“We should.” The words were spoken so quietly she almost missed them.
Karise smiled; it was a pretty thought.
Aidan caught her hand in his, sitting up a little and looking down at her. “I mean it – we should do this forever.”
The confusion must have been evident on her face because he tried again.
“I’m saying I think we should get married. Will you marry me, Karise? I’m sorry I’m not doing a better job of this – I should have a ring and some big set-up. You deserve a proper proposal…” he drifted off when Karise placed a finger on his lips.
“You’re doing a fine job of it,” she assured him. “Do you want to know what I was thinking about when you walked in today? I was thinking about you, about being your wife and having your baby. Being a mom to Zoe, or the closest thing I can be. I want nothing more than to be part of your family.”
He studied her face. “But?”
“I’m scared.” She held nothing back. “We’re so new. I don’t want to hurt you; I don’t want to hurt Zoe. What if I’m more Victoria McAlister’s daughter than I care to admit? I hurt William. I’d never forgive myself if I did the same to you.”
“William didn’t deserve you in the first place.” Aidan’s face grew dark. “And I might not have known Victoria McAlister, but I saw the damage left in her wake, and I can assure you that you’re nothing like her. I’d venture to guess there’s a lot more of your father in you than your mother.”
“Everything in me wants to say yes.”
He brushed a kiss against her temple, his breath warm on her skin as he spoke. “The offer will still be there when there’s nothing holding you back.”
“Thank you.”
The easygoing Aidan was back. The dark clouds passed from his eyes, and he smiled at her. “Will you at least help me convince Zoe to add on to the house?”
Karise brightened instantly. “I’ve been working on something. I’ve been dying to show you…”
“But you’ve been busy,” he good-naturedly finished.
“Right.” She climbed out of the bed. “Wait right here.” She slid into a robe; people here had a habit of walking into her cottage first and knocking later. The worst offender was in her bed, but Gavin wasn’t much better, and she’d never live down the mortification if he walked in on her in all her glory.
It wasn’t Gavin she found standing in her doorway, though. It was her brother and sister, one wearing an expression of irritation, one of amusement. Behind them stood their spouses. Karise could hear children playing in her front yard.
“Surprise!” Alex couldn’t contain the laughter any longer.
Karise wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Her clothes – and more importantly, Aidan’s – were still in the bathroom. It was a tiny house. There would be no discreetly retrieving them. She held up a finger. “Wait right there. Give me just one minute.”
At that, she fled, scooping up their clothes and scurrying to the bedroom.
“Who’s here?” Aidan’s confusion was evident as he caught the jeans she hurled at him.
“My entire family.” She struggled not to panic as she shimmied into her slacks. “Well, not my dad. Dear God, I hope my father isn’t here, too.”
“Seriously?” Aidan looked like he was going to be sick. “Your brother is going to hate me.”
“He’ll get over it.” Karise scooped her hair into a clip and straightened her blouse. “Hurry up and get out there.”
“How do you know he’ll get over it?” Aidan scowled as he tucked in his shirt. “How do you know Christmas won’t be awkward for the rest of our lives?”
Karise paused in the doorway and glanced back at Aidan, her face softening as she did. “He has to get over it because I love you. We’re a package deal now, you and me.”
Aidan froze. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
Karise’s head bobbled a bit before she smiled and whispered, “Yes.”
Aidan let out a whoop and dove for her, gathering her into his arms with such zeal it knocked them both into the hallway. He kissed her once and then twice, the smile never leaving his face.
“Could you maybe at least put the pause button on groping my sister now that you have an audience?” Devon was seething; his voice dripped with it.
Aidan’s joy was undiminished as he turned to greet them. “Sorry, but I couldn’t contain myself. She just made me the happiest man alive.”
“I don’t want to hear the dirty details. This is twice she’s blown off a meeting with me to… make you happy.”
Karise had never heard Devon sputter before. It was amusing and a little terrifying. Having no experience in this arena, she had no idea how to respond to an overprotective big brother.
