Read InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) Online
Authors: Kim DeSalvo
It was a balmy
82 degrees when they touched down in Melbourne; a far cry from the cold and
snow they’d left behind in New York. They were the first ones off the plane,
and were hustled through the entry point by a sandy-haired host who claimed to
be a die-hard InHap fan. As they approached the big red sign for the meeting
point Tia saw Kelley Miller standing beneath it, a huge smile on her face. Tia
recognized her not just from pictures she’d seen, but because she could see
Dylan in the color of her hair, the blue of her eyes, and the tilt of her
smile. Kelley rushed up and threw her arms around her son, then embraced Tia
before Dylan even had a chance to introduce them. “You are an absolute gift,
Tia,” she whispered into her ear as she hugged her. “I am so glad that you’re
finally here.” Her accent was thicker than Dylan’s, and was definitively
Aussie, without Dylan’s hint of Brit.
“Thank you so
much,” she said. “I’m really happy to finally meet you. Dylan’s told me so much
about you.”
“And believe
me, he’s told me a lot about you. I feel as if I already know you, and meeting
you is just a formality.”
“I guess
introductions aren’t necessary, then,” Dylan smirked. He linked one arm around
his mother and the other around Tia. “It’s so good to finally have my two best
girls together,” he smiled, kissing the tops of their heads in turn and pulling
them tight.
“Your dad’s
circling the airport,” she said. “Let’s get your luggage and head for home. I’m
so glad to be able to spend Christmas with my baby! It’s been years.”
“Too many
years,” Dylan answered. “It’s great to be home, Mum.”
“And you’ve
brought us the very best present,” she said, squeezing Tia’s arm behind Dylan’s
back.
They’d made no
secret of the fact that they’d be in Australia for the holidays, and fully
expected the group of photographers and reporters that stood around the luggage
carousel, their eyes sweeping over the mass of humanity that paraded through
the area. Their host was already directing an attendant toward them with their
luggage, and they told the security guard that they were happy to pose for some
photos and answer some questions.
“There they
are!” a balding, heavyset man bellowed and it was like someone fired a starting
pistol. All eyes turned in the direction of the media, and the crowd followed
as they approached the couple.
“Dylan! Tia!
Could we have a couple moments of your time, please?”
“I’ll just go
see about that luggage,” Kelley smiled, bending her index finger toward the
host as Dylan and Tia smiled for the cameras.
“Absolutely,”
Dylan said, turning on his rock star charm and striding toward them
confidently, his hand outstretched. “How you all doing today?”
The flashes of
the cameras made them a blur of faces and voices, so Tia just smiled in their
general direction.
“Welcome home,
Dylan, and welcome to Australia, Tia; is this your first time Down Under?”
“Yes, it is.
I’ve always wanted to visit—I’m really glad to finally be here.”
“What are you
most looking forward to doing on your holiday?”
“Honestly?
After the crazy week we just had, I’m mostly looking forward to spending some
quiet time with Dylan, and getting to know his family.” She leaned in and
smiled. “Of course, it’s an amazing country, and I want to see as much as I
possibly can in the short time we’re here. It probably sounds lame to you, but
I can’t wait to see kangaroos, koalas, wombats…I just love the outdoors. There
is so much I want to see, but a couple weeks isn’t even close to enough time to
do it all. I’m glad we’ll be coming back many times.”
“I can’t wait
to show her some of the places that meant so much to me when I was growing up,”
Dylan added. “It’s so good to finally bring her home.”
“Tia, can you
tell us what you’re feeling right now?”
“Like the
luckiest woman in the world,” she said, smiling up at Dylan.
“How about
you, Dylan?”
He wrapped his
arm around Tia and smiled. “I’ve got my baby girl back…how do you think I’m
feeling?” He planted a kiss on Tia’s lips and flashed the paparazzi a wink.
“I’m positively brilliant.”
“You’re
meeting his family for the first time, right?”
“Yes she is,
and I can’t wait a minute longer. Tia hasn’t had a chance to meet my dad yet,
and I’d really like to make those introductions. It’s been nice chatting with
you all, but I hope you’ll excuse us.” He grabbed Tia’s hand and got only two
steps toward the exit before a tall blonde in a short green dress stepped out
and thrust a microphone toward Tia’s face.
“Tia, Callie
Strong from WHO. I’m wondering if you might give us a statement in response to
Penelope Valentine’s comments about you and her relationship with Dylan.”
Tia narrowed
her eyes and shot a quick glance at Dyl, who merely shrugged in return. “I’m
sorry, but I’m not aware of any comments she’s made. My understanding is that
she isn’t being allowed to make any public statements except through her
attorney.”
“Well, she
somehow got a video up on her Facebook page last night. Oh—you were probably in
the air when it came out. I could summarize for you; she said…”
Dylan slung
his arm around her protectively and headed immediately for the exit. “Not
interested in the slightest,” he called over his shoulder as they made a hasty
retreat, waving off and apologizing to the onlookers thrusting papers toward
them for autographs. “Have a Happy Christmas, everyone—I know I will!” The
paparazzi followed them and continued snapping pictures, but the rest of their
questions were lost in the din of the crowd.
“Don’t think
about it,” Dylan said. “I know it’s hard, but it doesn’t matter one iota what
she says, and this isn’t the time to worry about it. We’ll deal with it on our
terms and in our own time. Can you do that?”
“I’m going to
do my very best,” she said, squeezing his hand. They stepped out the door and
saw Kelley and the man who could only be Dylan’s dad waving at them from a
short distance away. She pushed it to the back of her mind and greeted Steve
Miller with a smile.
