Mistletoe Cottage

by Debbie Mason

  “I never liked cats, but I’m growing fond of that one,” Marco said.

  “Me too.” It took about ten minutes for Liam to make a hole big enough for him to pull Marco through. Once he’d gotten them both out of there, Marco complained the entire time Liam positioned him across his shoulders.

  “This is just embarrassing. Put me down, and I’ll lean on you and walk.” Marco groaned as Liam carefully looped his arm around his leg. “Or hop.”

  “Your left knee is dislocated, and you have a compound fracture in your right. You’re not walking or hopping anywhere for at least a couple months. Better start laying off the pasta, buddy.”

  Marco snorted as Liam headed away from the burning building, taking a circuitous route back to the manor to avoid burning debris. His radio crackled, and then he heard his father’s voice, calling out orders, gruff and heavy with emotion. “Chief.” To hell with it. “Dad, we’re out. Marco and I are out of the building, and we’re okay.”

  “Thank God. Thank God. I thought…It’s good to hear your voice, son.” Cheers erupted in the background as word went out over the radio.

  “I wouldn’t be if you hadn’t risked your life for me,” Marco said, his voice serious and quiet. “I love you, bro.”

  “You would have done—”

  Fergus’s voice came over the radio, cutting Liam off. “Don’t want to interrupt your bromance, boys, but would you two get your asses back here before…Sophie. Sophie, get back…Grab that kid. Mia…”

  Sophie and Mia, both wrapped in blankets, ran toward them, repeatedly calling out, “Liam and Daddy” simultaneously.

  “Hey, what about me? I’m the one who’s injured,” Marco said.

  An hour later, Liam’s hero status had diminished in one of his girl’s eyes. Sophie sat on the stretcher at the hospital with her arms crossed, eight stitches on her forehead, and a mutinous expression on her face. “I heard you talking to the doctor, Liam. I don’t need a head X-ray. I need—”

  “Humor me, okay?” He framed her face with his hands. “You have no idea what it was like not knowing if I’d get to you and Mia in time, Soph.”

  She raised an eyebrow then winced when the action tugged on her stitches. “I think I do since I spent twenty excruciating minutes not knowing whether you were dead or alive.”

  The curtain separating the emergency room beds slid across the rod. “I’m seriously starting to get a complex. Do you not care that I nearly died? I am also the only one who was really injured,” Marco said.

  A curtain on the other side of Marco slid across a rod. “I do. I’m sorry you were hurt trying to rescue me, Marco,” Dana said from where she lay on the stretcher, her arm in a sling, her blond hair brushed back from her pale face. “If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

  Marco grinned and closed the curtain between his sister’s bed and his. “Now that you mention it…”

  A nurse entered the room and glanced at her chart. “Sophie and Marco DiRossi, time to take you both for X-rays.”

  Two days later, Sophie was sitting at her desk when Mia skipped into the study. “Hi, Auntie Ava.” She gave Sophie’s cousin a big smile then leaned in to peer at Sophie’s face.

  “What are you doing, baby?”

  “Daddy sent me to check on you. He said if you’re pale, you need to take a break.”

  Her cousin held back a laugh. Probably because Liam had checked on Sophie fifteen minutes ago trying to get her to go lie down. “You tell Daddy that Mommy can’t take a break because he made her take yesterday off.”

  “Okay,” she said, and skipped out the door.

  “You must love that she’s talking again, Soph. She has the sweetest voice.”

  “Yes, when she’s not parroting her father.” Sophie clicked through computer screens. The rehearsal party was tonight, and she needed everything to go perfectly. When Maura had heard about the fire, and then had seen the burned-out shell of the carriage house, she’d done her best to convince the bridal party to stay at the hotel in Bridgeport, declaring the manor unsafe. Liam, Colin, Michael, and surprisingly Maura’s husband, had all weighed in, managing to stave off a mass exodus.

  Maura had demanded a safety audit by an outside party. The fire chief from Bridgeport, an old friend of Colin’s, had conducted it yesterday. As they already knew, the wiring would eventually need to be replaced, but there was no immediate cause for concern. It was more an efficiency issue rather than a safety one. But faulty wiring had been ruled the cause for the fire at the carriage house, so Maura hadn’t been totally pacified. Sophie had no doubt Michael’s mother would share her safety concerns with the other guests. In Sophie’s mind, it was just one more reason the wedding had to go off without a hitch.

  She went over the list for the rehearsal dinner with Ava, relieved when every item was checked and accounted for. But four hours later, Sophie discovered that something could always go wrong despite the best-laid plans.

