by Brown, Tara
Hattie interrupted our deep thought for the day. “Time to go. They’re meeting us at Jack and Millie’s.” We got up and walked back to the SUV.
The drive over was quiet, perhaps because of our destination. But even Linna didn’t try to fill the empty space with meaningless words.
My dad was awkwardly silent. He had wanted to come and meet Aiden’s family.
When we arrived, I paused, looking around. “Where are we? Hattie, isn’t this close to your house?”
“Yeah, the mouth of the Atlantic.” We parked next to a bridge on a sucky old road. Aiden, his mother, and his siblings were standing on the bridge already. I felt nervous the moment her sharp blue eyes found me in the small group of people.
Another pair of blue eyes sought me though. Aiden gave me his usual stare through his thick black lashes. The corners of his mouth were turned up slightly. He held out a hand. “Mother, this is Frank Roze. He is Jess and Finley’s father. This is Hattie, their grandmother for all intents and purposes.” He looked over at his mother. “This is my mother, Queen Estelle Dumont Windsor Rey. This is my sister, Mary Estelle Windsor Sorenson Rey, my brother, Johan Agramunt Sorenson Windsor Rey, and our youngest brother, Jack Agramunt Sorenson Windsor Rey.”
Linna laughed. “Dude, I think Mary, Johan, and Jack might have been enough.”
Mary chuckled. “Don’t we all wish.”
The queen gave us all a look. It was the same unimpressed face she always gave me. “It is lovely to meet you all.”
My father did something that looked like a bow. “It is wonderful to meet you. Fin and Jess speak so highly of your family.”
The queen didn’t speak. She raised her eyebrows and looked over us all. “I have a flight to catch, so we should get this over with.”
Charming as ever.
Hattie smiled at them all, but I could see her annoyance. “This is the spot where we placed their ashes.”
The queen looked at Aiden. “You’re certain this was his wish?”
Aiden nodded. “He wished to spend eternity sailing his beloved Atlantic with his beloved Millie, so they might return to the shores of England if they so desired.”
I smiled. It was the most romantic thing I’d ever heard.
Aiden laughed. “Jack was a romantic man. He couldn’t bear the thought of being trapped in a crypt with the rest of the family, and he knew Millie would never be welcomed in the crypt. He chose the girl who stole his heart over the family he rarely saw.”
Mary leaned over the railing of the river. The bay in front of us was near Hattie’s house and behind us was Porter’s Lake. It was a perfect spot for Jack and Millie to have their ashes spread.
In the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Johan holding Jessica’s hand behind their backs and away from the prying eyes of his mother. She would probably have a fit if she knew they were seeing each other.
She was already angry with Aiden and me, but Johan was her favorite. She would never allow another one of the unsuitable females from my family to take another of her sons.
Aiden held out a basket of red and white rose petals. We all grabbed some and tossed them into the sea, speaking to our dear lost friends and family.
“Miss you, Uncle Jack and Aunt Millie.”
“Love you both!”
“Come see us in England!”
The queen nodded. “Good-bye, Uncle Jack. You were always my favorite.” She tossed her petals and smiled. It looked real, like she truly meant the things she said. She turned to the guards lining the road and nodded and then turned back toward Aiden. “I have work to do before leaving Halifax for New York. Jack is coming with me. He has some items to get in New York for school.”
Aiden folded his arms across his chest. “I figured. The rest of us will be leaving tomorrow. The girls are headed for Scotland. They need to acclimate themselves to the time change.”
“Excellent.” The queen smiled. “It was lovely meeting you.” She turned and walked to the guards. Jack gave us a wave but said nothing. I caught a glimpse of earbuds in his ears—typical fourteen-year-old.
My father nodded his head toward Hattie’s road which was quite close. “I’m going to head over to the house. Sheila won’t want to be alone much longer.”
I scoffed. “I’m surprised she never tried to come and see the queen.”