All of Tia’s
trepidation left her within minutes of pulling away from the curb. Conversation
began easily enough, with Steve and Kelley asking Tia general questions about
herself, but before long, they fell into the comfortable bantering of a
close-knit family that hadn’t seen in each other in a while. Tia sat back and
laughed as Steve and Dylan joked and made digs at each other while Kelley
rolled her eyes in fake exasperation. By the time they rolled down the long
driveway of the Miller home, Tia felt as if she’d known them for much longer
than the forty minutes they had spent in the car.
The house was
comfortable and warm—not huge, but set on a sprawling piece of property that
boasted lots of mature trees, a huge deck overlooking an expansive garden full
of sculptures and colorful blooms, and huge windows that let in lots of natural
light. Every room was tastefully decorated with a combination of Kelley’s
incredible art and family heirlooms. Walls and tables were dotted with a wide
variety of family photos that featured Dylan at various ages as well as his
sister, Shelby. Dylan blushed when Steve led Tia into his “office;” a room
dedicated to their son’s success. “Ah, dads, you know,” he muttered as Steve
pointed out Dylan’s first guitar, tour posters from one of his early bands,
“Slingshot,” and an entire wall full of articles and magazine covers.
“This is my
personal favorite,” Tia smiled, pointing to the “Sexiest Man” cover.
“Yeah, I have
to say I felt a bit odd hanging that one,” Steve snickered. “Kind of hard to
think about the feral kid who we could barely force to take a Pommy shower some
days as ‘sexy.’ Now I could tell you some stories…”
Dylan clamped
his hand around Steve’s mouth. “I’ll not have you scaring her away with those
old fish stories,” he smirked.
“I didn’t even
understand half of it,” Tia giggled. “What’s a Pommy shower?”
“Never mind,”
Dylan said with a laugh. “One thing you’ve got to know about my dad straight
off is that he has a tendency to exaggerate, so you should really only believe
about half of what he says. And since you never know which half, you may as
well just ignore all of it.”
“I don’t need
to exaggerate when it comes to you,” he teased. “You came by it honestly.”
“Are you two
at it already?” Kelley asked. “Really, let Tia get settled, at least, before
you start behaving like a couple of children.” She winked at Tia and put out
her hand. “Come on. My favorite room to show off is my studio—my incredible son
had it added onto the house so I’d have a place all to myself where I could
focus my creativity.”
“Your work is
amazing; I can’t wait to see more.”
They walked
down a long hallway into a large room with a high domed ceiling and five tall
windows designed to catch the light from every angle at any time of day. A
variety of paintings in various stages of completion were propped on easels and
against walls, a large, well-used kiln stood in one corner, and various
tapestries were draped over tables. Tia’s eyes widened as she took in the
incredible pieces, but her breath caught when she saw the painting sitting
uncovered atop an easel in the center of the room. “Oh,” she breathed, walking
toward it. “It’s Tuscany!” She recognized the scene immediately, and was
instantly transported back. She and Dylan had stayed a couple nights in a
little villa overlooking a vineyard, and they’d sat on the veranda one night
and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets either of them had ever seen. It
was one of their last days together before she returned home and Dylan headed
for New Zealand, and the mood had been melancholy as they’d sipped a local wine
and watched the incredible colors explode the sky and wash over the fruit of
the land. Not only had Kelley managed to capture the perfect colors, but somehow
she’d also encapsulated the mood of the evening. Tia stepped closer to take in
the details; her eyes gravitating to the clusters of grapes that adorned each
lower corner. Vines twisted from each cluster, shifting and morphing along the
bottom edge of the sunset to become two hands intertwined at the center of the
frame, the tendrils binding them together.
Kelley stood
back and let her take it in, pleased that she’d not only recognized the setting
but was drawn to the joined hands that were meant to be hers and Dylan’s. He’d
shared the photograph with her on his short visit before going to make the
film, and repeated what he’d told Tia that night— that he was tangled up in her
just like the vines were with each other, and that nothing could undo the love
they shared.
Tia spoke
without taking her eyes from the canvas. She could almost feel the cool breeze
that had swirled around them that evening, could almost smell the air; tangy
and sweetened by the delicate fruits. “I can’t even think of a word to describe
how beautiful this is,” she whispered. “Breathtaking doesn’t seem strong
enough, but it absolutely does take my breath away. It’s like I could just walk
into it and be right back there again.”
Kelley slipped
her arm around Tia, resting her head on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you like
it,” she said. “It’s your Christmas present, Tia. Grapevines are significant;
they’ve been a symbol of abundance and fertility dating all the way back to
Biblical Times. When Dylan stopped here on his way to New Zealand we sat in
those two chairs right there,” she pointed at a comfortable seating area under
a window to the left, “and he told me that he’d found ‘the one.’ I looked into
his eyes and knew instantly that it was true. When he showed me this photograph
and shared with me what he’d told you that night, I knew that I had to paint
it. I hope that it will bring you joy as you begin your lives together.”
“Thank you,”
Tia breathed. “I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never owned anything so
beautiful and truly significant.” She brought her hand to her heart and blinked
back the emotion that suddenly filled her.
“You are so
welcome,” Kelley said, rubbing small circles on her back. “In every way, Tia. I
hope you know I mean that very sincerely.”
Tia wiped away
a tear and a small giggle escaped her throat. “I can’t believe I was so nervous
about meeting you!” she smiled. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, and
especially thank you for raising such an incredible son. I couldn’t be happier
than I am at this very moment.”
Dylan came
over and wrapped both his girls in a warm embrace. “Neither could I,” he said.
“This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”