Later, she could explain to him she didn’t need anything so fancy. But for now, she and her two best friends were saying yes to a day of pampering and a weekend away.
Everything else would work out however it was supposed to. Cassie was beginning to trust that most things did.
***
Luke flew to Slater Island on Friday afternoon. He stopped in his tracks when he entered the previously barren foyer. Now filled with furniture, no less than a hundred people were gathered in the adjoining rooms. Many were staff Maddy had said were essential to such an event. They were greeting arriving guests and walking around with trays of food and beverages. Among the elegantly dressed adults, a herd of children darted, laughing over some prank they had pulled on one of their cousins.
Maddy had called the entire Andrade clan together—for him. Luke was touched beyond words by her thoughtful extravagance. He’d never distanced himself from his cousins so the chaotic nature of how they gathered was nothing new to him, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too much for Cassie.
Uncle Alessandro saw Luke and came over to greet him with a bear hug. “We needed this. I’m proud of you, Luke. What a perfect way to introduce Cassie to the family.”
Luke hugged his uncle back then said, “If it doesn’t sending her running.”
Alessandro didn’t look worried. “Gio, Nick, and Max are all coming?”
Luke nodded. “Yes. They think it makes sense to test drive the island’s ability to handle all of us before we start planning the weddings here.”
Alessandro moved his hands in the air expressively. “It will be the perfect location. Max chose well when he bought homes here. The locals have been incredibly welcoming.” When Victor walked into the foyer, Alessandro waved him over. As he approached, Alessandro said softly, “Talk to your uncle. He’s worried that what you heard changed something between you.” As soon as Victor joined them, Alessandro excused himself and walked away.
Victor’s eyebrows furrowed as if he were carefully choosing his first words. “Luke, I’m sorry that you had to—”
Luke interrupted him with a warm pat on the arm. “I know, Uncle Victor.”
“I wish I could go back in time and—”
Luke stopped him with a raised hand. “You don’t need to say it. I put the past to rest with my mother.”
Victor raised his chin. “I knew you would forgive me. Your father was the same. Be proud of that. He was a good man with a big heart. He chose the wrong woman to give it to, but I’ve met your Cassie, and she’s the type of woman who will appreciate your loyalty and the love you have for her. Your father would be pleased with your choice.”
Luke cleared his throat. “Let’s just hope she says yes.”
Victor laughed. “If not, we do this again and again until she does.”
Luke smiled. “You would, wouldn’t you?” His uncle didn’t have to answer. They both knew he was serious. Well, Cassie wanted a family. Luke hoped she was ready to be part of one that was as large as it was crazy.
Speaking of crazy, Luke spotted Maddy giving instructions to one of the house staff. He couldn’t help but smile. For as much as she drove him nuts, Maddy had poured herself into making sure the weekend would be perfect. He snuck up behind her and gave her a big hug.
“You’re here,” she exclaimed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Everything is coming together. Don’t go in the kitchen. Richard is having a fit because I didn’t order the right pans for whatever he had planned for dessert tonight. I tried, but he knows I don’t cook. He’ll get what he needs delivered. Just save yourself, and avoid him until he works it out.”
Luke laughed. Richard was mild-mannered everywhere except in the kitchen and yet there, outside of his wife and kids, was where he said he found the most joy. “Duly noted.”
Maddy raised one hand in a request for Luke to wait, walked a few feet away, picked up a small package, then rushed back. “This weekend will fly by, especially once Cassie arrives. I have something I want to give you.” She handed him what felt like a notebook wrapped in tan paper.
“What is it?” Luke started to open it.
Maddy stopped him. “Not now. Put it aside, and open it when you get back to Ohio.”
Luke’s hand tightened on the package. “Tell me it’s not the journal you tried to give me before. What could possibly be in it that I would want to read?”
Maddy raised her shoulders in apology. “I debated giving it to you or burning it, but I couldn’t help feeling it belonged with you. Throw it away if you want, but I didn’t feel it was my place to make that decision.”
