Enchant Me by J. Kenner

5

I check on the girls and find them in the guest cottage located off the patio with Bree, where she’s biting her lower lip as she holds a curling iron near Anne’s head. With skill reminiscent of a superhero, she pulls it away, releasing my little girl’s head in almost the same instant as Anne turns, squeals, “Mama!” and leaps toward me.

“You are one lucky little rug rat,” Bree says. “What have we talked about moving when I’m curling your hair?”

Anne turns to her, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “I’m sorry, Ms. Bree.”

Bree meets my eyes, clearly fighting a grin. “It’s okay, princess. I just don’t want to burn your sweet little skin.”

Crisis averted, Anne returns her attention to me. I scoop her up and hug her next to me. “Are you about ready for the party?”

“It’s not a party, Mommy. It’s a wedding.”

“I stand corrected. Where’s your brother?”

Anne points to the bedroom. “He’s in with Lara.”

“I decided to set up the beauty salon in here. That way they could watch cartoons in the back while I’m working on the other ones.”

Bree’s been working as our nanny for a few years since returning from a short stint in grad school in New York. Originally, this guest cottage had a television in both the bedroom and the living room, but when she moved back, Bree asked us to remove the one in the living room.

“Too distracting,” she’d said, and since she’d returned to Los Angeles to work on a novel, I could hardly argue. We replaced the television console with a huge writing desk. Today, that desk has been transformed into a station for dressing my kids.

“You could’ve done this in their rooms, you know.” I hear the amusement in my voice.

She shrugs. “They like coming over here. And I think it makes them feel special to go out to get all fancied up. It’s a big day, after all. It’s not often that kids get to be involved in their grandparents’ wedding.”

That much was true.

Anne slides down my body, then tugs at my hand. “Bradley and Lara are already dressed. Come see? Come see?” I let her drag me into the bedroom then bend down as my little boy and oldest daughter run towards me.

“Hold up a second, let me look at you.” I lean back, pretending to eye them critically. “Well, the good news is that the three of you look absolutely amazing. The bad news is, I don’t think you can stay clean until the wedding.”

“Yes, we can, Mommy,” Lara says indignantly.

“All right. I believe you. I’m going to put you in charge of making sure the others stay clean, too.”

She crosses her arm and nods her head. “Aye aye, Captain Mommy.”

Behind her, Anne starts to twirl, making the skirt on her pink party dress flare out. The girls and I are dressed in the same shade of pink, while Bradley wears a pink shirt under his toddler suit. They look like precious little dolls. And I wonder if there’s even the slightest chance that they really will manage to stay tidy for the next hour. Or at least until Evelyn and Frank can see them.

Since confidence is low, I pull out my phone and snap a few pictures. Better safe than sorry.

Today, only the girls are walking down the aisle ahead of Evelyn. At our vow renewal next week, the girls will walk with their little brother. I have a feeling it may all devolve into chaos, and I honestly can’t wait to see what happens.

“Do you want me to get them out of your hair?” I ask Bree, as I leave the kids in the bedroom and return to the living area.

“No, no, don’t be silly. In fact, if you want I can get the girls all the way to the staging point with Damien. That way you don’t have to worry about them and take all the pictures you want.”

“That would be fabulous. Thanks, Bree.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’ll bring Bradley to you as soon as I have the girls in place.”

“No, no. I can take Bradley. That’s not a problem. But thank you for helping with the girls. And they will love the adventure of doing this with you.”

She grins. “I’m really excited about today. I love Evelyn and Frank. But, Nikki, I’m even more excited about next week. I see the way you guys are together, and I’m so glad that you’re doing this ceremony. It just seems special, you know?”

I feel the glow of happiness running through me. “Yes,” I say. “I know exactly what you mean.”

I pop back into the bedroom long enough to give the girls kisses, then I hoist up Bradley and tell him we’re going to go see Paw-paw before the guests arrive.

