Fortune's Prince Charming

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Zoe couldn’t even look at Keaton as he walked away. Her angry gaze was glued to Ben’s. Her brother stood there looking just as annoyed.

  Zoe lowered her voice to a whispering growl. “Why would you pull a stunt like this at my engagement party? What are you trying to prove? Did you see this as your chance to rub your crusade in Dad’s nose? What about Mom? How do you think she would feel about you bringing Keaton Whitfield into her home? Did you ever think that maybe at least until after the wedding is over you could give it a rest? It’s only two weeks, Ben. If you don’t have enough empathy or common sense to know what’s appropriate and what’s not, then maybe you just need to stay away from me for a while. I’m going to leave for a bit. When I get back, I want you to be gone.”

  She didn’t give him the chance to answer. Tears were welling in her eyes. She had to get out of there before anyone noticed.

  She ducked her head so that her hair fell in her face, hiding her tears until she’d made it to the hallway and out the front door. She couldn’t leave her own party, so she would walk around until she got her emotions under control and her brother had time to leave.

  What was he thinking, bringing Keaton Whitfield to a family event? Their mother was there. Did he have no regard for her and the pain it would cause if she had discovered her husband’s illegitimate son in her own house?

  As Zoe stepped out into the humid night, she saw that the valets were there now. They must’ve had instructions to lie low until she and Joaquin were inside. The two young men stood as Zoe approached.

  “Good evening,” said the tall one. “May I get your car?”

  She was grateful that the light was low and hoped he couldn’t see her misty eyes. She mustered a smile to give the impression that everything was okay.

  “No, thank you. I’m just out for a short walk.”

  Because everyone leaves a party to take a walk.

  He nodded. “Have a nice evening.”

  Zoe walked toward the garden on the west side of the property, where she knew she could have some privacy.

  Try as she might, she couldn’t find the strength of spirit to give her father the benefit of the doubt on the cheating accusations and proof of illegitimate children Ben had dug up.

  She was still coming to grips with the fact that her father had lied about his past and had asked her to keep it a secret.

  Lying and cheating went against everything Zoe believed in. She certainly didn’t want it paraded around at her engagement party, or her wedding, for that matter. But the damage had already been done. And she could no longer ignore the stark reality that had burrowed into the pit of her stomach: because of her father’s actions, she now doubted everything she’d ever believed to be true.

  These sickening doubts were dredging up all sorts of unwelcome memories of incidents she’d rationalized in the past.

  Such as that time with her father and their neighbor Mrs. Caldwell. Zoe hadn’t thought about it since she was six or seven years old.

  Her parents had hosted their annual New Year’s Eve party. At least one hundred and fifty people dressed in their finest evening wear had converged on the Robinson estate. It was a party worthy of Jay Gatsby.

  Zoe was supposed to be in bed, but she’d gotten up to get a drink of water and seen her dad embracing Mrs. Caldwell on the second-floor landing of the main staircase. Now it dawned on Zoe that they’d probably thought they were tucked out of sight. The woman had been crying and Zoe thought she’d heard her whimper something about a baby. When they’d seen Zoe, Mrs. Caldwell had gasped and descended the stairs like a weeping Cinderella racing against the strike of the clock.

  “What’s wrong with Mrs. Caldwell, Daddy?” Zoe had asked as her father filled her princess cup with water from the bathroom faucet.

  “She’s sad and I was comforting her.” Her dad’s voice had sounded so kind, Zoe hadn’t imagined he could be telling her anything but the truth. Still, as he’d tucked her into bed, Zoe had persisted. “Did a baby upset Mrs. Caldwell?”

  “Why would you think that, princess?”

  “Because I heard her say something about a baby.”

  “Sweet girl, you must’ve misunderstood.”

  “Then what made her so sad, Daddy?”

  Zoe remembered how he’d gently brushed her bangs off her forehead and smiled down at her with sad eyes. “I’m not allowed to tell, princess. It’s Mrs. Caldwell’s secret. She would be very upset if I betrayed her confidence. You understand, don’t you?”

  Zoe had nodded even though she hadn’t understood. She knew she’d heard the word baby.

  “I think Mrs. Caldwell was embarrassed that you saw her crying. Will you promise me that you won’t say anything to anyone? Because that would make her cry even harder. I know you’re too sweet and kind to make anyone feel sad. Besides, this can be our secret. Something that you and I share that no one else knows. Just like the fact that you are my favorite of all my children.”

  He’d planted a kiss on her forehead and then plucked at her nose, which had made her giggle.

  “You know you’re my favorite and I know it, but if you tell your brothers and sisters it would make them sad. So, that’s our secret, too. Right?”

  She’d loved having secrets with her father. It made her feel special. So they’d sealed her promise with a pinkie shake.

  When Zoe was a little girl, a pinkie promise was sacred and her father’s word meant everything. She’d been his princess and he’d been her steadfast knight. So, naturally, she’d believed him because heroes didn’t lie.

