"I had just as many secret hopes and wishes, Reese. And now they're all coming true."
"I still can hardly believe you blew off Chandler so that we could stay in Boston."
"No one was dying. Nothing was on fire. We've got a lot of years to make up for, and I don't want to miss a second with you."
She gave him a soft kiss before saying, "Well, I'm sure he's going to take back what he said about being happy that we're back together now. Because if he called, I'm sure he thought what he needed was important."
"You're important, Reese. You matter most. Everything else in my life, the resort, my practice, it'll all work itself out. But I am not going to make any more mistakes with you. From now on I want you to always know I'll be there for you. No matter what else is going on, you, and the family I hope we'll have, will come first. Always."
She rested her head on his chest and said, "I swear you must have taken a ten-year course in how to woo Reese Nicholson."
He kissed the top of her head. "I spent ten years figuring out how to love Reese Nicholson."
Chapter Twenty-Five
THERE WAS SO much commotion at Shelley's Cafe when Reese drove by on her way to Bay's Edge the next morning that she couldn't resist stopping by and taking a peek at what was going on. When she and Trent had left for work earlier that morning, he'd mentioned that they were putting the final touches on the cafe for the grand opening, and she was excited to see them. She was still on the sidewalk, standing just at the edge of the bushes out front, when she heard male voices.
"I've got this, Ethan." Derek stood atop a ladder holding a big oval sign that read Shelley's Cafe. The a was fashioned like a coffee mug with steam rising from it. The rustic wooden sign had dark green letters, accented with pastel-colored flowers along the border, matching the flowers in the garden beside the brook. It fit the appearance of the old mill perfectly.
Derek's biceps strained against his long-sleeved shirt. Beside him, Ethan was climbing up a second ladder with a wide grin.
"I can do it," Ethan insisted.
Both men were so focused on their staring contest from the top of their ladders that neither had noticed her standing there yet. Boys will be boys, she mused.
Trent walked out the front door, and Reese's heart did a little tap dance. "Are we really going to argue over who gets to hang the sign?" He always had been the mediator among his siblings.
"It's not about who gets to hang it. We have other stuff that needs to be done," Derek explained. "Ethan can go get the tables set up on the patio."
Ethan reached for the sign and said, "I want to help so you don't fall and need more stitches. I'd hate for Didi to have to stitch you up again," which made Trent and Ethan both laugh and Derek scowl.
Derek finally relented and shifted the sign so Ethan could take half of the weight. Trent held the ladders as his brothers climbed down. Reese couldn't hear what they said, but they all roared with laughter, which brought Sierra and Shelley outside to see what was going on. They, too, began laughing. Quinn came around the side of the building and swooped Shelley into his arms, spinning her around as he kissed her.
Reese had forgotten how fun it was to be around Trent's family. They were so naturally loving and playful. Trent draped one arm over Sierra's shoulder, the other around Ethan's, showing the protective side of himself that she'd always loved.
Everything he did made her fall deeper in love with him.
"Reese!" The second Trent spotted her, he was out on the sidewalk with her, his arms around her and his mouth lowering to hers for a kiss. "You should have told us you were here."
Her head was spinning from his kiss just enough that it took her a few seconds to stop staring into his eyes like a lovesick fool and say, "I didn't want to distract anyone from the work you're all doing."
His eyes immediately smoldered with heat. "I'm always up for being distracted."
But before either of them could further distract each other, Sierra was calling out Reese's name, then saying, "I'm so glad you're here. Shelley and I needed another hand with the curtains. You can spare fifteen minutes, right?"
Moments later, she was working just as hard as everyone else. The Rockwells had always made her feel like family. She had missed being a part of their family terribly after she and Trent had split up. But thankfully, even though it was ten years later, being with all of them again felt just as right as it always had.
*
AFTER WORKING WITH his family at Shelley's, Trent went directly to Chandler's office. He was prepared for his grandfather to unleash his fury at Trent for not dropping everything and rushing back from Boston the day before. But as he stood across the desk from his grandfather, it wasn't disappointment or anger he saw in Chandler's dark eyes. Instead, there was an emotion coursing through the old man that was entirely unfamiliar.
"Didi, would you mind giving us a moment alone?" Chandler asked his private nurse.
"Of course." She smiled at Trent as she walked out of the office, then closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't return to the island when you had Darla call yesterday afternoon," Trent said. "I'm making changes in my life, and part of those changes is setting my priorities in a way that will ensure that my relationship with Reese comes first."
"I've always believed that family should come first, Trent. Do you think you're telling me something new or doing something unique?" Chandler's tone was stern.
You have a strange way of showing it. "No, sir. But I am telling you something that is new to me."
Chandler stared at Trent for a long moment before saying, "I'm glad to see you're finally taking control the way a Rockwell should. I was sorely disappointed when your marriage ended, and now I am glad to see that my faith in you to fix the things you broke has not been misplaced."
Trent barely managed a nod, too stunned by his grandfather's praise--and his thoughts on his marriage to Reese--to speak.
