Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (17 page)

He didn't give a damn why Nelson showed up.
In his heart, he knew Aubrey didn't love the man—otherwise, she
would have simply told him she did.
End of subject
. If you
loved someone with conviction there wasn't any room for debate, but
she babbled about time schedules, soul mates, and wishes.

Well, he had a wish of his own. A wish that
was long overdue.

He strode over to her. His gaze traveled the
length of her, finally landing on her lips, full lips he just
knew
were begging to be kissed. Putting his hand on her
waist, he drew her to him. "I want you," he whispered huskily.
"I've always wanted you." His hand slid to the nape of her neck and
he leaned down to kiss her. She may walk out of his life forever,
but he would leave her with the memory of his kiss. He sealed his
lips over hers, taking possession of her mouth, seducing her with
hot glides of his tongue, pouring everything he felt for her into
the caress. The soft sound of her sigh whispered through to him and
he didn't stop, couldn't stop when he felt her fingers dig into his
arms, holding onto him, pulling him closer. He would always cherish
the steady beat of her heart against his. It may be all he'd ever
have of her heart. He closed his eyes as his lips wandered over her
cheekbones, her eyelids and last her lips, for a final kiss
goodbye. He stepped back and without a word walked out of the
room.

Chapter Thirty-One

Aubrey needed to finish the article, but how
could she write when Ian had left her with a kiss that had her
questioning her relationship with Nelson all over again? It wasn't
supposed to happen this way. She came downstairs to tell Ian she
belonged with Nelson, that he was her soul mate. She couldn't even
look Nelson in the eye when she went back upstairs to retrieve her
laptop—and her excuse to go back downstairs again sounded lame to
her own ears.

God, she could still see the smoldering
flame in Ian's eyes when he leaned down to kiss her. His actions
had startled her, but before she could say anything, stop him, he
covered her mouth, smothering her words with his caress. Her
trembling limbs clung to him as she savored his touch, almost
unbearable in its tenderness—like a silent plea singing through her
veins. She forgot everything—Nelson, soul mates, and faeries
granting wishes. She gave into the caress, but then he let her go,
taking his warmth with him. The world seemed to spin on its axis.
Before she managed to find her bearings, Ian had already walked out
of the room, leaving her alone with her regrets.

She stretched her legs out in front of her
and stared at the Celtic carved box resting in the curio cabinet.
"It's just a box!" she spat, angry with herself for being swept
away by the legend.

"You don't believe that, now do you, Miss
Jules?"

Aubrey turned in her seat to see Mr. O'Grady
walking toward her with a tray. "I thought you'd be needing a spot
of tea about now."

"That would be wonderful, thank you." The
old man was a Godsend.

Mr. O'Grady did the honors of pouring. She
drank deeply, savoring the rich aroma of spices.

"Are you having a wee bit of trouble with
your muse?" He nodded toward the blank screen on her laptop.

She sighed. "You could say that."

He sat down on the chair beside her. "Spill
it then. I have a good ear, you know."

She believed it. Mr. O'Grady, Ian's
grandfather was a good man with his good humor and the ability to
make a person feel comfortable enough to reveal secrets. Maybe it
would do her good to talk to someone and try to make sense of all
this. "I don't know what to believe anymore. You convinced me to
wish for my soul mate and…" She shrugged.

"I see. You be wondering who the soul mate
may be. Is it your dashing young love from the past, or the
sophisticated young gentleman who showed up today?"

Her gaze riveted to his, meeting his
Atlantic blue eyes, eyes of wisdom. Without her telling him, he
knew her dilemma. She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"I spent three unforgettable weeks with Ian ten years ago. I
believed I would never see him again, but here he is and the last
few days have…well, they've made me remember how I felt about him."
She looked at Mr. O'Grady. "I loved him once."

He nodded. "I figured as much."

She inhaled deeply and let out her breath
again, her gaze mesmerized by the warm spiced liquid in her cup.
"Nelson and I have been a couple for almost three years. That's a
long time. We're committed to each other."

