But Kate deserved the wealth of his feelings. After all that she had been through with her dad, she needed to know how he felt. How could he expect her to feel safe if he had never told her that she and the child growing inside of her and Chloe were what anchored his life? It was time he made things right.
It certainly hadn’t taken Dori long to scope out the situation and move in for the kill. Had it?
As Kate washed a handful of arugula under cold water, she mentally kicked herself because she knew it was her own fault. Dori had made it clear that she found Aidan wildly attractive—what woman with a libido would not? What hurt the most was that she had finally made up her mind to open her heart to Aidan. She was willing to believe his “actions speak louder than words” philosophy and accept it.
She had even been ready to keep an open mind when she saw Dori in her sexy red dress and little Beatrice walking up the path to Aidan’s door, but it was that kiss on the cheek that ruined everything. It wasn’t flagrant, and admittedly she hadn’t witnessed Aidan’s reaction. It had been intimate, and he had invited her in.
That kiss was an action that spoke much louder than the three words Aidan couldn’t speak to her.
Kate’s phone sounded an incoming text. Even after everything that had gone down, her heart leaped. Aidan?
No. It was a group text from her mother.
Stephen proposed and I SAID YES!
Oh! That was fast. Well, good.
They must still be at the restaurant, because Kate had only been home from Aidan’s house for about a half hour.
She pushed aside the vegetables she had been chopping to add to her arugula salad, dried her hands and picked up her phone.
Congratulations! This is such wonderful news!
Kate added her good wishes to the texts pinging through from her sisters and Gigi.
She was so happy for her mother. Really, she was. Zelda was finally moving on with her life.
Zelda was in love.
Kate was, too. But per usual, it was so complicated she couldn’t see how it could work out. Maybe some people just weren’t destined for traditional relationships. She grappled with the mixed emotions boomeranging through her stomach, ricocheting off her broken heart. It was strange how one part of her could be elated for her mother. Because she really was truly thrilled that Zelda had found happiness. Zelda deserved to be with a man who treated her right. She had devoted so many years to raising her daughters, trying her best to be both mother and father to them, putting her own life on hold to cocoon her children from their father’s misdeeds. This was her time.
The part of Kate that was heartsick shifted a bit. It was clear that she needed to borrow a page from her mother and stop worrying about love. All these years, she had allowed her father to hold her hostage. And for what? It was finally clear that instead of protecting herself from the hurt he had caused—or inadvertently inflicting her father’s brand of pain on someone else—she had let him continue ruining her life. Only, the adult years that she had allowed him to color weren’t his fault. That was all on Kate.
It was time for a change.
This little baby already had a leg up from Kate’s own upbringing. Aidan would be part of his child’s life, even if Kate and Aidan couldn’t sort out things well enough to make a life together.
She gathered up the vegetables she had been chopping and returned them to the refrigerator. She had no appetite. The best thing she could do for herself was draw a hot bath and take a long soak, then put herself to bed early.
Tomorrow was another day. She would have a clearer head that would allow her to start thinking about possible new directions she could explore. The first task was accepting the offer to manage the spa at the inn. In this storm of uncertainty, returning to the Forsyth Galloway Inn felt like entering a safe harbor. She would wait a few days for her mother to come back down to earth after the engagement before she broached serious talks about logistics and moving her clientele to the spa.
Of course, she’d want to be involved in outfitting the place. She had no idea what sort of timeframe they were looking at for opening the spa. She would have to figure out where she could service her clients in the meantime.
Putting a positive spin on it felt like a fresh start. She’d like to think it took the edge off the pain of her broken heart, but only time could do that. As she picked up a dishrag to wipe off the countertop, someone knocked on her front door.
She glanced at her phone to see if her mother or one of her sisters had texted to say they were coming over, but there were no new messages.
When she answered the door, Aidan was standing there with a bouquet of roses in his hands. A nervous smile curved his lips, making his eyes sparkle.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m sorry to come over without calling, but I just saw that I missed your call and what I have to say to you, I have to say in person, because I love you, Kate. We have to find a way to make this work because I don’t want to spend another night without you.”
“Aidan!” Kate threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “I’m so happy you’re here. Can I come home?”
He nodded as tears made his eyes glisten even brighter.
“But first, there’s something I need to do.” Aidan handed Kate the roses. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small red box. As he