Chandler opened his desk drawer and set an envelope between them on the desk. "I've made some arrangements, and I expect you'll be able to handle sharing the news with the others."
Trent removed the documents and quickly scanned them. He was so stunned by what he was reading that he had to sink down to the chair behind him to reread them more carefully.
"Grandfather, legal ownership of the resort is not supposed to change hands until after you're... after you are no longer with us. But this assigns the deed to me and my siblings and our father effective immediately." Trent looked at his grandfather, and his stomach sank. "Is your health getting worse?"
"No. I'm planning to hang on for a few more years, at the very least. I can't let you young people run around unattended." Chandler's eyes softened as he continued, saying, "You have all proven to me that you can handle the responsibilities of running the resort. It should be yours."
"I don't know what to say," Trent admitted, feeling his throat thicken as it had the other day.
"Just promise me you won't make the same mistakes I did with my Caroline."
Trent hadn't heard his grandfather mention his grandmother since the summer she'd passed away, and even then Chandler had moved out of the house they'd shared and into the resort so fast--even before his private wing was constructed--and spoken of her so rarely, that it was almost as if he'd filed her away like a business deal.
"I'm sure she knew you loved her," Trent said, feeling uncomfortable and yet thankful at the same time for his grandfather's opening up to him. He wasn't completely sure why Chandler had chosen to suddenly show this side of himself, but Trent suspected it had to do with his clearer view of his own mortality.
Or maybe he had finally grown tired of being so unhappy all the time--a man truly on an island.
"Caro knew I loved her," his grandfather said. "But that doesn't excuse how I treated her. And I would also like you to know that I think Reese is doing a fine job on the mural. You should take her to that dance we're hosting this weekend." His eyes went slightly misty as
he said, "Caroline always loved dressing in something pretty and being twirled around the dance floor." A moment later, however, he cleared his throat and waved his hand in the air. "Now get out of here and run this resort."
For the second time that week, Trent left his grandfather's office without being chased by tension. He pulled out his phone and sent a group text to his siblings and parents, requesting a meeting at the Hideaway as soon as possible. He knew Reese was at Bay's Edge, and as much as he wanted to share what had just happened with her before he told anyone else, he didn't want to disturb her while she was teaching.
And he couldn't wait to see her beautiful eyes light up when he asked her to the dance. Just the way his grandmother's eyes must have lit up whenever Chandler took her somewhere special and showed her that she was important to him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
REESE WAS PLEASANTLY surprised by how far Tilly, Morris, and Norma had come with their paintings in only one week. When she'd first begun teaching them, Morris had had a difficult time getting perspective into his paintings. But although he was in his late eighties, he was smart as a whip and equally as determined. When she'd assured him that painting wasn't about perfection, he'd told her that there was nothing he couldn't master if he put his mind to it. And he'd been right.
"That looks beautiful, Morris," she said as she came around behind him.
Tilly coughed, and Reese's eyes lifted at the sound. "You still sound a little wheezy. Have you seen the doctor?"
She waved her hand. "I saw the doctor this morning. It's a cold, and as my mother always said, it'll last seven days or a week, whichever comes first."
Reese smiled at that, but it didn't alleviate her concern. She loved Tilly like a grandmother, and she hated to see her not feeling well. "Would you like some water, or is there anything else I can get you?"
"No, sweetie. I'm fine, and with any luck, I'll get these leaves done today, too." She went back to brushing green paint on the leaves on the tree they'd started painting the other day.
"Maybe if you brought that nice fellow Trent Rockwell in for another visit, it would cheer her up," Norma said, making everyone chuckle.
"He was sure sweet on you, Reese," Morris added. "He looked at you the same way I look at Norma."
"Do you want to know how you looked at him, Reese?" Norma asked.
Reese was pretty sure she already knew, but she humored them by saying, "How?"
"Like he was a big, juicy steak."
Reese couldn't help but laugh, even as Tilly grinned mischievously and said, "You have to admit, Reese, he is awfully handsome."
Carin and Martha walked in before Reese could reply, and Carin immediately said, "Did you bring that hunka hunka burnin' love with you again today, Reese?"
"Oh my gosh, what have I done?" Reese was only half teasing. "Trent is not here today. We're here to paint, but I'm glad you all liked him so much."
"Liked him?" Martha sighed dreamily. "You are one lucky lady. He seems to be really taken with you."
"Trent is wonderful. He's attentive and caring, and--"
"Handsome. Don't forget handsome," Carin added.
"Did you see his hair? He's never going to lose it," Morris said as he rubbed his bald head.
"How long have you been seeing him?" Norma needed to know.
"They dated a long time ago," Carin said as she sat down beside Norma. "But he's never stopped loving her."
Reese had to pick her jaw up off the floor. "He told you that?"
"Well...not exactly," Carin admitted. "He simply said the two of you had dated a long time ago, but then I asked my granddaughter, who went to school with his brother Quinn. And she told me how the two of you were famous for never being able to keep your hands off of each other."
