A Hilarious and Charming Feel-Good Read

by Saranna Dewylde

  Roderick squeezed her arm. “Please.”

  “Oh, fine. But this better make her happier than a bee in clover.”

  “Want me to make a vow to you as well, Gwen?” Ransom asked.

  “What? No, that’s dumb.”

  “Is it?” Petty asked. “I think you should, Ransom.”

  Ransom dropped down to one knee and held out his hand.

  “No, I’m not holding your hand.”

  “Yes, you are, Mama. I want to keep Uncle Ransom,” Steven said from behind her.

  “I want to keep you, too, little man.”

  “Oh, fine.” Gwen put her hand in his.

  Ransom looked for the right words. “Gwen Borders?”

  “Yes?” she rolled her eyes.

  “Would you do me the honor of granting me the forever title of Uncle Ransom to your children? I swear by the sky above and the ground below I will love and protect those children, you, and if I’m lucky, your best friend for all the days of my life. You will never doubt my devotion, my loyalty, or my honor. I do so swear.”

  Gwen sniffed, teary. “You jerk. Get up.”

  “Not until I get an answer.”

  “Say yes, Mama,” the kids cried.

  “Maybe he does do okay on improv after all,” Roderick said with a grin.

  “Yes, jerk face.”

  “Hey, it’s like you’re my actual sister. You call me jerk face and everything.” He hugged Gwen to him. “I really do love you all.”

  “God, I can’t take it. Too many feelings.” She sniffed again.

  “Family is everything, Gwen.” Petty joined the hug. “Welcome to this one.”

  “Aww,” Bluebonnet cooed, and joined in.

  Jonquil eyed Roderick. “Might as well. We’re here.”

  The kids tangled themselves around Ransom’s legs and he realized he had a family. It didn’t look like the family he’d longed for as a child, but it was much better.

  This was a family built on the bonds of love, hope, and a little bit of redemption. Blood was fine, but it wasn’t what mattered in the end. It was in the moments like these when the call to arms sounded, and it was in those precious moments after, when it was only those named family who answered.

  Ransom realized this was part of Happily Ever After, too. It wasn’t just about the prince and princess riding off into the sunset. It was the journey after, when they got into the same carriage and decided together which path to take and who to take with them.

  “Oh,” he said out loud as the next epiphany hit him so hard his ears rang.

  “What, dear?” Petty asked.

  “Why does it do that? When we have epiphanies, why is it like getting my clock cleaned with a gong?”

  Bluebonnet nodded sympathetically. “Yes, especially if they come one right after another. Makes a body dizzy.”

  Petty set the ice cream soda in front of him. “What did you discover?”

  He looked around at all the faces in front of him and Ransom realized he wasn’t scared to share his vulnerability or fear with them because again, this was family.

  “I’d thought being a coward made me unworthy of Lucky, but as we were sitting here talking, I was thinking about family. About how the bonds of this one are love, hope, and a little bit of redemption.”

  “And?” Bluebonnet prompted, almost like she’d been waiting for this.

  Maybe she had been.

  “It’s okay to be afraid. Fear is normal. If I didn’t think being afraid made anyone else unworthy, then I’m not unworthy for being afraid, either.”

  Gwen and Roderick exchanged glances.

  “The final lesson is learned,” Jonquil said. “We’re so proud of you.”

  “Yes, Ransom. We don’t know what Lucky’s answer will be tomorrow, but we do know that you’ve learned the lessons you need. You’re running the gauntlet,” Petty said.

  “Wait, what do you mean you don’t know what she’s going to say? I thought you said we get Happily Ever After?”

  “You do.” Bluebonnet grinned. “We just don’t know if that starts tomorrow or not. It depends on what Lucky says.”

  The godmothers all cackled and for a moment, Ransom thought they sounded a bit like wicked witches.

  “I heard that,” Petty said, and fixed him with a pointed look.

  “I didn’t say anything.” Except he grinned.

