by Cee, DW
“No!” I didn’t need to be inebriated with the bed as a nearby temptation. “Let’s go out. We can head to a restaurant, have dinner, and converse like two adults.”
“Me too? I can have dinner and converse with you like two adults and one child?”
Veronica picked up our son, kissed him on the cheek and left a luscious imprint of her lips. “I think your daddy and I need a little privacy. Would it be all right if we left you with a babysitter while we talked over a few things?”
Nole thought about it and quickly asked to be put down. He ran to his backpack and grabbed his cell phone. Next thing I knew, he was conversing with Chloe.
“Hi Chloe. This is Nolan O’Shaughnessy.” She must have said hi in return. My son waved as though she was right in front of him. “Are you busy tonight? Can you come over and babysit?” We heard Chloe say a few long sentences and Nole was immediately disappointed. “Who are you getting married to? Does that mean you can’t come over and hang out with me and Dad anymore?”
What??? Chloe was getting married? Placing my hand out, I asked for the phone. “Hey Chloe. What’s this about you getting married?”
“Hi Brendan,” she whispered my name in a weird kind of way. “Grandpa Harry and Estelle are getting married today.” That was a huge relief to hear. “I’m sorry I can’t help you out. What’s going on? I can hang out with Nole tomorrow if you still need me.”
“You don’t need to babysit my son tomorrow, but I’d love to see you if you’re free.”
I heard her mumble something. It clearly sounded like she was busy. “Sure. I can meet you tomorrow. I’d like to talk to you, too. Seven o’clock at that same place we met the first time?”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
“Who’s Chloe?” Veronica asked like a jealous wife.
Our son answered, “She’s this really pretty—but not as pretty as you, Mommy—really smart—but not as smart as you, Mommy, really funny—but not as funny as you, Mommy…”
This went on for a while until Veronica stopped him and asked, “Is she your daddy’s girlfriend?”
Before I could intervene, Nolan answered, “YES! Is that OK? You can meet her when she comes tomorrow. You’ll like her, Mommy! I really like her.”
Damn! Damn! Damn! “It’s time for me to get to work. I’ll be home by six. Why don’t you call Stephanie, your usual sitter, and ask her to come tonight.” I told Nolan. “Be ready to talk,” I warned my ex.
I didn’t know what I was doing by asking Chloe out in front of my ex. By the way my body responded, I wasn’t physically immune to Veronica. I loved that she loved our son, but I wondered what she was up to by coming here unannounced. For sure, I needed help.
Whenever trouble was my middle name, Cat and Daniel were my saviors. I needed their advice, badly.
“What brings you to our humble abode?” Cat opened the door for me with her precious little one.
“Hello, Lottie. How are you today?” I kissed her forehead since the bottom half of her face was filled with unidentifiable stuff.
“Hi Uncle B. Where’s Nolan?”
“He’s hanging out with his mommy.”
“His mommy?” Cat asked dubiously. “Lottie, can you ask Daddy to get dressed and come down? I think your uncle needs him as well as a strong cup of coffee.”
“You know me too well.” I kissed Cat’s cheek while she rolled her eyes at me.
“Where’s the fire?” My cousin came down with his daughter in his arms. “Lottie told me Uncle B needed some tlc. What’s up, Cuz?”
“My ex is back in town and she doesn’t appear to want to leave. What do I do?”
“Did you ask her why she’s here?”
“I did, Cat. She says she’s in between jobs, she’s lonely, she wants to bond with her son, I was the only love of her life...”
“What on earth?” I knew Cat wanted to say a four letter word or two, but Lottie was seated at the table, listening intently.
“Help!”
My cousin was always the voice for calm and reason. “She’s the mother of your child. Nolan loves her. I know you probably still have the hots for her—if only physically—what’s wrong with trying it out?”
“Do you remember the havoc she caused when she walked out on us the first time?”
“It wasn’t really that dramatic, Brendan. You knew she wasn’t cut out for motherhood and yet you pushed it. She had a show to do and you gave her an ultimatum—you and Nole or her career. It wasn’t as if you couldn’t let her work a week or two out of the month. It had to be your way or no way.” My damn cousin—why’d I come here if he wasn’t going to take my side?
“Are you interested again?” Cat asked.
“I want to get to know Chloe. That’s where my interest lies.” Cat and Daniel gave one another furtive glances and urgent, but silent, messages. “What?” I inquired.
“Chloe has never forgotten Michael, or so I believe.”
“Cat!” I complained. “You and my cousin are full of bad news today. How do you know this? Did Chloe tell you?”
“No, and she doesn’t have to. The fact that she never married is a telltale sign. He’s her first love. She can’t forget him.”
“What about Michael? Wasn’t he engaged? It doesn’t appear he holds her in the same esteem.” I was pissed things weren’t going my way.