Alex, on the other hand, was skilled in that regard. She smacked him on the arm and rolled her eyes. “You idiot. He’s not giving you bedroom secrets. He’s trying to tell you they’re engaged.”
“Wait, what?” Devon’s scowl deepened.
“How did you know?” Karise met Alex’s eyes. Their first in-person meeting was nothing like Karise had imagined.
“That’s the face of a woman who just said yes.” Alex stepped forward to hug Karise. “Congratulations. I’m so sorry for our timing.”
Jane and Daniel took that as their cue to move past a confused Devon, being introduced and offering their congratulations at the same time. Karise was completely and totally overwhelmed. A glance at Aidan told her he was, too.
Karise hugged Jane tight. “It is soooo good to see you. I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.”
“I was just going to say the same to you.” The sweet blonde returned the hug, her voice as gentle as its bearer. She greeted Aidan with the same warmth; he visibly eased in response.
Alex greeted him in her typical amused and slightly sassy manner. Daniel shook his hand and pulled him closer long enough to quietly assure Aidan he’d once been in the same shoes. Devon hung back, still aloof, though some of the ice had melted.
Karise took the moment to steal away from the crowd to hug Devon. “I’m sorry your surprise didn’t work out the way you planned.”
“I thought it would be a happy thing, to show up a little earlier than planned and spend some time getting to know each other. I wanted to make it about us, not just about taking care of her.” Disappointment laced his words. Karise couldn’t tell, but he might have even been a little embarrassed.
“It is a happy thing. It just got off to a bumpy start. We’ll laugh about it someday.”
“I’m laughing about it today,” Alex interrupted.
Devon didn’t look amused.
“Oh come on. You can’t begrudge me enjoying this. I spent my whole life making you crazy. It’s fun to have someone to share that responsibility with.” Alex wrapped her arms around both of them, resting her head on Devon’s shoulder and looking up at him impishly.
“You are such a brat.” His accusation was a loving one. “Did it ever occur to you to not drive me crazy, to let me live my life in peace?”
“Not once.”
It was Karise’s turn to laugh. “I do have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
“Oh boy.” Devon chuckled, squeezing both sisters tight.
“You’re in trouble now, my friend,” Daniel warned.
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it.” This time Devon’s scowl was more playful.
An alarm sounded from Aidan’s pocket, drawing attention back his way. “Sorry. That’s my reminder to go pick up Zoe from school.”
“A reminder.” Karise face-palmed. “That’s brilliant. I totally should have set a reminder.”
“Did you forget to pick up my daughter?” Aidan cocked his head, regarding her with a measure of mirth.
“No.” Karise was defensive. “I mean, I might have been a couple minutes late, but I didn’t forget.”
Aidan’s smile reassured her he was only teasing. He waded through the crowd of people to claim her hand, tugging
her toward him for a goodbye hug. He wrapped one arm around her waist and brushed a chaste kiss against her forehead. She closed her eyes briefly and leaned into him, letting the knowledge wash over her that he belonged to her.
“You have a daughter?” Alex asked.
“Yes. Zoe – she’s almost five.”
“And just about the cutest kid on the planet,” Karise added with a measure of pride.
“You should all come to dinner tonight. She’d be thrilled to meet Karise’s family,” he offered.
“Actually, I think Kate is planning a little get-together,” Devon answered. “Perhaps tomorrow?”
“Kate was in on this?” It was Aidan’s turn to scowl. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Once Alex and I settled on our plans, I called to introduce myself and to ask if she minded our family descending on her winery for a while. She was all for it. I believe it was her husband’s idea to surprise Aidan, too.”
“Of course it was.” Aidan rolled his eyes. “I’ll have to thank him for that one personally.”
Karise bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Go get Zoe. You can thump Gavin later. Can you two come by for whatever Kate has planned?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he promised.
Karise watched him go, her head spinning from all that happened in the past few hours.
