“Arnie told your daughter about me?”
“Apparently,” Dawn replied. “As I said, I wasn’t in the room, so I didn’t hear any of this. She only said something when King and I told her Uncle Arnie was getting married and asked her to be in his wedding.”
“I’m confused,” she stammered. “When was this?”
“Last summer. In August. Right before our wedding.”
Gasping, she covered her mouth and caught the reflection of her engagement ring as it flashed on the screen. Last summer? Last summer before Arianne was born he confided in a little girl during a tea party?
Just when she was sure it wasn’t possible to love him even more, she found out how wrong she was.
“When we told her you guys had a baby, she went nuts. Wait till you see the presents she’s bringing.” Dawn snickered. “Girls, you have no idea how savvy today’s kids are. What Nic knows about online shopping is freaky!”
“I can’t wait to meet her! Arnie says she’s going to be the bestest of the best in flower girl history. They collaborated,” Summer said with air quotes, “on what will be in the basket she carries. Just standard rose petals aren’t going to cut it.”
Lorelai spoke next. “Jon says your big day will be off the hook. I think he knows the catering details.”
She smiled. “I’m completely in the dark, and he won’t let me ask.”
“What do you know, if you don’t mind us asking.” Dawn chuckled.
“I know we’re getting married on February thirteenth.”
Lorelai jumped in enthusiastically. “Oh! I know this part. It’s the thirteenth so that the first full day of your marriage is Valentine’s Day. Am I right?”
“Yes! Day one!”
“That is just so damn romantic.” Dawn sighed.
Summer sighed too. “He got the idea from a song,” she told them.
Lorelai gasped and hopped up and down on her seat. “Are you serious? It’s his ringtone, isn’t it? Jon told me he heard it one day and questioned Arnie’s sexual orientation. I thought he was just being a jerk until he arranged for Arnie’s phone to ring one day when I was there.”
“His ringtone?” Summer laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you heard it?” Dawn asked.
She thought about it for a moment and shook her head. “He’s been keeping his phone muted because of the baby. All I hear are buzzes and chirps.”
“Well, shit.” Lorelai laughed. “I hope I’m not ruining this for you, but his ringtone for the last year has been ‘Teenage Dream.’”
Dawn looked like she was playing on her phone until the Katy Perry song started, and she turned it to the camera. “Spotify. I’ve got a playlist for every occasion and just happen to have it on several.”
They belted out the song as a trio. Lorelai threw in some bumps and grinds. Summer filled with joy. These crazy women were the icing on her NIGHTWIND cake.
“Whew,” Dawn chortled as they caught their breath. “So what else do you know?”
“I know the ceremony takes place at a Malibu estate. I know I’m wearing white.”
“Guys like to make statements.” Lorelai snorted.
“Virgin brides,” Dawn howled. “So goddamn funny when you consider the bridegrooms.”
“I’ve had a hand in the music. Not so much when it comes to my bridesmaid’s attire.” She shrugged. “I’m going to trust him on this one.”
Lorelai winked. “Sweetie, I’ve seen the digital designs. They’re faboosh!”
“And she would know after all, with her experience sewing stripper costumes.” Dawn smirked playfully.
“I told Arnie no strippers. I had to draw the line somewhere. He’s worse than a little boy in an arcade running from thing to thing. When I caught him checking out skywriting and hot air balloons online, I put my foot down before I found myself walking down the aisle accompanied by the USC Trojan marching band.”
“Sounds about right.” Dawn laughed.
“My brother is giving me away, and I’m pretty much just assuming the floral décor will be heavy on the sunflowers.”
“What’s your honeymoon plan?” Lorelai asked.
“Delayed,” she replied. “With all that’s happened and has yet to happen as far as moving east and whatnot, we’re going to take a step back and take our time. Wait until the baby is six months old and can travel with us.”
Dawn appeared surprised. “On your honeymoon?”
