by S R Nulton
“Yeah, I’m fine, but Dad was just arrested for murdering Grandpa Algae!”
She paled and looked at Ethan for confirmation. “He killed Dad?”
Candace didn’t notice her oldest son’s flinch, but I did. He hadn’t really believed that she had been stepsiblings with his father and he just had his face rubbed in it.
Yeah, this was a pretty good punishment.
“Yes, he did,” Ethan told her, voice gentle. “Grandfather was going to write him out of the will for what he did to you. He left you a note in his journals, apologizing for not protecting you like he promised he would. He said that he loved you and your sisters with everything inside him and he always regretted the blind spot he had when it came to Neil. Apparently Grandfather was conned by the golden boy routine too up until you ended up pregnant. He still wanted to give his son a second chance, but when nothing changed Grandfather decided to send him away. He was in the process of getting you a divorce when he died.”
Candace listened to every word and started crying. To me, it seemed like she was finally free of the monster she’d been chained to, the one who had tried to steal everything from her.
“Wh-what are we going to do now?” she asked when she finally collected herself.
“You’ll leave it to me, Candy. I’ll make sure things turn out the way they are supposed to,” replied a strange man from the doorway.
“Good thing it’s a big office,” I muttered as we moved back and observed the newcomer. He was as tall as the other men, but older and his dark hair was nearly completely grey. Or rather his grey hair had a little bit of dark brown in it. Either way, he was clearly the oldest person in the room. Strangely enough, he also had Cayden’s piercing blue eyes.
“Uncle Harrison,” Ethan greeted.
“Harry? What– you know Ethan?” Candace stuttered out.
Harrison nodded. “Of course. I heard about what happened as soon as you gave him up and decided that he needed to know at least one person in our family. We were mostly pen pals, but I visited whenever I could. Ironically, throwing him out of the family made it so I could know him. Thanks for that, by the way. He’s a great kid. Anyway, he called me when he figured out what was going to happen. Penny and I flew here as soon as we could and we are going to step in until someone else feels ready.”
Cayden frowned. “You mean, you aren’t going to take over permanently?”
Harrison laughed. Loudly. And at length. I liked him already. “No. That would be awful! I have my own business to take care of and my kids are okay at it, but I don’t want to hand it over quite yet. It keeps me busy when Penny is spending time with her mother. It’s in our prenup, which I really should have done a better job negotiating, that she has to spend at least half of every year with her mother. Which is where she’s headed soon, so I’m good to be here for about 6 months, then it’s time to hand the reins back. I’ll still step in when necessary, though, if I’m needed.”
For some odd reason, that seemed to shock Cayden and Candace. Personally, I thought it was smart. If he built his own business and had his own home, he was attached to both and wouldn’t want to give them up to take over a potentially crumbling business. The 6-month loss of his wife was odd, but it takes all types, so I left it alone.
No, what I was more interested in was how similar Ethan and Harrison were, at least personality wise. It was very obvious why Neil had never gotten along with his second son, especially if he had issues with his older brother.
“Now,” Harrison said, smacking his hands together, “who’s up for lunch? I found the best taco truck right across the street and I’ve been stuck eating Tex-Mex for the past decade. Well, longer, but I’ve snuck back here once or twice since I was sent away. The point is, while Tex-Mex is great, Baja style tacos are better. So, food? Anyone?”
~
Ethan stepped outside and sat down on one of his loungers by the pool. His house was filled with people for once, and while he enjoyed it, he also needed a breather.
Thanksgiving was usually a bit crazy, which wasn’t unusual considering his adopted family was Mexican and loved to invite everyone to celebrate with them. This year though, it had swelled beyond the usual suspects. Candace and the girls were there, as was Harrison and his wife Penny, and Cayden and his twins.
Cayden had actually showed up with some surprising news. Welcome, but surprising nonetheless.
“I left JJ,” he’d announced as soon as he’d walked in. “I realized what a horrible woman she was a while ago, but I just couldn’t bear to let my kids go, so I stuck with her. She’d convinced me that no court would take kids away from their mother and give them to me, but it turns out that she was wrong. I couldn’t deal with it anymore, though. I found out she’s been neglecting them while I was at work and I filed for sole custody. They granted it for now while they finish their investigation, but the case looks good.”
Ethan had been stunned. He didn’t know his brother well, but what he did know had never suggested that Cayden was a family man. Apparently he was though. In fact, he had only pretended otherwise to please their father. He’d also told them that he was in the midst of apologizing to a lot of people and cleaning up his act.
“I don’t want the twins picking up my bad habits or thinking that they have to act like that to get ahead or to get noticed at all. There are a lot of things I can see more clearly now,” he’d admitted before being introduced to everyone else.
Harrison and Penny were favorites of both families now. Harrison had a self-deprecating humor that was endearing and he never seemed to feel the need to push himself on others. He just was and that was enough. Penny was fiery and headstrong and wouldn’t put up with her husband’s antics when they went too far. Basically, she was the perfect foil for him. Because of their involvement in Ethan’s life, they were a great addition to the party. They bridged the two families without making it very obvious that it was their goal.
