by Alisha Paige
“Wait out here with me, Sean. Meg’s nursing the baby.”
Frank finished his phone call. Paige had already disappeared behind the door, leaving the two men to introduce themselves.
“Oh, sis, she’s beautiful,” Paige whispered as the tiny baby girl with bright red hair suckled at her mother’s breast.
“Don’t you think she looks just like Dianna?” Meg asked as she stroked the baby’s fuzzy head.
“Exactly. Have you talked to Dianna yet? I bet she’s so excited.”
“Oh, she is. Grandma’s bringing her over in a little while. She was cheering in the background when Frank called.”
Paige brushed her sister’s hair away from her face as she gazed lovingly at her new little miracle. The two women shared a moment of silence, while the baby finished eating and Meg buttoned her gown back up.
“Do you want to hold your new niece?” Meg asked, handing the sleeping bundle to Paige. Paige took her niece and pulled the bedside chair closer to sit down.
“What is on your hand?” Meg shouted, scaring Paige half to death and even startling the baby.
Paige jostled the baby back to sleep as she gazed down at the sparkling ring.
“Paige?”
“Sean proposed to me last night. Oh, Meg, it was so romantic. He surprised me by taking me horseback to one of the waterfalls at night. There was a beautiful blanket that the women of the tribe made for us, embroidered with our names and the date on it. He had candles lit and a bottle of champagne. I thought the blanket was a going away present, but it was a wedding gift. He asked me to marry him and we slept by the falls all night.”
Meg just lay there with her jaw open. Paige laughed at her look of shock.
“Close your mouth, sis.”
Meg closed her mouth and reached her hand out to see Paige’s ring. Paige shifted the baby to her lap and held her with one arm. Extending her hand toward Meg, she dangled her ring finger.
“God, that ring could blind you. It’s gorgeous. I guess I don’t have to ask if you had a good time on your vacation,” Meg teased.
“It was wonderful. The people there are the nicest people in the world. You wouldn’t believe how they went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. I can’t wait to go back. In fact, Sean and I are talking about having our wedding there.”
Meg’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure you’re ready, sis?”
Paige nodded, before sighing deeply. “I’ve never been so happy. I thought I loved Rob, but now I’m not so sure. I guess we were more like really good friends. I can’t imagine not having Sean in my life. The thought of it scares me to death.”
Meg stared out the window, choosing the right words. She knew how devastated Meg was when Rob died and she was worried that Paige may be jumping in too fast. Besides, she had always had her doubts about Rob and she didn’t want Paige to get hurt a second time.
“Well, I don’t want to delve into the past, but you know how I never really liked Rob. He never treated you right. He wasn’t a horrible husband, but I think he neglected you a lot of the time and put his skiing before you. I hope Sean doesn’t share those same traits.”
“You know he doesn’t. He’s been looking after me since Rob died and has more than once put his life on hold just to help me, even when I didn’t ask for it. He truly loves me. He has always put me before himself. I know it seems fast, but we’ve been close friends for two years and our relationship finally blossomed.”
Paige had thought long and hard about her past relationship and knew that her former relationship with Rob didn’t even really compare. She had never felt so loved and safe and cared for in her entire life. To compare Sean to Rob was really an insult, so she stopped trying long ago.
Meg smiled at her. “I’m so happy for you, sis. I’ve never seen you happier. Frank even commented on it before you left for vacation and you know how he doesn’t notice a thing. I had six inches cut off my hair last month and it took him two weeks to notice.”
They both laughed. “I’m more than happy. I never knew love could be like this and now I can relate to what you’ve always said about Frank and I can see why you worried so much when Rob was always gone and always seemed to forget my birthday and spent Christmas with the ski team. That just seems unthinkable to me now. I can’t believe I put up with it.”
Meg glanced down at Paige’s hand and shook her head. “The man can certainly pick out a ring.”
“Can you believe he had it flown in by helicopter the day he proposed?”
Meg shook her head, her jaw again dropping open.
“No, he didn’t!”
“He did. He said he was going to wait to propose until we got home, but he just couldn’t. Coming Wind knew somebody that was willing to fly some rings in for him to choose from.”
“Coming Wind must be pretty important,” Meg replied.
“He is. Sean was explaining to me on the flight back that there’s a certain hierarchy in the tribe and apparently he’s way up there and I guess he’s pretty famous too, since he’s a world renown artist.”
There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Meg called.
Frank and Sean came in with Dianna and Frank’s mom close behind. Dianna scampered up to Paige. With curious hands, she pulled the swaddling back so she could see her new sister’s face.
“Be gentle with her, honey,” Paige told her.
“Sissy,” Dianna replied as she jumped up and down on her tiny sneakers, her curls bouncing. “I wanna hold you,” Dianna said to her sister.
Paige looked at Meg for an answer. “Okay, sit on Aunt Paige’s lap and you can hold her too.”
Frank helped Dianna onto her aunt’s lap and Paige placed the baby’s head in her hand’s. Dianna patted her softly and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Pretty baby,” Dianna whispered.
All eyes in the room were fixed on the pair as Frank reached for his camera and took some photos.