  She’d kept his secret all those years ago. Now, even when he’d admitted to telling a lie of staggering proportions, he had asked her to cast aside what was right and good and keep another one. Only this time his knight’s armor was tarnished and she didn’t believe in fairy tales anymore.

  If, in fact, he had fathered children outside of his marriage, that meant the situation was worse than she’d originally thought. Even though her parents weren’t prone to public displays of affection, she’d always thought their marriage was strong, that it was impenetrable, rock solid.

  Given her father’s confession and Keaton Whitfield’s talk about “the others,” Zoe couldn’t help but wonder whether Mrs. Caldwell had been pregnant with her father’s baby. Was yet another half sibling out there somewhere, too? Had every word her from father’s mouth been a bald-faced lie?

  She didn’t know what to believe now. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was an illusion built on naive dreams...or delusions.

  All she knew was that she had to leave. She couldn’t stay and pretend that everything was fine when it felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her.

  Apparently nothing was sacred anymore. Apparently her tendency to see the best in people amounted to nothing more than naïveté. How could she have been so stupid? So blind?

  Was she rushing into things with Joaquin? How well did she really know him? For all the joking about knowing each other for more than a year, really, it had only been a few weeks. He hadn’t even wanted to ask her out. She’d had to all but cajole him into it. And then he’d disappeared for three days and come back with a ring.

  Zoe’s head was spinning.

  The proposal had been lovely and romantic and everything she’d ever dreamed a proposal would be, but it had happened so fast.

  Maybe she needed to take a step back and think about what they were doing. The wedding was less than two weeks away. If they canceled everything tomorrow, they could still get partial refunds.

  Zoe only intended to get married once. She wanted a life with one man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with one woman: her.

  In the wake of all that had happened with her father, happily-ever-after suddenly felt like the biggest fairy tale a naive woman could buy into. It was high time she
removed her rose-colored glasses and saw the world and people for who they really were.

  * * *

  Out of the corner of his eye Joaquin caught a flash of Zoe’s long, golden-brown hair as she turned into the hallway. Something about the way she moved warned him something wasn’t right.

  After the toast she had said she was going to say hello to Ben. Now she looked as if she was leaving in a hurry.

  “Please excuse me,” he said to the small group of well-wishers who were clustered around him asking about his and Zoe’s plans for the future. “My bride needs me.”

  By the time he made it to the hallway, Zoe was nowhere to be found. On instinct he went outside and saw the same valets who had been working the night of the Robinson Tech dinner, but Zoe was nowhere in sight.

  “Did a beautiful woman come through here a few minutes ago?”

  “Long brown hair, white dress?”

  “That’s the one,” Joaquin said.

  “She went that way.” The guy pointed toward the far side of the grounds.

  “Thanks,” Joaquin said and took off in that direction.

  Once he had cleared the driveway, he called, “Zoe? Are you out here?”

  He heard something rustling near a vine-covered arbor and headed in that direction. As he passed through, he caught a glimpse of something white a few feet ahead.

  “Zoe? It’s me. Are you okay?”

  He passed through another arbor, this one heavy with pink wisteria, and saw Zoe sitting on a stone bench, her head bent so that her hair shielded her face.

  “Zoe? What’s wrong?”

  When she didn’t look up, that was when he noticed her shoulders were shaking. Was she crying?

  He walked over and put his arms around her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  When he tried to lift her chin, she shrugged away from him.

  “What’s wrong?” he repeated.

  “I don’t think I can do this,” she said.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “The wedding.” Her voice broke on a hiccupping sob. “I think we need to postpone everything.”

  “No,” Joaquin insisted, his heart thudding at the thought.

  “Okay, then we can call it off,” Zoe said. “I can’t marry you right now, Joaquin. It’s all happening too fast.”

  “Can we talk about this?”

  “What’s there to talk about?”

  “I love you. That’s what there is to talk about. Did I do something to make you change your mind?”

  She took in a shuddering breath. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been nothing but wonderful.”

  “And that’s why you want to call off the wedding? Because I’ve been wonderful?”

  “No—” Her voice broke and she shuddered out a sob.

  He hated to see her cry. It cut him down to the quick. “You don’t want to be part of this family. I love you so much that I don’t want you to have to deal with them. I’m stuck with them, but you’re not. So, get out while you can.”

  “That’s crazy. If you’re going to call off the wedding, the least you can do is talk to me.” He had driven the four of them to the Robinsons’ house tonight. “My car is still in the driveway. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

  With tears still rolling down her cheeks, she gave a faint nod. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders and they made their way back to his car.

  The valets had the decency to not stare and stayed on the other side of the driveway, giving them some privacy. Joaquin opened the passenger-side door and helped Zoe inside before sliding behind the wheel.

  They drove in silence. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and an occasional sniff from Zoe. Finally, when they arrived at a spot overlooking Lake Austin where Joaquin could pull off onto the side of the road, he killed the engine and turned in his seat to look at her.

