“Darling, how are you?”
“I’m good. Have you been exercising?” I asked.
“No, I just had to run for the phone. We were outside reading when we heard it ringing. I was hoping it would be you. Is everything all right? I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m fine. Better than fine. Can you get Dad and put me on speaker?”
“I’m already here, sweetheart.” I warmed at the sound of my dad’s baritone.
“Hi, Dad. I called to tell you that I’m getting married. Ardan and I are getting married.”
Silence on the other end of the phone.
“I know it’s been fast, but we’re in love and we just know it’s right. We’ve spent a lot of time together and we’re just so happy. Like soulmates.”
My mother spoke first. “It is fast, but if you’re sure, then we’re pleased.”
“More than pleased,” Dad said. “It was that way with your mom and me. We knew after our first date, didn’t we, honey?”
“I think it took me until the third date,” Mom said. “But yes, we knew. When you know, you know.”
“Do you have a date set?” Dad asked.
“That depends on you two,” I said. “We want to do it this summer. When can you get here?”
“Why so soon? Are you pregnant?” Mom asked.
“No, Mom, it’s not that. We’re just ready. We feel like we’ve been waiting for this day all our lives. Mom, I want you here to help plan the wedding and pick a dress and all that.”
“We can come anytime,” Dad said. “It’ll take a week or two to get there from Florida, but it’s no problem.”
“Ardan’s family property is big. There’s room for your Airstream,” I said. “More than enough room.”
“Good,” Dad said. “I’ll be there to give you away.”
“We want to do it here on the property—on the spot where we first met.”
“How romantic,” Mom said.
“When you get here, Dad, Ardan wants to ask your permission.”
“It’s a bit old-fashioned,” Dad said. “The only permission he needs is yours.”
“I know, but that’s how he is.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Mom said. “Shows respect.”
“I did a little research on the Lanigan family,” Dad said. “Sweetheart, do you understand how rich they are?”
I laughed. “Yes, Dad. Even so, they’re completely down to earth. You’ll like them.”
“It’s not the money, is it?” Dad asked. “You love him for him?”
“Head over heels. I’d live in a ditch as long as it was with him,” I said.
“As long as you’re sure,” Dad said.
“How’s Mrs. Lanigan doing?” Mom asked.
“Better.” I told her about how independent she was becoming. “Mom, she’ll love you.”
“Everyone loves your mother,” Dad said.
I smiled. “True. But I mean you have a lot of the same interests. It’ll be good for her to have another friend.”
We talked for a few more minutes before I had to go. Minutes after I hung up, my mother sent the first link to a wedding dress. By the end of the day, there were a dozen of them.
For dinner that evening, Ardan and I convinced Mrs. Lanigan she should join us in the dining room. We wanted to tell her together about our engagement.
“What’re you wearing?” she asked as we walked toward the dining room.
“I’m wearing a yellow sundress with a white cardigan.”
“I bet you look lovely,” Mrs. Lanigan said. “What’s the occasion?”
“We have something exciting to tell you,” I said.
“Did that dolt of an agent sell your book?”
I almost laughed. Only Mrs. Lanigan would assume we were celebrating a business success and not a personal one. “Just wait and see.”
Ardan was already in the dining room when we arrived. We’d gotten in the habit of me describing what people were wearing.
“He’s wearing fancy jeans, a light blue shirt, and a blue jacket.”
“No tie?” she asked.
“No tie. But shiny brown shoes.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
Ardan kissed his mother on the cheek and led her over to a chair. Effie had set one end of the table with china, cloth napkin, three kinds of wine glasses, and a bouquet of deep pink peonies. I described all this to Mrs. Lanigan.
When Ardan and I were seated, Effie arrived with a bottle of champagne and poured us each a glass.
“The sound of champagne bubbles,” Mrs. Lanigan said with a smile. “Another reason to live.”
“Mother, there are reasons to live besides adult beverages.”
“Books on audio,” she said. “And Charlotte.”
“Speaking of Charlotte,” Ardan said. “She’s agreed to be my wife.”
Mrs. Lanigan clapped her hands together. “Didn’t I tell you? And you’re sure, Charlotte?”
Why did everyone keep asking me that? They should ask Ardan that question. He was the one with all the money.
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” I said.
“Me either,” Ardan said.
“How did your parents take the news?” Mrs. Lanigan asked. “Were they worried it was too soon?”
“My mom said when you know, you know,” I said.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” Mrs. Lanigan said. “When can they come?”
Chapter Fourteen
Ardan
* * *
The next evening, we mingled with my brothers and their wives in Kevan and Blythe’s living room. Kevan had opened a nice bottle of wine. As we sipped from our glasses, Blythe came out with a platter of appetizers. Charlotte was already half finished with her glass, and we’d only arrived five minutes ago.
We learned Blythe’s daughters were in Seattle, visiting their father for the first week of summer vacation. They’d be here later in the summer.
Blythe, looked like her sister, Bliss, only she was shorter and more petite. They shared the same dark blond hair, the color of sun-kissed honey, and amber eyes. However, their personalities were wildly different. Bliss was lively and quick whereas Blythe was serene and nurturing.