“She’s sleep,” Dianna told the room.
“Yep. Sissy’s asleep. Come give mommy some kisses. I miss my girl,” Meg said, extending her hand. Paige took the baby and Dianna hopped off of her lap, walking to the bedside. Frank picked her up and leaned her over to give mom a kiss.
They stayed until visiting hours were over. Paige promised to return the next day when their parents arrived. Their flight was due in around noon and she and Sean were planning to pick them up from the airport. Paige kissed her sister and the girls goodbye and Sean took a cigar from Frank and placed it in his shirt pocket. The men shook hands and they made their way back home, exhausted after their vacation and then the excitement of the baby.
Paige fell asleep on Sean’s shoulder on the ride home. He carried her inside, undressed her, and tucked her in. He took his own clothes off and slipped into bed beside her, tucking her curled body into his arm and kissing her goodnight. The trip to Havasu Canyon had been wonderful for both of them. He never dreamed he would come back engaged. He lay in bed thinking of putting both their cabins on the market.
He planned to resign from teaching ski class, but he didn’t know if Paige would want to quit her job at the museum. He wanted to live with the tribe, but first he had to tell Paige his secret. White Feather told him that she would take it badly at first, but they would still marry and even have children. White Feather cautioned him not to give up. He had given Sean a necklace that had been passed down to each alpha male. It was made of thick, leather twine and red and green stones found only in the canyon. One single wolf tooth hung from the center and was from one of his ancestors over a century ago. He fingered the necklace as he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of his future with Paige. He knew they would share many more nights by the falls. They would raise their children in the canyon and he would lead the tribe and the pack as the new alpha male.
****
Paige’s parents, Earl and Nan Wellington, were the first off the plane. Her dad was a large, bulky man with a full beard and her mother wore a sophisticate
d, white pantsuit. Sean was amazed how wonderful she looked at her age. She looked more like Paige and Meg’s sister, not their mother. She was a beautiful woman and her father was quite a handsome devil himself. He reminded Sean of Sean Connery and even Sean was a little intimidated. Her father met him eye to eye and walked with an air of authority.
Suddenly Sean had wished that Paige had not worn her engagement ring so they could have more time to prepare the news. He felt like a teenager again, afraid to talk to the overprotective father of his date. Though Sean was nervous, he masked it well. Paige’s father congratulated him on his gold medal the instant they shook hands.
“I enjoyed watching you in the Winter Games, son. You made us all proud,” her father stated, shaking Sean’s hand firmly and looking him squarely in the eye.
Paige was very close to her mother still and had told her about Sean long ago. Her parents had met him once, just before the Olympics when they had visited. Back then he was just a friend of Rob’s and a partner on the U.S.A. Olympic ski team, but now he was her fiancé and she was sure they would be happy for them. Her mother had even talked to Sean extensively last time they visited. They were both avid readers and had read the latest murder mystery on the New York Times Best Seller’s List.
Paige and her mother embraced, kissing one another on the cheek one second before her mother grabbed her hand. Her eyes flew open. Her mother didn’t miss a beat. She had seen it the second they walked off the plane and was actually looking for it. She hadn’t mentioned it to her husband, but she knew her daughter was falling in love and it wouldn’t be long. She really liked Sean and thought he would make a magnificent husband for her. Like Meg, she was never really crazy about Rob, but had always liked Sean since meeting him and had even been a little sad that he wasn’t her son-in-law instead.
Sean’s heart caught in his throat at the sight of her mother grasping her hand and whistling loudly. Paige’s mother held her daughter’s hand in the air as she called to her husband.
“Look, darling! I believe our daughter has some news to share with us.” She hugged Paige to her breast like a mother hen.
Her father looked surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, patting Sean loudly on the back, putting him a little more at ease. Sean forced a smile as his heart raced. He could only hope they would be as happy about her moving to Arizona and living on an Indian reservation. Somehow he doubted they would take it as well.
Paige hugged her father. Sean could easily picture her as the baby of the family. She was dwarfed by her father’s enormous size. He picked her up off the ground, twirling her around like a rag doll. Sean couldn’t believe the man was in his sixties.
“Congratulations, baby girl. I’m so happy for you,” he replied.
Her father smiled at Sean and again nearly knocked the wind out of him as he pat him on the back as they made their way to the baggage claim.
Paige knew she really did have her father’s blessings and he had made it clear from the get go that he was never crazy about Rob. Unlike her mother, he had had no qualms about vocalizing his opinion of her husband. When he left her husbandless at Christmas more than once and forgot her birthday every year, he had been furious, threatening to tear him from limb to limb. Rob had played the part well, even winning her father back several times over. He had a certain charm that was hard to resist and was able to convince her father that after the Olympics, things would slow down and he would devote all his free time to Paige. But that never happened. In fact, nothing changed. He seemed gone more and more toward the end of his life. He was in countless commercials and helped judge too many amateur skiing events to count.
