Thrill Me (Fool's Gold #18)(46)

“I guess that comes with having five boys so close in age.”

“My mom was doing most of the fighting.”

Maya laughed. “I’m serious.”

“Okay, serious it is. We fought a lot. And then we made up.”

“Are things better with Aidan?”

Del considered the question. “Some. He’s avoiding me less.”

“You helped him out. That has to mean something.”

“So you’d think.” Del pointed to where Chase and Zane were talking. The two brothers were laughing, obviously at ease with each other.

“I want that,” Del admitted. “Before I leave, I want to have one good conversation with Aidan. I want to know things are okay between us.”

He kept on talking, but Maya had stopped listening. All she could hear was his phrase, “Before I leave.”

Because that was what was going to happen. Del was going to leave. He’d come back for his father’s birthday party. Once that was over, he had no reason to stay.

While she’d always known his stay wasn’t permanent, somehow she’d forgotten. Del was a part of her days now. A part of her work. Having him gone was going to be awful. But he was a man who needed to be on the move, and getting him to stay, well, that wasn’t going to happen.

Last time she’d been the one taking off. This time it was him. But the end result was going to be the same. Once again, she and Del would be apart. She knew she was going to miss him. The question was, how much?

* * *

AS EXPECTED, MUCH of the town turned out for Phoebe and Zane’s wedding. Del mingled with the other guests before the ceremony started. Maya was busy helping the bride do whatever it was brides did before they got married. He spotted his brothers and headed over to talk to them.

“Nice suit,” he said to Nick, then turned to Aidan. “You, too.”

Both brothers had on dark suits with ties. Aidan tugged at his collar. “Damned social conventions.”

Nick looked comfortable in his fancy clothes. “I like getting dressed up every now and then. Besides, it’s for Zane.”

Aidan grumbled something under his breath, but Del suspected he was a lot less annoyed than he let on. Aidan and Nick had been friends with Zane since grade school.

“Big turnout,” Del said. “The folks here?”

“Naw,” Nick said. “Dad’s got a commission and Mom’s not feeling well.”

Del remembered his conversation with Ceallach a few days before. “You think she’s okay?” he asked.

Aidan frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Del told them about their father’s visit. “He was worried.”

“You mean he thought about someone other than himself?” Aidan asked bitterly. “Let’s put a star on this day on the calendar.”

Del wanted to chide his brother for being cynical, but he’d had the same thought himself.

Nick grimaced. “Yeah, you have a point. If Dad’s noticing, it must be bad. I’ll stop by and talk to her. Maybe getting the party together is too much for her. We can all help.”

“Already offered,” Aidan said. “She told me she was handling it.”

“I’ll make sure I go by, too,” Del told them.

“That will make everything right,” Aidan muttered.

“You’re in a mood.” Del stared at his brother. “What’s your problem?”

“This isn’t the time,” Nick said, his voice calm. “Both of you, stop it. Zane’s getting married. Zip it.”

Del nodded. His brother had a point. Whatever Aidan’s issue was, Del wasn’t going to get into it now. He turned and walked toward the big tent in the backyard.

Inside, the catering staff was setting up for dinner. There were dozens of round tables. Crystal and silverware gleamed in the lights strung across the ceiling. The sweet smell of flowers mingled with the faint smoky scent of a smoldering grill.

He crossed the tent and went out the other side to where chairs had been set up in the shade of a grove of trees. There were two sections on either side of a center aisle. Ribbons and flowers framed the area. A woman played a harp while guests found their seats.

Del saw Eddie and Gladys and headed their way. The irreverent old ladies were exactly what he needed to forget about Aidan and whatever bug he had up his ass. Del didn’t want to fight—not today. Tomorrow they could take it up, but for now, a good guy was marrying a great girl. They should stop and celebrate that.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the guests to take their seats. The music changed to something slow and romantic. Zane took his place by the minister, his brother, Chase, next to him.

Maya appeared at the back of the grove of trees. Del about fell out of his chair when he saw her. She’d joked about her dress and having to get all fancy, but he hadn’t expected her to look like a goddess.

She’d put up her blond hair into some complicated swirl of curls and swoops. Her dress was pale blue, long and with a deep V. The top of it had a crisscrossy thing going on and seemed to hug every curve. He was torn between wanting her and needing to throw his suit jacket over her shoulders so no one else could see her.

She walked slowly, a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. As she passed him, he caught sight of the dress from behind. It was cut low with straps that made an X and these drape things down the side. He was sure it was stylish and he liked how it looked on her but mostly what he was thinking was there was no way she was wearing a bra.