InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (24 page)

            “Ready when
you are,” she smiled back. “I’m already packed.”

***

            “I can’t even
begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed my stay here,” Tia told Steve and
Kelley as they loaded their bags into the little Audi convertible early Friday
morning. “Thanks so much for an amazing Christmas and for making me feel so
welcome.”

            Kelley pulled
her into a warm embrace and gently kissed the purple bruise beneath her left
eye. “It’s been an absolute pleasure welcoming you to the family,” she replied.
“I’m so happy that you and Dylan found each other, and that we’ve gotten a
chance to know you.” She lowered her voice to a whisper loud enough to be heard
by the men. “You are exactly what he’s been missing in his life—he better know
how lucky he is to have you!”

            Dylan wrapped
his arms affectionately around Kelley. “I do know, Mum, and I’m going to do
everything I can to be worthy of her; don’t worry.” He planted kisses on both
her cheeks and hugged his dad. “I’m damn lucky to have the two of you, as well,
and promise we’ll stay longer on our next visit.”

            “I’ll hold you
to that,” Kelley smiled as Dylan opened the door for Tia. “Let us know when you
have all the tour dates locked in—we’ll try and sneak over by you for a few
weeks in the summer.  Now you guys drive safely and have a wonderful trip—I’m
so glad you’ll get to see some of the country, Tia.”

            Dylan couldn’t
think of a time in his life when he’d describe what he was feeling as ‘warm and
tingly,’ but as he leapt deftly over the door into the driver’s seat; the woman
he loved tying a silk scarf around her hair in preparation for the windy ride
and his parents waving their final goodbyes; the words popped into his mind and
made him smile. He tied his own hair back with an elastic band and tucked it
into the new baseball cap he’d picked up at the Cricket game on Boxing Day
before giving his mum one final kiss and firing the engine.

            He was filled
with excitement for the next leg of their journey. First and foremost, it would
be the first chunk of time that he and Tia would have truly alone, without the
commitments of appearances; public or personal. In Europe, they’d had to work
around the tour, of course, and in the past two weeks, interviews and family
gatherings. He was really looking forward to the down time so they could catch
their breath and have a bit of normalcy back in their lives; if such a thing
were even possible.

            They could’ve
flown into Sydney, but he wanted to show Tia the natural side of Australia that
he knew she’d love—the rocky shores, pristine beaches, and lush forests that
sprawled along the Southern Coast. Four days wasn’t nearly enough time to do it
justice, but at least he could show her the highlights, and share some of the
places that were so much a part of his early years. Then, in just a few short
days, he’d ask her to be his wife. Warm and tingly indeed, he thought as he
reached over and took her hand.

            “I just love
them, Dyl,” Tia smiled as they headed out on the highway. “They’re really
amazing people.”

             “I told you
you had nothing to worry about,” he smirked. “They love you too; that much is
obvious. I know they’ve been waiting a long time for me to find you, but it’s
more than that, I think,” he said thoughtfully. “Seeing the way my Mum was with
you brought back a lot of memories…”

            “I know what
you mean,” Tia said, recalling for Dylan the conversation she’d had with his
dad the night before.

            “Sometimes I
forget just how big a role she played in the family, even for the short time
she was here. I should have known he’d see it too, even though Aussie men are
notorious for having tough skins and swallowing back their feelings. And having
another woman in the house just lit Mum up, you know? Like she had a daughter
again. It was great seeing her so happy. You made one hell of an impression,
Tia. I knew you would.”

            Tia raised
their joined hands to her lips and pressed them against the back of Dylan’s
hand. “Thank you,” she said. “I really do feel like we bonded. I know they
would’ve liked you to stay longer, but I’m really looking forward to some time
alone.”

            Dylan turned
to her and waggled his eyebrows. “And I’ve got a lot of plans for you over the
next few days—another reason I thought a little road trip would be a welcome
break. God knows we’ve spent enough time on airplanes over the past couple
weeks.”

            “Enough for a
lifetime, I think. I’m already dreading the flight home.”

            They drove for
a while in silence, Tia glancing in the rear view mirror to watch the city
landscape fade behind them and catching a glimpse of the non-descript sedan
that followed behind them.
As alone as we’re going to get anyway,
she
thought. Two security people, one male and one female, would be escorting them
on their trip—they’d keep their distance unless they were needed, Dylan had
told her, but they’d be there nonetheless. After the attack in Melbourne, he
insisted he wouldn’t compromise when it came to her safety; and as much as she
hated the thought of having strangers watching them every time they stepped out
of a hotel room, she loved that he was so protective of her. After her little
panic attack at the restaurant the night of the incident, she did feel a bit
safer knowing that there was someone watching her back.

             She took a
deep breath of the fresh air and pushed out the memory. Instead, she let her
mind wander over other events of the past couple weeks, still amazed at just
how much had happened. In one sense it felt like a lifetime; the constant
activity and sheer amount they’d accomplished seemed incomprehensible as she
looked back on it, and yet being so busy had made the time fly by. It felt
absolutely wonderful to have no agenda except for spending time with Dylan and
she was excited to be at the start of their journey, with eight glorious days
in front of her before she had to face reality again.

             “How about
that view?” Dylan’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked out to
see the incredible blue of the ocean just peeping over the horizon.

            “It’s absolutely
beautiful,” she answered, bringing her attention back to the present and the
incredible man at her side.