  She now stood unobtrusively in the corner of the dining room wearing a black dress. Jasper was on one side of her wearing a black tux and white gloves while Dana stood on the other side in a black pantsuit with wide legs, her hand in a cast. She was no longer a redhead or a blonde; she was a brunette. Since Sophie had had her own secrets, and she had no doubt her cousin did, too, they didn’t push Dana about hers. But because she’d become a good friend, they both made sure she knew they were there for her whenever she wanted to talk.

  Picking up on the guests practically humming through their meal of pork roast stuffed with dried fruit and corn bread and served with garlic-whipped potatoes, gravy, and roasted fall vegetables, Sophie whispered, “Ava’s entrée is a hit.”

  “I believe you’re right, Miss Sophie,” Jasper said with a twitch of his lips.

  “Wait until they taste her crème caramel,” Dana added.

  As though sensing her eyes on the table, Liam looked up. He was Michael’s best man. Mia, whom Michael had asked to stand in for their flower girl who’d canceled last minute, sat beside her father. Looking at them both, so beautiful and happy, Sophie’s heart expanded with love. Liam held up ten fingers, and Mia did the same.

  “See that? They gave the dinner a ten, and I can barely get Mia to eat anything other than pizza and pasta.”

  Liam grinned and shook his head, mouthing, You. Mia rolled her eyes.

  Michael pushed back his chair and stood up, tapping his wine glass lightly with his fork. The bridal party went quiet and looked at him expectantly. “I have an announcement to make. As most of you know, Greystone had some excitement this week. Thanks to the heroics of my cousin and best man, everyone got out alive. So let’s raise a glass to Liam.”

  “Here, here,” everyone at the table cheered, as did Sophie, Jasper, and Dana. Maura and Bethany were notably silent.

  “He’s my daddy,” Mia announced proudly.

  “We’re well aware of that, dear,” Maura said snidely, and Bethany tittered.

  “Miss Sophie, perhaps Miss Dana and I should serve the coffee,” Jasper murmured with a hint of nerves in his voice.

  Michael’s father leaned into his wife and said something that caused her to purse her lips and lift her shoulders.

  Bethany smiled expectantly at her husband-to-be. “Do go on, darling.”

  Michael looked from his mother to his fiancée, rolling the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. He cleared his throat. “I brought up my cousin’s heroics not only because he’s the best man I know, but also because he makes me want to be a better man.”

  “Oh, darling, please. You are the best man at this table, bar none. Wealthy and an accomplished lawyer, soon to be the next governor of—”

  “Bethany,” Michael said, his voice tinged with exasperation. “I don’t want to be governor, and I don’t want to be a lawyer anymore. I’ve handed in my notice, and I’ve signed up for the police academy.”

  His mother jumped from her chair. “Over my dead body! Do you know how hard I’ve worke
d to get you to where you are today? Do you?”

  “Maura, sit down. You’re making a spectacle of yourself,” his father said then raised his glass. “Good for you, son. I’m proud of you.” Maura took her husband’s glass from him and poured the red wine onto his head.

  “Yes, I do indeed love this place,” the senior Mrs. Adams said.

  “Oh, Mother Adams, would you just shut up for once.”

  “Shut the front door,” the senior Mrs. Adams said to her daughter-in-law.

  Sophie slapped a hand over her mouth to keep the half-hysterical giggle from escaping. The rehearsal party was imploding before her eyes.

  “Bethany, do you have anything to say?” Michael nervously asked his fiancée, who’d been staring at him the entire time. She looked to be trembling with fury.

  “How dare you, Michael. How dare you decide something like this without consulting me first. If you intend to throw your life away to become an…an underpaid, blue-collar worker, you better start looking for another wife because it won’t be me!” She dramatically tugged on her engagement ring then narrowed her eyes at Michael. “Well, aren’t you going to say something?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Guess it’s better that we found out now instead of after we married and had children.”

  “Children? Who said anything about having children?” She pushed back her chair and threw her engagement ring at him.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sophie stood huddled in her coat under the arbor overlooking Kismet Cove. Lights from the Christmas tree in the atrium danced in the snow. Everything was bright and beautiful and ready for the wedding that wouldn’t happen now. She looked up at the stars winking overhead, the moon peeking playfully above the wisps of clouds in the night sky. Somehow it reminded her of Colleen. How happy the older woman had been at the thought of her great-grandson being married at Greystone. “Sorry, Colleen,” Sophie whispered. “We did our best. We really did.”

  At the crunch of footsteps in the snow, she turned. Liam walked toward her, a black dress coat over his dark suit, the light wind off the water ruffling his hair. “Hey, handsome.”

  “Hey, beautiful, why are you looking so sad?” he asked, coming to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her. “Mrs. Adams paid the rooms in full, and Michael’s covering whatever the deposit doesn’t. You’re going to end up making money even with the wedding being canceled.”

