"You look different," said Anna. "Almost - angelic."

Jas chuckled, then sipped her cup of hot chocolate. Should she talk to Anna about what had happened? She was dying to talk to someone. She couldn't tell Nanna. Her fingers had creeped to dial Michelle a thousand times, but common sense stopped her. Michelle would have the news all over Ellijay. She tilted her head and glanced over at Anna, pondering. Anna seemed like a person that Jas could befriend. Lord knows she needed one. The petite woman smiled as if coaxing her to say something.

Jas glanced around the home to see if she saw Aiden anywhere near. He'd been hovering over her the entire time she'd been there. Though she was thoroughly enjoying his lavish affection, a few minutes alone was welcomed too. It gave her a chance to adjust to her engaged status. Ted managed to convince him to help with some matter on the property. They'd been gone several hours but she expected him back any moment.

"Is there any place that we can talk alone? I know Aiden will be back soon and I don't want him to overhear us talking."

"Bundle up. You haven't seen the cabin area, have you?"

Jas nodded.

"You'll love them. Listen, one of the guests has left the cabin and I need to clean it. We can talk there and not have to worry about being bothered."

Jas smiled. "Good."

She and Anna put their coats on then walked toward the back of the house. Jas chuckled when she saw the golf cart and all the cemented pathways around the property. She'd never noticed it before.

"His properties are large enough for you to need a golf cart to get around?"

Anna pulled off, the golf cart hummed as Anna traveled down a heavily wooded path. "Two hundred acres is a lot of property."

Jas shook her head. "What else goes on here?"

"Part of the property is reserved for a wildlife sanctuary. It's beautiful back on that portion of the land. It has a petting zoo and school kids schedule visits there during the year. Ted mostly handles that."

"Wow."

"Aiden used to spend a lot of time in the sanctuary. I think he designed it just to give him some peace."

Jas surely wanted to know what she meant by that, but dared not ask. She looked at Anna, perplexed. Then she shifted her attention to the perfect surroundings. The golf cart hummed around a bend in the road. She stopped at a massive iron gate and typed in a code. The gates opened.

"This is incredible," Jas breathed. Up the mountain was scattered 'cabins,' yeah, right. Cabins are what they had in Ellijay. These were mountain homes that happened to have a log front. They were tucked into the mountain side spaced vastly apart giving each guest peace and privacy. "One of these is your home?"

"Yes, Aiden is quite generous. He said, it's important for him to make people feel wanted." Anna pointed to the large home overlooking the back side of Sleepy Hollow Lake. "That one is ours."

Jas could feel those words stinging her heart. She knew exactly why. All he ever wanted when he was growing up was to feel that his family cared about him. What child doesn't want to feel their parents love? What child living under harsh circumstances would give anything to have peace in the midst of chaos? Though she and Nanna tried to deeply love him, nothing could fill the void that his parents left in his soul.

Jas tried to connect Aiden Ross to the Aiden Johnson she'd grown up with. After being in his home, seeing the cabins and hearing about the wild life sanctuary she'd made a connection. Aiden Johnson had worked years to prove to himself that he was somebody. That he wasn't something that had been rejected. He'd driven himself to massive success to fill that void.

Aiden Ross was tired of trying to fill those damaged emotions. She thought about how he'd come back to the inn, how he treated the staff and it made her heart sag. He's really trying. Tears begun to sting, a few slipped down her face. She wiped them away before the wind froze them to her face. Anna drove the golf cart through a few more curves in the road before reaching their destination. He's giving to others what he wanted for himself. She sniffled.

Anna was concerned. "Did I say something to upset you?"

"No, Anna. It's something personal. What you said reminded me of something in my past."

"All right, dear." They pulled up to the front of the mountain home. "Here we are."

The house was beautiful outside and inside was even more incredible. Jas was dazed looking at the meticulous detail that had been paid to the furnishing. Now she understood why he had no problem doing the makeover of The Apple Blossom Inn. She could see traces of his style from this home to the décor of the inn. She stood with her hand over her mouth, shaking her head. What else am I going to learn about Aiden Ross? That man was amazing. Emotions sparked like hot embers. Jas's heart was pounding out of her chest. I hope I never see Aiden Johnson again.

Her attention was drawn back when she heard Anna pulling out cleaning supplies. She jumped, turning toward Anna. "I'd like to help."

"No need, dear." I do this all the time."

"Please."

Anna smiled at Jas. "I guess there could be no harm in that." She handed her a damp cloth and they began wiping down the kitchen counters. "So, tell me about that halo over your head."

***

Michelle decided to check in on Nanna. She'd been so upset the day that she saw her walking with that mean man that she couldn't bring herself to go back to the inn. It disturbed her greatly to think that the inn could be taken away. Keeping quiet about the whole matter was killing her.

The new staff that Aiden hired had gotten to know Michelle and whenever she came in the doors, they no longer ran to the front counter. Some of them even knew her by name.

"Hi, Mrs. Roy," came a perky call from one of the attendants. "I know you're looking for Nanna."

She smiled. It was good seeing things come together for the inn. There was no way she was going to let some hot-headed cowboy tear things apart. "Yes, I am. Where is she?"

