Best of My Love (Fool's Gold)

by Susan Mallery

  “He loves you,” she insisted. “He’ll never say it, but I know he feels it.”

  “If you say so.”

  Which was more polite than what he was thinking. As far as he was concerned, his father barely knew who he was. Without having the ability to create art, Aidan couldn’t possibly matter. The statement had no moral value. It simply was. His father would never change. Neither would his mother.

  Aidan had never thought about that before. That his parents simply were. He struggled to understand what Elaine saw in her husband, but maybe that wasn’t his job. Instead of trying to make sense of it, he could accept the facts as they were.

  Charlie trotted back to check on them. Aidan gave him a quick pat, then picked up a small stick and threw it. The little dog raced after it.

  “I wish you and your brothers could see things from his perspective,” she said with a sigh.

  “There’s a scary thought.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not ready to peek into the mind of an artist.”

  “It’s so interesting that three of you have his gift and you and Del don’t.”

  Interesting wasn’t exactly the word he would have used.

  “Are you ever sorry?” she asked.

  “I can’t miss what I’ve never had. I don’t know what it’s like to create in the way Nick and the twins do.” He paused as he realized what he’d said. “Sorry, Mom. I still think of them as the twins.”

  “I do, too,” she admitted. “They’ll always be that to me.”

  “And Ronan will always be your favorite?”

  She stopped. “He was never that.”

  Aidan waited.

  Elaine made a tsking sound. “It wasn’t like that.” She linked arms with him and they started walking again.

  “When your father told me what he’d done, I was devastated. I had to forgive him, of course. Because if I didn’t, I couldn’t stay.”

  “You wanted to be with him always.” Not a question. How could it be when he knew the answer?

  “Of course. He told me about the baby and that she wanted to give it up. I knew what he was asking. What he expected. I couldn’t agree, but I did say I would go see the baby. That’s how I thought of him then. As the baby.”

  Her expression turned wistful. “I knew I’d hate him on sight. That I’d have to refuse. Then I held him and in that moment my heart told me the truth. That I could love him as if he’d been one of my own. We took him home that day.”

  “What happened to his birth mother?”

  “She died a few years later. We were notified through a lawyer. I’d already adopted Ronan legally, so that wasn’t an issue. He’s your brother, Aidan. As much as if I’d given birth to him.”

  He couldn’t imagine that level of love. To take in your partner’s bastard child and raise it as your own. Joyfully. He would bet his mother never once regretted what she’d done. Never had a moment’s doubt. He might not agree with her feelings about his father, but he couldn’t question the size of her heart.

  He put his arm around her and drew her close. “You’re an extraordinary woman, Elaine Mitchell.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m just like everyone else.”

  He knew that wasn’t true on so many levels. He supposed the character that kept her stuck with his father had been the reason she could love Ronan so deeply. The good with the bad.

  Maybe there weren’t answers, he thought as they continued walking along the trail. Maybe there was only acceptance and the knowledge that most people did the best they could with what they had.

  * * *

  ONE OF THE things Shelby liked best about living in Fool’s Gold was the rhythm of the seasons. Festivals, banners, decorative flags and window art marked the passage of time in a charming and engaging way. There was a sense of community. Of belonging. Which meant when the call went out that help was needed to plant flower baskets, everyone volunteered.

  So she wasn’t surprised when she showed up at the Plants for the Planet parking lot and found over a dozen people already there. She waved at several friends, then smiled when she saw Aidan had taken charge of things. He’d divided them into groups of three. Baskets and soil were being distributed, as were flowers. Shelby walked over to join him.

  “Look at you, all in charge.”

  He shrugged. “Felicia was here about fifteen minutes ago and passed the baton to me. It’s planting flowers. How hard could it be?”

  “You should take more credit.”

  “I will later. When I’m talking to my friends, I will have single-handedly done all this myself.”

  She laughed and went to join a woman working by herself. She was in her midforties and Shelby thought maybe she’d seen her at one of the single’s group functions.

  “Shelby, right?” the woman asked as Shelby approached. “I’m Fran. Nice to see you again.”

  “Hi. This should be fun. Very spring-like.”

  Fran handed Shelby a pair of gardening gloves. “I like to get my annual volunteer project done early. Then I don’t have to feel guilty for the rest of the year.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. Good for us.”

  Shelby collected a half-dozen baskets while Fran opened a bag of soil. Together they maneuvered it into place so they could fill the baskets to the designated mark.

  “He’s good-looking,” Fran said, nodding toward Aidan. “When I first met you two, you said you were just friends. Is that true?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’m sorry to be nosy, but why? If you’re both available, why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that?”

  Shelby didn’t know how to answer the question. Oh, she had plenty of words, but no one ever believed them. “It’s an experiment,” she said at last. “I needed to learn to trust men and Aidan, well, he needed some time off his regular life.” Because what Aidan was dealing with was his business, she thought.

  “We agreed to be friends for six months. To get to know each other and simply hang out and do things without letting sex get in the way.”