Luke tossed it on the table behind him. “Thank you, I guess.”
Maddy opened her mouth then snapped it shut as if reconsidering what she was going to say. Luke sighed impatiently. “What? You might as well say it.”
“I tried to invite Gigi this weekend, but she wouldn’t take the call from me.”
Luke placed his hands in his trouser pockets and rolled back on his heels. “That’s not a surprise. She won’t talk to any of us.”
Maddy made a face. “It makes me so sad to see her house sit empty this weekend while all of yours are filled with family. Don’t give up hope. She doesn’t want to be here only because she doesn’t know us. But she will one day. Who knows, maybe she will by the time you all have your weddings here.”
Luke looked down at his forever-hopeful cousin. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
“Anything can happen as long as you don’t give up hope.”
Luke bent and gave Maddy a kiss on the forehead. “Don’t change, Maddy.”
She gave him an impish smile. “I don’t intend to.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Cassie stepped out of the island taxi van that had driven her, Tilly, and Bonnie—and their men—from the airport to Luke’s home. Beneath her long winter coat, she was wearing a midnight-blue dress that had been tailored to hug her curves perfectly. She was determined to wow Luke without shocking his family. Bonnie had helped her choose appropriate, but sexy thong panties.
The wind off the ocean was cold on her bare legs, but she didn’t care. The sun was shining brightly, and people were gathered on the lawn as well as the porch of not only Luke’s home, but also the homes surrounding it.
Cassie’s chest tightened. She turned to Bonnie who was standing at her side. “Look at all the people, Bonnie. This isn’t a family gathering. What do you think this is?”
Bonnie pointed to the homes around Luke’s. “Could it be some sort of block party? Those three houses are also decked out for a celebration.”
Clutching her purse to her side, Cassie said, “If I’m right, each one of these homes belongs to one of Luke’s brothers. His youngest brother, Max, bought them so they would have a place for their family to gather.”
“They needed four mansions to do that?” Bonnie asked.
“Five,” Cassie corrected. She looked to the final home on that stretch of the island. “I bet that house is for Luke’s half-sister.”
“It looks empty. What happened? Did they forget to invite her?” Tilly asked gruffly.
Cassie hugged an arm to her stomach as another cold ocean breeze blew across her bare legs. “It’s a long story and not mine to tell, but they’re estranged. Max bought the house, but Gigi has never seen it. It’s just sort of there, waiting for her if she decides to have a relationship with her brothers.”
“That’s so sad,” Bonnie said, then joked to lighten the mood. “I wonder if they’re looking to adopt more siblings? If so, we’re completely available,” she turned to her husband, “aren’t we, Greg?”
He hugged her from behind. “I don’t need a big house to make me happy. I already have everything I need right here.”
Bonnie turned her head and gave him a warm kiss. “You always did know exactly what to say.”
He chuckled. “But it must be nice to live like this.”
Tilly clucked. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life i
t’s to not envy anyone. Everyone has their trials. I doubt the people in that house are any happier than we are.”
Myron took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “They couldn’t be.”
Tilly blushed. “You old flirt.”
Cassie loved that her two friends were with men who made them smile, but it also filled her with an ache she couldn’t deny. She wanted that with Luke, but the more she looked around, the more convinced she was that Luke’s invitation had been an act of kindness rather than one of romance. This isn’t the setting for a proposal. Maybe this is Luke’s way of thanking me for being there for him while his mother was very ill. I hope this isn’t how he says goodbye. “I’m glad Luke let me bring friends with me. I would have been nervous going in there alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” Bonnie said as she pointed to the door.
The front door of the large house they had pulled up to opened, and Luke stood in the doorway. He was dressed in a dark suit and looked completely at ease despite the chaos around him. He walked purposefully down the large stone steps toward them, never taking his eyes off her.