"Carin!" Tilly chided, even though she was clearly delighted with the information. "You gossip worse than a high school girl."
"How else are we going to figure out what's what?" Carin said. "If I were you," she said to Reese, "I'd swoop that man back up and never let him go."
Reese had a feeling that Carin's granddaughter had shared much more, but Carin was kind enough not to mention the rest of the details about her relationship with Trent. She ushered Carin and Martha out of the classroom on the premise of getting the class back on track, and for the remainder of the hour, the group focused on painting.
After class, Norma and Morris went to the game room, but Tilly stayed behind while Reese packed up her supplies. "Is Trent the reason why you were so flustered the other day?"
"Yes," Reese admitted.
"Then I'm guessing he must also be responsible for bringing out that special spark in your eyes today."
"He is." Reese knew she should have told her friend all about Trent a long time ago, but she'd been so intent on pretending the past didn't matter anymore. "I was married to him ten years ago."
She had expected Tilly's brows to lift with surprise. But her friend simply nodded as if all the pieces were finally fitting together. "He's the one who was everything to you, isn't he?"
"Yes. I was nineteen years old when I fell head over heels in love with him--and now I can't seem to stop falling again. Just as you said, love is like a boomerang. But it's all happening so fast again, and I..."
Tilly reached over and squeezed Reese's hand. "Love doesn't always appear in its final form. I know you're the teacher and I'm only just learning to paint, but it seems like love and painting aren't all that different. Our hearts start out open, just waiting for love to find us, like canvases waiting for that special image to bring them to life. And just like you show us how to tweak our colors and bring more life into our paintings by using different brushes and different strokes, or applying shading to temper some areas and bring out others, love is the same way. Two people bring together their personalities, wants, needs, hopes, fears--and hope to come out with something beautiful that inspires each of them, helps them grow--together and individually. Love takes tweaking." She looked away, and Reese knew she was thinking about the man she'd lost. "Really, that tweaking never stops, because we grow, and change, and bring babies into the mix." She turned a thoughtful gaze back to Reese. "But if it's meant to be, and you're both trying to please the other as much as yourselves, it's all worth it in the end."
Reese gave Tilly a long hug. Or maybe it was Tilly hugging her. Either way, Tilly's words of wisdom and their warm embrace were just what she needed to help settle the nerves that were trying to pop back up inside of her.
*
TRENT SAT BETWEEN Sierra and Quinn at their usual table in the Hideaway, where they were holding the family meeting he'd requested. Derek and Ethan took the heads of the table, while his parents sat side by side, just the way they did at the dinner table, as well. It was yet another reinforcement of how they'd always put their relationship first.
"Trent," his father said, "I'm glad you called us all together. I've been wanting to touch base and see if any of you are having trouble managing your own business alongside your responsibilities at the resort. Would you mind if we discussed that before we tended to your news?"
"No, Dad. That's fine," Trent agreed.
"It's been a big pain in the rear for me," Derek said, obviously still itching to get back to his real life in Boston. "I've got a client I need to visit sometime soon to go over some extensive patio designs. I can't close the deal over Skype, so I'll need a few days off."
"That's not a problem," Trent said. "Just tell us what needs to be covered while you're gone."
"I know you can deal with my absence on this one," Derek said, "but nine more months of this juggling is going to be a nightmare."
Sierra sighed. "Derek, if you would just let yourself enjoy the island again, you'd figure it all out and you wouldn't want to run back to Boston. Look at Quinn and Trent. They love it here now."
"She's right," Quinn agreed. "I definitely love it here, and I have no interest in going back to Annapolis."
Trent nodded in agreement.
/> "If you two are any indication," Derek said, "it seems to me that staying on the island is a surefire way to be sucked into a heavy-duty relationship."
"Obviously that's not true," Sierra said. "Look at me."
"And me," Ethan added. "Come out with me on the boat, Derek, and I'll remind you how much fun island life really is."
"Why don't we all give Derek a break." Abby smiled warmly at her third-eldest son. "We all know the island isn't for everyone, and Derek has a successful business that he shouldn't feel pressured to leave behind."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Speaking of businesses, I've taken steps to sell my practice." Trent watched his family's eyes widen. "I want to make a life here with Reese...if she'll have me." Even though Trent knew Reese still needed time to be absolutely sure, he reveled in the knowledge that every day was bringing them closer together.
"That would be wonderful," Abby said with a huge smile.
"Trent, I think that's very wise." Griffin's dark eyes were warm as he said, "I'm proud of you. That must have been a very difficult decision."
"Actually, once I realized what I really wanted, all the things that had been standing in my way became crystal clear. Speaking of which..." He pulled out the legal documents from Chandler and handed them to Griffin. "Grandfather must have had his own revelation recently. He's deeding the resort to us, effective as soon as the paperwork is processed."
Griffin looked stunned as he read the document. "I can't believe it." He lifted his eyes to Trent. "How did this come about?"
Derek held his hand out for the papers, and after reading them, he passed them around the table to their other siblings. "It's got to be a game of some kind."