  “But sometimes sex is the best part,” Fran pointed out. “Don’t you miss it?”

  “Of course. Aidan’s totally hot and I’d have to be dead not to think about it. But doing without is better.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re focused on what’s important. I’ve really grown and changed in the past few months. I’m a better person.”

  “Sure.” Fran sounded doubtful. “I guess that’s worth something. I’m not saying sex is the only thing that matters, but honestly, I don’t know how you’re doing it. I would simply throw myself at him.”

  Shelby busied herself with smoothing the soil so that Fran couldn’t see her face. She had thrown herself at Aidan. More than once. And he kept telling her no. She knew why. At least, she was pretty sure she did.

  Unless he was just being kind.

  The concept was so shocking, she nearly fell over.

  “You okay?” Fran asked.

  “Yes. Sorry. I lost my balance. Let me start taking the flowers out of the plastic containers. You can put them in the pots.”

  “That works.”

  Shelby concentrated on removing the little squares of soil and roots, then passing the plants over to Fran. Her fingers were moving in one direction, but her brain was somewhere else.

  Was that it? What if Aidan had no interest in her? What if he really did just think of her as a friend? Maybe he was saying all that other stuff to be kind. She knew that he liked her...at least as a friend. So he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her.

  Was that it? She didn’t want it to be, but maybe it was. Maybe he was embarrassed by her behavior. Or worse—maybe he felt sorry for her! She couldn’t stand that. Just thinking abou
t it made her face get hot. She wanted to run. She felt embarrassed and ashamed.

  She watched him circulate among the groups and knew it was just a matter of time until he joined them. What was she going to say?

  Whatever was most appropriate for the situation, she told herself. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Liking someone wasn’t bad. Wanting to make love with Aidan didn’t make her an evil person. She was attracted to him. There was no shame in that.

  “You ladies doing all right?” Aidan asked.

  Shelby forced herself to look up and smile. “We’re great. With so many people helping, we’ll be done in no time.”

  “We still on to visit Destiny later?”

  She wanted to say no. She wanted to say there’d been a change of plans. But after she’d moved to Fool’s Gold, she’d promised herself she would never react out of fear again. So she nodded. “We are.”

  “Good.”

  He walked away. Fran stared after him.

  “You’re a stronger woman than me,” she said with an appreciative sigh. “I would so want me a piece of that.”

  Shelby and Fran continued to work on their baskets. About an hour later Felicia returned with several guys driving trucks. The baskets were loaded up to be distributed and displayed around town. Shelby stripped off her gloves, got a bottle of water and started to walk home. She had an hour until Aidan would be by to pick her up and she wanted to shower.

  But before she got to the end of the street, she heard a woman calling her name. She turned and saw Taryn Whittaker walking toward her.

  Despite Taryn’s five-inch wedge heels, she moved quickly. Her white fitted dress emphasized her lithe figure. Her dark hair was pulled back in a braid that moved in time with her steps. She looked cool and elegant, not to mention totally at odds with the town. But that was Taryn. She didn’t let living in Fool’s Gold keep her from her love of all things designer.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” Taryn said as she approached. “Were you gardening?”

  Shelby glanced down at her dirty jeans and smudged T-shirt. “Does it show?”

  Taryn laughed. “I garden, too. At home, where I can give Angel instructions while I watch. I do enjoy watching that man lift and tote.” She sighed. “Which isn’t why I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a second?”

  “Sure.”

  Taryn pointed to a bench. They walked over to it and sat down. Shelby ignored the sense of being a peasant next to a princess. For all her extensive grooming, Taryn was a regular kind of person. At least on the inside.

  “So I’ve heard about you buying the bakery. I think that’s fantastic,” Taryn began. “This town is all about female power and I don’t want that to change.”

  “I’m not sure buying a small business qualifies as female power, but okay.”

  “It does. Trust me.” Taryn lowered her voice. “I’ve been very fortunate in my career. Score is successful and with success comes financial reward. Jack helped me when I was young. He didn’t have to, but he did. Ever since, I’ve made it a point to do the same. Help other people. Buying a business is expensive. Rumor is you want to lease the space next door and add a commercial kitchen. Also not cheap. I absolutely think you should go for it. To that end, I’d like to offer you a loan. My terms are fair, slightly better than the bank, and I require less paperwork.”

  Shelby sucked in a breath. “Taryn, that’s so generous. And shocking.”

  “I’ve done it before,” the other woman said. “To be honest, I have my finger in a few pies around town.” She laughed. “Pies is a fun metaphor considering you’re going to buy a bakery, but you know what I mean. It’s up to you. Just think about it. I don’t want to be your business partner. We’d make sure there was a buyout strategy. I’m just saying, if you want it, the money is yours.”

  Shelby didn’t have all the numbers yet, but she’d gotten some preliminary estimates from a contractor and the remodel was going to be over seventy thousand dollars. When added to how much she would need to buy out Amber, it was a lot of money. She thought about asking Taryn if she was prepared to offer that much, then realized the question was silly. Taryn would have done her homework before seeking her out.