Paige had finally given up and so had her parents. They hoped and prayed that Paige would ask for a divorce, but in the end that wasn’t needed. Instead, they all attended a funeral. Rob was never able to give her the kind of happiness she had enjoyed as a child and it pained them both to see it in her eyes. They wanted Paige to find the kind of happiness that Meg had found with Frank and they had found with each other. Both of them liked and respected Sean Wilson and though her father wasn’t expecting their engagement, he was just as pleased as her mother. Sean would be a fabulous son-in-law.
They chatted easily as they made their way to the baggage claim. Earl retrieved a large black suitcase and pointed to a large, flowery duffle that Sean quickly snatched from the rotating belt. The two women led the way with the men at their heels on the way to the parking lot. Paige’s mother snatched her hand again as they walked, eyeing the sparkling diamond.
“Such a lovely stone. Did you pick it out, darling?”
“Sean did. He completely surprised me. He was going to wait until we got home to propose, but he decided that Havasu Canyon would be the perfect spot.” Her mother shot her a look of surprise. She was definitely impressed.
“Do they have a jeweler at the bottom of The Grand Canyon?”
Paige laughed, thinking of the absurdity of it all. She couldn’t believe that something so romantic had actually happened to her and the story was quite far fetched. She was beginning to love retelling it. The look of shock on first her sister’s face and now her mom was truly classic. Finally she was able to shock her family with good news. It was rather refreshing. She was used to years of explaining Rob’s absence at family events and his forgetting her birthday or even special holidays. When she thought about it, she realized that her family had become unshockable and very accustomed to her excuses for her neglectful husband.
“He had several rings flown into the canyon by helicopter. Coming Wind knew a jeweler that was kind enough to agree to do it. Of course, I’m sure he was paid a pretty penny for this ring and made it well worth the trip. Sean picked out the ring and proposed on our last night in the village.”
Her mother stopped in her tracks, her hand flying to her mouth. It truly was an amazing story and she couldn’t be happier for her daughter. Paige simply glowed and the black cloud that had been hanging over her head had finally dissipated.
Her mother hugged her again as tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, baby, I’m so happy for you. Have you set a date? We need to start planning.”
Paige laughed out loud and the two men behind them looked at each other and groaned.
“Let’s just get to the car, dear. We have plenty of time to talk about it later.”
Her mother wiped her tears away with a tissue from her purse and placed her sunglasses on. Taking her daughter’s hand, she led her out of the airport as if she were still a child and to her, she was. This was her baby that had been neglected by a man she thought she loved and who had endured unbelievable pain and guilt after his death. Thank goodness the tables had turned and luck or love or both seemed to be on her side at last. Her mother felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She knew she would always worry about her children, but she knew Meg was well loved and taken care of. She wanted the same for Paige and was relieved that the wish was finally granted. Unlike Paige, she had worked out her guilt following Rob’s death, rather quickly. She had felt bad for wishing him out of her life, but not for long. Her life could only get better now. It was a horrible accident and Paige was forced to make a new life.
Sean and Paige dropped her parents off at the hospital. They would be staying with Meg and Frank, so her mother could help out with the baby. Her mother had made her promise to come by over the weekend. She wanted to start planning right away for the big event. Paige had protested, saying that they had come to help with the new baby, but Meg had insisted, saying she wanted to help, too and it would be fun. Meg begged her to spend the night on Saturday and all three of them had giggled like school girls as they began to talk about the wedding.
Paige couldn’t wait for the weekend to roll around and Sean and her father were looking forward to some time to get to know one another, away from the cackling hens. Both of them had already agreed to leave it all to the women. One evening of tasting seven different types of wedding cakes had been
enough for both of them. Her father had given up after the fifth cake and had saved Sean by forcing him to walk to the bar across the street for a cold beer.
“This is women’s work, son. Let’s grab a cold one. You two girls call us on the cell when you’re ready.”
Sean couldn’t have been more relieved. He had thrown up his hands when Paige had shown him two dozen sample invitations. He didn’t care what she decided on or how much it cost. All he wanted in the end was Paige and he knew she was already his. The rest of it was just red tape.
****
Back in Havasu Canyon, the tribe prepared for their new leader. Coming Wind had called Sean twice to ask if he had told Paige yet.
“These things take time. You know her sister just had a baby and her parents are visiting.”
“The sooner you tell her, the better. Sure, she’ll be shocked, but she’ll get over it,” Coming Wind pressed, anxious for Sean to take over his reign.
“Be patient. Tell the others to be patient. I’ll be back soon. I haven’t decided how to tell her,” Sean explained.
Coming Wind could understand how worried Sean was, but he was sure that Paige would still love him. White Feather had even foreseen it and he was never wrong.
“Remember what White Feather told you. It will all be okay.”
“I do remember what he said. I also remember that he said she won’t take it well at first.”
“But everything will turn out fine in the end,” Coming Wind promised.
Sean grew silent. He didn’t like being pressed, even by a brother who he held in the highest regard.
“Let me do this my way, Coming Wind. Don’t push me.”
“Enough said then. Give Paige our love. You are both in our thoughts.”
“Thank you. Give Blue Flower and Red Hawk our love, too. I’ll call you soon.”
