Page 48 of Silverstorm

“You did?” He was genuinely surprised. “That’s high praise indeed,” he added. “I don’t think any other girl ever did that for me.” He squeezed the soft roundness of her buttock suggestively. “Do you remember what it said?” he asked, unable to keep the teasing note out of his voice.

“No, I do not,” she said, pretending to be prim. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t give away my teenage fantasies.” She giggled, then hesitated, sucking in a breath. “Back then, I was so young and naïve, merely a girl with a stupid crush. But now… This is real, and big, and important. You know what I mean?”

He studied her for a second. “You’re right,” he agreed. “This is so much more than I could ever have dreamed of. I can’t wait to start our life together. And I can’t wait to meet Bunny,” he added.

She laid a protective hand across her belly. She’d been doing that more and more lately; a completely maternal action that she probably wasn’t even aware of. “Thank you, Jude. For being you. For coming to find me in an ice storm. For loving me like you do.”

“I’d do it all over again,” he said, laying his lips alongside her ear.

“I know you would. But let’s hope you never have to.”

“Amen,” he agreed.

CHAPTER TWENTY

ONE YEAR LATER

Aria sat at the table, watching all the people mill around inside the large dining area, Thea nestled safely in her lap, chewing on a spoon. She could hardly believe all these people were here for her. Well, for her baby, but at her bequest. Thea was three months old today, and it was also the day of her christening.

Naomi swooped in and plucked the baby right out of Aria’s arms. “My turn to hold the little munchkin.” Thea gurgled with glee in Naomi’s arms as she swung her up in the air and then brought the baby’s face in close to kiss her cherub cheek. Thea loved Naomi, and Naomi loved Thea back, fiercely and unreservedly. No baby could ask for a better grandmother. Aria felt a twinge of regret that her own mother hadn’t lived to see this day. She missed Iliana, too. Missed the possibilities they could’ve had, the shared families they might’ve brought up together. She was still sad that Iliana had lost all this when she’d been so young, with her whole life ahead of her. But Aria was learning to accept the good things in life and not dwell on things she couldn’t change. And this day was just about as good as it got.

Thea Iliana Cusack was a sight to behold. She smiled so beatifically at Naomi, it brought joy to Aria’s heart just to see it. Thea was a bright, bubbly baby, the life of the party, whom everyone wanted to cuddle.

When she and Jude eventually get married next year, they’d already decided to hyphenate Thea’s last name to Cusack-Wilder. Aria wanted her daughter to continue the Cusack legacy. Some people might think that perhaps Aria would want to hide the terrible things that’d happened in her life, but Aria wanted to embrace them. What didn’t kill you, made you stronger, and so she wanted her daughter to understand the hardships her family had gone through to bring her safely into the world. Aria also wanted Thea to take Jude’s name. He was her father in every way that mattered. One day, she’d tell her daughter the truth about her biological father, but she hoped by then, Jude would always be the one she called Dad. And after they were married, Jude would legally adopt Thea as his own daughter. The idea made Aria’s heart expand like a balloon.

Penny came over and sat down next to Aria. “Thea’s dress is gorgeous,” she gushed. “She looked so cute up there in your arms.”

“Yes, until she decided she didn’t like the minister.” Aria frowned, remembering how Thea had screwed up her face and threatened to cry when the minister came near.

“I don’t blame her.” Penny jumped to Thea’s defense. “That man had scary, bushy eyebrows. I didn’t much care for him either.” Penny made a face and waggled her eyebrows, much like the minister had done, which made Aria laugh. Penny had become a steadfast friend, and it’d been a no-brainer to ask her to become Thea’s godmother. Penny had jumped at the chance, squealing in delight when Aria had posed the question. And while Clayton had been taken by surprise when she and Jude had asked him to become Thea’s godfather, he’d also graciously accepted. Penny and Clayton were planning a wedding for next year, as well, but Penny had let it slip that they were already trying for a baby, because she couldn’t wait that long. And seeing Thea with Aria and Jude, seeing how they were such a happy family together, made her desperate to start a family, too.

