Present Day...

When Rhea finally made it down to the kitchen the next day it was to find Eli waiting for her, sipping on a mug of coffee. Part of her had hoped that he would over sleep and the other part of her hoped he would be there, knowing that any time spent with him was a blessing.

She gave him a shy smile and reached for her windbreaker, taking an extra one of the peg and handing it to him. Once they were bundled up, they headed out the back door and towards the beach in silence. She didn't know why she was suddenly shy but she was, at least she was until he reached down and took her hand in his. When he did that her world seemed to right itself and she was suddenly happy.

The sun was just starting to crest over the ocean when they reached the beach and they both sat on the sand, still not having said a word.

"This really is paradise, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she cleared her throat, "the island has been in my family for four generations, it was used to grow indigo and rice."

Eli looked at some wild horses further down the beach. "It must have been wonderful growing up here?"

"It was." Rhea smiled missing those carefree days when she would run as wild as the horses.

"Which side of your family did the land come from, your mother has a slight French accent, so I'm guessing it's your father's side."

Rhea nodded. "Don't tell my mother that, she's worked very hard over the years to lose it, but yes, the land belongs to his side.  He did a study abroad program in college and went to Paris, he met mother there. They fell instantly in love."

She could feel Eli's gaze on her. "Are they still in love? That scene with your father yesterday seemed a little tense?"

"Yes, believe it or not they are mad about each other, but they're also a bit like kids in their adoration of each other, they don't live in reality. When mother got pregnant with Aion it was completely unexpected and her pregnancy was very high risk, my father doesn't deal with the unpleasantness of reality very well, he likes to hide in his books, so that's what he did. I thought after Aion was born he would come out of it, but mother didn't bounce back like she should have, she's still not one hundred percent even after all of this time, and he stayed hidden in his books. He doesn't like to see her suffer."

"Which meant that you were left to take care of everything," he assessed.

"Something like that, but mother helps when she feels up to it," she defended.

He must have heard her defensive response because he quickly changed the subject. "Aion, how did he get his name?"

Rhea smiled at his question. "It's a bit weird isn't it?" she laughed. "Father loves Greek mythology, he named us all after the Greek gods."

"Rhea?" He asked.

"She's associated with nature and is the mother of the gods, the mother of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Phoebe was Rhea's sister and was associated with the moon. From them the gods were born."

"And Aion, I don't believe that that is a name I have heard of before." Eli encouraged her to continue.

"Aion is the god of eternity."

"That's rather a fitting name for a son."

"Especially a son you never thought you would have," Rhea agreed.

They lapsed into silence and Rhea once again thought of what it would be like to have a son fathered by Eli, what he would look like, what would they name him?

"I didn't know you spoke French," he said breaking into her thoughts.

"Yes, mother taught it to us when we were little. She does her best to hide her accent in an attempt to fit in better, Savannah can sometimes be hard on outsiders, but she is still proud of her heritage and she wanted us to learn her native language."

They lapsed into silence once more and Eli grew tense. There was something he wanted to ask but he wasn't sure how to ask it.

"What is it Eli, there is something worrying you, something that you want to ask, I can tell."

"How can you tell?" he smiled, not denying that she was right.

Rhea looked at his hands, he was rubbing the palm of one hand with the thumb of the other, it was something he did when he was focused on a negative thought.

He shook his head and sighed. "Lola, can you trust her?"

Rhea thought about it, she had been away for awhile but she had always kept her secrets when they were growing up.

"Yes, she's always kept my secrets in the past. Why?"

"She overheard a good deal of our conversation yesterday and it has me worried." He looked out at the ocean, watching the waves as they washed up on the sand, they were getting closer and closer to their feet by the minute and pretty soon they would have to move.

Rhea closed her eyes. "It's my fault."

"No, it's not, I said she could come, I allowed her here. She said she only heard the end of our conversation but..." he shrugged.

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Rhea jumped up, ready to do that very thing.

"No, that's not necessary. Mason and I already have."

"Still-"

"It's fine Sunny, hopefully she can still be trusted." He stood up taking her arm and walking back the way they had come. He stopped as they got closer to the horses, taking a moment to watch them as they stood on the beach watching them.

