by Judy Duarte
“Senior moment?” Elaine asked. “I know all about those.”
Actually, he was going to say that he was having an epiphany.
“Before I married Michael’s father,” she said, “I lived with my great-grandparents. My grandpa had dementia and his health was failing, so I took care of him at the end.”
“That must have been hard on you.”
“It was. I hated to see him struggle to remember, but I was glad that I could be with him during his last days. In fact, since I need to find work so I can move out of my parents’ house and find a place of our own, I might apply for a job at a local hospice. I don’t have a college education or any real experience—other than being a mom and a caretaker.”
A thought came to mind, a solution that might work out for all of them. “Have you ever considered being a nanny?”
“No, not really. My parents’ home is pretty small, so I can’t really watch kids there. And if I went to work at the family’s house, I’d have to take Michael with me. Most parents wouldn’t want to have an extra child at their place when they’re at work.”
Actually, Kieran wouldn’t mind that. And if Elaine not only looked after Rosie at the ranch while he was at the office, she could also be a caretaker for the Lawsons. They needed someone to look after them, too. They also had a small guesthouse, where Zach had once lived.
This might be the perfect solution for everyone involved.
“Let’s have a chat after the party,” he said. “I’ve got a thought simmering that might solve your problem.”
He just hoped he’d get another brilliant idea. One that would help him solve the huge predicament he’d created with Dana.
Chapter Twelve
The party was finally over, and the last guest had gone home. Elaine had volunteered to help Kieran clean up, and he’d taken her up on the offer. She’d also agreed to watch Rosie for him later, so she’d followed him to his place.
After he let her and the kids inside, she said, “Take all the time you need. We’ll be fine.” Elaine gave him a grin. “I can even stay overnight if you need me.”
Kieran thanked her, then drove straight to Dana’s house. He hadn’t called ahead, so he hoped she was home. He’d thought briefly about picking up a bouquet of roses as a peace offering, like he’d done the last time he’d apologized to her, but now that he’d finally realized how he felt about her, he just wanted to get there as fast as possible and tell her.
He rang the bell, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited what seemed like forever for her to answer the door. Finally, she stood before him, her hair glossy and flowing over her shoulders and down her back. But the moment she laid eyes on him, she crossed her arms as if to stand her ground.
He wasted no time with small talk.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was a jerk the other night, and you didn’t deserve it. I hurt you when you found out I hadn’t planned to take you to Sophie’s wedding. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Forget about it. That’s not what upset me. Not really.”
Either way, he’d screwed up. “You have every right to be angry with me, and I want to make things right.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to attend that wedding with you, anyway.”
Fixing this wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped it would be, and he doubted that flowers would have helped. She was clearly angry. “I didn’t come here to invite you to be my date to my sister’s wedding.”
Her lips parted, and disbelief stretched across her face. “I see. So it’s over between us?”
“I hope not.”
He offered her a smile, but worry marred her brow, suggesting that she wasn’t ready for their relationship to end, either.
Kieran chuckled. “I should have worded that better. In fact, let me start over. My feelings for you were unsettling and hard for me to admit. I didn’t want it to happen and I fought it every step of the way.”
“I’m not surprised. Your dating habits aren’t a big secret.”
“It was more than that. I felt as though I was stepping into the life Zach had set up for himself, the life he deserved. And I was wracked by guilt. Then, after a while, I was able to envision my own future—if you were a part of it.”
“I told you that Zach and I weren’t that close. We never even slept together. It was his family that drew me in. I lost my parents when I was young, and Sandra came close to filling a maternal role for me. That’s why I continued to see Zach, even when I knew marriage wasn’t in our future. He knew it, too, but he appreciated my help with Rosie—just like you seem to.”
“This isn’t about Rosie,” Kieran said. “It’s about me. And it’s about the feeling that’s grown so strong it’s going to burst out of me if I don’t tell you about it.”
She seemed to sway back, as if his words had struck a sensitive chord, but she quickly recovered. “That’s hard to believe.”
He could see why she might feel that way. “When you walked out the other night, I let you go because I thought it would be best for everyone involved. Rosie was calling you Mommy. And I was having visions of you day and night—and not just in bed, but your smile, your gentle touch. Your laugh.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’d spent so long being a carefree bachelor that I didn’t think I could handle a real, committed relationship. And the fact that you had me reconsidering that scared the hell out of me.”
She unfolded her arms. “So that’s why you didn’t stop me from leaving and why you didn’t call afterward?”
He nodded. “It took a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that I don’t want to be alone any longer. You’ve brought something into my life that I’ve never had before—a real sense of love and family.”
“Oh, come on, Kieran. Other than my friend Monica, you have one of the biggest families I know.”
