Chapter Sixteen

 

Ian stood in the hall staring at the closed door, torn between walking down the stairs and knocking on her door until she let him in. Every fiber in his being told him to take her in his arms and show her how much he wanted her.

He ran a hand through his hair. He must be losing it. He hadn't seen Aubrey in forever and he already decided he didn't want to let her go. "I lost her once," he murmured. Their time together in Ireland haunted him, intruded on every relationship he forged after her. No one measured up to the way he felt when he'd been with her. Soul mate. The word whispered in his ear as if the faeries spoke to him, reminding him of his wish to find happiness like his parents had found.

Aubrey hadn't realized how close she came to being ravished when he had her cornered against the wall. Her body was so close he could all but taste her, but he knew if he kissed her, he wouldn't want to stop there. He would have taken her key card, invited himself in, and showed her just how much he wanted her—all of her. He turned away with an exasperated sigh and headed downstairs.

Thoughts of Aubrey stayed with him on his drive back to the house. As he let himself in, Morris greeted him at the door, his tail wagging—well actually, his whole body wagging, as if he were saying, 'Soooo, how did it go?'

He dropped his keys on the entryway table and headed to the patio door in the living room. "She let me explain what happened, Morris. I think she might have even forgiven me." He wasn't sure she would hear him out, and there had been no guarantee she'd forgive him even with all the facts. He slid the sliding glass door open and Morris darted out, heading for the grass lining the brick-wall, fencing in the backyard.

He'd been foolish at nineteen to let her go without telling her why. "And you've paid for the mistake, too." At the time, he believed he was doing what was best for Aubrey, but in truth, he'd been afraid. In the short time they spent in Ireland, he knew she was the one, but he didn't trust what they had. "She was so young." He laughed, a short snorting kind of laugh. "I was young."

He loved her and knew she loved him, but would it have been enough to make a commitment to spend the rest of their lives together? He let out a long tired sigh. He would never know.

She's here now, the voice in his head reminded him. He only had days to convince her what they felt in Ireland was real.

His gaze wavered to the clear star-filled sky above. The breeze was cool, but he wasn't chilled. He could hear the crashing waves from here and the scent of the ocean always reminded him he was home.

"Aubrey." He said her name like a caress. His parents had a true love. The way they would look at each other sometimes would make him blush, but he wanted what they had. "Follow your heart, Ian." He could still hear his mother's sweet voice when he called home to tell both his parents about Aubrey. His parents had him on speakerphone so they could both talk to him.

"And your mother doesn't mean the one beating in your pants," his father added for good measure. "Ouch."

His mother must have smacked him and he was feigning injury from the offense.

"You're a brawny man, I didn't hurt you," his mother said.

His father's deep chuckle reached his ears. "You're speaking to a guy, honey. We don't always recognize the difference. You gotta be clear on the matter, son. Make sure your feelings for the girl are true."

It was his last conversation with his parents. His meeting Aubrey could have been simply a coincidence. "Or the fae folk were having a go at matchmaking." His lips curved. Whatever the reason, he knew Aubrey was the one for him.

Morris finished his business and came bounding back to him. Ian crouched down beside the dog to scratch him behind the ears. "I could use a little fae magic right about now."

Morris turned away from him, his ears lifting as much as a Bassett Hound could lift floppy ears. He whined and wagged his tail as if he spotted someone he knew. Ian followed Morris' gaze toward the patio furniture. No one was there.

He rose to his feet. His brows furrowed as he watched Morris pad his way over to the chair nearest the barbeque, plop his behind down, and stared up at the imaginary person.

The breeze picked up. The tinkling of chimes joined in on the chorus. His eyes landed on the moon-and-stars wind chimes hanging off the patio cover. Reece had given it to him for his birthday last year. For a moment, he almost believed the fae folk were answering him.

Morris barked and pranced around. He shook his head at his nutty dog. "Come on, boy. Let's go inside." He headed for the door. Morris hesitated for a moment before losing interest in whatever he had seen, and came bounding for the comfort of the indoors.