Over the past few years, I’d gotten to know both my sisters-in-law well. I adored them. They’d despaired with me at my lack of luck with women and were on the constant hunt for the woman of my dreams. When Moonstone had suggested Charlotte, Bliss had jumped at the chance.
Charlotte tightened her grip on my hand. “Do it now and get it over with.”
I’d tried to reassure her on the way over that they’d all be excited for us, but she was worried they’d think we were rushing into things.
“We have an announcement,” I said, trying not to wince from the death grip from my fiancée. “Charlotte and I are engaged.”
Bliss and Blythe squealed. Charlotte held up her hand as the ladies rushed over to see the ring.
“I knew it,” Bliss said. “Didn’t I tell you, Ciaran?”
“Yes, dear.” Ciaran rocked Carmen’s car seat with his foot. “You called it.”
My brothers hugged me one after the other.
“Happy for you, little brother,” Kevan said.
“It’s about time,” Ciaran said. “We thought you were going to die alone with a cat.”
“Me too,” I said. “Maybe two cats.”
“When’s the wedding?” Bliss asked.
“End of the summer,” I said. “Charlotte’s parents are coming from Florida to help plan the wedding.”
“We want something small,” Charlotte said. “Just family.”
“Here on the property,” I said.
With Carmen asleep in her car seat, the party divided between men and women. My brothers dragged me outside to smoke cigars and drink good scotch. The women had already pulled out a laptop and were looking at wedding dresses.
While Kevan poured us drinks, Ciaran handed me a cigar. “Wha
t got into you?” Ciaran asked. “You afraid to lose her so you put a ring on it?”
“No, it just felt right.” I took the drink from Kevan. “We’ve spent a lot of time together since we first met. I’m sure it seems fast to you guys, but to me it feels like I’ve waited my whole life to find my soulmate and she’s finally here. We don’t want to waste another minute apart.”
“I guess Moonstone was right,” Kevan said. “I thought it was a little crazy to bring her out here, but it was obviously the right thing.”
“She’s been great for Mother,” Ciaran said. “But you don’t think it was the power of suggestion, do you? Like Moonstone told you she was your soulmate and so you started to think she was?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.” I took a tentative sip from my glass of scotch. “But I’ll tell you what did happen. Given the off chance that she was my soulmate, I behaved like she was. I was bold and flirtatious. I made a move right away instead of second guessing myself for months and losing the opportunity. It gave me a sense of the inevitable. Let me tell you, after that first kiss, there was no doubt in my mind. This is going to sound crazy, but I swear, it’s like we were together in another lifetime. She’s so familiar to me.”
“I get that,” Kevan said.
“I do as well,” Ciaran said. “As much as I tried to resist Bliss, it was impossible, like a force pulled me to her.”
“That’s it exactly,” I said. “I was going to wait and propose to her in Italy, but I decided a honeymoon in Europe was a better idea. She’s never traveled and wants to. I want to give her everything. Every experience. Every opportunity.”
My phone buzzed inside my jean pocket. A quick glance told me who it was. Felicity. This was the fourth time she’d called in the past few weeks.
“What is it?” Kevan asked.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “You won’t believe it. Felicity’s been calling me. She never leaves a message, but she’s called at least half-dozen times.”
“When was the last time you heard from her?” Ciaran asked.
“I haven’t talked to her since the whole thing blew up with Melanie. I just needed to purge her from my life.”
“You and me both. She got psycho there at the end. I told you I had to block her, right?” Ciaran asked.
“That’s what drove her to my house that night,” I said. “She was out of control.”
“I feel bad, but I couldn’t have her calling and texting a thousand times a day with Bliss right there. You know Bliss. She wouldn’t have taken kindly to that.”
We all chuckled.
My phone buzzed again.
“Dude, maybe answer it and get it over with,” Ciaran said. “She obviously wants something.”
I told them about Moonstone’s prediction. “The minute she said it, I remembered the phone calls. She wrecked my last relationship. I can’t lose Charlotte.”
“You won’t,” Kevan said. “You’ll see. Once you find the right person and you agree to fiercely protect each other, no one can pull you apart.”
“I hope you’re right.” As if she heard me, the phone buzzed again. “For heaven’s sake. Excuse me. I’ll just go out by the cars to talk to her.”
I had to answer. I would simply tell her I had no room for her in my life and to stop calling.
“Hello,” I said.
“It’s Felicity.”
“I know. Jesus, you’ve called a hundred times. Can’t you take a hint?”
“I’m sick, Ardan. Cancer. I’m dying.”
My stomach lurched. “Dying?”
“The cancer’s spread all over. There’s nothing to be done. I only have months, maybe weeks.”
No, this couldn’t be happening. “God, Felicity, I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve made peace with it except for one thing. I have a baby. She’s a year old. Isabel. I named her Isabel after my mother.”
Her words were like someone head butted me in the chest. I fell back onto the bed. “Are you married?”