“Maybe so. But in spite of the number of siblings I have, I’ve never been all that happy. And I doubt I ever will be. Not without you in my life.”
* * *
Dana couldn’t believe her eyes when Kieran showed up at her door. And now she couldn’t believe her ears.
“It may seem a bit sudden,” he said, “but I know what’s in my heart. I’ve never felt anything like this, but I know what’s going on. I fell in love with you, Dana. And all I want is for the two of us—I mean, the three of us—to be together. Not just tonight, but for the rest of our lives.”
Dana continued to stand in the doorway, too stunned by his words to move, to even react. To say his revelation had completely blindsided her would be a gross understatement. She had to remind herself to breathe. He loved her? That in itself was hard to wrap her mind around, but for the rest of their lives? That sounded as if...
“Aren’t you going to invite me into the house?” he asked.
His question pulled her out of her reverie and she stepped aside and held open the door for him to enter.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little slow on the uptake,” he said as he walked into the living room. “It took time for me to figure things out—and to propose a solution.”
“I’m listening.”
“I know you’re not the type for a sexual fling, which is the only kind of relationship I used to have. But not anymore. I only want one woman in my life from now on, and that’s you.”
This conversation was becoming surreal. Maybe it was time to give herself a pinch.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
He smiled at her. “Absolutely. That’s why I didn’t want yo
u to be my date at that wedding. I want you to be my bride.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“Let’s get married on the same day, in the same place and at the same time, as Sophie and Mason.”
Actually, she liked the sound of that. But he couldn’t be serious. Still, she’d never seen his face so lit up.
When she didn’t respond either way, he dropped to one knee, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He flicked open the lid, revealing a sparkling diamond that had to be two carats, if not more.
She gasped, then lifted her hand to her throat and gazed at him in disbelief. She’d never seen anything like it. For a poor girl who’d grown up without a family of her own, you’d think she’d just been given the Hope Diamond.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“A yes would make me the happiest man in the world. In fact, I’d marry you today, if you’d have me.”
He was serious.
And she was...thrilled.
“Then yes,” she said. “I’ll marry you.”
Kieran pulled the ring from the box, dazzling her with the romantic gesture and the sparkle, and she lifted her left hand to let him slide it on her finger.
What a turn of events. Even in her wildest dreams, when she’d lain in bed at night, envisioning Kieran professing his love, she’d never expected it to be like this—so romantic, so sweet. And accompanied by a proposal.
“I love you, too,” she said. “And I don’t want to wait, either. But I can’t see how we can pull off a double wedding.”
She’d need to find a dress—and something fancy, especially if they got married at the Driskill Hotel, with his friends and family in attendance.
“Besides,” she added, “Sophie and Mason’s invitations have already gone out. And they were so perfect, so formal... We’d just be an add-on.”
“I already ran this by Sophie, and she thinks we’ll make an amazing addition to the ceremony. And as for the invitations, we’ll create our own and email them to our guests.”
“But...there’s another problem,” she said, considering the wording Sophie and Mason had used. “I don’t have parents to list at the top of our invitation.”
Kieran seemed to think about that, but only for a moment. “I have a much better idea.”
She tilted her head. “What’s that?”
“Picture this.” He lifted his hands, his thumb and index fingers creating a box shape. “Miss Rosabelle Lawson requests the honor of your presence at the wedding of her new Mommy and Daddy—Miss Dana Trevino and Mr. Kieran Fortune Robinson.”
Tears filled Dana’s eyes. “That’s perfect. I love it!”
“You’re perfect. And I love you.” He reached out for her and pulled her into his arms.
Then he said, “All you need to do is tell me where you want to go on our honeymoon.”
She stiffened, drawing back so she could catch his gaze. “Getting married with Sophie and Mason at the Driskill Hotel would be a dream come true for me, but we can’t go anywhere for very long, especially if we have to leave town.”
“Why not?”
“What about Rosie? She wouldn’t be happy staying with just anyone for longer than a night. And then there’s Sam and Sandra to consider. You and I are all the family they have left. What if something should happen while we’re gone? What if they need us?”
“I’ve got that covered.”
She couldn’t see how. The guy might be rich, but you couldn’t buy affection and peace of mind.
“I hired the perfect nanny,” he said. “And she’s going to start work tomorrow.”
“But you don’t work on Sunday.”
“I won’t need her to watch Rosie at my house. She’s going to live at the ranch.”
She wasn’t following, and her brows knitted in confusion.
Kieran smiled. “I hired a caregiver to look after Sam and Sandra. And she’ll also be my nanny. Whenever I need a sitter, I’ll take Rosie there. It’s the perfect solution. And Sandra and Sam are delighted with the setup.”