“On this matter, we are on the same page. Being a family is all Arnie or I want. We were apart for so long and too damn much stuff happened. I’m never taking any of this for granted. I was miserable without him, and he’s not about to let me or the baby out of his sight anytime soon.”
Arnie paced back and forth in front of the garage tucked behind the main house. If his jaw clenched any tighter, he was going to crack a tooth.
He checked his watch as if knowing the exact time made a difference.
The faint sound of an approaching car stopped him. He peered at the curve in the driveway, waiting to see who came around the corner. When Senior’s Cadillac executive limo, made the turn, he straightened and stood at attention. He’d sent the car to the airport and was anxious as fuck about the next few minutes.
Captain Reed Warren exited the car and came straight to him with his hand out.
“Hey, man. Thanks for the lift and handling my travel arrangements.” He looked around. “Are we safe to talk?”
“Yeah. There’s a lounge for the drivers. I can ask everyone to clear out.”
Arnie motioned to the limo driver. “It’d just be easier to wait. Leave his bags in the car. When we are finished here, you can take him to the front door.”
Turning to Reed, he murmured, “If she sees your bags, our goose is cooked.”
They ambled into the lounge. No one was around. “You want some coffee?”
Reed shook his head. “No, but thanks. The past seventy-two hours have been rough. Too much Jack and coffee—not enough food or sleep.”
Knowing what it was like to manage tension with Tennessee whiskey and caffeine, he felt for the guy.
“How bad was it?” he asked and waved Reed to grab a seat.
There was a long silence. Arnie let him take all the time he needed. Finally, Reed exhaled and sat back.
“The important part is this—she won’t be bothering Summer. Not now, not ever.”
Arnie let Reed see his surprise. Then he responded to something he heard in the guy’s voice.
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
Reed grimaced. “I know. Shit. It’s just that even though I know my mother is a bitch, I expected her to put up resistance.” He scowled and narrowed his eyes. “She didn’t care about Summer or her granddaughter. All she cared about was the money your stepmother offered. It makes me physically sick. Ari deserves better.”
“Did you lay out what happens if she sticks her nose above the water line?”
“Oh, fuck yeah. And I did it with relish. Watching her nearly shit when I showed her the preliminary report on the trafficking ring was oddly satisfying. You were spot-on, man. She had no idea what was going on. All she cared about was the payday potential. When I explained what would happen if she got dragged into the trafficking investigation, she shut up. If she makes a move on Summer or Ari, she can kiss her freedom goodbye.”
Arnie kind of liked it when bad people got a karmic pimp slap, and in this instance, he was glad Reed got to administer the hefty wallop.
With a knowing smirk, he asked, “Full uniform?”
“Fuck, yeah.” Reed snickered. “And I used a military car, complete with a driver.”
They chuckled in unison. Throwing one’s weight around even on a pretense was all kinds of fun.
“Hey, look,” he muttered when the laughing stopped. “I’m new to this, so bear with me, okay?”
Reed made a face. “What the hell does that mean?”
He sighed and gave his soon-to-b
e brother-in-law a wry look. “It means your sister expects me to do her bidding. Carry the water, so to speak. She wants me to convince you to come into the light.”
“Oh god. You’re talking about her insistence I take off the uniform.”
“We’ll be heading east after the wedding.”
They stared at each other in silence.
“Fuck,” Reed mumbled.
Arnie knew what he was going to do next was uncool, but he didn’t care. If taking care of his girls and seeing to Summer’s happiness meant he helped shoot Reed’s career in the chest, so be it.
“Check this out,” he enthusiastically chortled in a complete change of subject and tone. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the eight hundred pictures he had of his baby.
“We went for a walk and Ari saw her first peacock. A neighbor of my grandfather’s has a pair.”
“What a lucky shot,” Reed exclaimed. “Taken at the perfect moment.”
“Oh, and here she is rocking on her butt. She’s trying to turn over, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
Reed’s happiness turned to agitation. Arnie was well aware that the baby was changing how all of them looked at life.