“I think the two of them will always love one another. Michael, even with two engagements behind him, can’t let go of Chloe. I say forget Chloe and concentrate on the woman in front of you.”
“This was not the advice I was expecting from the both of you. I thought you’d tell me to stay the heck away from Veronica.”
“Is Nolan thrilled his mother is with him?” Cat pointed out the most important question.
“Yeah. He thinks it’s Christmas every day she’s here.”
“Then go with it, Cuz. If she appears to have come to her senses, start again. Who knows? You might be surprised with what you find.”
“Seriously? Wouldn’t you rather see me with a sensible woman like Chloe?”
“Ten years ago, yeah. But what didn’t work then most likely won’t work now. I think you have to face facts that what’s best for your son is his mother.”
“Cat...” I dragged her name. “You’re killing me. I have a dinner date with Chloe tomorrow night.”
“Good!” She announced with pleasure. “Let her know you will be pursuing her no longer. That’ll solve all your problems.”
Shit. I came here for a solution and found many I didn’t want to find.
Michael: Heading Toward A New Beginning
“Michael!” His Grace, the duke, my grandfather, and soon-to-be groom, roared first thing this morning. “Can we leave?” He was normally impatient. Today, he was in rare form.
“Calm down, Harry. At our age, you could pop a blood vessel in your head and die of an aneurism.”
Grandfather wasn’t pleased. “What the hell kind of thing is that to say to your friend who’s getting married today, Niall!”
All three of his uni buddies had a good laugh. “Let’s get some breakfast in our systems before we head out, Grandfather. You’ll need your strength for your big day. You wouldn’t want to faint on your bride, would you?”
“Plus, Grandpa, our Sarabeth hasn’t eaten yet. In fact, if it wasn’t for you yelling for your grandson, she would still be asleep.” Ruby wasn’t pleased to hear her daughter cry.
He had no choice. The mighty duke was pushed into the breakfast room by all who stood around waiting for his agreement. He marched into the dining room like a soldier preparing for battle.
“I talked to Donovan Taylor about all the legal agreements of this marriage, last night,” the duke announced.
“You did?” That was a surprise.
“I’ve actually been talking to him for some time now about my will.”
“You have?” That was an even bigger surprise.
<
br /> “A while ago, before Roland died, I had the two of them untangle and resolve many issues.” Were there issues I wasn’t aware of? I’d been playing duke for ten years now. Where was I when this was happening? “After the wedding, Donovan and I will sit and explain everything to you. I was hoping you’d be settled with a wife and kids by now, but I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
“All right...” Today wasn’t the day to bring up the contentious fact that he had trusted a stranger with family matters that he couldn’t trust me with—I was at a loss for words.
Grandfather caught onto my concerns. “There’s not much you don’t know, Michael. Once the three of us sit, you’ll understand why I kept the information from you.”
That made me feel better. “Is there something else I should know about?”
“The house on Reid Place has been gifted to you, Ruby, Niles, Chloe and your spouses, Michael. Donovan’s real estate lawyer, Luciano Alvaro, took care of the paperwork last night. We all need to sign it today.”
I was a bit irritated thinking about Chloe with a spouse, but I let that one go too. Today was supposed to be all about happiness.
“Anything else, Grandfather? When Donovan Taylor walked away from preparations last night and never came back, I see he had good reasons.”
“The next best thing about marrying Estelle is having Donovan and Jane as part of the family. Every powerful family needs a good law firm behind them.”
I heard my phone ring so I excused myself. “Hello, Chlo-No.” This was a welcomed phone call.
“Hey. I assume Grandpa Harry is in good spirits?”
“He’s jumping out of his skin. We need to get this wedding started.”
“I was told Bee is about to be discharged from the hospital. You’ll need to keep the excited groom there for another hour.”
“An hour?” I asked in horror. “You don’t understand how difficult he’s being, Chloe.”
“Really, Michael? You can’t entertain him for another hour? Very few people get to witness their grandfather’s wedding. By the way, have Mom and Dad arrived?”
“They have. It was a shame they couldn’t fly with us. They look tired from their flight. I don’t think they’re up yet.”
“You’ll have to wake them up soon if you’re leaving in an hour.”
“I have a big surprise for you, Chlo-No.”
“You do? What?”
“There’s a reason why it’s called a surprise!”
“All right. I’ll wait.”
“Speaking of surprises, the duke informed me that he willed his new house on Reid Place to all of us and our spouses.”
“That’s great, Michael. You, Ruby, and Niles can stay close to the Reids even after Grandfather passes away.”
“You are a part of ‘all of us,’ Chloe.” She had nothing to add to my revelation. “Whether as my spouse, or on your own, we will share a home together.” Still, she remained mum. “Are you there?”