“He’s cute.” Jane came to stand by Karise.
“He’s a total doll.” Alex joined them.
The three women watched him stop to chat with the kids in the yard before hopping in his truck and pulling away. Now that she’d abandoned her fears and agreed to marry him, she wanted to do just that, right away. She couldn’t wait to start their life together.
Her attention was pulled away from Aidan’s retreating truck back to her family. She had two nieces and a nephew to meet, and years to catch up on.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
KARISE COULDN’T HELP peeking through the curtains one more time, wondering why Aidan wasn’t back yet with Zoe. Of course, maybe it was for the best that he wasn’t here to listen to Devon recount their welcome to Gavin and Kate. The former was enjoying the tale entirely too much.
“I even scheduled a meeting with her, thinking that would ensure she’d be home and free.” Devon shook his head as if he didn’t know what to do with his incorrigible little sister.
She turned from the window to frown at him. “I sent you a text canceling.”
“I didn’t get it; I was on a plane on my way here.”
Karise shrugged. “I tried.”
“I can’t help it if you two can’t keep your hands off each other.”
Karise couldn’t be sure if he was teasing. She surprised herself with her response, though. “Have you seen him?”
Alex snickered. Kate beamed. Gavin guffawed.
“You seem especially eager for Aidan to get here tonight,” Kate observed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled, but I’m beginning to wonder if there’s something going on here.”
Karise’s only response was a knowing smile. She’d asked her family not to tell Kate and about the engagement until Aidan arrived. Now he was taking so long to get back, she was about to burst with the news.
“You two really should come visit us in Tuwanga sometime.” Alex steered the conversation away from Aidan and Karise gave her a look of gratitude. “It’s a lovely little island. Although your home is like something out of a painting.”
“Actually, this is my aunt’s home. Karise is building us a home of our own on the other side of the property,” Kate explained. “I’ll have to show it to you tomorrow. It’s amazing.”
“I’d like that.”
“You don’t seem like royalty,” Gavin observed, then amended, “In a good way.”
“We’re not,” Daniel corrected. “Lani is the only royal. I’m her guardian. Alex is just a tagalong.”
Alex smacked Daniel’s arm. “You are such a jerk.”
“But a handsome jerk,” he reminded her.
“You’re not as cute as you think you are.”
Karise would have begged to differ. Daniel’s bright, pretty eyes reminded Karise of the ocean. His hair looked like it had been kissed by the sun. He had a solid jaw and the kind of body that made women give a happy little sigh before they could catch themselves.
Of course, Alex was a beautiful woman. She shared Devon’s coffee- colored hair and toffee eyes. They even had the same dimple. She was long and lean and full of sass. Karise realized with a start that a good part of her avoiding Alex for so long was she felt inferior. Now that she owned the emotion, it seemed obvious and kind of stupid.
Her revelation was interrupted by the rumble of Aidan’s truck. She brightened, forcing herself to wait for him to park before going to greet them. She opened the door just in time for Clyde to happily let himself in.
“That’s a lot of dog.” Daniel let out a low whistle. One of his toddlers made a beeline for Clyde while the other took off in the opposite direction, terrified. Lani glanced up from her phone to see what Daniel was talking about before returning to the text conversation that had held her captive for the better part of half an hour.
Zoe came bursting in right behind Clyde, greeting Karise with a delighted squeal before realizing the room was full. Shyness overtook her and she leaned in to whisper in Karise’s ear, “We got you a present.”
“Really? Thank you, sweetie.” She gave Zoe a quick hug.
“Hello, my love,” Aidan greeted her with a kiss.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Karise admonished lightly, accepting the bag he held out to her.
“Someone wise told me good things are worth waiting for,” he reminded her, a twinkle in his eyes. “Open it.”
He closed the door behind him, leaning against it and watching Karise as she peeked inside the bag. She pulled a small box from it, opening it with trembling hands.
“It’s a ring!” Zoe clapped. “I knew you were going to marry my daddy.”
