and dry-eyed. There was something about the O’Briens, though, that seemed to bring emotions to the surface.
His heart seemed to catch once more when Nell gave Thomas a kiss, too. “Thank you for bringing more joy into my life.” Her expression turned stern then. “But no more surprises, okay? I’m not sure how much my heart can take.”
Laughter ricocheted around the kitchen then, and the solemn mood was broken.
“Gram, I’m starved,” Carrie announced. “Isn’t it time to get dinner on the table?”
“Do you think I don’t know when my own cooking is ready?” Nell chided. She turned to Aidan and Liz. “Aidan, you carry the pot roast to the table. Liz, you can get the soda bread.”
She directed the preparations in such a perfectly orchestrated way that Aidan could see where Bree had learned the directorial skills that went along with her ability to write a great play.
At the table, surrounded by his new family, Aidan bowed his head with the rest of them.
And when Nell thanked God for all their bounty and for bringing Aidan into their lives, his eyes welled up with tears yet again. He glanced at Liz and saw that she, too, was thoroughly emotional. As she’d told him, she clearly shed tears on any and all occasions, but the smile on her lips told him this was another of the happy moments.
As the prayer ended, he caught her gaze. Oblivious to the curious gazes cast their way, he mouthed, “I love you.”
She beamed back at him. “I love you, too,” she said, but her words rang out loud and clear.
And in that moment, surrounded by family, Aidan knew that everything would work out just as it should.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from WILLOW BROOK ROAD by Sherryl Woods.
“Sherryl Woods writes emotionally satisfying novels about family, friendship and home. Truly feel-great reads!”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
Looking for more great reads from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods? Return to Chesapeake Shores for a brand-new story featuring a beloved member of the O’Brien family claiming the life she’s always dreamed of: Willow Brook Road (October 1, 2015)
Catch up with the O’Brien family in Chesapeake Shores, where stories of friendship, family and love await—you may never want to leave. Collect the complete series today!
The Inn at Eagle Point
Flowers on Main
Harbor Lights
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas
Driftwood Cottage
Moonlight Cove
Beach Lane
An O’Brien Family Christmas
The Summer Garden
A Seaside Christmas
The Christmas Bouquet
Dogwood Hill
“Woods’s amazing grasp of human nature and the emotions that lie deep within us make this story universal.”
—RT Book Reviews on Driftwood Cottage
Take a trip to Serenity, South Carolina, where the Sweet Magnolias are always in season and heartwarming romance is only ever a stone’s throw away:
Stealing Home
A Slice of Heaven
Feels Like Family
Welcome to Serenity
Home in Carolina
Sweet Tea at Sunrise
Honeysuckle Summer
Midnight Promises
Catching Fireflies
Where Azaleas Bloom
Swan Point
“Woods employs her signature elements—the Southern small-town atmosphere, the supportive network of friends and family, and the heartwarming romance—to great effect.”
—Booklist
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Willow Brook Road
by Sherryl Woods
1
The original Mick O’Brien–designed cottage on Willow Brook Road had been built with weathered gray shingles, white trim and a tiny back porch barely big enough for two rockers side by side. They faced Willow Brook, which fed into the Chesapeake Bay. The backyard sloped gently to the brook, with the graceful branches of a trademark weeping willow touching the lawn at the water’s edge. The peaceful setting was just right for quiet conversation or relaxing with a good book.
In front the cottage featured a small yard with an actual white picket fence and a climbing yellow rosebush that tumbled over it with a profusion of fragrant blooms. Bright red and hot-pink geraniums filled pots on the stoop in a vibrant display of clashing colors. The property oozed picturesque charm.
With three cozy bedrooms and a fireplace in the living room and a surprisingly large eat-in kitchen, it was the perfect Chesapeake Shores vacation getaway or a starter home for a small family, but Carrie Winters had been living there alone and at loose ends for almost six months now. The only personal touch she’d added beyond the mismatched furniture she’d acquired from various family attics was the portrait of the whole O’Brien family taken at the Christmas wedding of her twin, Caitlyn.
These days, sitting in one of those rockers for more than a minute or two made her antsy. After two years in a pressure-cooker public relations job at which she’d excelled, being idle was a new experience, and one she didn’t particularly like. She was too distracted for reading anything deeper than the local weekly newspaper. And though she loved to cook, making fancy meals for one person just left her feeling lonely.