The christening had been held at Stargazer, of course. Naomi had insisted and how could Aria argue when Dean and Naomi offered their beautiful lodge, as well as Stella’s magic French cooking skills. The christening had been held in the main atrium, with the high ceilings and enormous glass windows soaring above them. Then they’d moved to the restaurant, where everyone was relaxing with a glass of champagne and some of Stella’s amazing hors d’oeuvres. The pile of pink-wrapped presents on a table in the corner was making Aria nervous. She’d never seen so many presents in all her life; it was a little embarrassing. But also uplifting to know so many people cared about Thea.

Stella whizzed past with a tray full of little stuffed mushrooms, looking a little frazzled. “I might go and see if I can help,” Penny said, catching Stella’s eye. She took off in Stella’s wake, leaving Aria alone at the table.

“Hello, love of my life.” Jude leaned in and kissed her cheek, then took a seat next to her. “Where is the other love of my life?” he asked, taking her hand under the table.

“Naomi has her,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I think we should anoint Naomi with granny status. What do you think?” Aria had been considering the notion for a few weeks now. Thea had no natural grandparents of her own, but she was still surrounded by a family of people who loved her. This parenting thing was hard, but there was nothing to say Aria couldn’t make up the rules as she went along. And Naomi and Dean fit the bill perfectly to fill the roles of grandparents.

“She’s everything a real granny should be, and more,” Jude agreed. “I think she’d be over the moon.” Good. She was glad Jude agreed with her, because he had a say in every decision she made about Aria’s future.

“Which would make Dean a grandad,” Aria added with a mischievous wink. Dean had taken to Thea almost as quickly as Naomi, but was he ready to be called a grandad? She was sure Naomi would talk him around, even if he wasn’t.

“It was a good day,” Jude said, his eyes drifting around the room, watching all the people they cared about enjoying their time together.

“Yes, it was,” Aria replied with a tired sigh. The long day was beginning to take its toll. While she couldn’t have asked for anything more special and filled with fun and laughter, she needed a bit of alone time with just her and Jude and the baby.

“You ready to go home?” he asked, catching her mood immediately.

“Yes, please,” she replied, shifting a lock of her long hair over her shoulder. She’d kept her hair long because Jude liked it so much. But there were days when she wished to cut it all off, especially when Thea caught a handful of it and pulled. Perhaps it was time to get a more grown-up haircut, something more manageable. Aria shrugged lightly. One more thing she was moving on with in her life.

“I’ll go find our daughter,” Jude said. “You wait here, I’ll be back in a sec.” He kissed her on the lips before he departed, leaving her with the taste of his love on her tongue, and a promise of what they might get up to once Thea was safely tucked in bed at home.

Home. It was funny that she’d had to come full circle, back to her hometown where she’d sworn she would never return, to find the place where she wanted to stay. Aria had moved into Jude’s house only a few weeks after her abduction. Once they’d decided to be together, it’d been a no-brainer for them to move in together.

Jude still visited his mother almost every day. One more thing that made Aria crazy about him. Such a caring, thoughtful man. Edith came for a visit now and then, but it was getting harder to bring her home, as she often forgot where she was, or even who Jude was, which tore her heart open when she saw how it hurt Jude. But the one thing that often brought a little of the old Edith out from behind the hazy curtain of dementia was when they took her into the garden. She’d point out the tomato plants and herb garden with glee, and put the basil leaves Aria picked for her to her nose and inhale the scent deeply. The other thing that brought Edith alive was Thea. The baby fascinated her, and Thea would sit quietly on Edith’s knee for long periods of time, just staring up into her face. Those visits were bittersweet. Edith would come home for Christmas this year, but after that, who knew…

They were now renting out the cottage at a very low rate to a young woman who’d recently escaped an abusive marriage. Jude had answered a call about a domestic violence episode a few weeks ago, and the woman had moved in a few days after that. Jude couldn’t help himself, he was still bringing his wounded ducks home and he probably always would. Another thing Aria loved about him.

Jude returned, Thea balanced in his arms. She smiled up at them. The man who’d saved her, who’d shown her what true love was, holding their child, who’d shown her that family was what you made it, and the sins of the father didn’t have to be revisited on their daughters. She was free to live a full and happy life with the man of her dreams. There was even talk of more children to come. Later. They had plenty of time. The rest of their lives to love each other.