His eyes lit up momentarily. “She did.” He put a hand out to Aiden. “It’s nice to meet your family finally. Take care of my girl in Scotland.”
Aiden gave him a subtle bow. “Always.”
My dad smiled and walked off. Jess pointed. “I’m going home too.”
Johan stretched. “Yes, I’m beat and could use a nap. It’s pretty far to the hotel. I think I’ll accompany you.”
Mary’s eyebrows went up. “And I’ll chaperone.” She hugged me and walked behind them.
I noticed Hattie still had her flower petals. She tossed them slowly from the bridge and smiled. Whatever she was thinking was between her and them. Once the petals were gone, she gave Aiden and me a look. “I’m headed to Lakeside if you want to come?”
He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me along to the SUV my father had rented while he was in Nova Scotia. Sheila had refused to ride in his car.
On the drive over, I snuggled with Aiden in the back. Hattie scowled. “I look like your driver. This is some shit. One of you is riding up front on the way back.”
I laughed.
Hattie ran her hands along the steering wheel. “This is some nice though. I do like it. Might have to look into it for my next car.”
When we got to Lakeside, I ran inside, abandoning Aiden. I darted for the bridge brigade, terrified of any missing. Their faces lit up. Hanna and Sarah jumped up. Mandy, the new girl, spun Marbles so she could see me. She gave me a crooked smile. I hugged them all, taking in deep breaths of them.
“You came back!”
“I promised I would.”
Sarah looked up. “You brought him? You’re still together?”
I turned around. “Oh him? Yeah, he still follows me around. It’s creepy actually.”
Aiden smiled wide. “I think we all know which of us is creepy.” He nodded his head toward me.
I gasped. “So mean.”
Marbles laughed. “Give us some hugs so we can make everyone else in here jealous.”
He gave them all the biggest hugs.
We sat down and played a game, catching up on gossip and the things we’d missed. Many deaths, many new people, and even some new staff.
The moment Aiden left the table to see someone else, their eyes all turned hungry. “Has he proposed?”
My face bunched up. “Sweet friggin’ God, no. I’m eighteen. Seriously?”
Sarah scoffed. “You would have already had a baby by now in our day.”
“Well, thank the gods of all that is fair that I’m in my time where we’re allowed to vote and have kids when we’re thirty. I don’t even know if I want kids.”
All eyes widened. Hanna crossed herself like I’d just confessed to a horrid crime or said something really unholy.
“You are so dramatic.”
Marbles muttered, “You know you love him and it’s so obvious how much he loves you. Don’t fight it. You’ll end up old and alone or married to the wrong person. Just be open. Or we’ll kill you.”
“Dude!”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s Marbles to you!”
I laughed. She had grown fond of the pet name. She even did impersonations of that movie my dad liked.
Hattie came in and folded her arms. “Time to go, kid. I’m scared of leaving Sheila at my house for too long.”
The table of women all started spitting on the floor and muttering cuss words. I cocked an eyebrow. “Stay crazy, ladies. I’ll come and see you at Christmas. It’s a short hop across the pond now.”
Hattie nodded. “Shorter than Seattle.”
I sighed. “Spokane.”
“Whatever.”
As
we walked out, I looked back and waved. I would miss them. Hopefully they would still be there. I’d never realized how precious old people were until then. They had all the wisdom and personality we wished we had, but their expiry date was so imminent it was scary. You only got so much time with them. You had to cherish it and spend it wisely.
It made me look at Hattie differently too.
We sat in the car, waiting for Aiden who had told her he’d meet her out there. I glanced over at the locket on her neck. “My mom had one similar to that.”
She nodded. “I know. It was her mother’s. Our husbands got them at the same time, one Christmas a million years ago when the earth’s crust was just cooling. When Harris put the necklace on me, he swore he would do it every day for the rest of our lives. The last time he put it on was ten years ago, the morning he died. I haven’t taken it off since because he isn’t here to put it back on.”