“Yes.” Her voice was only a notch above a whisper. “Let’s talk about this later, Michael. I have lots to do right now.”
“You were there when I proposed to you yesterday?” I was reminding her where we were headed. “You did accept my invitation as my date today? You will be with me tomorrow as we start reacquainting ourselves as a couple?”
“Yes, yes, and no. Brendan called today. I’m meeting him for dinner.” I waited patiently for an explanation. Seeing as how jumping to conclusions and biting her head off didn’t help the first ten times, I decided to hear her out. “I told you I needed one last conversation with him?” My silence was an agreement. “He and Nolan called this morning. I’ll spend an evening with him and explain where I’m supposedly headed with you.” Before I could say another word, she added, “As my date, I’m assuming you’ll be dressed for the wedding of the century? The Reid ladies and I went through Bee’s warehouse and all found stunning dresses to wear. Expect to be wowed.”
We were headed in the right direction! Finally. It was about damn time.
“I promise not to embarrass you or Grandfather. We have lots to celebrate tonight, Chlo-No.”
“We sure do, Michael. See you soon.”
It wasn’t soon enough for one impatient duke who yelled, once again, “Michael! When the hell do we leave?”
Chloe: I Think I Want A New Beginning
“When I retire from my practice, I want to be your assistant, Chloe.” Laney spoke as she surveyed her backyard. “I can’t believe what you and Mom did to my home. I may keep it like this until one of my kids gets married. This feels like I’m standing in someone’s fantasy.”
Jane added, “I think this rivals my wedding setting in Tuscany as well as Bee’s wedding on the beach in Hawaii. How did you do this to an ordinary backyard? You’re incredible.”
“Thank you. This is what I do for a living. If I’m not any good, no one would hire me.”
“You’re beyond good. What will you do with your own wedding?” Laney asked.
“Would it sound crazy if I told you that I wanted a small family wedding with no fuss? I don’t want the seven-tiered cake. I don’t want flower arrangements that reach the ceiling. I definitely don’t want ten bridesmaids with all different dresses. I just want a simple wedding.”
Jane mentioned, “At the duke’s castle in Fife?” I looked at her surprised. “You mentioned your choice of wedding site would be the duke’s villa in Tuscany or the castle in Scotland.”
“That was ten years ago, Jane.”
“Yeah. That’s how vivid my memories are of the wedding you planned for me. I told you that I will one day repay you. It’s been ten years and I’ve only just begun to say thanks.”
“Your wedding launched my career. That’s all the thanks I need. I think we’re even.”
“I think there are a few more thanks coming your way, Chloe.”
That was a slightly mysterious conversation that I didn’t have time to indulge in. My favorite wedding of the decade was happening in a few hours. Everything had to be perfect.
“How are you doing, Chloe? You arrived at the crack of dawn.”
“Hi Emily. Estelle ready for her debut?”
Emily giggled. “She has no clue what’s happening. She’s just excited to meet her new great-grandson. Until he shows up, Laney has all the kids seated so Gram can tell her life story to them. We’re keeping everyone entertained until the main event.”
“I’m honored to be a part of this family celebration, Emily. Thank you for including me.”
“Are you kidding? It couldn’t have happened without you. With this union, you become family, Chloe.”
I didn’t know how to respond to her kindness and love. “Thank you,” was all I could say.
“I’ll see you in a bit? I need to help Laney with the kids. As it is, I don’t think the boys will sit for Gram’s biography. Please text me when Michael leaves the house.”
“Will do.”
All the family members were at Jake and Emily’s waiting to welcome the final addition to the festivities. I made one last turn about the property. Inspection should be done right about the time His Grace arrived.
No sooner had I finished, than Michael texted, Almost there.
It was party time!
“Chloe.” Grandpa Harry barely greeted me. He was in a rush to see his bride.
“Hello, Chlo-No.” Michael kissed my temple and grabbed my hand. We walked a few steps behind His Grace.
“Where’s the posse?”
“They’re coming soon. Since the wedding won’t happen for another few hours, they wanted to wait. No sense in bring three men in their nineties. Of course, I couldn’t keep away Rubes. She’s right behind us.”
“You always were a smart one.” That earned me a kiss on the lips this time.
“We need to walk faster or the duke will be married without us,” Michael kidded when he saw how much further ahead his grandfather was.
>
“Hello,” Elizabeth greeted her future great-grandfather. “Can I help you?”
“I’m here to marry Estelle Cowper. Do you know where she is?”
“Marry?” A wide-eyed Elizabeth asked. His Grace nodded his head and all Ellie could do was point and yell, “Gigi! You have visitors.” I heard Ruby hurrying behind us to watch the action unfold.