"How could you ever leave this."

"I hope I never have to." Rhea said, unable to control the wobble in her voice, and she quickly looked away at the sharp look Eli gave her, setting a quick pace back to the house.

Eli followed behind her and they both stopped short when they entered the kitchen and saw Mason talking on the house phone. It was one of those old-fashioned wall phones in an avocado green and he sat on the stool in the corner nodding his head as someone on the other end spoke.

"ye-, I kno-, no-, she-" Whomever was on the other end was not letting him get a word into the conversation.

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "Yes Mom, I'll make it happen," he said before hanging up the phone.

"That was my Mom." He sighed once more, looking weary.

"I gathered, what did you do, she generally doesn't read you the riot act so early in the morning," Eli said with a grin as he took off his jacket then helped Rhea off with hers.

"It's not that early in London," he countered as he thought about something else. "How many can this place sleep?"

Rhea looked at Eli, who looked just as confused, then looked back at Mason. "How many does it need to sleep?"

Mason started to count on his fingers and Rhea watched in amazement as he ticked them off. "Not counting Eli we would need seven double beds or six doubles and two singles."

"Everyone!" Eli said, his eyes growing wide.

"Yes," he said in a grumpy tone.

"Who is everyone?" Rhea asked as she debated if they could do it. It would mean opening up some rooms that hadn't been opened in a while, but it would also mean extra money to plug the sinking ship.

"My parents and brothers and sisters, they have decided that they want to spend Thanksgiving here." He looked almost depressed by the news.

"H-How many are there?" Rhea turned to look as Mason, afraid to hear the answer, and she watched in amazement as he started to count on his fingers again.

Cassie entered the kitchen and looked with a questioning look at him and then at Rhea.

"He's trying to figure out how many people are in his family, I think," Rhea explained.

"Shhhh, now I have to start over!" And he did. "Fourteen," he crowed.

"Fifteen," Cassie corrected him. "You always for get little Fiona."

"Damit!" he shook a fist. "It's because she's so short."

Cassie rolled her eyes but she seemed to be taking it in stride. "Why are you trying to figure it out?" She poured herself a cup of coffee and Eli snagged it from her with thanks.

"They want to come here for Thanksgiving and I was asking Rhea if she had enough room for everyone. Someone really sold them on how wonderfully peaceful this place was..." Mason shot Cassie an accusing look.

"I can make the room, it will mean opening up the servant's quarters and the forman's cottage, but we can make it work. Unfortunately, Eli's has booked the entire house, so unless he gives up the rooms, I can't do it."

"Well, that takes care of that!" Mason sounded almost chipper.

Eli shook his head. "Who is insisting that this happen, your mother?"

"Yes." Mason looked nervous.

"I'm not saying no to your mother," Eli said, watching his friend frown at him.

"You're afraid of a little white-haired grandmother," Mason taunted.

"No, I'm afraid of a rancher's daughter, mother of six sons, one daughter, who carries a gun, can charm bees, and likes to give you 'the look' if you disappoint her."

"I hate 'the look'," Cassie agreed, sipping her coffee.

"When has she ever given you 'the look'? She loves you more than she loves me!" Mason insisted of Cassie.

"When I can't control you, I get 'the look'," Cassie said looking over at Rhea.

"Don't worry, there are a few really good cooks among them so you won't be left on your own when it comes to cooking," Cassie reassured her.

Rhea hadn't even thought about cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for them all.

"Who is a good cook!" Mason insisted.

"Your mom, Laura, Dana, Caleb."

"Everyone but you!" Mason said churlishly.

But Cassie took it all in stride. "My talents lay elsewhere," she insisted with a look at Mason that caused a spark to shoot between them. "I am very good at cleaning and I will be happy to help Rhea prepare all of the rooms."

"Burn!" Rhea heard Eli say from behind her softly.

Mason stood up and stomped out of the kitchen but Cassie remained where she was with a little smile on her lips. "He's only upset because he didn't think of it himself, he adores his family and they are all very close. You'll like them."

Rhea only nodded, a little stunned by new development. She had never guessed the Mason had such a large family. She didn't have time to worry about it though because Otto joined them and then Aion and it was business as usual.