Beyond the Orange Moon (Mathews Family Book 2)

by Adrienne Frances

  Lucy kissed Jackson’s head, not wanting to talk about it. This very well could be the last time she saw him and she wanted to soak it in as much as she could. “Just set the stands up for me and I’ll put out the cupcakes.”

  “You got it,” Lydia said, and got to work.

  The stands were all the same size, three tiers, except for the main stand, which was higher than the rest with five tiers. Lucy thought that the Nutella and the toffee crunch cupcakes should go on the main stand because they were Ben and Dylan’s favorites. She very carefully arranged the rest of the cupcakes randomly on the smaller stands.

  When she was just about finished, her arm was numb, but she wouldn’t have traded the feeling for the world. “How’s that, Jack?” she asked, as she took a step back to admire her work.

  “It looks like they’re getting ready to start,” Lydia said as she peeked outside. “Everyone is sitting down.”

  Lucy looked outside and saw the small group of about thirty people sitting in white chairs lined up along the pool. She spied Ben, who looked about as cool and calm as any man could ever be on their wedding day. He looked like a man ready to marry the woman of his dreams, and it made her heart turn to mush.

  “I need him,” Charlie said in a low voice.

  Lucy pulled back to look at Jackson. “You have to go with your daddy, okay, Jack?”

  “No,” Jackson said, and shook his head adamantly.

  Lucy looked up at Charlie with wide eyes. “That’s new.”

  “Yeah, we say that word a lot now,” Charlie said, exasperated.

  “Lovely,” Lucy said, and tried not to laugh. “Here, how about this.” She pulled the bracelet from her wrist and slid it onto Jackson’s before tightening it. “You can wear my bracelet while you go help Uncle Ben and Aunt Dylan get married.”

  Jackson looked down at the pink bracelet made of leather and beads, turning his wrist to inspect it.

  “Can you wear my bracelet and go with your daddy?” Lucy asked.

  Jackson stuck out his bottom lip, but he bobbed his tiny head up and down in agreement.

  “Good.” Lucy gave him one last squeeze and passed him over to Charlie.

  “Thanks,” Charlie said, and headed outside without another word.

  * * *

  Charlie stepped outside and looked down at his son. Jackson was deep in thought as he ran a small finger over Lucy’s bracelet and sighed.

  “I’m sorry, buddy,” Charlie said, and kissed the top of his son’s head. “I know you don’t understand this.”

  Damn. He didn’t even understand it. There she was in all of her beauty; that dress could have killed him if he looked at it too long. And the way she held Jackson in her arms the entire time she set up the cupcakes … she really did love him.

  God, this hurt. He was so tired of hurting.

  Charlie walked over to his mother and handed off his son. “He’s not ready to get down yet,” Charlie said, and looked back toward the house. “I have to go get Dylan.”

  Linda gave him a sympathetic look as she took Jackson into her arms. “I’m sure seeing her was difficult for the both of you.”

  “I’m fine, Mom,” he lied, and headed back toward the house.

  On his way, he spotted Mike and almost burst out laughing at the suit he was wearing. “Awww, you look so nice,” he teased.

  Mike pulled at his collar and grimaced. “Shut it, kid, or I’ll have your ass back down to a laborer.”

  Charlie threw his head back and chuckled. “You’d sink into bankruptcy.”

  Mike scoffed and waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah.”

  He continued to laugh as he approached Ben, who already stood next to the minister, and slapped him on the back. “Ready?”

  Ben smiled and demanded, “Get me my bride.”

  Charlie smirked. “She changed her mind.”

  Ben grinned. “Hey, you know what I was just thinking?”

  “What’s that?”

  Ben looked around the yard and shrugged. “I met her in this yard and now I’m marrying her in this yard twenty years later.”

  “Wasn’t that the point?” Charlie asked.

  “I guess it was,” Ben said, and flashed him his white teeth.

  Charlie stepped back inside, but was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his sister. “Dylan … wow.”

