Guardian of the Fountain
Page 18
Marla sat up straight on the bed. “I need more details, girlfriend.”
It took Chrissie nearly two hours to delve into the deeper details of the events leading to this moment. Marla didn’t seem fazed by any of it. She just swayed with Abby Rose in her arms and listened.
Finally, after all was said, she gave Abby Rose back to Chrissie. “I think she’s hungry, by the way she’s trying to eat her fist.” She paused for a moment in thought. “That explains why I felt and looked so much better down here in Venezuela—all the fresh produce we ate was watered by the fountain.” A sly smile spread across her face. “Did you ever find out if Brant has a brother?”
“He’s an only child. Besides, if he did, they’d be all dead and gone by now.” Chrissie laughed.
“Right.”
“I do have some pretty great friends who would think you’re a great catch,” Brant said from the doorway.
“Hey, how long have you been there?” Marla turned to look at Brant, surprised.
“Long enough to know we can take you on a walk to the garden and show you the fountain.” He walked over and pulled Marla into a side hug. “Welcome to the club, Aunt Marla.”
“Well?” Marla asked Brant expectantly.
“Well, what?” Brant asked, puzzled.
“Are they rich?
“Yep, most of them are very wealthy and attractive. You could have your pick of what nationality.” Brant smiled broadly.
“So I could play Bachelorette?”
“Marla.” Chrissie rolled her eyes.
“Well, I do know a particular Italian businessman who’s right up your alley.”
“Brant, get a move on it.” Marla snapped her fingers. “As soon as I’m done here, I expect to have dates lined up. I’m going to get my swimming suit on. Auntie Marla has some sunbathing and swimming to do before she can get to work.” With a dramatic flair, she left the room, leaving Chrissie alone with Brant.
“I’m so glad she’s back. I love her to bits.” Chrissie arranged herself on the pillows to nurse the baby. “That’s very nice of you, to fix her up with one of your friends.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be hard at all to find her a catch. She’s a catch in her own right. Pretty cool gal, once you get past the hard-as-nails Jersey girl. Well, one thing is for sure, there won’t be a dull moment with her around.” Brant sat next to Chrissie on the bed.
“Everything is falling into place, isn’t it?” Chrissie laid her head on Brant’s shoulder.
“And it’s all because of you, darling.” Brant kissed the top of her head.
* * *
“Well, isn’t it obvious? The Delphne flower grew the baby faster. You two saved each other,” Diane said wisely. “The baby used most of the poison to grow faster, saving you from death. You kept yourself and the baby alive by taking the water with it.”
“That sounds like the most logical answer,” Brant said. “But why did she lose six months of her memory? I’ll have to document this whole thing, and maybe Dr. Wilson can do some experiments.”
“She had a lot of high fevers, but who cares how?” Diane waved him off. “Just go with it. What’s important is that everyone is here and healthy.”
“Word of advice when it comes to women,” Wayne started. “Just stand in the corner and answer appropriately when spoken to. They don’t operate in the land of logic.”
Diane shot Wayne a stink eye and returned to cooing over the baby.
Chrissie knew that Brant probably wouldn’t give up that easily on finding out how or why it worked that way. But she admired the fact that he didn’t try to argue.
Chrissie inwardly laughed that Brant would now have to get used to the new mother-in-law bossiness.
In all his hundred-plus years, he’d never had a mother-in-law, and this would be just as new to him as it was for Chrissie to be married. Her memories were vague about the wedding ceremony, and the honeymoon night was completely gone, but she figured she had a long time to catch up on all the memories.
* * *
“It’s all ready,” María said to Brant as she walked into the dining room. Chrissie had noticed that Marla was mysteriously absent for most of the afternoon and through dinner.
Brant smiled and nodded. “Thank you, María.”
“What’s ready?” Chrissie noticed that he was dressed in nice slacks and a crisp button-up shirt that emphasized his blue eyes against his tan skin. He had requested that everyone dress nicely for dinner that night. Even Abby Rose wore a tiny pink dress a la María.
“You’ll see.” He winked at her. “Everyone, follow me out to the garden.” He cradled the sleeping Abby and led Chrissie by the hand.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Wayne whispered to Diane as they followed closely behind Chrissie and Brant.
“Well, I don’t think we mean any harm to the garden or its caretakers. We’ll be fine,” she soothed.
“I did want to strangle Brant,” Wayne whispered. I can fight hand-to-hand combat, but a magical foe I can’t see is altogether a different story.”
Brant turned around to look at his new father-in-law. “If you honestly have no ill feelings toward anyone in this party or the garden, you’ll be fine.”