He stopped just in front of her and smiled. “I’ve missed you, Cupcake.”
She wanted to say, “You didn’t have to,” but she kept that thought to herself. Instead, she said, “Your invitation said I could bring friends. I hope you don’t mind that I did.”
“I couldn’t imagine today happening without them.” Luke beamed his warm smile at her friends. He shook hands with Greg and Myron then hugged Tilly and Bonnie. “Let’s go inside where it’s warmer.” He put a hand on Cassie’s back and guided her toward the house.
Their progress was slow. Every few feet they were stopped by a member of Luke’s family. Cassie had held her breath during the first introduction, curious as to how he would refer to her. When he said, “This is Cassie Daiver and her friends,” Cassie’s heart had sunk.
He didn’t say, “This is my girlfriend.”
Not, “This is the woman I told you about.”
No, he kept everything so formal that Cassie couldn’t help but become discouraged. She told herself not to be. What was he supposed to say? This is Cassie, a woman I thought I loved while I was sad about my mother being ill. She’s a good person, though, so I brought her here to thank her.
She didn’t allow herself to think about what she wished he would say. She told herself it was enough he’d made this effort to ensure she understood she was special to him. As more and more introductions were made, Cassie gave up trying to remember the names of his cousins and began to simply smile at everyone. It wasn’t likely she’d ever meet them again, anyway.
***
As Luke guided Cassie toward the house, he told himself to breathe. When he’d seen her standing almost shyly beside the taxi, he’d wanted to run down the stairs, pick her up in his arms, and carry her off to the nearest bedroom. He’d wanted to kiss her, but he knew if he did he wouldn’t be able to stop. He didn’t want to lose his head to passion. He wanted her to have the proposal Maddy said women spoke about for the rest of their lives, and that didn’t include a mauling on the lawn in front of her friends and his family.
When they entered the foyer of his home, Cassie shed her coat, and Luke’s calm scattered to the wind. Her dark blue dress hugged her form intimately, clinging to each curve he could remember the feel of too well. She smiled up at him as if waiting for him to make a comment, and he tried to, but when their eyes met all he could think about was how much he loved her and what a fool he had been for almost losing her.
A firm slap to one of his shoulders brought Luke back to the present. “Are you going to let the poor girl into the party or keep her to yourself in the hall?”
Cassie smiled and didn’t seem surprised by the hug Uncle Alessandro gave her. “It’s wonderful to see you again. Alessandro, these are my friends, Bonnie and Greg, Tilly and Myron.”
Alessandro shook everyone’s hand warmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet your friends. We’re so happy you were able to join us for this big day.”
Without missing a beat, Cassie asked, “What exactly is your family celebrating?”
Alessandro shot Luke a questionable look. “Luke didn’t say?”
Cassie turned to Luke, but he looked away. It wasn’t as if he could have told her. Should he have told her? She had to know on some level this was about her. If she didn’t think this was for her, what did she think he’d invited her to? “She just arrived, Uncle Alessandro. We haven’t had time to talk. I thought I’d let her settle in, meet some of the family.”
Alessandro raised both hands in deference to Luke’s preference. “However the night unfolds, it will be one to remember, no?” He turned toward the party and checked his watch. “It’s later than I thought. Maddy gave me strict instructions to have you both in the side ballroom by six. Don’t be late.”
“Us both?” Cassie repeated in confusion.
Luke nodded. “We’ll be there.”
Gio and Julia walked over as soon as Luke brought Cassie into the open area of the foyer. Gio formally introduced himself and his fiancée to Cassie’s friends, but his expression warmed when he greeted Cassie. “Julia misses having you around, Cassie.”
Julia nudged him with her elbow and leaned toward Cassie as if speaking in confidence. “He misses you, too. He was saying that just this morning.” She turned to Bonnie and Tilly, and with a huge, warm smile, said, “I’ve heard so much about both of you. When things settle down, come find us. I’d love to get to know you better.”