I give Bree a quick one-armed hug, then head out to go find my father for a quick pre-wedding chat. Then my plan is to find Evelyn and help her with the dress. I know she can manage on her own, but a bride should have girls around her before she walks down the aisle.

I find Frank in one of the first floor guest rooms. We don’t use this part of the house very often, but it was designed to allow for entertaining several overnight guests, so there are rooms tucked away in the back down a different corridor from either the gym or the kitchen.

I give a quick tap on the door, then push it open when he calls out, “Come in!”

I find him pacing the room in a dapper gray suit, and I’m struck with a childhood memory of him nervously pacing backstage at one of my toddler beauty pageants. He’d left when I was a baby, but knowing he’d come back to see me in those pageants made all the crap my mother put me through more bearable.

“Oh, sweetie,” he says when I tell him as much, “I may regret admitting this to you, but I only went to one of your pageants. I didn’t approve of what your mother was putting you through, and when I talked to you on the phone, you never seemed to be having fun.”

“We talked on the phone?”

He nods, looking ashamed. “I should have kept it up once I started traveling after the divorce was final. I didn’t.” He runs his fingers through his tidy hair, mussing it.

I’m not sure what to say, so I stay quiet.

Silence lingers, then he finally clears his throat. “The truth is, I went to that one pageant only because I was bringing your mother divorce papers to sign. Seeing you was a perk, but it wasn’t the reason I went.”

“Oh. I hadn’t realized that.”

He sighs, then comes over and puts his hands on my shoulders. “I was a horrible father to you. I’m so sorry.”

“Frank,” I say. “Dad. We’ve been over this. I’m not going to disagree. You sucked. But you’ve made it up to me. Do I have to keep repeating that?”

He chuckles. “No. I believe you. I do. It’s a miracle, but I believe that you’ve really forgiven me for those years.”

“You need to forgive yourself.”

This time, he doesn’t chuckle, but his mouth twists into something that almost resembles a smile.

“I think I have. Almost. Because it’s important to you. And because I need to accept the mistakes in my past so I can move past them.”

“Exactly.” I know he’s gotten some counseling about his issues, and he’s told me that it’s helped. But when I look at him now, I see shadows, and they scare me. “Daddy? What’s wrong?”

On my hip, Bradley squirms, and I put him down. The floor is pristine, thanks to Gregory overseeing the housework, so I know he won’t get his cute little suit too dusty.

“I’m fine. Fine.” Frank shakes his head, but his expression is haunted.

“Okay, now you’re scaring me. Seriously. What’s going on? You’re not having cold feet are you?”

His eyes widen. “Oh, no. No. About marrying Evelyn? Never. Except, okay, yes.”

I feel an icy chill. “What do you mean?”

He starts pacing again, and I realize we’re back to whatever was bothering him before Bradley and I interrupted. “I don’t know how to do this.” His voice is so soft I can barely hear him. “I was a terrible father to you. I was a terrible husband to Elizabeth. What if I’m a terrible husband to Evelyn?”

“You won’t be.” I tell him. “And you were not a terrible husband to Elizabeth. She was a terrible wife.”

“Sweetheart, I appreciate the loyalty. But I left when you were barely walking. You don’t know what I was like.”

“But I know her. And I know you now. And there is no doubt in my mind that Elizabeth Fairchild destroyed both of us. But it’s not going to be that way with Evelyn.”

I move closer to him and take his hands. “You love her, Daddy, and she loves you back. My mother didn’t know how to love. She still doesn’t. She’s like a horrible monster that takes your emotions and turns them into something ugly and hard. That’s not Evelyn. And it’s not you.” I squeeze his hands. “You’ve got this, Dad.”

“Do I?”

I hear contempt in his voice and frown, unsure where this is going.

“I thought I had this fatherhood thing down, and then Anne went missing. And what did I do? Did I come to you? Did I offer my support? No. I bolted. I left you, and I left Evelyn. I was so scared I wouldn’t know what to do. And you know what? I didn’t know. I didn’t have a single clue.”