"Are you trying to convince me or
yourself?"

She met his gaze and lifted her chin. "You
believe in the magic box and Nelson showed up here. Being
spontaneous isn't something Nelson has ever done. Wouldn't you say
it was a good sign the faeries sent him?"

"Do you love this man, then?"

"I…"
Do I? Do I love Nelson?
She was
comfortable with him. They were compatible. Did she still love Ian?
Ten years ago, she would have said
yes
in a heartbeat, but
she was a different person now. She'd grown up, and so had he. "My
mind says I shouldn't throw away the time I've invested with
Nelson."

"What does your heart tell you?" She looked
at Mr. O'Grady with his smiling eyes of blue. "I'd have to be blind
not to see how you and Ian are mad for each other." He placed a
weathered hand on hers. "I knew Ian pined for someone, but he would
never speak of her. A terrible twist o' fate forced him to take on
a responsibility that wasn't his own. My dear departed daughter
would have been proud of her eldest son. Ian's a good man, Miss
Jules—but then you already know that." He left his seat and walked
over to the bookcases, pulling a large volume from the shelf. He
headed back to her and placed it in front of her. "As promised,
this is the book with all the people who made wishes. You should
add yours."

Her hand caressed the aged, leathered-bound
book before she covered Mr. O'Grady's hand with hers. She looked up
at him. "Thank you. Not for the book, but for listening to me. I'll
make this right. You have my word."

He sighed, his lips curving in a hint of a
smile. "Of course, you will do the right thing. I never doubted
you." He patted her hand. "Good night, Miss Jules."

Alone, Aubrey opened the book. She skimmed
over the pages deciphering the scrawled handwriting. The yellowed
pages were filled with peoples' hopes and dreams. It took her a
moment to realize that in one way or the other their wishes had
been granted. Sure, it was a leap of faith to believe the faeries
had something to do with their happiness, but it would be difficult
to prove otherwise.

She flipped the book to the last page where
the lines were blank and waiting to be filled in. Her gaze landed
on the pen resting on her notebook. Her fingers closed over it,
determined to add her wish to the book, too.

Chapter Thirty-Two

It was nearly three in the morning before
Aubrey made her way back upstairs to the room. Opening the door,
she was surprised to find Nelson still awake. He sat on the bed
with his feet up, reading a book. He hadn't even changed into his
clothes for bed.

His gaze wavered over her with suspicion,
but also with something else she couldn't quite decipher. "You're
back. I didn't think you would be."

She closed the door and walked over to the
table to put her things down. "This is my room."

He closed his book and placed it beside him
on the bed. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" His voice held a slight edge to
it.

Her gaze sharpened on his face. "What's that
supposed to mean?"

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose
before looking at her again. "I don't want to fight with you, but I
have the feeling you want to. You've been trying to pick one with
me since I arrived." He met her gaze, looking unsure. An expression
so unlike Nelson, it left her void of speech. "I've been trying to
understand what's going on with you. What has changed between us."
The timbre of his voice lowered with a rough edge as he swallowed
hard.

She drew in a deep breath, scrambling for
the words to set this right. "Nothing's going—"

"Don't," he interrupted and shook his head.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and closed the distance
between them. "I have to be honest with you. After I talked to you
the other night on the phone, I had a feeling I was losing you,
that I did something to disappoint you." There was unmistakable
regret in his voice and she really looked at him now.

"Is that why you came?"

"Yes."

"I see." She turned away, tracing the edge
of the chair with her fingertips as she thought: this was the
turning point in their relationship. They were finally both looking
at it with their eyes open. Tonight they would have to make a
decision of where they would take it. Either they went forward with
the relationship, or they ended it. There could be no going back to
the way things had been. The relationship had stalled and lay
stagnant for far too long.

She looked at him, her gaze meeting his.
"We've been drifting apart for a long time, Nelson. We were just
too comfortable with our arrangement to realize it."