Just like that, Cassie’s friends relaxed and Luke could have hugged Julia for—well, for being herself. That feeling passed, however, a moment later when Julia took both of Cassie’s hands in her and exclaimed, “Everyone is here, even some Andrades I’ve never met. Aren’t you excited?”
Cassie’s eyes rounded nervously. “Should I be?”
Julia looked at Luke’s face and quickly said, “Oh. Oh. No. I meant, isn’t it fun to meet so many new people?”
Gio shook his head wryly, but his lips were stretched as if he were fighting a smile.
Luke met Bonnie’s eyes. By her expression, she had guessed what was going on, but he shook his head ever so slightly, hoping she would get the message. She did, or at least seemed to since she didn’t say anything.
Tilly watched the exchange closely. Luke would have bet money she also knew exactly what was going on. He wondered again if he should warn Cassie about what he had planned, then remembered what Maddy had said about how that would remove the magic from the moment. This was for Cassie, and he wanted it to be perfect. “We’re making our way to the ballroom.”
“So are we,” Gio said, as if it were a coincidence.
When Luke placed his hand on Cassie’s lower back and began to usher her toward the ballroom, she resisted and said, “Ballroom? Luke, I don’t dance.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Tonight you do.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Luke’s husky comment had sounded like a dare, and Cassie had found the idea sexy until she actually walked into the ballroom with him. She wanted to be held in his arms even if it were only on a dance floor and only for a night. The room he led her into, though, was full of couples spinning each other around in a colorful, sophisticated circle. The perfection of how the couples moved through the space to the soft, instrumental music almost seemed choreographed.
Cassie dug her heels in and brought Luke to a halt beside her. “I can’t do that.”
He smiled, took her hand, and pulled her through the couples until they were near the middle of the room. “I’ll guide you,” he said and spun her around him.
Cassie looked to her friends for help, but they were both in the arms of the men they’d come with and joining the other couples, having fun even if they weren’t doing all the steps correctly. Cassie tripped over Luke’s foot, and her cheeks flooded with warmth. She probably couldn’t have shown him more clearly why she didn’t belong on the d
ance floor with him, or in this life for that matter. She tried to pull away from him. “I told you I don’t dance.”
He stopped and took her face between both of his hands. “That’s because I’ve been a poor partner. The waltz, Cassie, is about trust. You trusted me, and I let you down. I know I need to earn that trust back, and I will, Cupcake. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you I meant it when I said I loved you.”
Cassie searched his face. The love she’d seen in his eyes before was back tenfold and it brought tears to her eyes. “You’ve been through a lot, Luke. I understand.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” he said, and kissed her lightly on the lips.
He reached into his coat pocket and dropped down to one knee. It was only then Cassie realized they were alone on the dance floor with everyone watching them from the sides. He opened a ring box and held it up to Cassie. “Marry me, Cassie. Let me spend the rest of my life showing you why we belong together.”
Cassie swallowed hard and looked around the room again. She wanted to believe it was actually happening, but the whole scene felt like a dream, and she didn’t want the heartbreak of saying yes then hearing her alarm clock sound. The more she looked around, the more nervous she became as she realized everyone was waiting to hear her answer.
Luke stood and put a hand beneath Cassie’s chin, bringing her face around to his again. “Cassie, this is about us, not them.”
“Then why are they here?” Cassie asked breathlessly. She couldn’t help it. She’d never been in front of so many people. Her stomach was twisting nervously, and she was pretty sure she was about to throw up any minute.
Luke held her eyes. “They’re here because they love me, and they know I love you. They’re family, Cassie. My enormous, crazy family. Yours too, if you’ll have me. Say something. If you don’t agree to marry me soon, some of them are going to pass out from holding their breath. You took a leap of faith and followed me to New York. Believe in me, one more time. Say you’ll spend the rest of your life with me because I don’t want to imagine spending one day without you.”
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