  “You’re even more well-off than I’d thought,” Shelby admitted.

  Taryn laughed. “Like I said. I’ve done well. I want to pay it forward. Or whatever that phrase is.” She smiled, then rose. “Think about it.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “YOU’RE GOING TO let him run the meeting?” Destiny asked, her voice teasing.

  As the question wasn’t directed at him, Aidan didn’t bother answering. He wasn’t concerned with what Destiny thought about him. Instead he found himself oddly relieved that she seemed so much better.

  “Aidan is a very capable party planner,” Shelby murmured in a low singsong voice. “Isn’t he, my beautiful girl? Yes, he is. Yes, he is.”

  Had she been anyone else, he would have totally freaked at her obvious affection for Destiny’s baby. Even from across the living room, he could hear the tick-tick of her biological clock. But it wasn’t his problem, he told himself. He and Shelby weren’t together that way. She wasn’t going to look to him to be her baby daddy.

  A good thing. He wanted to improve his character. Not settle down. At least that was what he’d always told himself.

  Destiny sipped what looked like a disgusting green smoothie and eyed him. “A party planner, huh? How many parties have you planned?”

  “My entire business is about getting people from point A to point B and back safely, on skis or bikes or while parasailing. I can handle a birthday party for a sixteen-year-old.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Aren’t we confident?”

  “Aren’t we feeling better than we were last time?”

  Destiny laughed. “Okay. Point taken. I’m giving you sass because I’m feeling pretty good. I’m sorry about the meltdown the other day.”

  “You’re a new mother. You have a lot going on.” Shelby touched the gurgling baby’s face. “Your mommy is a famous singer. Yes, she is.”

  “I’m not famous.”

  “Not yet. You will be.”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure I want that,” Destiny admitted. “I saw what too much fame did to my parents. But some kind of success would be nice.” She sipped her drink and looked at Aidan. “Let’s talk about the party.”

  She was completely different from the last time he’d seen her. The dark circles were gone and she seemed more relaxed. He knew that in addition to letting them take care of Starr’s party, Destiny had started sharing the responsibility of Tonya a little more. She’d also told her manager to back off for the next month while she continued to recover from childbirth. An impressive turnaround.

  He supposed the lesson was that everyone was capable of changing, when motivated. Look at him. He’d come a long way.

  Tonya began fussing. Shelby rocked her. Destiny took one more sip of her green drink, then stood.

  “Sorry, guys. She’s hungry. I was hoping she’d eat before you got here, but we’re having another schedule shift. Give me ten or fifteen minutes and I’ll be back.”

  She collected the baby and walked out of the room. Shelby watched her go.

  “She has to be so happy,” she said wistfully.

  “Feeling the need?”

  “A little. I always knew I wanted kids, but I was scared. If that makes sense.”

  “Sure. You wouldn’t want anyone to go through what you went through. Why wouldn’t you be cautious?”

  “You’re becoming so insightful.”

  He gave any exaggerated sigh. “I know. Perfection looms. Soon I’ll be a demigod.”

  She laughed. “If only that were true. I could say I knew you when. Do you want
kids?”

  And they were back to that.

  For a second, he felt a tightening in his chest. The precursor to panic. But there was no need for worry. Not with Shelby. He would trust her the way he wouldn’t trust other women.

  “Sure. Kids would be great. I like kids. I come from a big family, so more is better.”

  “I’d like four,” she told him.

  “That’s a lot.”

  “I like the idea of happy chaos and noise. Plus they’d be there for each other the way Kipling was there for me. That was always a good feeling.”

  Aidan nodded. “When I was growing up, Del had my back. We both took care of the younger ones. Especially the twins.” He paused. “I’m never going to think of them as anything other than the twins.”

  “Does that have to change?”

  “They’re not twins. They never were.”

  “But it’s how you think of them. I wonder if it’s how they think of themselves.”

  Aidan had no idea how Mathias and Ronan had worked things out. Or even if they had. “They live in the same town, work in the same studio space. They must have come to terms in some way.”

  “It had to have been hard, though. One second they thought they knew who they were and the next, their whole identity had changed. Ronan lost his family and Mathias lost a part of himself.”

  He wanted to say she was being dramatic, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe she was the one who had it right. Ronan must have felt like a fraud, or at the very least, an interloper. Mathias would have, as Shelby had pointed out, lost a piece of who he was. He knew for his two youngest brothers, their “twinness” had defined them. What had it been like to find out it had never existed?

  “Look at us, all philosophical,” Shelby teased. “Next thing you know, we’ll be solving global problems.”

  “Or attempting to.”

  She laughed and stood, stretching her arms over head before bending down to touch her toes.

  She was petite, with small bones and a slightness about her that belied her internal strength. He should have realized how tough she was when she’d first approached him about her plan. That had taken guts and determination.