“No. The father’s a sperm bank donor. When I was four months pregnant, I found out I had ovarian cancer. I would’ve had to abort in order to get treatment. I didn’t want to do that. Not with this baby. My miracle baby.”
I couldn’t feel my legs as I did the math in my head. “You got pregnant not long after I saw you?”
“That’s right.”
“What’re you going to do?”
“I need to come home, Ardan. I want to die in Idaho where I was happy. I want you to spread my ashes by the side of the creek.”
“You want to come here?”
“Yes, and I want you to take Isabel. I want you to raise my daughter.”
I staggered back to the table where my brothers were smoking their cigars.
“Pour me another drink,” I said.
“Crap. What did she do?” Ciaran asked.
“She’s dying of cancer. Not only does she want to die in my house, she wants me to raise her one-year-old baby.”
“What the hell?” Ciaran asked.
“Where’s the father?” Kevan asked.
“Sperm donor.” I shared with them what she’d told me about the pregnancy.
“I hope you shut that idea down,” Kevan said. “You’re getting married. As sad as it is, you can’t take her or her child in. How is she your responsibility?”
“What did you tell her?” Ciaran asked.
“I told her I had to talk to my fiancée first.”
“Good man. Do not fall into her trap again,” Kevan said. “She’s done enough damage to your life as it is.”
“Seriously, Ardan, you’re finally happy with the right woman. Don’t let her wreck it. Charlotte’s not going to want to be saddled with all this. You guys have a wedding to plan.”
“A honeymoon to go on,” Kevan said.
“I know you’re right. It’s just that she’s so sick and she has no one.”
“Brother, don’t do this. Please.” Ciaran gestured toward the inside of the house. “Your loyalty is to that sweet girl in there. Not some woman who chose me instead of you.”
“I get it,” I said. “I do. I won’t mess this up.”
Chapter Fifteen
Charlotte
* * *
I knew the moment we got into the car to go home that something was wrong. His brothers must have given him a hard time about the engagement. I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to know. The night had appeared to go so well. The toasts and camaraderie had seemed completely real.
We were in the house by the time I had the courage to ask him. “Did something happen with your brothers?”
“What? No, no. They’re so happy for us.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Felicity called again. My brothers convinced me to answer.”
“What did she want?” A shiver went down my spine. This woman was trouble.
He slumped against the counter. “She’s dying. Cancer. There’s nothing to be done. She has only months, maybe weeks to live.”
Cancer? The answer was so unexpected, I just stared at him.
“She wants to die here where she was the happiest,” he said.
“Here? Like your house?”
“She’d probably prefer Ciaran’s, but yes.”
“I…I don’t even know what to say.” For once I was speechless.
“She has a baby. A twelve-month-old baby girl named Isabel. And get this. She wants to leave the child with me.”
A brick dropped from my throat to my stomach. “You? Why you?”
“She said I’m the only one she can trust to raise her like she would.” He picked up a spoon from the counter and tapped it against the palm of his hand. A drop of coffee dripped on the table. I wanted to wipe it away with my thumb. Make it disappear so the granite was perfect once more.
“What did you say?”
“I told her about you and that we’re starting a life together. But she wants to come here.” His voice wavered. “She wants to
die here where her happiest times were.”
“But what about the baby?”
“I told her to come and bring Isabel, and I’ll help her figure out what to do. There are agencies we can contact to find couples who want to adopt. She agreed to talking about it when she arrives.”
“What else? There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I’m worried. Moonstone warned me. She told me she had a dream about a fragile, blond woman threatening our relationship.”
I couldn’t think about that just now. I needed more details.
“Where’s the father?” I asked.
He cleared his throat. “The pregnancy was via a sperm donor. She’s in her late thirties and decided she wanted to have a child, even though she was single at the time. After she became pregnant, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Rather than abort and have the cancer removed, she continued with the pregnancy. After the baby came, they operated right away, but the cancer had spread. To her lungs. She’s had chemotherapy, but it’s done nothing to shrink the tumors.”
My mind spun. A baby?
“But what about family?” I asked. “Isn’t there anyone to take her?”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “There’s no one else. She has no family. Her parents were killed ten years ago in a small aircraft crash. You may remember seeing it on the news. Her father was a Hollywood producer—Wayne Spinner. His wife, Felicity’s mother, was an actress back in the day.”
“Your Felicity is Felicity Spinner?” I asked.
“That’s right.”
I remembered the story well. Wayne Spinner had produced some of the most popular shows in the late eighties and early nineties. His wife had been the star on one of his sitcoms. Felicity had been their only child. I flashed upon a photograph snapped by the tabloids of a stunning blond woman coming out of the church after her parents’ memorial service. Felicity Spinner was known for her philanthropic work, mostly with children’s causes.
“I take it from the look on your face, you know the story,” Ardan said.
“It would be hard not to.” Felicity Spinner was a shiny head of blond hair and formal dresses most women wore once for their senior prom and once for their wedding. She was American royalty with her slender, aristocratic bearing. Insecurity that minutes ago had seemed like a distant enemy, roared through me.
Blue Ink Page 18