"She's in the solarium."

"Thank you."

Michelle walked down the long corridor leading to the stunning room with the breathtaking views. Her lips turned up in a smile thinking about how just a few months ago Nanna and Jas would have been spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals or overseeing the inn. Now, Jas was on a vacation and Nanna had time to rest in the solarium. Nanna had worked so hard that she didn't have time to even visit that wing of the inn. Knowing she was there, now made Michelle happy. She would certainly tell Jas all about it when she got back.

The sunlight temporarily blinded her as she pulled the door open. When her eyes adjusted, she was stunned to see Nanna sitting with her nemesis drinking tea. Even more alarming was the way Nanna was dressed. She had on a long blue dress. Her legs were crossed and she had on high heels. Nanna wearing heals? Michelle began to sway. Her freshly colored red hair was cascading over her shoulders. There was a string of pearls around her neck, and a pair hanging from her ears.

What the... Nanna's face had turned crimson. She'd never in her life seen Nanna look that good. Michelle watched as her Adam's apple bobbed. Surely, there were fingerprints from a crime going on here.

Then she cut her eyes to that man. Michelle's heart couldn't help to respond to how dashing and distinguished he looked. And his eyes – it was like a piece of sky was in them. He was dressed to the nines, and still wearing those expensive cowboy boots. Must have been his signature style. Who is this man and what has he done with my Nanna? Tea with the enemy?"

Michelle's eyes narrowed as she glared between them. "Nanna," she said curtly.

"Um... Michelle...this is" Nanna was fumbling with her hands. Surely, she could not introduce him. Her brain was scrambled. What was she going to say now?"

Major saw the distress on Nanna's face. He'd have to fix this.

"Beauregard. I'm Beauregard."

Nanna looked up at him, horrified. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Michelle harrumphed.

"We were just discussing the future of the inn on more cordial terms. Would you like a cup of tea."

Why of course – to throw it in your damn face. "No thank you, Beauregard. You did say Beauregard, didn't you?" Southern jerk.

"Yes. Is there something that we can help you with?"

Her eyes became thin slits, aimed at him. Then she turned towards Nanna's bleak face. "Can I have a word with you in private?"

Nanna was about to stand up and Major stood in front of her. Michelle's eyes widened singed at what was happening. Did he just block her? Oh hell!

"We're really in the middle of very important business. Perhaps you could do us a great favor and return some other time?"

Michelle looked urgently at Nanna as if trying to 'will' her to get up and do something – say something. She boldly walked around Major, kneeling down besides Nanna she clasped her hands. "Is he harassing you?"

Nanna shook her head. "Everything is okay, Michelle."

"Then why don't I believe you." She glared up at Major. "Nanna, you've got to tell me what's going on."

Breath hitched in Nanna's throat. Love shouldn't be this heavy. She wanted the whole world to know about her Major. Timing was everything and she couldn't risk messing this up. She peered into Michelle's pleading eyes. "Beauregard and I are trying to turn a new leaf, so if you'd excuse us."

Michelle shook her head. She stood up, folding her arms across her chest. She rolled her eyes at Major, then huffed, "All right...all right." As she was leaving she heard Nanna say, "Remember what I told you."

Why did I agree to keep things a damn secret? She turned, glaring at Nanna then walked away.

When Michelle was out of sight Nanna turned to her love. "Beauregard?"

"Major Beauregard Stallworth, at your service."

She shook her head thinking about how much they'd learned about each other over the last year, but something simple as a middle name had slipped passed them. Nanna scooted under his arm. "Pleased to meet you. I am Arabella Virginia Stone."

They both started laughing. He scooped her up in a hug. "Virginia. I love that name just as much as you, sunshine."

***

Halo. That was an interesting term. Am I really that serene? "So, my happiness shows?" said Jas.

"Like a beacon."

She blushed.

"I'm just glad you're finally here."

"What do you mean?"

Anna sprayed some Windex on the area Jas was wiping. Jas took her cloth and began cleaning that area. "You're the one he always talked about. I didn't know who the young girl was in the picture and I knew that picture had a special place in his heart. I knew it was you. You've brought light into that house, like a halo."

Jas stopped scrubbing for minute to absorb the words. She and Aiden parted on such bad terms she thought that he wouldn't want to consider her existence, just like she had snuffed him out like a candle. "What would he say?"

"You don't know about the house, do you?"

"No."

"That's your house, dear. No other woman has been in that house. He was miserable when you refused to come to New York."

Though she suspected it, hearing the truth come from Anna knocked the wind out of her. "Excuse me, Anna." She went and sat over on the sofa. How much had Aiden confided in Anna?

She put her cleaning aside and slipped down besides Jas. "I shouldn't even be talking about this. But I can't help it, seeing how happy Aiden is right now. I don't want to see that misery in his eyes ever again. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but it hurt him."

"How long have you known him?