Reed complained. “You don’t play fair, do you?”
Arnie rolled a shoulder. “Define fair.” He paused for a few beats before picking up. “Reed, you and I are not so very different. Both of us were blessed with awesome dads and rock-solid siblings. Though our circumstances were opposites, we also know what it’s like to grow up without a mother. I see what’s in Summer’s heart. She yearns for normal. Boring normal as she puts it. Family birthdays, Thanksgiving get-togethers, shared vacations. I intend to move heaven and earth to give her what she wants, and she wants you to be a part of this boring normal. To do that, a change of zip code is necessary. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know it’s asking a lot, but I hope you’ll give serious thought to making a change.”
Reed harrumphed but didn’t push back.
“You know,” Arnie murmured with a sly smirk. “NIGHTWIND is always looking for more shitheads.” He grinned. “I hear there’s a killer benefit package. Oh, and we have a ball team. Summer told me to throw that into the discussion if I saw a chance.”
A snort of laughing boomed from Reed. “Did she, now? Well, shit. Did she also happen to mention I got a full-ride baseball scholarship?”
“Oh, my god.” Arnie laughed. “Women are devious.”
They fist-bumped, and Reed sighed.
“If you tell her this, I will shit in your sock drawer until the end of time. Got it?” Reed’s tone left no doubt he was serious.
Arnie nodded.
With a flat voice, Reed said, “I’ve seen enough. Know what I mean?”
Oh, hell yeah, he knew what he meant. “We’ve all been there.”
“Cutting the cord won’t be easy. You know how this goes. I’m an asset. An investment. They won’t just let me go and wave goodbye at the door. For now, I’m laying low. Keeping my own counsel and saying nothing to anybody. The minute I make my exit plan known, well …” Reed groaned.
With a shit-eating grin spreading on his face, Arnie croaked, “Dude! You’ve come to the right place! Let me tell you about an undiscovered benefit of the asset club. No, they won’t throw you a farewell party, but if you’re smart and play them just right, they’ll agree to shake hands and part on good terms.”
“Play them just right?”
He flashed his teeth in a Teddy Roosevelt-style grin. “The dark suits were so freaked when I chose a civilian life that we hammered out a platinum parachute for my post-government service. They gave me everything I asked for, threw in a few perks, and promised to be nice. In return, I live my life, and from time to time, I lend them a hand.”
“That’s what happened when you went off radar, isn’t it? They pulled you back in.”
He shrugged. “I’m never really out, and you won’t be either. It’s best to acknowledge this fact going in. Not to them though.” He sniggered. “Internally.”
Reed chuckled. “I see where this is going.”
Giving Summer’s brother a congenial thump on the back, he said, “Just give it some thought. When you’re ready to bounce, let me know, and I’ll give you some pointers. And I’m dead serious about NIGHTWIND.”
“Does this mean I have to be nice to you?” Reed asked with a ton of snark.
“Nah.” Arnie chuckled. “After how royally I fucked up my relationship with your sister and almost lost everything, I figure there’s a solid decade, if not more, of isolation in the doghouse and groveling ahead.”
There was bliss, and then there was what she experienced with Arnie. He was extraordinary in every way. Yeah, sure, he was easy on the eyes if big, bold Viking sex gods were your thing, but the man inside was a million times more appealing to her than looks.
She was curled up on his lap, listening to samples of the songs they wanted for the wedding. He had strong opinions. So did she. Their blended tastes made for an eclectic mix—sort of like them as a couple.
“I found this tune,” he told her. “For your entrance. I know you don’t want ‘Here Comes the Bride.’ Wanna hear it?”
“What’s it called?”
He showed her an album cover. “The song’s title is ‘Fade to Blue,’ from The Sunflower Waltz.”
Her man was a fan of symbolism. She smiled into his eyes and stroked his face. “Let’s have a listen.”
The way joy flooded his expression gave her unimaginable pleasure. He was trying so hard.