  “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life, Zoe. I don’t want to lose you. I’m not afraid of your family.”

  “I just don’t even know what I believe anymore,” Zoe said.

  She told him about the encounter with Ben and Keaton Whitfield.

  “Every day something that had defined my life is shattered. I don’t even know my own mind anymore. This relationship has happened so fast. I love you, but what if we’re moving too fast? What if I wake up and discover this had all been a lie, too?”

  “It’s not a lie. I have never been so sure of anything in my life,” Joaquin said. “But if you’re not ready to get married, I’m not going to force you into anything. Just say the word and we can call the wedding off. It’s the last thing I want to do, but if that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do. Whatever happens, I’m going to tell you what somebody wise once told me—take some time if you need to figure out what you want, but I won’t give up on you.”

  Epilogue

  Two Weeks Later

  Joaquin hadn’t given up on her.

  When it came right down to it, she couldn’t give up on him, either.

  Now she knew she could never give up on them. They were too good together.

  He’d taken her breath away the moment she’d first set eyes on him. She experienced the same reaction when she stood at the back of the chapel sanctuary, saw him standing at the altar, looking so handsome in his tux.

  Her prince.

  The love of her life.

  They’d scaled some challenges through their whirlwind romance and had come out stronger on the other side of those thorn-covered walls.

  Now here they were making the ultimate commitment in front of God, family and friends. Today they’d put aside their differences. She’d even told Ben he could invite Keaton Whitfield on the stipulation that Keaton would blend into the background and steer clear of her mother, Charlotte.

  After giving the situation some time and space, she had realized that since Keaton probably was her brother, she’d eventually want to get to know him. Inviting him to the wedding was a way to test the waters. However she had made Ben promise that there would not be any surprises or family drama caused by his stirring the pot. She’d also asked him to relay the message to Keaton and tell him that she didn’t want to hear a word about “the others” until after the wedding. The two of them could talk about things as soon as she returned from her honeymoon. But not before.

  She wondered if the stipulation might inspire Keaton to turn down the invitation, but as she stood there, waiting for her sister Rachel, who had persevered in claiming the matron-of-honor job, to make her way down the aisle and take her place at the altar, Zoe spied Keaton sitting in the very back row, blending in, just as she had asked.

  He smiled at her and nodded. Zoe offered a tentative smile before glancing at her father to see if he realized Keaton was there. Actually she didn’t know if her father even knew about Keaton. Because just as she was keeping her dad’s secret—at least until after her honeymoon—she hadn’t said anything to her father about Ben locating Keaton Whitfield.

  As the harpist transitioned from “Pachelbel’s Canon” into the traditional “Wedding March,” Zoe exiled all thoughts of family drama. She’d waited so long for this day and had almost let family issues cost her the love of her life. But with Joaquin’s love and support and a little time, she was able to put everything into perspective.

  And here she was.

  And there was Joaquin waiting for her, just as he’d promised.

  She floated down the aisle on her father’s arm, feeling like Cinderella in her dream dress—a ball gown fit for a princess. The chapel was lit by hundreds of white candles and decorated to perfection with white and pale pink roses, peonies, lilies and cymbidium orchids interwoven with smilax garland and variegated ivy.

  It looked like a wonderland.
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  When she and her father reached the altar, the minister asked, “Who gives this woman in marriage?”

  Her father answered in a proud voice, “Her mother and I do.”

  As he lifted her veil, kissed her cheek and put her hand in Joaquin’s, she realized she was no longer daddy’s little girl, and that was okay. She was about to marry the love of her life and become his wife.

  The ceremony went by in a romantic blur.

  What she remembered best was when she and Joaquin had promised to love and protect each other for the rest of their lives.

  And, of course, there was that kiss.

  Oh, that toe-curling kiss.

  When the minister pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Joaquin Mendoza, their friends and family had broken into a round of applause that drowned out the harpist’s recessional, but the sound of them clapping was the most beautiful music Zoe had ever heard.

  A short while later, after taking pictures with family and the bridal party—they’d even gotten a picture of Orlando and Esteban with their arms around each other’s shoulders, beaming at the camera—she and Joaquin made their way to the reception at the Robinson estate.

  The wedding planner had erected a large white tent with dozens of linen-covered tables around the parquet dance floor. From its position on the lawn, the tent had a stunning view of Lake Austin.

  As the bandleader introduced Zoe and Joaquin, they took to the floor and had their very first dance as man and wife. As Joaquin led her around the floor, Zoe saw her father talking to Keaton Whitfield. If she weren’t so happy, she might have wondered what they were talking about, but the funny thing was, it really didn’t bother her. It was just as well because the next time she looked, they were gone.

  That was fine, too. Because she had more important things to focus on: her wedding night. No matter what her father said to Keaton or who her family turned out to be—Robinson or Fortune—she had just married her soul mate; she was Joaquin Mendoza’s wife. They were a family now and that was all she needed to be happy.

  * * *