Angel's Peak (Virgin River #10)(89)

“Relieved?”

“I didn’t want to see her make an impetuous move like that out of loneliness and have it turn out to be a mistake. But after twelve years, it’s becoming harder to see my mom all alone.”

“She’s not alone,” Shelby said. “She has a million friends and lots to do, but she believes she’s too old for romance.”

He smiled. “I had a patient last year whose eighty-three-year-old mother just got married for the second time. She wore a lacy white gown.” He chuckled. “And her orthopedic shoes. My patient said her mother was a little flushed for a month. True love. I’d prefer to think my mother was open to something like that than being closed off.”

“Will you try to talk to her, then? Will you be delicate?”

“I have no choice but to be delicate. The only time my mother will discuss anything personal is if it’s about one of us.” He put his arm around Shelby and gave her a squeeze. “Don’t worry about Maureen, Shelby. I think she’s happy with her life. If she’s avoiding how much more fulfilling it could be, at the end of the day it’s her choice.” And Aiden thought to himself that if she’s not even aware of how much more life could give her, maybe she’s the lucky one. For Aiden’s part, he was all too aware what was missing for him.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Maureen planned on baking at Luke’s house. She drove to the grocery, collected all the supplies she needed and then went to Virgin River. Sean was keeping Rosie out of preschool and day care for the day so she could get acquainted with her uncle Aiden before the big dinner on Thanksgiving. Maureen would be doing what she loved most—spending time with her family and making them her special holiday treats. The only thing that would have made it better was if Paddy and Colin could have joined them, but neither one had managed to get leave. It would have been delightful to share Thanksgiving Day with George, but of course he’d be with Noah and his family.

When she pulled into Luke’s cabin complex, Aiden was waiting on the porch, a cup of coffee in hand. She left her groceries in the car and went to him. He set his cup on the porch rail and wrapped his arms around her, laughing and hugging. “You look fantastic,” he said. “I think being a grandmother agrees with you!”

She leaned away from him. “You have no idea, Aiden. She’s absolutely wonderful.”

“That’s what I hear. She should be here before long. Sean called to say they were on their way. I’m surprised you beat them.”

“I got an early start,” she said. “I have groceries in the car. Help me bring them in?”

“You’re joking, right? Go inside and help yourself to a cup of coffee while I get them for you.”

When all the supplies were unloaded onto the kitchen counters, Maureen and Aiden sat at the breakfast bar with coffee for a long overdue visit. It was just the two of them, a rare thing. Luke and Art were running an errand and Shelby was at school.

“Tell me about your visit so far,” Aiden said. “How do things seem between Franci and Sean?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t talked to your brother?”

“Several times, but I was interested in hearing your take on things.”

“If there’s the slightest imperfection in their relationship, I can’t imagine what it is, besides the fact they’re not married. I take that back—the one flaw is that everyone is a little on edge, wondering where the air force will send Sean next, and when. Otherwise, they seem so happy.”

“I’m facing transfer orders before long, too,” he said. “Sean’s overdue. Any day now he’s going to get the word—and he doesn’t want to uproot Francine and Rosie from their home and routine when everything could shift again in a month or two.”

“And you, too, Aiden?” she asked. “What are you expecting?”

“I have no idea. I applied for a fellowship in high-risk pregnancy specialty, but I won’t hear on that before spring,” Aiden said. “For Sean’s family, until they get a permanent assignment, Franci is best right where she is, in her own house with a job she likes and a mom who can help out with Rosie.”

“Rosie’s going to miss Sean when he goes back to Beale,” Maureen said. “They spend every day together.”

Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. “So much for the man who didn’t want to be tied down to a child.”

“The two most stubborn males in the family,” she said. “Luke and Sean, the great playboys of the Western world. They always did make the rest of you look like choirboys, and the two of them have been completely tamed by pretty young women. They were in no hurry about it, either—I’m glad I lived long enough to see it. Patrick is young and I’ve heard the same woman’s name mentioned more than twice, but I wonder about Colin.”

“You might want to write that one off, Mom,” Aiden said. “Another grunt in a Blackhawk—it would take a real special woman to domesticate him. He’s pretty rough around the edges.”

“More than Luke?” she asked, one brow lifted.

“You must have lit a million candles for Luke to run into Shelby. She’s one of a kind.”

“And you, Aiden?” she asked pointedly.

He sat back in his chair and took a breath. “I’m facing an interesting transition myself, Mom, and it has everything to do with women. You know I’m not avoiding commitment, but I’m ripe for transfer and the navy needs general medical officers on shipboard and I’m not inclined to spend two years on a big, gray boat, away from my specialty. And I’m not likely to find the right woman at sea. If they don’t come through with a fellowship, I might have to look at my options.”