Tudor Redemption (Tudor Dynasty Book 4)

by Jamie Salisbury

  She covered my hand with hers. “You’re a good brother, Damien.”

  “I try. I just remember how they both helped me out. Now, come on and finish your lunch. We need to wander down to the beach for a while before we have to head back.”

  The rest of our time in L.A. was more than I could have wished. Perhaps Angus was actually helping Beth and me become even closer with his drama. Ethan had absolutely no problem when I approached him with my idea. He pointed out that being in town at this particular time was probably what was needed. I did have a fledgling company on my hands, and a future office space to oversee myself. The house on the island would be there waiting when the time was right. With any luck, Beth and I would be calling it home in another year.

  That night at Ethan’s concert, Beth and I stood in the wings watching as he and his band once more brought the house down. I declined to join him. I didn’t want to wear out my welcome. He respected my decision and didn’t try and coax me out from the shadows. Amazing young man to be in the business he’s in.

  Life was good and going to get better.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As it turned out, Angus embraced his new bachelor pad on wheels. He took his job as overseer and on site security quite seriously. He found fishing, along with clamming, relaxing when the weather allowed. It was the distraction he needed until he figured out what he was going to do at this stage of his career. We all decided to put any decisions off about who was living where until he came up with an answer.

  With the release of my CD a mere two weeks away, I knew I had to act fast. Once it went live, depending on the response, things would be crazy. I wanted Beth and me married by the time it happened. I wanted to share this with my wife.

  I decided to approach her on the subject on my own again. If it didn’t work this time, whether it be Vegas or here, I’d enlist the troops. Meaning Ethan, Brittney, and Courtney.

  I’d just come back from the building on Queen Anne Hill Having run into unforeseen building snafus—pipes and wiring were going to have to be redone to meet code before anything else could begin. Another delay.

  Running behind, I silently cursed myself. Beth and I were going to have a quiet dinner together at her place. That meant a ferry ride. I texted her, telling her I had to stop by the house and at least grab a change of clothes.

  An hour and a half later, I was standing in her kitchen. I quickly explained what I’d encountered at the office, and the setback this meant.

  “At least everything will be up to code, and we won’t have to ever worry about it again,” I said holding the beer she’d just handed me.

  “Yes. In the long run, it’s for the best. You look beat.”

  “I’ve been on the go all day. The ride over was the first time I’ve relaxed all day.”

  “Why don’t you go take a shower and change? Then, we can sit a bit before dinner.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I swallowed the remaining beer and picked up my bag.

  “Use the shower in my bedroom. I laid everything out for you.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled as I headed out of the kitchen. I stopped at the doorway and looked back at her. “Care to join me?”

  “Thank you, no. Not this time. You’ll only get my plan for this evening sidetracked.” She grinned saucily at me.

  “As you wish, madam.”

  When I finished my shower, I walked out barefoot, finding her sitting in the living room.

  “Would you like a hair dryer?”

  “No, I’m good.” Sitting next to her, I took the glass of wine she offered. “So, what’s on your pretty little mind?”

  She said nothing for a few moments. Like she’d rehearsed this well, but was still going to choose her words carefully. “I’ve been doing some thinking. About us getting married.”

  “Really?”

  “Don’t be a smart ass, Dame.” She picked up a legal pad off the table in front of us. It was filled with her handwriting. “Do you know who is coming for your release concert?”

  “I’m assuming you mean my family? My mother and Peter are coming. Peter’s a surprise guest. Mary and Daniel are joining them as well. With the triplets.”

  “Oh my. Any ideas where everyone is going to stay?”

  “I imagine Mother and Peter will stay at Amadeus’s place on the Eastside like they usually do. I doubt Mary and Daniel will. The place isn’t equipped for three infants. Why? What are you thinking?”

  “Zara and I have discussed this, as she’s usually the one doing all the scheduling. What if we put Mary, Daniel, their kids, and Amadeus, Zara and their three at Angus’s place. There’s more than enough room with the basement.”

  “Furniture. The house is empty.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Zara and I have it covered.”

  “You do? What about Ethan and Angus? Where will they stay?”

  “Angus is going to drive the RV over to his place and park it on that side drive. Logan and the girls can stay out there. Ethan and Angus will take over your condo for the night.”

  “What about us? Where are we going to go?”

  “Got that covered, cowboy. I’ve booked us a suite at one of the swankier hotels in Seattle.” She was grinning a huge smile. Obviously pleased with her work.

  “I’m impressed, but how does this fit in with us getting married?”

  Then, she dropped the bombshell. One that I never saw coming. “We’re going to get married in our hotel suite the morning your CD drops and before your show. Just immediate family. I’ve talked to a friend of Ethan’s who’s a minister, and he’ll be happy to marry us that morning.”

  I stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve planned all of this out? Where everyone’s staying and a wedding for us?”

  “What, you don’t like it?” She cocked an eyebrow at me, daring me to dish her plans.

  “Like it? I think this is better than Vegas, babe. I’m overwhelmed.”

  “Good. The only thing we have to do is get our license. I have that ready as well.”