  Dylan twirled around in her white dress and smiled. “I know, right?”

  “Are you nervous?” Hugh asked Dylan.

  “Absolutely,” she said, and shook her head, making her curls bounce. “Let’s do this!”

  Charlie glanced around and saw that Lucy was gone. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint how that made him feel, though. Was he disappointed?

  Yes.

  Brandon, Hugh, and Jonah all crowded around their sister and tried to find the right spot to stand in. Charlie stepped into an opening and laughed at how crowded it felt with them all being so close.

  “That’s music,” Jonah said, and grabbed Dylan’s hand. “Let’s go. It’s time to hand you over to Ben.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Brandon said, and turned to Dylan. He placed his hands on her cheeks and smiled as he stared at her beautiful face. “I don’t want to make you cry, but I was instructed years ago to say something to you right before you walked down the aisle. Are you ready for it?”

  Dylan’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head in Brandon’s hands.

  “He wants you to know that he’s with you right now. He loves you. You’re still his heart and nothing would ever make him miss his little girl’s day—not even death.” Brandon looked to his brothers and laughed. “He also wanted me to tell you all that this guy better be worthy or, when he sees us again, he’s going to kick all of our asses for letting her go through with it.”

  The group erupted into laughter and wrapped their arms around each other. Their father never ceased to amaze them and he still managed to remind them how strong they are as a family, even eleven years after his death.

  “Okay,” Dylan said. “You’re squishing me and ruining my makeup.”

  Hugh reached out and fixed the smudge under her eye. “Perfect,” he whispered.

  The four of them emerged from the house. Dylan was in the center as Brandon, Charlie, Hugh, and Jonah crowded around her and led her down to Ben.

  As they got closer, Charlie watched Ben’s eyes. Despite the large group around her, Ben only saw Dylan. His eyes were glued to his bride as she returned his awe-filled gaze. Their love was right there for the world to see. After everything they’d been through, she’d forgiven him. She’d let it all go and focused on what was most important: how much she loved him.

  At the end of the aisle, each brother gave Dylan a kiss and handed her off to Ben. When the minister asked who gave her away, they all raised their hands and got a lot of laughs from the guests. Then they all lined up beside Ben to take their places as his groomsmen, which got a few more chuckles.

  It was a perfect day but, as the ceremony went on, Charlie wished he had stopped Lucy from going.

  “I do, I do, I do,” Dylan said, and leaned in to kiss Ben.

  “Not yet,” the minister scolded.

  Ben held up his index finger and gave her a long kiss, which drew more laughter. The two separated and Ben said, “I do.”

  “He didn’t ask you anything,” Jonah whispered from beside him.

  The minster went on with the script, and raised his eyebrows at Ben, who again said, “I do. Can I kiss my wife now?”

  The minister smiled. “Kiss your bride.”

  Dylan tossed her bouquet back to Chloe, and wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck. As the audience cheered, Ben lifted her up and pressed his lips to hers as if they were the only people standing in the yard.

  After the ceremony was over, everyone spread out to mingle, eat, and ooh and aah at Dylan. She was never really one for that kind of attention, but she glowed, just as Lucy had said.

  Brandon handed Charlie a dri
nk and sat down in a chair next to him. Charlie took a sip and leaned back in his seat, exhausted.

  After a few silent minutes, Brandon said, “Lucy looked good.”

  Charlie nodded in agreement, before taking another sip.

  “Maybe you should go get her,” Brandon said.

  Charlie looked over at his brother and couldn’t even figure out how he wanted to react to that. Brandon thought he was the man of the family, which was really annoying, but he only got involved when he thought it was necessary.

  “I get it, man. She lied.” Brandon shook his head and chuckled. “Damn, though, Charlie, what a shitty thing to have to get out. I don’t think I could’ve told you that, either.”

  Charlie looked down at his hands and thought about that for a minute. He hadn’t put himself in her position and, yes, it was a shitty place to be.