“This is a piano piece, but I thought we’d use a harp duo Senior recommends.”
“Ooh, harps, yes,” she cooed. “Harps are romantic.”
Ten seconds into the song, she was on board.
“Um, I have a request.” She didn’t have a coy bone in her body, but she knew how to turn it on at the right moment.
“Whatever you want, baby girl. Say it and I’ll make it happen.”
He was too easy sometimes.
“You know how there are all sorts of YouTube videos with wedding flash mobs and interpretive routines?”
He laughed and squeezed her in a hug. “A flash mob?”
“It’s just an example.” She held his eyes and spelled it out. “I want us to do something right after I now pronounce you man and wife.”
“In front of everybody?”
“Yes.”
His smile came slowly, but once it formed he was grinning ear to ear. “A continuation of our karaoke routine?”
She giggled and hopped up and down on his lap. “Yes, yes! And I have the perfect song. I love it. Ari loves it. Your father and Pops love it.”
“Oh, wait. You mean that tune I caught you and Senior dancing to in the workout room?”
“That’s the one. It’s your song, Arnie! And there are kids singing and a cool hip-hop vibe. I’ve been obsessed with it for months.”
She remembered encouraging Arnie’s lovable grandfather to join her for the upbeat tune. Turned out the spry old guy had some moves and was surprisingly light on his feet. Mostly, he held her hand while she twirled and danced around him in a circle. They laughed. It was a good time.
Getting Arnie to agree wasn’t hard. He shared her unconventional tendencies.
Hopping off his lap, she demonstrated a couple of moves, but in the end, he didn’t need her help.
“Dance lessons,” he informed her with a wink. “Not every guy is dance-floor challenged.”
This was what she wanted—what felt right for them. An explosion of joy to cap off the formal part of the ceremony. Adding a dance groove to their vows gave them an emotional touchstone tailor-made for their future anniversaries. Looking far down the road ahead, she f-loved the idea of them dancing to the happy song as senior citizens.
When they were satisfied with their improvised routine, Arnie swung her close, and they danced to him crooning a slowed down rendition of “I Shoulda Known Better.”
“The Beatles just mad
e it to our wedding playlist,” she teased.
The hour was late and the house quiet as they walked hand in hand through Darnell Senior’s magnificent Montecito home to the bedroom suite they shared with their snoozing daughter.
She cherished their quiet moments. There was a lot more to their relationship than antics and drama. Now that they were comfortably together, she marveled at how easily they functioned as a couple, a team.
Arnie went straight to the baby’s crib for a daddy check. Summer’s heart smiled. Her big ole teddy bear of a guy was an unabashed softie. His adoration of the child they created was there for everyone to see.
Tiptoeing next to him, she gently stroked his back and stood close as they each stared lovingly at the sweet sleeping angel.
“I love her so much,” he whispered.
Summer laid her cheek on his arm and sighed deeply. “She loves you back.”
He looked down—his face was a mask of agony. He felt the loss of every day he wasn’t with her and Arianne and probably always would.
Seeking to offer him comfort, she told him how when she was pregnant and having conversations with her Tinker Belly, she noticed the baby would settle and calm when the topic was Daddy.
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes. I think she knew how much we loved her—how much you loved her—even though you weren’t around.”
Unhooking the baby monitor from his belt, she switched it off and placed it on a table.
As he turned and followed her from the nook where they put Ari’s crib, she gauged his mood and decided now was a good time to catch him off guard.
“What were you and Reed plotting?”
He looked stunned for a second—just enough time for her to adopt a smirky expression, cross her arms, and apply the appropriate cocked hip.
“I saw the limo drive past the house on the way to the garage. Pulling up out front half an hour later as if a clandestine meetup hadn’t just occurred was lame, considering who you two are.”
A snort of suppressed laughter came out of his mouth. “Lady, you are good.” He smirked and asked, “Do you need a job? Dottie’s hiring.”
Finding Summer (Nightwind Book 3) Page 72