            “I couldn’t
agree more. The ocean’s kind of pretty too,” he smiled at her and she knew that
as far as the Penelope situation was concerned, she’d already won the greatest
victory of all.

            “I think maybe
I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Tia said, stretching her arms over her head. “I
can’t even believe we actually have four days in a row with nothing to do
except explore the Australian countryside. This is the best part of the trip,
you know, with all the anticipation ahead of us. Oh! Oh, wait! Pull over!” Tia
squealed.

            Dylan jammed
on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road. “What’s wrong?”            

            “Kangaroos!” 

            Dylan laughed.
“You about gave me a bloody heart attack! For some kangaroos?”

            “I’ve never
seen them in the wild before…oh wow, aren’t they just beautiful?”

            Dylan watched
pure delight brighten Tia’s face as she followed the troop with wide eyes until
they melted into the brush. “They are when I see them through your eyes,” he
said, leaning over to brush his lips across hers. “I love how you love the
simple things in life, Tia; it’s really refreshing.”

            “The simple
things make life more beautiful, because they’re beautiful in their
simplicity.”

            “Well said.
That was the inspiration for
House Without a Home,
you know. You really
care.
Not just about people, not just about things, but about everything. I
admire that about you.”

            “It’s my new
favorite song. I just love it.”

            Dylan found
pure joy in showing Tia the natural beauty of the places that held so many fond
memories for him.  He was constantly amazed by her adventurous spirit and her
love for the simplest things; his heart warmed when she squealed in delight
upon seeing her first emus strolling across a grassy field and when she stood
speechless, eyes wide, when he stopped at a scenic overlook for a breathtaking
view of the waves crashing over rocky cliffs far below them.

            He felt like a
kid again, carefree and far from the chaos they’d experienced in much of their
relationship so far. They laughed constantly and fell into an easy rhythm of
casual conversation and comfortable silences.

            Tia squirmed
excitedly in her seat as he drove up to the airport at Phillip Island and
approached the waiting helicopter. “Is that for us?”

            “It is. Since
we only have a short time on this trip, I thought we could at least get a
pretty good overview from the air.”

            “I like the
way you think,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.    

            He probably
spent more time watching her reactions to the sites than he did looking out the
window as they soared over the scenic vistas. After a thorough tour of the
surrounding area, they touched down at Bass Valley Winery and were met by the
owner for a tour of the vineyards and a scrumptious lunch before continuing
their aerial tour of the rest of the island. That night, as they waited
anxiously in their skybox for the start of the daily Penguin Parade, Dylan
couldn’t take his eyes off her. She quivered in anticipation as the sun dipped
into the blue water, awaiting the arrival of the Little Penguins; tiny native
birds returning from the sea to waddle up the beach to the safety of their sand
dune burrows. He was transported back to the night in Northampton, about
halfway through their summer together, and he recalled the lightness he felt
when he realized he was in love with her—remembered thinking,
I love this
girl!
to himself as they were twirling on the dance floor. Now, the words
that came to his mind were,
I’m going to marry this girl!
and he
couldn’t have been happier.

            Seeing his
native country through her eyes made him fall in love with Australia all over
again, and he couldn’t wait to take her to his favorite place. Nicknamed, “The
Prom,” by the locals, Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling national
treasure encompassing beautiful beaches, rocky outcrops, lush forests, mountain
peaks, and an abundance of native wildlife. He couldn’t wait to walk with her
over Squeaky Beach, take her for a hike through Lilly Pilly Gully, and bring
her snorkeling in the beautiful marine reserve. He’d had many a vacation at The
Prom, and it was there that they took one of their final trips as a family, him
carrying Shelby on his back along the beach when her strength failed her,
twisting his feet with each step over the round pebbles of quartz to produce a
squeak worthy of both of them. He hadn’t been back since that day, but he knew
that being there with Tia would make for a healing presence, and that he could
re-live some of his fondest childhood memories without the crushing sadness of
loss overtaking him. He’d really been harboring this way too long, he thought.
About bloody time he enjoyed life again, just for him. And, of course, for Tia.

            “Oh Dylan, it
just keeps on getting better and better, doesn’t it?” Tia asked as they entered
the park boundaries and headed for the coast. “This is just the most beautiful
scenery I’ve ever seen, and every time we round another curve in the road, it
just gets more breathtaking. Thank you for sharing this with me…I am so glad
you decided to come this way.”

            Dylan pulled
off to the side of the road and put his hands on her cheeks. “Bloody hell I
love you, woman,” he said fondly, bringing his mouth to hers for a soft kiss.
“Every day I wake up thinking I couldn’t possibly love you more, but by the
time I lay my head on the pillow at night, with you by my side, I realize that
I didn’t even know what love was when I woke up.”

            “That’s got to
be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she replied breathlessly.
“We just keep getting better and better, don’t we?”

            “Indeed we
do,” he answered with a smile, “and we always will. Always and forever.”

            “I’ll never
get tired of hearing that,” she said, leaning across the seat to steal another
kiss.

            Dylan pulled
the car back onto the road, the tan sedan pulling out behind them. “We’re
camping under the stars tonight,” he said. “I’ve reserved us a tent—not rustic
in the camping sense, but in a great location, and at night, a lot of the
nocturnal animals sniff around the campground—echidnas, bandicoots,
opossums…and in the morning, some of the most amazing birds you’ve ever seen
will come and beg for breakfast. I’ve brought some nuts that they like to
eat—sometimes they’ll sit right on your arms to eat them.”

            “Oh, I love it
already!” Tia exclaimed.