  “Look, I’ve been in California and I haven’t really seen you with her, except for that night at Ollie’s and then today. Just from those two times, though, it seems like there’s something there.” Brandon took a drink from his glass and looked over at Dylan and Ben. “Some people don’t get that kind of connection even once. You, brother, got it twice. It’s not gonna happen again. You can either forgive her for not being able to tell you something that was really difficult for her, or you can die a lonely man. It’s up to you.”

  Before Charlie could even respond, Brandon stood up and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

  Still in his tux, Jackson made his way over to Charlie. As soon as he was in front of him, he lifted his arms. Charlie put down his drink and pulled him into his lap with a smile.

  “Hey, buddy,” Charlie said, and ran his fingers through Jackson’s hair.

  Jackson raised his hand and showed Charlie Lucy’s bracelet. He touched it and looked up at Charlie with big, green eyes.

  “Should we go get Lucy?” Charlie asked, knowing what the answer would be.

  Jackson slowly nodded and gave him a stern look. He was unwavering, without any hesitation. He needed Lucy; they both did.

  With Jackson in his arms, Charlie rose and headed over to his mother.

  “Mom,” he said, and waited for her to turn around. “We have something we need to do and it can’t wait. We’ll be back, though.”

  Linda thought for a moment and then smiled. “Take your time,” she said, and rubbed his cheek.

  * * *

  Lydia had a date, so Lucy had graciously sent her on her way and finished cleaning up the mess they’d made earlier by herself. It was the least she could do for her cousin.

  She wiped down the counter and tossed the rag into a bucket of soapy water. With her arms stretched above her head, she let out a long sigh.

  This was her café and, pretty soon, the place next door would be hers to run. She’d made her cupcakes into a dream come true—into her future. That feeling still lingered, doing warm things to her insides. It was an amazing feeling that would probably stay with her forever.

  She picked up her vibrating phone, and answered it. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, honey. I just wanted to know how the wedding went,” Barbara said back.

  Since their big blowout, her mother had been a lot more careful with her words. She’d even read the article in The Magic Spoon and called to congratulate her. It seemed as though she was starting to accept that Lucy would never be a nurse.

  Lucy turned off the kitchen lights and headed into the front of the café. “Umm, well, it went how I thought it would. Charlie wanted nothing to do with me and the cupcakes were perfect.”

  “That sounds bittersweet,” Barbara said. “Maybe you’ll get some guests from the wedding who want to order your cupcakes, though.”

  “Oh, believe me, Mom, that’s the plan.” Lucy laughed. “I can’t believe how many orders we’ve had in just a week.”

  Barbara was quiet for a moment. “You really did it, Lucy. You really made those cupcakes of yours into something.”

  Lucy let out the breath she’d been holding in front of her mother for her entire life. “I can tell you really mean that, Mom, and you have no idea how grateful I am.”

  And then Barbara said the words that Lucy had needed to hear for as long as she could remember: “I’m proud of you, honey.”

  Lucy smiled as she leaned her forehead against the counter. It was like a weight the size of her mother had been lifted from her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Lucy lifted her head from the counter when she heard a tap on the glass doors. She squinted but didn’t see anything; she looked lower and saw Jackson, who was wearing his tuxedo and holding a pink rose.

  Lucy let out a loud gasp and almost dropped her phone.

  “Honey? What is it?” Barbara exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

  “Mom? I love you. I’m okay, but I have to go,” Lucy said, and ended the call without saying another word.

  She rushed to the doors and looked down at Jackson’s little grin. She unlocked the door and opened it wide to let him run into her arms.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, and lifted him up. “Who brought you?”

  “Da-yee,” Jackson said, and handed her the rose.

  “What?” She pressed the flower to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent. “Where?”

  With one hand in his pocket and the other holding a pink rose, Charlie stepped inside. “He wanted to hug you first,” he said with a smile.