“Who is this woman? And when did you hire her?”
“It’s Elaine Wagner, Mikey’s mother. And I hired her today.”
“And she agreed to look after Sam and Sandra, too?”
“She was thrilled when I suggested it. And so was Sandra, especially since she’ll be seeing more of Rosie.”
Dana couldn’t stifle the grin that stole across her face. “You are a true problem solver, Mr. Fortune.”
He laughed. “Well, there is one little problem...”
“Uh-oh. What’s that?”
“I promised Rosie that I would drive over to that empty lot by the school and look for a big, brown, dirty dog named Teddy.”
“Seriously? What are you going to do if you find that stray?”
“Take it to the ranch. But don’t think badly of me if I admit that I’m hopeful he’s already found another home.”
She stepped back into the circle of his arms. “Kieran, you are truly amazing. I’m going to love being married to you.”
Then she kissed him, thoroughly and deeply. When they finally came up for air, she led him to her bedroom. It was time to celebrate the love they’d just professed.
* * *
Dana had never been happier. After spending the night with her new fiancé and making love several times, each one more amazing than the last, she’d kissed Kieran goodbye. Then he went to his place to relieve Elaine and pick up Rosie.
Over an early morning cup of coffee, they’d decided Kieran and Rosie would move in with Dana until they found a new house, something bigger and with a roomy yard. Kieran would be giving up his downtown condo.
In the meantime, she spent the morning cleaning out the guest room, especially the closet, to make room for Rosie’s clothes and toys. Her heart soared at the thought of having her new family together under the same roof.
Kieran had called a couple hours ago to let her know that he and Rosie had a few errands to run. That was just as well. Dana wanted to have the room ready when they arrived.
She’d no more than carried the last box out to the garage when her cell phone rang. She thought it might be Kieran, calling her with an update, but it was his sister Sophie instead.
“I just heard the good news,” Sophie said. “Kieran told me you agreed to the double wedding, and I wanted to let you know how happy Mason and I are that you’ll be sharing our special day.”
It was mind-boggling. In less than twenty-four hours, Dana had acquired a fiancé who would soon be her husband, and a daughter. Now she had a sister, the first of many siblings.
Dana smiled. “Kieran and I are looking forward to it.”
“If you’re free tonight,” Sophie said, “I thought we could all get together. Rosie, too, of course. That way, we can talk more about it.”
“That works for me. I’ll check with Kieran to make sure he doesn’t have anything else going on.”
“Let me know for sure, but I’ll plan for us to have dinner at my place around six.”
After ending the call, Dana considered all that needed to be done to prepare for a dream wedding. How would she ever be ready in just over a week?
She pulled a notepad from her desk drawer, as well as a pencil, so she could jot down each upcoming chore and give it a completion date.
The first thing on her to-do list was to call Monica and tell her the good news.
“Oh my gos
h,” Monica said when Dana got her on the phone. “You’re going to marry one of the Fortunes?”
“Actually,” Dana said, as she plopped down in her easy chair for a conversation that was sure to go into overtime, “I’m marrying the most handsome, generous and incredible man in the world. He just happens to carry the Fortune name. But believe me, I wouldn’t care if he was a Smith or a Jones.”
“That’s awesome, Dana. I’m so happy for you.”
“Good, because I need a favor. I want you to be my maid of honor. Hopefully, you can get the time off from the library so you can help me pull things together.”
“One of my assistants is out on maternity leave, so I’m not sure how long I can be gone. But I wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world. Besides, I want to help you find something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.”
Dana held the phone with her right hand and rested the left on the armrest, the diamond engagement ring sparkling. She really was going to have to pinch herself for a reality check.
“You know me,” Dana said. “I’m big on traditions, so I’ll definitely be using that one. It’s just too bad that I don’t have my mother’s wedding gown to wear. That would’ve given me the perfect ‘something old.’ But I’ll just have to look for a lace handkerchief at an upcoming estate sale.”
“Wait,” Monica said. “I’ve got a better idea. My mom wore my abuelita’s wedding dress when she got married, and she’s been saving it for me. Why don’t you wear that?”
“But that’s your family tradition.”
“Come on, Dana. You’re like a sister to me. I’d love to see you walk down the aisle in something that means so much to our family. I’d have to alter it anyway, and you’re about my mom’s size.”
Tears welled in Dana’s eyes, then spilled onto her cheeks. “I’d be so honored to wear that dress. I promise to take special care of it.”
“I know you will. And now you’ve got something old and borrowed.”
“That’s true. Maybe I can go to a bridal shop and find a blue garter. That would take care of new and blue.”