Worst of all, she seemed incapable of motivating herself to get out of this funk she’d been in ever since coming home. Chesapeake Shores might be where she wanted—or even needed—to be as she tried to piece her life back together and reevaluate her priorities, but it had created its own sort of pressure.
While the rest of the O’Brien cla
n was unmistakably worried about her, her grandfather Mick was bordering on frantic. O’Briens did not waste time or wallow in self-pity, which was exactly what Carrie had been doing ever since the breakup of her last relationship. Timed to coincide with the crash-and-burn demolition of her career in the fashion industry, the combination had sent her fleeing from Paris and straight back to her loving family.
Carrie sighed and took a first sip of the one glass of wine she allowed herself at the end of the day. Wallowing was one thing. Getting tipsy all alone was something else entirely. Even she was wise enough to see that.
An image of Marc Reynolds, the fashion-world icon she’d thought she loved, crept into her head, as it did about a hundred times a day. That was down from about a million when she’d first flown home from Europe after the breakup. If it could even be called that, she thought wryly. Truthfully, she’d finally realized that Marc thought of her more as a convenient bed partner and workhorse whose public relations efforts for his fashion empire had helped to put it on the fast track to international acclaim. Unbeknownst to her, his heart apparently belonged to a she-devil, self-absorbed model who treated him like dirt. Carrie could relate, since Marc had pretty much done the same to her. She was still struggling to understand how her judgment could possibly have been so clouded that she hadn’t seen that sooner. Surely the signs had been there. Had she been so besotted she’d missed them? If so, how could she possibly trust her instincts about a man again?
Not that she was going to let that be an issue anytime soon. She was swearing off the male of the species until she figured out who she was and what she truly wanted. At the rate she was progressing on that front, it could take years.
Enough! she told herself firmly, carrying her almost-full glass inside and stepping over a scattering of toys as she went. She smiled as she picked up a floppy-eared bunny and set it gently in a chair. A stack of children’s picture books sat on a nearby table.
Taking care of her twin sister’s little boy, Jackson McIlroy, was about the only thing that gave her a sense of fulfillment these days. With Caitlyn serving a medical internship at Johns Hopkins, and Caitlyn’s husband, Noah, running an increasingly busy family medicine practice here in town, Carrie had volunteered for day-care duty whenever they needed her. More and more often they’d come to rely on her, which suited her just fine, but seemed to be making everyone else in her driven family a little crazy. Babysitting wasn’t considered a suitable career goal for the granddaughter of the town’s founder.
She picked up a few more toys, put them in the brightly colored toy box she’d painted herself one particularly dreary winter day, then grabbed her purse and walked into town. Ten minutes later she was at O’Brien’s, the Irish pub her second cousin Luke had opened a few years back. She knew she’d find a good meal there, even if it came with a serving of family meddling from whichever O’Brien happened to be around.
When she walked in the door, she was startled to find it mostly empty.
“Hey, Carrie,” Luke said, automatically pouring a glass of white wine for her.
“Where is everybody?” she asked, as she settled on a stool in front of the magnificent old bar that Luke had found in Ireland and shipped home to be the centerpiece of his pub.
“It’s barely five o’clock,” he pointed out. “We’ll be filling up soon.”
Carrie glanced at her watch and groaned. Today—a day without the baby to watch—had been endless. Apparently it wasn’t close to being over, either.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said, as Luke polished glassware and readied the bar for this evening’s business.
He studied her face for a moment, then came around the bar and sat down beside her, giving her his full attention. “What’s on your mind?”
“You were the youngest in my mom’s generation, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” he confirmed.
“Did you feel pressured to accomplish something?”
He laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not even a little bit,” she said seriously.
“You know all this, but let me remind you. By the time I finished college, your mom was a financial success story on Wall Street. Kevin had served in the military, then jumped onto the bandwagon to preserve the bay with Uncle Thomas. Connor was a hotshot divorce lawyer in Baltimore. Bree had opened a successful flower shop, then a local theater, where she’s now writing and directing to critical acclaim. And Jess was barely into her twenties and already turning the Inn at Eagle Point into a successful regional destination.”
He allowed that to sink in, then added, “That’s what I was up against. On top of that, my brother started working with Uncle Mick as an architect straight out of college, and my sister is all but running the real estate business here in town with my dad. O’Briens seemed to know what they wanted in the womb, all of them except me.”