He inhaled deeply, running his hand through
his hair "I knew it was bad. I didn't know it had gone so far." He
reached for her hand, caressing it between both of his. "My job's
demanding and I forget there's more to life than work. I didn't
mean to neglect you. You have to believe me."

"The funny thing is, I didn't know you had
neglected me until…"

"Until?" His brow rose in question.

"Until I realized I needed more, wanted
more. In a sense, I neglected you, too."

He stared at her a moment, his expression
unreadable, but then he nodded. "The question then is: Is it too
late for us?"

She opened her mouth only to have him place
his forefinger on her lips.

"Don't answer. Not yet. Think it over
carefully. Will you do that for me?"

She nodded and he removed his hand. He
strode over to the bed and retrieved his coat.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He paused at the door, but didn't look back.
"I'll sleep in the library downstairs. In the morning…" He must
have realized it was already morning and cleared his throat before
saying more. "After you're rested, you can tell me your
answer."

Chapter Thirty-Three

The day promised sunshine, but Ian failed to
feel the warmth. From the seat of his pickup, Ian watched Aubrey
open the trunk of her rental car. Nelson did the honors of storing
the suitcases. He had a hunch their early departure had something
do with him. Why else would they check out when the room was paid
for the rest of the week?

Aubrey wore her hair down, letting the
golden strands cascade down her back. She was dressed for comfort.
Her faded jeans looked good on her, hugging her in all the right
places, and the green T-shirt was a good color on her, the perfect
shade to bring out the color of her eyes.

Aubrey closed the trunk and went around to
the driver's side. It wasn't until he saw the car backing out of
the parking space that he realized it was over. She was leaving and
Nelson was going with her.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel
until his knuckles turned white. She didn't even bother to say
good-bye. Really? Had he expected her to? She told him she found
her soul mate—Nelson. What did he do? His response was to ravish
her mouth as if he could erase her words and make her remember how
she once felt about him. He should have done something different.
He should have—

"What's wrong?" Reece asked, interrupting
his thoughts. His brother leaned forward in his seat and followed
his gaze. "Oh, so that's what you're looking at. I thought you were
going to talk to Miss Jules last night. If you like her so much,
why didn't you ask her to stay?

He looked at his brother. "Sometimes, it's
not that simple."

Reece's brows drew together. "Don't see why
not. Did she say no when you asked her?"

His brother could be persistent when he
wanted to be. Took after their granddad in that respect. "No. I
didn't ask her." He let go of the steering wheel and the blood
rushed back into his fingers. He undid the seat belt with a quick
movement and opened the door, hoping to escape Reece's
questions.

Reece strode around to the back of the
truck. He put his earplugs in and fiddled with his iPod.

Good, he could stew in silence. The sun
burned warm, but the light sea breeze would keep them cool while
they worked in the garden. He lowered the tailgate, making it
easier to slide the plants out of the truck bed. He threw a pair of
gloves to his brother.

Reece jumped up onto the bed, sliding the
first bundle forward before handing it down to him. He removed one
of his earplugs. "You should have asked her, Ian," he said. "I
never much liked the other women you brought home, but Miss Jules
was different. I liked her."

Ian closed his eyes in a deliberate blink
before meeting his brother's gaze. "It wouldn't have mattered if I
asked her to stay." His voice choked and he cleared his throat,
wishing his brother would move on to another topic. No such
luck.

Reece's brows drew together. "Why not?"

"Because she didn't want me." There he had
said it, but admitting the truth didn't lessen the pain. "She
didn't want me," he repeated.

Reece opened his mouth to say more but Ian
held up his hand. "Drop it. She's gone, and we have work to
do."

Reece handed him two of the smaller potted
plants. Along with the smell of dirt and flowers, the scent of
sweet bread coming from the inn hit Ian's nostrils, making his
stomach growl. He took the next bundle from Reece and set it
down.

"Granddad's baking again." Reece grinned,
obviously picking up the scent, too. "I could eat. Sure would make
me work faster on a full stomach." He rubbed his midsection and
gave him the sad-eye look, his lips pouting for an extra bonus.