  “Hell, what about a party or something? There won’t be time.”

  “Again, don’t worry. After the ceremony, we’ll have breakfast in a private room of the hotel. Then, you can scamper off to your interviews and whatnot.”

  “Not without you.” I grinned. “My bride will go everywhere with me.”

  “We’ll see. Do you have a dark suit?”

  “Probably, but I haven’t worn it in ages.”

  “We’ll check on it tomorrow. If we have to, we’ll buy you a new one.”

  “I really don’t wish to wear a suit, Bethie.”

  “You are, or there’ll be no wedding.”

  “You, my dear, drive a hard bargain.” I reached for her hand. “Why did you pick the release day of all days? Why not Vegas?”

  “Because all your family is coming in to support you. I thought the least we could do while they’re here is give them a wedding.”

  She hadn’t taken my hand, and when I made a move to sit closer, she put her hand up. Then, she slapped my fingers. “Not yet. Stay where you are. We’re not through.”

  I chuckled. “You’re slapping my fingers?”

  “I’ll slap more than that if you try to take me off course.”

  “What else can there be?”

  “Not much. I’ll give you a schedule once everything is in place. Be ready to go get our license next week.”

  “Just tell me when, and I’ll drop whatever I’m doing.”

  “Okay. One last thing for now. Then I’ll hush.” She sat there for a moment, not saying a word. “What if I move into the condo with you and the girls?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “We can’t live here for obvious reasons.”

  “We could make it work. Perhaps we could get an exception to their fence issue.”

  “True. If I move into the condo, we can get settled in. The house isn’t quite ready. Plus, we don’t know what Angus’s decision will be.”

  �
�I think even though Angus would love to move out there, in the long run he’s going to want to stay in his house. He’s too much of a city dude. I know Ethan was trying to make it okay if we did switch houses for a while with Angus. Angus is going to want to go home.”

  “You really think that?”

  “Yes, I do. He’d be bored silly after a couple of weeks rambling around in that house.”

  “Then, it’s settled. I’ll start moving into the condo. Not everything. I’ve too much to do to get this wedding planned.”

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do with your house?”

  “No.”

  “Take your time then. Nothing has to be done overnight.” I shot her a mischievous grin. “Except the wedding.”

  This woman, who had overcome any and all fears and doubts about a relationship with me, was now planning our wedding. It filled me with pride and a deep love I had somehow always carried for her.

  ****

  Time was counting down. Everything was happening fast. Out of town family had arrived and were settling in. Through it all Beth had taken charge. With the help of Zara, of course. It was a good thing too. I had no room for anything else on my plate.

  Beth had moved in officially. It was nice to have a woman in the house again. The four of us were now unofficially a family. Through all the chaos of my release day and our wedding, Beth made one rule and one rule only. We all had dinner together. No matter how busy we were, or where we were, we all gathered for an hour, maybe more, and talked to each other.

  We were all sitting around the table eating a wonderful meal Beth had prepared. Some sort of trout with a crunchy crust. Whatever it was, it was delicious, and I was ravenous.

  Beth and the girls were chattering about wedding details. We had decided that choosing someone to stand up with us was going to be a lesson in diplomacy. How did we each choose without hurting someone’s feelings? My daughters came up with the perfect solution. They would stand up with me, and Ethan would stand up with his mother. Problem solved.

  “Daddy?” I heard Courtney ask from across the table. I looked up and found the three of them staring at me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” Beth snorted. “You’ve been miles away in your food.”

  “Sorry. I was hungry. Haven’t eaten since this morning.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “Can’t be helped right now.”

  “Court has some news,” Britt said matter-of-factly.

  “Oh? Is she in love? Gotten accepted by one of the most prestigious music schools? Or perhaps she’s going to run a marathon?” I joked, but as I looked around, no one was laughing.

  “What? I was just teasing guys.”

  “Did you know Mom is in town?” Britt asked quietly.

  I set my fork down on the plate. I had to be careful about how I answered. I had always tried really hard to never talk bad about Julia in front of them. They were adults now, not little girls. “No I didn’t. But then, I don’t keep up with her. What’s she doing here?”

  “She has Rypp Tyde, or what’s left of them, booked into that club my friend Lucas works at,” Courtney replied.

  “Really? When?”

  “Beginning tomorrow night.”

  “Did Lucas call you?” I wanted to end this conversation as fast as it began. I didn’t want Julia’s presence in town hanging over us.

  “Yes. He follows your career, so he knew they were the band you started your career with. He found out they were playing there and called me.”

  “Well, it’s a free country. Quite a coincidence that she chose this week to book them here. Two days before my release.”

  “There’s more,” Beth said softly.

  “What else could there be? She wants to try to salvage the band’s career by being here this week. I’m sure she’s promoting them as my original band. Hoping people will remember that and come hear them play.” I picked up a glass of water sitting in front of me and drank.

  “She was trying to get the band an interview. Zara said one of the stations approached her about doing a one-on-one with them and you. Zara told them no in her most sweet voice. Said if they tried to proceed with it, she would cancel, and their hopes of having a one-on-one with you would disappear.”