Ethan’s only regret was that Aggy wasn’t there. She’d gone home to spend the holiday with her sisters, aunts and mother. She’d sent him some ridiculous messages throughout the day, mostly memes about art, but had gotten busy and stopped not long before.
The sound of the door opening and closing clued him in to not being alone.
“Mijo, too much?” Marina asked as she took a seat next to him.
He nodded. “It’s pretty quiet here usually. Just me and Aggy. Sometimes Geo and Rosa.”
Candace sat down next to his mom and smiled. “I wondered. It was very empty when I came to visit, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to ask.”
Ethan eyed the two women who he had to thank for being alive and was a bit scared to see them teaming up together. Candace still wasn’t much of a mom to him, but she was trying. They’d talked on the phone once a week, every week since she’d stopped by his house in October and he felt like they were on a good road, one that would bring them much closer as time progressed. She would never be his Mamá though. That was a place reserved for Marina alone.
“All right, I know you two are scheming together, so why don’t you come out and say what you want to say?” he said, choosing to confront rather than wait and see.
They both smiled lightly before Marina answered. “Well, mijo, we are both a bit concerned. You see, we both thought that your Aggy would be here tonight, and she isn’t’. Why is that?”
Ethan sighed. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but he didn’t want to jump the gun and give them more ammunition. “She’s with her family. Her mom is the mayor of their hometown and her aunts are the sheriff and judge. Lots of law and order in the family means that they can’t travel for the holidays. I did invite them though.”
They both seemed to relax as he spoke. “Good. We were hoping it was something simple like that.”
He frowned. “What did you think it was?”
Then he heard Rosa cackle behind him. “They thought she’d left you. I kept telling them that the girl just went home, b
ut they were worried.”
And that comment had him a little worried. So he decided to shut up and let them explain themselves.
“Well,” Candace began. “We really wanted to know what your intentions were toward her.”
Ethan blinked. “My what?”
“Intentions. You like her and have been living very close for many months, but you haven’t’ asked her out! Why?” his mom demanded to know.
“Um… it wasn’t really appropriate. And,” he paused. “I didn’t think she’d say yes. I actually wanted to ask her out after she got back. It wasn’t fair to do it when we were still in danger. Remember we thought someone was trying to kill us for a little bit there.”
Rosa nodded. “It’s true. You missed him, but he was practically raccoon eyed every morning after the car incident. It was not a good look. The girl was just as bad. Now, though, he has no excuse.”
Marina nodded. “And when will you give me another daughter? I want it to be soon, so you have to ask her to marry you.”
Ethan had no idea how his life had gotten so confusing so quickly, but he was looking forward to a nice simple dinner after the interrogation.
“You want me to ask her to marry me? Before we go on a date?”
All three women nodded emphatically.
“Why? I mean, I know why I like her, but why are all of you so set on this?” He’d nearly said ‘love,’ but decided that that word belonged to Aggy first. It was something from a rom com he and Geo had watched years ago that stuck with him.
While he was thinking, they looked at each other and seemed to chose Candace to speak next. “She makes you better. She pushes you to deal with things and makes you try to be healthy. And she makes you happy while doing it. Even knowing you for a short amount of time, I can tell.”
“She is creative with you,” Rosa picked up. “She speaks your language and is not demanding of your time and energy. She simply enjoys being a part of your life. And, she goes out of her way to be helpful to you, asking me questions so she won’t disrupt your work, so that she can make you happy.”
Marina finished for them. “She is everything you thought you’d found in your ex-wife, but in Aggy, it is real. She is pure and innocent and perfect for you. You protect each other. And that is how it should be.”
He eyed the three women and considered what they were and were not saying.
“I’m going to need some help with designing a ring. And a party. I think our family deserves an Independence party.”
The women grinned and looked at each other before beginning a long, loud conversation that he wasn’t needed for. So, he headed back in so he could get to know his sisters. They were all a bit hesitant and that wouldn’t do at all. They needed to lighten up so they could join the mothers in planning his engagement party.
~
Geo’s vineyard was dressed up like a wonderland when Ethan and I pulled into the parking lot.
I gasped and looked around in complete surprise.
“It looks like something from a movie,” I said, awe obvious in my voice.
Ethan chuckled. “It’s his favorite time of year. He actually rotates the decorations every year so that things always look fresh and different. This was all planned out back in August.”
“Seriously? Well, it was well worth the effort,” I said as we walked past the magnificent light display that defied description. Then I saw what he’d done with the inside of the tasting room.
It was completely different! The walls were covered in silver silks and white twinkle lights that lit up the sculptures and paintings placed there. I was really excited to see some of my paintings on the wall, something Ethan had insisted on, but there was too much to look at to stop and stroke my pride. The thing that really caught my attention was that the chandeliers had been changed from their usual rustic wrought iron to crystal-studded monstrosities that must have taken ages to install and were at least six feet tall. And there were four of them lighting up the room with their dazzling display of rainbows!