  “Drink your ice cream, Casanova.” Petty handed him the ice cream soda. “You need fortification for tomorrow.”

  “Yes, everyone should get to bed early tonight,” Jonquil said. “Especially the two little sprites I see on the floor. Clean up your potions, Brittany. Steven, if you help her, I’ll give you a piece of candied ginger.”

  “Mama says I shouldn’t do things for candy,” Steven said.

  “Do them because you want to, and then the candy is an unexpected treat,” Jonquil said.

  “But how is it unexpected if I’m expecting it?” Steven’s brow furrowed.

  “An interesting conundrum that I think we shall have to have many long conversations trying to figure it out.”

  “Love you, Blossoms.” Steven kissed his hand and blew the kisses toward the trio of fairy godmothers.

  “Oh, I think I like being ‘Blossoms’ as much as I like being the OFG,” Petty said.

  “I’m going to hold you to your promise, Ransom.”

  “You won’t need to,” he swore.

  Chapter 27

  Lucky had never cared about Valentine’s Day one way or another. She’d gotten her fair share of cards and candies in school. She’d sent her fair share, too.

  She didn’t complain that it was a commercialized holiday designed to make people spend more money on flowers than they needed to. In fact, people like that who did complain irritated her. Why couldn’t they just let people have things that made them happy?

  Valentine’s Day wasn’t her favorite holiday, but she didn’t have anything against people who loved it. Lucky thought any excuse to put more love out into the world had to be a good thing.

  All of that changed today.

  This would’ve been her fake wedding day. It would’ve been a moment to treasure because of why they’d decided to do it.

  All of the love of their godmothers.

  Only it wasn’t happening now and Lucky was grateful for that. She couldn’t pretend she was happy when she wasn’t. She couldn’t pretend the words she spoke didn’t mean something to her.

  From now on, every Valentine’s Day, she’d always remember it was the day she was supposed to fake marry the love of her life.

  Lucky had chosen not to be bitter. She’d chosen to look for happiness wherever she could find it. She knew that the pain she felt about this day would fade to something bittersweet, and when she was old and gray, it would only be sweet. It would be a story she’d tell her grandchildren.

  But for right now, enough was enough. Lucky was ready to put some space between herself and Ever After. Space from Ransom and everything that had happened.

  Even though the kids had asked Lucky to stay, she’d decided she was going with her mother to Paris. She would miss them desperately, but she needed a break.

  She would tell them goodbye this time.

  No, not goodbye. See you later.

  Goodbye sounded so final. So sad. See you later was all about the good things to come, and that’s how Lucky had chosen to look at life.

  She would live in the moment and not worry about what the future held, aside from choosing to expect good things.

  Her mother had been recalcitrant about packing and was taking her dear, sweet time.

  “Ma, neither one of us is getting any younger.” Lucky shoved some of her clothing into a bag, not paying much mind how it went in and not caring how it would look when it came out again.

  “Speak for yourself. I’m now friends with an Evil Queen. I bet she has one hell of an anti-aging regimen.”

  “You think you’re funny.” She looked under the bed to make sure non
e of her belongings had migrated under there during her stay.

  “I know I’m funny. You get it from me.” Fortune grinned. “Why are you in such a rush? Paris isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. We’ll get there when we get there.”

  “I just feel like there’s something going on that I don’t know about. I don’t like it and I want to get going before anyone can spring anything on me, or talk me out of having my adventure.”

  Fortune cocked her head. “How can someone talk you out of something you really want to do? Not my headstrong Lucky Charm.”

  “Okay, you’re way too cheerful. What are you up to?”

  “Nothing. Why do you think I’m up to something?” Fortune fidgeted in her chair.

  “Because you definitely are.”

  “Pish.”

  “Aha! Aunt Petty says that all the time. You never say it unless you’re trying to avoid my wrath.”

  “Your wrath? Little Miss is getting too big for her britches.”

  “Listen, Ma. Just this one time, can you just let it be?” If ever she needed a time for her mother to understand, it was this one.