Karise was vaguely aware of Kate’s happy dance. Her eyes flew from the ring to Aidan and back again. “It’s beautiful.”
He took the ring out of the box, holding it up so she could examine it. The round cut center stone was framed by two smaller pear cut stones. The delicate white gold band swirled around the diamonds prettily. “It’s called ‘Poppy.’ That seemed fitting.”
“It’s perfect.” She held her hand out for him to slide it over her finger. It fit as if it had been crafted for her alone. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him. Not to be left out, Zoe hugged Karise’s leg.
Aidan scooped up his daughter, wrapping her in the hug he gave Karise. “My girls are perfect.”
Kate rose to join the hugging party. “I’m going to die of happy right here and now.” Gavin proposed a toast to the happy couple as laughter and congratulations flowed freely. Zoe was thrilled to be part of the center of attention. She also was completely and totally enthralled by the real-live queen in their midst, who’d pulled herself away from the phone to enchant them all.
Karise watched Alex interact with Lani, wondering how long it had taken the pair to form such a close bond. Maybe Alex could offer Karise some advice on being a stepmother. As it was, the prospect terrified Karise. Her time alone with Zoe had proven to her the mom gig wasn’t her forte. Alex, on the other hand, seemed to have it nailed down.
Dinner was a noisy affair; the conversation never dimmed. Jonathan, the youngest in the room, took it all in with wide-eyed fascination. Alex’s twins treated him like a new play-thing – he wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Kate surprised them all by announcing that he’d have to get used to it, because she and Gavin had decided to try for their second child.
“Two children under two years old?” Aidan shook his head. “You know, most people call that an accident.”
“Kate never does anything by the book anymore.” Gavin shrugged.
“I used to always do everything by the book,” she reminded
him. “It’s your fault, Gavin. You created this monster.”
He smiled and leaned over to kiss her tenderly on the lips. “And I’ve never regretted it for a second. I’d have a dozen babies with you. We do good work.”
“How many children do you guys want, Karise?” Daniel surprised her with the question.
“Not a dozen,” was Karise’s laughing response.
“But maybe close,” Aidan amended, earning him a wary look from Karise.
“Can we compromise and say four?”
“You’re having children?” Zoe dropped her fork and stared at them.
“It’s been discussed,” Aidan began cautiously.
“But we’re mostly being silly right now,” Karise assured her. “When we get serious about that topic, you’ll be in on the discussion.”
“I’m not sharing my room.” Zoe’s entire face went into her frown.
“Then I guess we need to start by finding our compromise on that house addition, huh?” Karise kept her tone light. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex smack Daniel on the arm and she had to stifle a giggle.
“You know Zoe, Devon and I are going to have children soon,” Jane joined the conversation.
Zoe nodded, turning her attention to the woman. “Yep. Two girls and a boy. Will they be as pretty as you?”
“Thank you for that lovely compliment.” Jane blushed a little. “They don’t look like me, but they are each very beautiful. I can’t hardly think of anything else besides bringing them home. I think that’s why Devon brought me with him, so I don’t sit at home watching the calendar.”
“And I’d have been sad if he hadn’t,” Karise amended.
“You know, one of our little girls is just about your age. You’ll have someone new to play with next time we visit. Or maybe you could come visit us sometime.” Jane had a way about her that had Karise nodding right along with Zoe. There was such love pouring out of Devon’s eyes when he watched her; it made Karise’s heart happy to see them together.
In fact, each of the couples surrounding her had that. Karise looked around the table, marveling at what she saw. All of their stories were different, but each had the same central theme running through it: Love wins. Karise had spent the bulk of her life thinking love was a pipe dream meant for fools, and she couldn’t have been more wrong. She’d spent so much time focusing on the pain Victoria had caused Pablo that she’d ignored the years of happiness that came with his marriage to Lucia. Her focus had been all wrong; she’d given way too much attention to the bad things. That stopped now.
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