My mouth has gone completely dry. Everything he’s said is true, but that doesn’t make it right. “None of us knew what to do.”

“But the rest of you stayed. You dealt with it. You offered each other comfort. But me? I ran.”

“And then you came back.”

He scoffs. “Well, guess I win a cookie. But here’s my fear—what if it gets hard again? What if I run and just keep going?”

“Then we’ll all be incredibly pissed at and disappointed in you. But not any more than you’ll be pissed and disappointed in yourself.”

I take a breath and take a step back so that I can look him up and down. “But the fact that you’re even suggesting this means that you’re not going to do it. You know the cost. You know what you would be giving up. And who you’d hurt.”

“You don’t think I knew it would hurt you when I ran like a scared rabbit after my granddaughter was kidnapped?”

“Of course, you knew. But you hadn’t figured out the whole dad thing, and I get that. Do I wish you’d done it better? Sure. Was I hurt and angry? Hell, yes. But you got there, Daddy. You came back and you explained. It’s fine now.”

“It isn’t fine. I hurt you. I’m going to spend the rest of my life regretting hurting you.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” I say, deliberately keeping my voice level. “How about you spend the rest of your life loving your wife and your daughter and your grandchildren and your son-in-law and your friends instead? Do that, and we’ll call it even.”

He chuckles. “Well, I guess that’s fair. I think that I can handle that. God knows I want to.”

I pull him into a hug, then kiss his cheek. “I’ve got faith in you, Dad. When we started this journey, we didn’t know how to be a family. Hell, when I got together with Damien, I had no idea what a family was. The idea of what we have now? A home? Kids? A cat? It terrified me. But now here we are, and I can’t imagine anything different. And now that you’re in my life again, I can’t imagine not having you here.”

“Oh, sweetheart, neither can I.”

“I’m so happy you’re marrying Evelyn. She’s one of my favorite people. And believe me, I wouldn’t be happy about her marrying anyone I didn’t think deserved her. But you do. Just don’t let your ego get too big, okay, Daddy?” I add the last with a grin, and as I hoped, he laughs.

“Fair enough. Thank you for the pep-talk. How did I get so lucky to have such an incredible daughter?”

“Well, I think you can take most of the credit, actually. God knows, I don’t particularly approve of the parts of me that came from Elizabeth Fairchild.” I shrug, and we both laugh. That, sadly, is true.

I zip across the room to distract Bradley from the lamp he’s determined to knock over. “So you’re all packed for the honeymoon?” I ask as I deposit my son on the sofa and hand him a throw pillow.

I glance up at my dad. “Damien’s arranged to have a limo take you guys to the marina first thing in the morning. Then you’ll have a quick cruise to the resort.” Tonight, of course, they’re staying in the bungalow after the reception.

“I’m packed,” he says, but something in his voice gives me pause.

“What’s wrong? Oh, God, Dad, you don’t feel pressured into staying at the resort? Do you?” The Resort at Cortez is a vacation destination that boasts a family friendly area along with a more secluded section featuring spacious, intimate bungalows. The resort is absolutely gorgeous, and Evelyn thought that it would be a good interim place for a honeymoon since they don’t want to leave the country until after Damien and I renew our vows.

But maybe it’s not where Frank would’ve chosen. I bite my lower lip, worried we’ve strong-armed my dad into a honeymoon he doesn’t want.

“No, no,” he rushes to say. “The pictures look fabulous. It’ll be a wonderful place for a honeymoon. I’ve been reading up on it, in fact, and I already know all the restaurants we’re going to try.”

I laugh. “There are only three restaurants on the island, Dad. That, plus the candy and ice cream shop.

“Exactly. Those are the ones we’re going to be trying,” he says, making me laugh.

“You’re sure? You looked a little off there for a second.”

“Yes, well. It’s just that we may not be going at all.”

I take a step back. “What? Why not?”