“Holy crap! He could make a fortune as party planner! And don’t tell Bloom I said that! She’d kill me.”
Ethan laughed and pulled me into the center of the room.
“Dance with me?” he asked huskily.
I looked at him in confusion but nodded. Over the past few weeks, our relationship seemed to have changed. Again. Seriously, it was never a smooth progression with him, just choppy little bursts! It was incredibly frustrating. He’d gone from treating me like an annoyance to accepting me, then jumped to treasured employee, then close friend, and these last few weeks it had seemed that he wanted to push for more but was waiting on something. I had no idea what, but I wasn’t really sure if I should say something or just let him figure it out on his own. He needed to work through things without me once in a while. I had decided early on in our time together that I should only push when he was doing harm to himself or others.
At that moment, he was only doing annoyance to others. Stupid integrity, preventing me from meddling!
Ethan spun me around the dance floor to the sound of a big band performing ‘Silent Night,’ albeit a bit jazzier than I was used to. It was very fun though.
“So, how does it feel to celebrate your official independence?” I asked as he twirled me around and my Christmas red dress flared out around me.
“Really, really good. And it isn’t just my independence. It is all of ours.” He spun me out and in again quickly before asking, “Have I told you how beautiful you look yet? Because I should be shot if I haven’t.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Yes, you did. Twice. And thank you for the necklace. It goes perfectly, and I love the little throwing spikes you gave me for my hair.”
That was actually the reason I’d chosen the dress that I did. Ethan presented me with the jewelry and asked me to wear them to the party his mothers were throwing. I’d naturally agreed, because rubies may not be a girl’s best friend, but they are very nice to wear. For a night, anyway. I’d loved discovering the secret to the set of accessories, which was a fishing pole, line and a hook as well as a lovely knife. Anyone else I would have called crazy, but I knew that Ethan had done it as a joke and I loved his sense of humor, when he let it surface.
He reached up and pushed a curl back from my shoulder. “The knife was so that you could be safe if anyone tried to get you. The rest was because I am giving you fishing lessons after Christmas. Oh, and that includes spear fishing, since I know you want to try it.”
I squealed a little and bounced as he led me around the room. Most of the people there were his family in some way, so I didn’t think they’d mind. Actually, my sisters were there too, but I hadn’t seen them…
Ah! That should be interesting, I thought as I spotted Geo and Joy. He was laid back and she was crazy strict, but both of them were good about moderating their tempers in most cases and they might actually do well together. If they got together. I doubted they would, but it was still nice to see.
I also saw a lot of our most loyal customers out in the crowd, enjoying appetizers and a little dancing before dinner.
The last year had been quite the whirlwind of excitement and I was looking forward to the mid-winter blahs so I could get a bit of rest. Well, rest in between learning how to use a spear to fish with. That was just too much fun to miss!
“What are you thinking about?” Ethan asked, his breath brushing against my ear. And, of course my mind went blank.
“Spear fishing,” I spat out after a moment spent collecting myself. His proximity had rattled me a bit. We weren’t very touchy-feely people, so I wasn’t sure how to take it.
Also, I liked him more than a bit, so yeah. That.
He just chuckled and held me close as the band switched to ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’.
I sighed and leaned in. “This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I just love how melancholy and hopeful it is, all at the same time. Don’t you?”
He nodded. “Yo
u are always so full of complexity, aren’t you? You seem so simple at first, or rather, easy to understand, but the longer I’m around you the more I realize just how many layers you have.”
Smiling, I looked up at him. “You do too, you know. And despite what you think, I’m grateful for your scar and your limp. They made you learn to look past the surface and helped you learn to struggle and fight for what you wanted. You never accepted your father because what he offered was too simple. Too easy. You wanted to earn it. And you built who you are based on the love your family gave you. That’s what makes you the man you are today.”
The band was nearly finished with the song when Ethan stopped moving and looked down at me. “Aggy, I have two questions I want to ask you. The first is if you will become my business partner? I want you to work with me and have your name put out there, not as a subordinate but as a cocreator. And I want to help you promote your art as we do mine.”
I beamed at him, feeling like I was going to burst. He’d just offered me all I’d ever wanted and had asked nothing in return. “Yes! Of course! I would love to be your partner!”
He held a hand up before I could continue and I realized that the music had stopped, but was too engrossed in our conversation to think about it.
“Remember? I have one more question and this may impact your answer to the last one.” And then he lowered himself to one knee and pulled out a velvet-lined box and opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen. It was white gold and embellished with scrollwork and abalone shell, with a pearl as the centerpiece and small pieces of aquamarine on either side.
“Agatha Grace Avondale, you are the woman I was looking for even when I wasn’t looking. You are the light that has been chasing away my nightmares for months now, giving me the strength to fight my demons and win. You are tenacious and loving and you give of yourself so fully that I sometimes worry that you aren’t being careful with your heart. But if you give it to me, I will make sure to protect it for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”