They all reached the heavy door at the end of the tunnel. Arturo pushed it open, and they filed in. Wayne was last to enter. He stepped tentatively into the garden, and soon as his big toe touched the ground, he cringed, waiting for the lethal punch from the garden. When it didn’t come, he relaxed and walked in.
Dianne gasped. “This is so beautiful,” she said in awe.
“You can’t find this in Texas.” Wayne pointed to a tropical bloom that was nearly a foot in diameter.
Marla stood at the beginning of the path and swiped her finger across the screen of her phone. Twinkle lights weaving through the garden danced in time to the classical music cued by Marla’s phone. She beamed. “Let’s get this started!”
“I’ve brought you all here tonight to renew my vows to Chrissie, since she doesn’t remember them.” Brant gestured toward Wayne and Dianne. “And since you weren’t there to witness the ceremony.”
“Oh, that’s so thoughtful.” Diane’s eyes began to mist over.
Marla handed Chrissie a bouquet of flowers and hugged her tightly. “Love you, my bestie,” she whispered.
“It’ll be your turn next, Marla.” Chrissie smiled.
A string of white Christmas lights lined the path down to the pool. The water lapped up onto the shore. The sound of the breeze through the leaves calmed the air. At the water’s edge, a large canopy of flowers framed the fountain.
Brant pulled Chrissie underneath the canopy. He carefully handed the baby to María. His eyes, soft and loving, turned to Chrissie.
“I know that we’ve been through hell and back. For a short time, we were separated, but we found our way back to each other. You fiercely guarded this place and me with your life more than once, risking everything to keep the people you love safe. For that, you are also a true guardian. I love you, Chrissie. I fell in love with your Texan accent, your strong will, and how you do things your way. Like going into labor and taking down a drug cartel at the same time.” Everyone chuckled. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a ring. Five large diamonds set across the band sparkled under the white twinkling lights strung around the garden. He slid it onto her left ring finger. “The hardest thing I ever experienced was when the doctors handed me your ring. Now I have the pleasure of returning it to you. I promise to guard your heart, love you till my last breath, and keep you as a part of my soul forever.”
Chrissie stared down at the ring. It fit perfectly, not just in size, but symbolically too. She had always bought her jewelry from department stores. Nothing she had ever worn could compare to the sparkler on her finger. The splendid feeling of being spoiled lifted her spirits high as the sky.
She took a deep breath and spoke. “Brant, my head may have forgotten you for a short time, but my heart
never did. It knew you the whole time and ached to be next to yours. You did everything in your power to make sure we did survive this. You gave me back my life, and now we get to share our happiness with our little Abby Rose. My promise is to love you and stay by your side forever.” She squeezed his hands and smiled. “I don’t have a ring for you, but it still holds true—I am yours and you are mine. I commit to you and the garden.”
She knelt down, scooping up the water with her hand, and drank from it. It tasted crisp, cool, and mildly sweet. The water swished through her body, healing the leftover effects of illness. She finally felt one-hundred-percent better. A breeze rushed down through the volcano, picking up leaves and flower petals off the ground and carrying them swirling up into the air. The pulsing magic sounded louder than before. The exotic birds in the canopy squawked and called to their lovers. Chrissie stood and faced Brant. The magic music calmed and softened.
He beamed at her, holding a simple gold band between his thumb and forefinger. “Don’t worry about the ring. You already gave me one, and I kept it.”
Chrissie took it from him and slid it onto his ring finger. They both looked deeply into each other’s eyes, content in the moment until Arturo cleared his throat. “Aren’t you going to kiss the bride?”
“Of course. You don’t have to tell me twice!’ Brant enveloped Chrissie in his arms and bent his head down to kiss her.
Although the kiss was scaled down for public view, it held all the same tenderness and love that Chrissie could hope for in a wedding kiss. It was perfect. Cheers from the small group erupted.
The life-giving water lapped calmly against the dark soil of the bank. The future looked bright, happy, and it could go on forever with Brant at her side. Maybe her parents would choose to live here and drink the water too. The possibilities were endless.
The garden was safe, her family was all here, she was healthy, she and Brant had found their way back to each other—and that was all that mattered.
The End
More from the Author
“Haley’s Song” Western/Historical Romance, Published by Vinspire Publishing
“My Big Hairy Romance” From the collection of short stories of “Strange and Lovely”
“Bite Suit” Reflective Esay, Eastern Arizona College’s “Voice”
“Sunshine” Reflective Esay, Eastern Arizona College’s “Voice”
Many more stories in the works…
Facebook: Author Jennifer Bryce
Blog: jenniferbryce@blogspot.com