“And me,” Carrie lamented. “Funny how you were the youngest and felt lost. Cait and I are the oldest in our generation. She recognized her destiny even before she got out of high school. She’s determined to be a doctor and save the world. Not even marriage and a baby have derailed her plans.”
Luke grinned. “And your goals aren’t that lofty?”
“I’m not sure I even have goals,” she admitted. “I thought I did. I enjoyed PR work well enough. I was good at it, too. And I liked being in the fashion industry, but that was more about being with Marc than the work. It didn’t break my heart when another job in fashion didn’t materialize right away. Working with him is what I miss most, so that must be telling me something.”
Luke studied her with a commiserating look. “Have you figured out the message?”
She shrugged. “Nope. All I know is that I hate being at loose ends.”
“What about that trip you took with Uncle Mick to Africa? Any inspiration there?”
Her grandparents had gone to Africa to check out several villages in dire need of medical help, especially since the outbreak of Ebola had had such a devastating impact. Mick had been drafted by Cait and a doctor in Baltimore into designing small medical facilities for the villages to provide the care they so desperately needed. It had been an eye-opening trip with an idealistic mission she admired.
“Sure. It made me realize how lucky we’ve all been. I’ve donated a ton of money from my trust fund to the cause because I’ve seen firsthand how worthwhile it is, but I don’t want to return, not the way Cait’s chomping at the bit to go. She was so envious that I got to go with Grandpa Mick and Grandma Megan. Me?” She shook her head. “I could hardly wait to get back home.”
“The States?”
“Not just the States, but here, back in Chesapeake Shores. I thought once I got here everything would magically become clear to me.”
Luke gave her a long, considering look. “Have you thought about staying here, Carrie? Really thought about it? I always knew this town was right for me. It was just about the only thing I did know, but you’ve lived in a lot of exciting cities—New York, Milan, Paris. Are you absolutely certain Chesapeake Shores is big enough for you?”
She frowned at the question, which seemed to suggest a shallowness she didn’t appreciate. She didn’t need glitz and glamour. She really didn’t. She’d had a taste of it. That had been enough.
“What do you mean?” she challenged. “This is home for me, Luke, the same as it is for you.”
“If you say so,” he said, his doubts still evident.
“I do say so.”
“You were born in New York,” he reminded her. “You went to college there, too, and traveled all over the world when you were working in fashion. I’ve only been to Ireland, where things were pretty laid-back, especially in the smaller villages, but I imagine the lifestyle here is very different from the glamorous places you’ve seen in France and Italy. It’s definitely a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York.”
Though her instinct was to counter Luke’s obvious skepticism with complete certainty, she took a sip
of her wine and actually gave the question some thought.
“It is different, but in a good way,” she replied slowly, trying to put her gut feelings into words. “The pace is slower. The values are different. Family really counts for something. Mom saw that. She left New York and brought me and Caitlyn back here.”
“Because she was in love with Trace,” Luke said.
Carrie sighed. “Yes, Trace did play a big part in her decision, but she’s been happy being home. She’d tell you that. She’s figured out how to balance the career she loves and the family she loves even more.”
“Balance is important,” Luke agreed, then gave her another of his annoying long looks. “What do you envision doing with your life here? I know the ambition gene can’t possibly have skipped over you completely. All O’Briens have it.”
“Not me,” she admitted as if it were a crime. Luke was right about one thing—O’Briens were expected to be excellent multitaskers, and, despite her last name being Winters, she was an O’Brien through and through. Luke had brought the conversation full circle, right back to those goals that seemed to be eluding her. She’d been so blasted lucky her entire life. What right did she have to complain about an unexpected bump in the road?
“All I ever really wanted was to be a wife and mom,” she told her cousin. She made the admission in a hushed voice, as if it were some sort of crime to want so little for herself.
When Luke didn’t react as if she were crazy, she continued, “Gram was my role model. Nell made a real home for Mom and her siblings after Grandpa Mick and Grandma Megan split up. I always saw myself doing that same thing—cooking, baking, nurturing my kids—right here, surrounded by family. All through college I kept expecting to meet someone and fall in love. I practically made a career out of dating. I thought for sure I’d get a marriage license fifteen minutes after I picked up my diploma.”
Dogwood Hill Page 33