Tears filled my eyes. That was the lonely feeling in her house. They’d never been able to have children. The void was him. He was gone yet still there in so many ways.
Tears spilled from her eyes too. “Stop crying, ya silly girl. You didn’t even know him.”
“But I know you.”
She started to cry harder. I slipped an arm around her fragile back. “Thanks for saving me, Hattie.”
She sniffled. “Someone had to make you a human being.” She gave me a wicked grin. “I think you might be getting close.” Her face lifted to Aiden walking toward us. “And I think it was him that saved ya anyway, not me.”
I smiled at him. “Team effort.”
She drove us home in silence. The mood was sad. I didn’t know why.
We walked into the house, arm in arm, with him taking deep breaths of my hair. “I love you, Fin.”
I looked up into his eyes and got lost. Sheila came bounding down the hall, giving us a weird look. She smiled wide and bowed funny. “Fin, Aiden, you’re back. How was your visit?”
“Fine?”
She kept her smile going and walked into the kitchen. Dad came down the hall with a small box and passed it to me. “This was some of your mom’s stuff. I left it here and had completely forgotten about it.” Aiden kissed the side of my head. “You two go and open it together.”
I carried the small box into the living room and sat down. Inside was a knitted hat, a small album, her wedding and engagement rings, a stack of old photos, and a small box. I opened it to find the locket that matched Hattie’s. Inside was a picture of my mom and my aunt Cheryl. I passed it to him. “You have to give that to Cheryl.”
He nodded. It made me smile that she would have it. I pulled the tiny rings from the box and tried to slide them on, but they didn’t fit. “Dude, Mom’s hands were so small.”
He laughed. “So small. We had to have the rings resized twice. It was crazy.” He shook his head. “Marrying her was crazy. I never deserved her.” His eyes were full of the thousands of things he wanted to say. I could see them all floating around in there. He smiled and let them fall out of his mouth for the first time ever. “She was a beautiful person, but she wasn’t my person and I wasn’t hers. She would have been so proud of the girl you were and the woman you’ve become. She was so angry that she got sick. The only thing that ever made her smile was you.” His voice cracked, “I know I haven’t been good at this. I know that. I’m sorry, Finley. I wish I’d done better and I wish we’d been closer. You were just so much like her that I assumed we would never match either.”
I wrapped an arm around him. “Dad, I’m not that much like her. I’m a lot like you too. I’m not good at this stuff either. Ask poor Aiden.”
He hugged me. “I’m sorry I let you down.”
“It’s not too late. We can start talking and just trying.”
He nodded. “It feels like you’re going to the other side of the world though.”
I pulled back and laughed. “You could write me letters.”
“Like by hand?”
“Yeah. It’s more fun than you think.”
He laughed too. “I’ll take your word for it. How about I send you emails and we FaceTime?”
“Deal.”
He hugged me hard one last time. “I’m so proud of you. You know that, right?”
I nodded. It wasn’t entirely true, but I would take it. I never wanted things to end up the way they had been. I wanted us to be a family, even if he was married to Sheila.
I cocked an eyebrow. “What’s the deal with Sheila? She’s being so nice.”
He smiled. “I reminded her about our prenup. If she does a single thing to interfere with your relationship with Aiden or anything else to you, we are getting a divorce. She would have to leave the marriage with the things she came in with.”
“What was that?”
He shrugged. “Her kids and clothes. She was broke when I met her.”
“What brought this on?”
“I discovered her purpose for trying to make me disown you. She wanted to be named the heir to my money and added to my will. Right now, you are my only beneficiary. She was trying to force me to amend it, stating that I no longer saw you fit.”
I winced. “Ouch.”
He nodded. “Yeah. So things around our house are changing or she is welcome to leave at any moment.”
I laughed. “Well done, you!”
He beamed. “I love her, God help me, but I do. I just hate the scheming. She needs to stop seeing you as competition for my money. I think you marrying a prince might help her relax a little bit.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who said anything about marriage? I’m eighteen.”