Anna sensed that question really meant, 'how well do you know him?' "Jasmine, Ted used to be the head of maintenance at Ross Enterprises and I was on the cleaning crew. We are living our retirement on this property with Aiden because he trusts us." She squeezed Jas's hand and watched as comfort came over her. Anna always wanted to meet the girl that held Aiden's heart. "You can learn a lot about a man when you're cleaning his building late at night. To work as late as he did, we knew he was troubled."

"Really."

"I used to feel so sorry for him. He seemed to have everything but nothing at the same time."

Oh God. Jas felt awful knowing that she was at least partly responsible for that. Anna was painting a picture of a person with a heart. She'd concluded that he'd lost his heart striving to be acknowledged.

"Slowly he began to open up to Ted, then to me. His biggest fear was that he'd hurt you so bad that you wouldn't come to New York. He built that house taking a huge risk."

"Oh, Anna."

"When you didn't come, he walked away from it."

Jas's mind saw every second of their conversation concerning her coming to New York. She was bitter. The conversation had been so heated that she had to walk outside to finish the call away from Nanna's prying ears.

"I will not be dangled about, Aiden. I don't see how you can fix your mouth to say that you sent me back to Ellijay because you loved me. You sent me back because everything was more important than me. You had to prove to the world how great you are."

"You've never been rejected. You can't possibly understand me."

"I don't. All I know is that your rejection is a crutch. Everybody gets hurt, Aiden."

"It's not that easy, Jas."

"Get over it. You chose your past over my love. When all that I've ever done was to try to make you feel wanted. You don't want me to be enough for you."

The memory faded leaving her feeling weary. She felt Anna's arm drape over her shoulder. "What happened, dear."

Jas shook her head. "I really don't know. I thought I knew. I thought I'd made the right decisions."

"Love is complicated, but you've been given a fresh start. It's clear that you still love him."

As clouds give way to the sun, she smiled. "Yeah, clear enough for me to propose to him last night. There you go, that's the halo."

"You proposed. I wasn't expecting that." Anna chuckled. "That's wonderful! Bless your heart. I'm happy for the two of you." She looked at that taunt expression on Jas's face. "I should be happy, right?"

"I'm still shocked that I asked him." Thinking about what had happened made her tingle - the feel of him pressed against her body, the hypnotic cologne and the way he kissed her. Lord, the way he kissed left her desperate as a drowning man. His love had filled her lungs and took her under its current. Her lips were burning even now. "You have no idea what complicated is. It will be a miracle if we get to the alter this time."

"This time?"

"Yeah, we were engaged."

"Wow."

"Do you know anything about Aiden Johnson?"

"No."

"Well, let me explain something. Aiden Ross may have built this house and is the man that I care for, but Aiden Johnson may still be living here and that scares me. I can't marry Aiden Johnson."

Anna had a perplexed look on her face.

"Come on, let's finish cleaning this house. By the time we're done, you'll know the other side of the story." Until this moment, Jas didn't know how badly she needed to talk through her complexities about Aiden.

***

"You're worse than you were before you went to Nanna's. What's going on, Michelle?"

"I think I need to go and check on Jordy and Samantha."

"They're outside on the swings."

Michelle walked across the kitchen to the sink and turned her face towards the window. She didn't want Bruce to see how upset she was. She quickly grabbed a dishrag and began to wash the few dishes that had been left in the sink.

Bruce tossed his hands in the air. He saw that she was upset and didn't want to make it worse by being sharp, but she really needed to start talking. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He walked across the spacious kitchen and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her perfect waist. "Baby, think about how much you're hurting me. I can't bear to see you this way." He nuzzled the hair away and kissed her gently on the shoulder. "Please, talk to me."

"I don't want to hurt you, Bruce. You've got to let me handle this."

"You're not handling it well. You haven't been sleeping." He gently turned her towards him. She couldn't even hold her head up to look at him. Bruce's dazzling blue eyes were her weakness. He knew exactly what he was doing. "Look at me, baby."

She continued to stare down at the floor. He tilted her head up. Michelle became unglued when she saw the passion in his eyes. Bruce loved her like she was the only woman on the planet. The intenseness made her insides drip like wax. "You're hurting me, Michelle. Is that what you want to do?"

"No," she whispered.

"Then tell me."

"Everybody in this whole town thinks that I can't keep a secret. I'm tired of everyone thinking that I talk too much. That's why I can't tell you, Bruce."

His brow arched, this was certainly something he wasn't expecting. He was one of the people that had teased her about being the voice of the grapevine. Now he had a bigger problem, Michelle really needed to learn to use more discretion, now was a terrible time for her to learn that lesson. For Michelle to have kept any secret for two weeks was a pure miracle. He didn't know what to say. He could look in her eyes and see that keeping this thing a secret was killing her. After a long pause, he kissed her on the forehead.

"Okay. I understand." He pondered the situation a moment more. "I won't ask you to tell me the secret, but can I asked you one question?" She began to squirm. "Just one question for now, I promise."

"All right."

"If Jas and Aiden were here would you be concerned?"

Her eyes widened. "Please leave them out of this. They need time together."

Bruce didn't say anything. He hugged his wife, knowing that he'd phrased the question in a way to get everything that he wanted. This had something to do with Nanna and the inn.