Aiden had every right to be angry, but nothing in his relaxed posture or easy expression suggested he was anything but happy for his sister.
Shane couldn’t say what he’d do in his position. He glanced over at Aunt Kathy, as frail and pale as the white folding chair she sat in. She watched her daughter with unshielded pride, her eyes filling with tears. And suddenly, Shane understood why Angel and Richie rushed to the altar. If he were in Angel’s position, he may have done the same.
After the wedding on the beach, they went back to the couple’s cabana for a reception that was more of a cookout. Pulled pork, an array of salads, and plates filled with colorful fruits decorated a long table on the deck. The expanse of white sand and a sparkling ocean made for a gorgeous backdrop.
Shane’s aunt had been ushered back to her room to rest. Uncle Mike approached him as Shane reached into the ice for another Corona. He offered the bottle, ice sliding down its label. “Beer, Uncle Mike?”
“You know it.” A salty breeze sent his gray hair flying. Burly, tanned, and with a jagged scar running the length of one cheek, Mike had been Shane’s hero for as long as he could remember. He reminded him of some world explorer: adventurous, daring, and brave. But ever since Aunt Kathy got sick, he’d lost some of the fire that burned like a green torch in his eyes.
“How is she?” Shane didn’t need to qualify who he was talking about.
Mike shook his head. “She’s exhausted but won’t admit it. Wild wolves couldn’t have kept her from this wedding.” He gestured to the scar on his cheek. “Trust me, I know.”
Shane chuckled. Mike had a thousand different stories about how he’d gotten that scar. He never tired of hearing his newest tall tale.
“How’s your love life, Studly?” Mike grinned.
Shane took a pull from his beer bottle.
“That good, huh?”
The two men stared at the ocean for a moment before Shane turned to his uncle. “You make it look easy, you know that?” At Mike’s questioning glance he added, “You and Aunt Kathy have been married, what? Thirty-some years? And you make being together look as easy as breathing in and out.”
Mike’s mouth twisted into a comical grimace. “She’d laugh you off this deck if she heard you say that. But you’re right. Being with her is as easy as breathing in and out. It’s the big life-altering stuff that knocks you for a loop. Having babies. Working your butt off to make sure they have everything you didn’t. Watching them grow up, break bones, get married. That stuff is the test that, ironically enough, you wouldn’t pass without one another.”
Mike squinted at the sunset, an orange ball descending into the clear blue water. “The cancer should have made it harder, our lives,” he said quietly. “And it has, but it also made her easier to love. Easier to appreciate. Easier to be with. Every second is a blessing. I wouldn’t change a single bit of it.”
They moved on to shallower topics after that: football, food, Mike’s last hunting trip. A few hours later, Shane excused himself to wish Angel and Richie well.
Afterward, he found Aiden at a bonfire on the beach and strode out to say good-bye. Shane didn’t leave right away, settling in for a few beers. Eventually, the beach emptied and just the two of them sat in front of the embers.
“I wish you’d reconsider staying. We have a whole block of rooms reserved,” Aiden said.
Shane understood what he meant. It didn’t make much sense to leave in the wee hours of the morning. But, with any luck, Shane would sleep through the flight home. “Thanks, but I’ve got a ton of work to do,” he said. It was an exaggeration, but it was the truth.
“All right, but I hate to see you go.” Shane could see he meant it, but Aiden didn’t press him further. “Have a safe flight.”
It was those last four words he’d later recall, and laugh at. Because, really, how much control did Shane have when it came to having a safe flight?
As it turned out, none. None at all.
Chapter 38
Shane set aside his empty glass, glad he’d decided on having a drink after all. The plane hit another bump, and he clasped the arms of his seat, wondering if he’d ever get over the idea of shooting across the sky at six hundred miles an hour.
“Done, sir?”
He nodded at the attendant, a service he didn’t think twice about adding on to his private flight. While it was a little embarrassing to need a chaperone, he still felt better having someone on board who knew what to expect.
The young man took Shane’s empty glass and straightened his own pristine business attire before hustling out of the cabin again. Shane had even insisted on the poor kid going over safety precautions even though it wasn’t protocol for a personal jet. He wasn’t sure if the tutorial had made him feel better or worse about his travel accommodations.