  “Look girls, I’m not going to worry about this. I appreciate you letting me know. In case I run into one of them. If Zara’s got an eye on the situation, then I consider the subject finished.”

  Actually, on the inside, I was seething mad, but I never would let any of them know that. I did need to let my security, Red, know of this situation.

  “Why don’t we finish up? The girls and I can get the kitchen cleaned up so we can all go see your sister and her babies,” Beth put in.

  “Yeah, I can’t wait to see this.” I snorted, trying to get as far away from the Julia subject as possible.

  “Yes, and Zara told me Elizabeth is fascinated by them and won’t let poor Wolfie near them.”

  “Poor Wolfgang having to endure such a bossy big sister,” Britt replied.

  “I don’t expect that’ll last forever, Britt. I have a feeling he’ll get his payback when he’s older.”

  “Ewww! You mean like spying on her? That’s so gross,” Court said, giggling. “Not that you ever did any of that, did you, Daddy?”

  “No need. Angus did it for me and Amadeus.”

  “That I can believe,” Beth replied with a saucy smile.

  ****

  Seeing my sister and her husband again, and under different circumstances was, well, great. Best of all, I was getting to introduce them to the one woman I truly loved. The woman who, in two days, would be my wife.

  It was even better watching the two of them getting along as Mary led her away to where the babies were sleeping. Looking around the family room, I was once again amazed at how Beth had worked magic and furnished the house, even if it was sparingly.

  I sat in an overstuffed, leather chair as I accepted a beer from my youngest brother.

  “Are you nervous, Damien?” Daniel inquired.

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. It’s a huge milestone for me. One I never thought I’d see happen.”

  “And Grammy talk too,” Amadeus added, sitting down next to me.

  “I knew there was for your songwriting on those three that are covered by other artists. The album too?”

  “Yeah Daniel, big brother here is on a hot streak and nothing can get in his way right now.”

  “Come on, you two. Let’s get through Thursday first,” I chided.

  “Rehearsal tomorrow? Wedding the day after?” Daniel snorted. Amadeus joined in.

  “Yes and yes,” I replied. I turned to Daniel, smiling. “So, how’s fatherhood with three at once?”

  “Interesting and enlightening.”

  “How’s that?” Amadeus quipped.

  “That our place is far too small for three children.”

  “I can imagine,” I replied.

  “One at a time would have sufficed, but we wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

  “Must be crowded, especially having a nanny too.”

  “It is, and Mary and I have been trying to decide what to do.”

  About that time, Courtney appeared, Elizabeth in tow. “Daddy, you have to go see them. They’re so little.”

  “I will in a minute. Just thought I’d let you girls fuss over them first.”

  Elizabeth stayed with Court, knowing her daddy would probably take her off to bed. The two of them had some sort of staring contest going on. Amadeus was just a kid at heart.

  “What does Wolfgang think of them?” I asked.

  “Oh, he wants to pinch them, not meaning to hurt them. Curious more than anything. This one, well, she wants to hold them.”

  “Good times, but for someone else.” I snorted.

  “Hey, you’re not too old to be a dad again.” Amadeus chuckled.

  “Dude, that’s gross,” Court said horrified.
/>   “Gross,” Elizabeth mimicked.

  “What’s gross?” Britt asked, as she walked into the room.

  “Dad and Beth having a baby.”

  “I think it would be kinda sweet.”

  “I’m all for visiting these little ones. I can hand them back. That ship has sailed,” I replied, hoping it would put an end to the conversation.

  Beth, Mary, and Zara entered the room. I hoped the conversation wouldn’t continue. This was the only thing about family gatherings I detested. Everyone, for a little while, got their nose in everyone else’s business.

  “I take it Mother and Peter went on to your condo?” I asked, looking at Amadeus.

  “Yeah, I’m sure they wanted to rest up, though Mother was rather adamant about having a family dinner tomorrow evening.”

  “I told you.” Beth smiled.

  “Just tell me when and where. By the way, where is Angus?”

  “I think he’s keeping a low profile. He managed to avoid your mother,” Zara said softly.

  “Where is he hiding?” I asked again.

  My daughters were both giggling, so that was a sure sign they had information they were not forthcoming with.

  “He’s close. So very close,” Britt said, before going to the dark side of laughter.

  “The RV.” Amadeus chuckled. “He’s probably in there having a huge laugh on all of us.”

  “But why wouldn’t he want to see us, say hello?” Mary asked.

  “Because of the situation with Ashley. He had no warning it was coming. I think he’s still licking his wounds on this one,” I replied.

  “He can go wallow in his self-pity another time. I didn’t come all this way to spend time with only two of my brothers. I came to see all three. I want his ass front and center. Daniel and I have an announcement, and he needs to be in here now.” She marched toward the front door. “In fact, I’m going to go and drag his ass in here myself.”

  Elizabeth got off her cousin’s lap. “I want to come.”

  “Oh no you don’t, short stuff. You’re staying here with me,” Amadeus said, picking his daughter up.

  “This ought to be interesting,” I muttered. “She’ll probably drag him in by the ear.”