He laughed. “I’ve only seen it a few times in my life, but with you and him, I see it. That thing. It’s unexplainable, but when you meet people like that, you just know. They’re going to grow old together, like Hattie and Harris. They had it, the spark.” He leaned against me. “You and Aiden have it. I’ve already told him he has my blessing whenever he’s ready for it.”
I folded my arms. “Wow, did you negotiate some cattle into the deal?”
He chuckled. “Now you sound like me. Just take it slow, but don’t run away because you’re scared. You guys are young. It’s hard to meet that someone when you’re young. But it changes nothing. He’s your person, Fin. Don’t be scared of that, just be aware of your own comfort zone.”
I nodded, holding my mom’s rings in my palm. “Okay.”
“And be safe in Scotland. It’s so far away, and I don’t think I’m ready for you to go that far.”
“But you’re ready for me to marry?”
He shook his head. “No. That’s not what I said. I said when the time’s right, don’t be scared. Don’t be like me.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
The next day, we left Halifax for Scotland. The six of us flew together on the private royal jet after we reached Heathrow. The jet took us to Dundee Airport where an SUV picked us up and drove us through the dark to a large estate. We all stumbled up into our rooms and passed out.
I woke to Aiden staring at me from a chair. “How was your sleep?”
“I don’t know. I was so tired I was queasy. That was brutal. I hate traveling. I thought I’d want to do it for a year after school, but I’m glad I didn’t. Just doing the whole Halifax trip and then here makes me want to force you to let me do school in Andorra.”
He smiled, oddly quiet.
It made me uncomfortable he didn’t laugh or say I could come with him. Was he about to break up with me? “Why, how was your sleep?”
He shook his head. “I never slept.”
“Why?”
“A phone call came in the night. Dad’s been admitted, has a blockage or something nefarious. I knew I would have to leave in the morning so I spent every moment holding you or staring at you so my memory bank was extra full.”
I swallowed hard, knowing it would change so many things. Why was it happening so fast? I pushed away my selfishness and took his hand in mine. “Are you okay?”
&nb
sp; “Oh yeah. The doctors don’t figure he will be in long. Should be home by the week’s end. But things for him are changing. He will no longer be able to keep up the pretense of running the country. He is having part of his bowel removed and a new system is being put in. It all sounds disturbing, and I can’t imagine a proud and charming man such as my father would have an easy time of it. Mother and I are both going back to stay with him.”
“And that means you will have to change too?”
His blue eyes seemed gray, even in the light of the bright morning. “I will.” He leaned forward, looking as if he might pass out.
“I’m sorry.”
He smiled at me. “For you or me?”
“I want to say for your dad, but I am going to say all of us.”
He laughed. It made me smile even though my insides were burning like I’d eaten spicy wings. He dropped to his knees and took my hands in his. “I love that even in a moment like this, you are still the girl I met. None of this has changed you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve changed. I think I’m way better than I was before.”
“You were always the good person you try to be now. You just never let it out. No. You would still run screaming across a parking lot for a shoe sale, and I saw the judgmental stare you had for the girl with the eyebrows in the airport.”
I gulped. Her enormous unibrow had been especially hard for me not to notice. Why not at least pluck? “She would have been so pretty without it.”
He brushed my hair from my face. “Never change. I like you exactly the way you are. You make me smile and forget everything else. I feel like a regular dude.”
I winced. “Oh my God, that was like Arnold Schwarzenegger saying ‘dude.’ Maybe you should stick to lass and lad and mate.” I said it with a perfect accent.
He jumped on me, pinning me on my back. “Are you mocking me?”
“No, my lord.” I was rocking the English accent. In truth, Linna and I had been practicing all summer long.
He bent his face into my neck and blew a raspberry. I giggled and squirmed, but it was pointless. He tickled and kissed until I was wheezing and begging for him to stop.
He rolled off to the side as I caught my breath. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.”