  Lucy ran her fingers through Jackson’s hair and kissed him on his cheek. She looked into Charlie’s green eyes and tried to calm her rapid breathing. “Does that mean that you want to hug me, too?”

  Charlie pursed his lips and took a few steps forward until he was right in front of her. “Yes,” he said simply. “But, this time, once I get you in my arms, I’m not letting you go again.”

  Lucy exhaled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She smiled as she squeezed Jackson in her arms.

  Charlie ran his hand up Jackson’s back but didn’t take his eyes from Lucy’s. “Jack and I were watching Dylan and Ben earlier. They were laughing and just looked really happy. So, Jack and I got to thinking about the last time we were that happy. Do you know when that was?”

  Mesmerized, Lucy slowly shook her head.

  “It was when we had you, our missing piece.” His expression flashed with pain and regret as he looked away from her and searched the ground. His eyes met hers once more, as he added, “If you give me another chance, I promise to make you happy for the rest of our lives.”

  Lucy sighed as her entire body came alive with love. “There is no if, Charlie.”

  Charlie pulled them both into his arms and brought a hand to Lucy’s cheek. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers as Jackson looked on with a smile.

  While Charlie and Lucy continued to kiss, they were broken apart by the sound of Jackson giggling. They both looked down at him and broke out into harmonious laughter at the silly expression on his face.

  “Bee,” he said happily, and touched Lucy’s cheek.

  “Should we take Lucy back to Grandma’s and finish the party?” Charlie asked Jackson.

  Jackson nodded quickly. “Ya.”

  * * *

  Dylan wrapped Lucy up in her arms and gave her one final hug before she headed off to the airport with Ben. “Thank you for completing my brother,” she whispered, and kissed her on the cheek.

  Lucy smiled, and said, “Have a good time in Greece.”

  With his tie loosened and his top button undone, Ben leaned in and gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek. “You don’t have to worry about that, Cupcake. I’ll make sure she has a great time.”

  “Well, you enjoy that,” Lucy said.

  “Where’s Mom?” Dylan asked Charlie. “We have to go, but I haven’t seen her since Jonah made his toast.”

  Charlie looked around and then winked at Dylan. “I don’t see Mike out here, either, so I’m sure she’ll understand if you take off.”

/>   “What?” Brandon asked, confused.

  Hugh looked between them all. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I knew it,” Jonah said with a laugh.

  Everyone stood in the front yard and waved goodbye to Dylan and Ben as they drove off in a limousine. As some of the other guests began to leave, Charlie took Lucy’s hand and led her into the house.

  “Here,” he said. He handed her two champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne, and grabbed two cupcakes.

  Laughing quietly, they snuck outside to the backyard decorated with twinkle lights. Charlie pulled the flutes from her hands and set everything down on a table. He poured the champagne into the glasses and handed one of them to her.

  “What are we toasting?” she asked when he tapped his glass to hers.

  Charlie smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Forever.”

  He took a bite of his cupcake before offering it to Lucy as well. She bit into the cake and sighed as the toffee crunch exploded in her mouth.

  Charlie laughed as he watched her. “Good?”

  Lucy closed her eyes and exhaled. “Mm-hmm.”

  “You have something …”

  Lucy opened her eyes and swallowed the rest of her cake. “Where?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Here,” he whispered, and leaned forward to lick the frosting from her lip.

  He kissed her, pulling her into his embrace and swaying her to the romantic tune playing softly in the background. Lucy felt like she was floating as Charlie twirled her around and then drew her back into his strong arms. It was the most magical moment of her life, and it was only just beginning.

  “So,” he began as he pressed his forehead to hers, “are we meeting with the realtor on Monday?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, and closed her eyes. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  As the song played on, Charlie tipped her chin up with his finger, pulling her gaze to his. “If you could ever freeze a moment in time, would it be this one?”

  Lucy thought about that for a few seconds, and then shook her head as a smile spread across her lips.