His shoulders sag, as if someone has just released the air from his tires. “Evelyn told me about the text.”

“Oh.” I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “You’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding.”

“In her dress.”

“Evelyn came in here naked?”

My dad rolls his eyes. “She came in here in a dress, but not the one she’s getting married in.”

“Sorry. Being silly. Why on earth would that mean you’re not going to go?”

“Well, she’s his publicist. I know that she’s concerned about it leaking. And concerned about the spin if it does.”

I shake my head, then go sit down next to Bradley, who immediately snuggles up. “Do you really think Damien could handle knowing that his drama upset your honeymoon plans? I thought you two bonded better than that in Mexico.”

Damien had been my hero one Christmas when he’d flown down to get my father after his commercial flight was canceled. But then things got even crazier and the two almost ended up stranded down there over the holidays.

He cocks his head. “And do you think Evelyn could stand to be away if something broke and she wasn’t there to help?”

I grimace, not liking the way this conversation is going at all.

“Sweetheart, I walked away from you in hard times before. I’m not walking away from you and your husband this time. And neither is Evelyn.”

“You walked away from Elizabeth Fairchild, not me.”

“We both know that’s not true,” he says, and I have to agree he has a point.

“Well, maybe so,” I concede, “but you’re not walking away this time. I’m pushing you. Both of you. And so is Damien. He would hate for this to mess up your honeymoon. In fact, it will royally piss him off if you stay. Believe me, I know him. So does Evelyn, and she must know I’m right.”

“Nikki—”

I hold up a hand. “If it will make you feel any better, I promise we’ll reach out if it gets bad. But until we know who sent that video in the first place, and what they want to do with it, there’s nothing Evelyn can do anyway.”

“I told you. She can spin it if gets out.”

“That’s a big if. What if it doesn’t go out this week? This month? Are you going to indefinitely postpone your honeymoon while we all wait on tenterhooks?”

He frowns, but I know he sees the value of my argument.

“And seriously, it’s not as if we can’t communicate with you. There’s this keen invention called a phone. Email, too. Heck, we could even send a telegram.”

“All right, all right.”

“I promise, if it gets terrible, we will let you know. But enjoy your honeymoon, and let’s assume that this guy is just threatening. If he really wanted to release that video, he probably already would have. Besides, Evelyn told me Charles was working his legal mojo.”

“Yes,” Frank says. “Yes, he is. Evelyn took a call from him while we were together. He seems confident it’s buttoned down. His words.”

“Well, there you go.”

He frowns, but this time he doesn’t argue.

“The bottom line is that I love you, Daddy. And I know you walked away before, but you deserve a real marriage and a stress-free wedding and a honeymoon to go along with it. And honestly, I’ve learned the hard way that life with Damien has drama, but it’s nothing that we can’t face. We’ve been doing it for years.”

Frank’s brow rises. “I suppose you have, and he’s lucky to have you. I know he thinks so, too. Just like I’m lucky to have Evelyn.”

“She’s lucky to have you.”

“Well, I hope she thinks so.”

“I know so.” I grin. “I think sometimes it takes a while to find the people you’re meant to be with, but when you do, you know. Besides,” I add, “have you ever seen Evelyn do anything she doesn’t want to do?”

He grins, deepening the creases around his eyes. “I suppose you have a point there.”

“And as for Damien being lucky to have me, I’m just as lucky to have him. I think the universe was watching out for both of us. For you, too,” I add.

I reach out for his hand. “You found your way back to me, didn’t you? And that’s what led you to Evelyn. You made the decision, Daddy. You made the decision to come back into my life and make up for your past. And that opened all sorts of doors. The door that led to your future. To this future with a wife and grandkids. So don’t fuck with the universe, Daddy. Go on your honeymoon.”

Now he laughs outright. “When you put it that way, I don’t have much choice, do I?”

I bend forward to kiss my father’s cheek. “You don’t,” I say. “Where love is concerned, you haven’t got any choice at all.”