  “I’m afraid there’s more involved than just me.”

  A knock sounded on the door and Fortune motioned for the person to enter. It was Rosebud.

  Rosebud, to whom she’d agreed to grant a favor.

  “No,” she said before Rosebud could ask.

  “Yes,” Rosebud said gently. “It’s a small thing, really.”

  “You said it wouldn’t be anything I didn’t agree with morally, and I’m sure that whatever this is, it goes against my religion.”

  Rosebud gave her a kind smile. “How can love go against any religion? If it does, you need to find a new one.”

  “You know what today was supposed to be,” Lucky said, as if that were an argument in itself.

  “The groom asks that you meet him under the cathedral of trees. That you wear the dress I made for you.”

  Lucky’s nose tingled like she’d been hit with a homerun baseball. She hated that tingle that squirmed up her face until her eyes watered and the tears fell whether she’d given them permission to or not.

  She didn’t want to face him. Not yet. Lucky needed to give her broken heart time to heal before it was ready to go another round with anyone. Let alone talking this to death with Ransom.

  Rosebud put her hand on Lucky’s shoulder. “This is my favor, and then your debt will be paid in full. Wear the dress. Meet him.”

  “Lucky! Get your bottom in gear or I will never, ever forgive you.”

  “Ma! Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours, dumb-dumb. Always. Move it.” Fortune nudged her forward.

  Lucky found herself being shoveled into the beautiful dress that had appeared like a poltergeist, because she’d thought for sure she’d sent it back to Rosebud’s shop.

  Her mother fussed with her hair, while Rosebud painted a pale lipstick on her lips.

  “I didn’t agree to the lipstick,” Lucky protested. “I didn’t agree to any of this.”

  “Just go with it. If you want to leave right after you see him and give him a piece of your mind, and some of mine, we can do that. For right now, just go and see what he has to say.”

  “What could he possibly say?” Lucky asked.

  “I understand now why the godmothers are so frustrated all of the time. Context clues. You’re a bright girl.” Fortune stared at her daughter intently, obviously waiting for the light to come on, but it didn’t happen.

  Lucky just stared at her blankly.

  Rosebud led her to the mirror and the family of mice who’d been visiting her emerged dressed in tiny gray suits.

  “Will you carry them?” Rosebud handed her a basket.

  It slowly began to dawn on Lucky that this was not what she’d been expecting. They were trying to dress her up in all of her wedding fineries.

  She accepted the basket with the mice and absentmindedly looked for cheese or something to give them.

  Rosebud came to her rescue and gave them each a dandelion puff to hold, though the smallest mice gnawed on the ends of their puffs.

  Fortune had quietly slipped on the white dress she’d worn to the rehearsal brunch, the one with the embroidered foxes on the sleeves.

  The foxes began to twist and move, looking like a family of foxes chasing one another’s tails in a happy swirl around the sleeves and when Lucky looked up into her mother’s face, she saw that tears had gathered in her eyes.

  “This is your family. They’re here for your wedding, if you choose to get married.”

  Lucky reached out a shaking hand to touch the sleeves, and the embroidered foxes curled around her fingers and moved to her wrists and up her arms, where they settled against her skin with a warm, somehow-familiar touch.

  She knew they were talking and while she didn’t know the language they spoke, she knew what the words meant.

  Love.

  Hope.

  Family.

  “Thank you,” she said to the foxes, to her mother, to Rosebud, and to the mice.

  Gratitude filled her.

  “Will you go, now? Will you listen to what he has to say?” Rosebud asked.

  “I was always going to go. I love him.”

  “Yes, but don’t forget, loving someone doesn’t mean they’re good for you. You make the choice your heart wants,” Fortune said.

  Lucky’s bottom lip quivered. “That’s what you did. How did it turn out for you?”

  “My Lucky Charm, it was the best choice I ever made. I’m your mother.”

  Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m not going to make it. I’m going to dissolve into a puddle of tears before I get there.”

  One of the mice blew on his dandelion puff, sending the tufts right into Lucky’s face, and she laughed.

  “Thank you,” Rosebud said to the tiny, helpful mouse.

  “You’ll walk me? Oh, where’s Gwen?”

  “You’ll see,” her mother promised.

  Lucky let the two women lead her down to the carriage and she held the basket up so the mice could see where the carriage took them.

  Bronx, after much huffing and puffing in a vain attempt to keep up with them, landed on the carriage and was content to ride along. It seemed everyone was going to be there.

  As the cathedral of trees came into view, Lucky saw Ransom waiting for her in his wedding attire at the beginning of the green mossy carpet that led up to the altar.

  Was this actually real?

  Holy hell, she was going to end up the worst kind of cliché. She didn’t care. Lucky Fujiki might just end up a Valentine’s Day bride after all.

  It was the grand gesture of all grand gestures, but she knew she couldn’t let herself be caught up in the showmanship of it all. Although it would be a lie if Lucky said she wasn’t a little bit enraptured by the ritual of it all.

  She remembered saying that if she ever got married, her fake wedding had been perfect and this would be exactly what she wanted.

  Her breath caught in her throat as the carriage rolled to a stop and Ransom held out his hand to her to help her from the carriage.

  She paused, unsure if she should step down. Would he think it was an automatic yes if she did?

  No pressure, he mouthed.

  She tilted her head back and forth. Kind of, she mouthed back. Instead of stepping down, she stood in the carriage and waited for what he would say.

  “Smart. She can make those horses run if she doesn’t like what he has to say,” the tall black-haired woman in a clawed crown said from the front.

  It was a good strategy, if she needed it.

  Or if she didn’t faint first. She couldn’t catch her breath and her heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly in a rapid tattoo.

  Are you ready? he mouthed.

  She snorted. “I’m listening,” she said aloud.

  “I didn’t say what I should’ve when I should have and I thought that made me unworthy of you. I was afraid.�
��

  Ransom held her gaze and his expression was open, honest, and she could see from the tic in his jaw that he was more than a little nervous.

  “It’s okay to be scared.” She swallowed hard. “I was, too.”

  He nodded. “It is, but the way I handled it wasn’t.”

  “You don’t have to marry me to apologize!” she blurted. Lucky wanted him to want her for herself, not as a grand gesture to assuage wounded pride.

  The crowd laughed.

  “I’m getting there. Will you let me get this out?” he teased.

  She nodded her head and clasped the basket in her hands as tightly as she dared.

  “You were afraid, too. You were facing your darkest fears and when I should’ve supported you, when I should’ve been a man who deserves the kind of faith I’d already asked you to put in me, I failed you. And myself. I didn’t know how to fix it. Instead, I let you believe that you were the one who needed fixing. You don’t. You never did.”

  Ransom paused and studied her for a long moment before continuing. “I know you put more stock in actions than words, but I have the words, too. We’ve given them to each other before.”

  He sank down to one knee and even though everyone had to have known it was coming, they all gave a collective gasp.

  “You know my biggest fear was being The Boy Who Missed for the rest of my life. Being mocked. Being less. Those aren’t my fears any longer. My biggest fear is that I’ll have to spend the rest of my life without you. I love you, Lucky. I don’t have shining armor, but I can promise you Happily Ever After.”

  “I told him to say that,” Bluebonnet whispered loudly.

  He held up an open velvet box with an intricately crafted gold band nestled in the center.

  Emotions washed over her in wave after wave. She drowned in the surge and she couldn’t come up for air long enough to speak.

  When she didn’t say anything, he spoke again. “That is, if you say you’ll marry me.”

  This was everything she’d ever wanted, exactly the way she wanted it. Lucky reached out to grab it with both hands. “Yes, Ransom. Yes!”

  Someone took the basket of mice from her hands and she realized it was Gwen and she handed the basket to Brittany.