  She rested her head against his shoulder. “I know, but we’re not going to get the positive publicity we were hoping for, or the referrals.”

  “I don’t know about that. The senior Mrs. Adams is a fan. She was talking about booking the manor for an historical conference in March.”

  “I like her. Colleen would have liked her too. She’s the real reason I feel bad.”

  “Babe, you don’t have to feel bad. She told Michael he got off lucky and congratulated him.”

  Sophie laughed. “Poor Michael. I don’t think he expected Bethany to dump him. But I wasn’t talking about Mrs. Adams. I was talking about Colleen. She was excited about the wedding. In a way, it feels like I let her down. Her and everyone else. They all worked so hard the past few weeks to get the manor ready and make sure everything was perfect.”

  “No one worked harder than you. And Soph”—he stepped back and turned her to face him—“GG would probably be telling Michael he got off lucky too. She’d be as proud of what you’ve accomplished as I am. But if it makes you feel better, we could go ahead with the wedding just as planned.”

  “Did something happen that I—” She broke off as he went down on bended knee.

  “Marry me, Sophie DiRossi. And make our daughter’s Christmas wish come true.”

  Mia bounded into Sophie’s bedroom at Greystone and jumped on the bed. “Merry Christmas Eve day, Mommy and Daddy. Santa’s coming tonight.” Her daughter’s bright smile faded as she searched the bed and room. “Where’s Daddy?”

  “He stayed at Grandpa Colin’s last night.”

  Mia’s bottom lip quivered. “How come?”

  “Because it’s bad luck for him to see the bride before the wedding.” Sophie watched her daughter absorb what she’d said. She knew the moment Mia understood when her face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree.

  “We’re getting married! We’re getting married!” She jumped up and down on the bed. “That’s the best Christmas present ever, isn’t it, Mommy?”

  “It is. The very best. But we have lots to do to get ready, and I need your help with something. I need your advice.”

  “Okay. I can do that,” she said, and sat cross-legged on the bed, an earnest expression on her sweet face.

  “Well, I need to pick a maid of honor. It’s an important job, and it can only go to someone very special. It has to be someone who’s been with me through the good times and bad, someone I love most in the world and who loves me, too, someone who—”

  “Is it okay if the maid made you cry sometimes and hurt your feelings?”

  “Yes, because none of us are perfect, baby. Mommy probably did some things that made the maid angry and hurt her feelings too. But the most important thing is that the maid and Mommy always, always loved each other.”

  “Then it’s me, silly. I’m your maid of honor,” she said, and threw herself into Sophie’s arms.

  And Sophie’s maid of honor took her job very seriously. The first thing she did was announce to everyone in the manor at the top of her lungs that they had a wedding to get ready for. For the past six hours, Greystone and Sophie’s bedroom were a hub of activity. Dana, who was also one of Sophie’s bridesmaids, took care of the only detail that they hadn’t looked after for Michael and Bethany’s wedding. Tie the Knot sent over a romantic, ruffled gown with a red satin belt and fitted bodice that fit Sophie to perfection, as well as red satin bridesmaids’ dresses for Dana, Ava, and Mia. Her daughter’s was ankle length, Ava and Dana’s cocktail length with long sleeves.

  Mia ran into the bedroom with Miller following behind her. “Mommy, Daddy’s here with Granddad, Uncle Griffin, Uncle Aidan, and Uncle Marco.” She grabbed a red basket filled with white rose petals off the dressing table. “Come here, Miller. You can be the flower girl. Miller?” The dog hightailed it out of the room, and Mia chased after him.

  Ava, whom her grandmother had just forcibly sat in front of the dressing table to do her makeup, looked at Sophie in the mirror.

  She winced. “Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that you’d be standing with Griffin. But we weren’t sure he was going to make it on such short notice.”

  “I can’t…” Ava began then looked at Sophie and shrugged. “What are you going to do.”

  Rosa paced behind Ava, tapping her lips. “Something is wrong. Ah, I know what it is. Your hair, cara. You look like an old lady because it’s too long. We cut it, sí?”

  Ava put her hand to her head. “No, we don’t cut it. It’s fine.”

  Rosa was right. Not that Ava looked old—it was just that her overlong hair dragged down her face and had no life, no bounce. “Maybe just a trim, Ava. You’re practically sitting on it.”

  “I agree with Rosa and Sophie,” Dana said, and walked behind Ava to lift her hair, folding it to the middle of her back. “This would be the perfect length for you.”

  It was exactly the length Ava used to wear her hair.

  “Pain in the culo, that’s what the three of you are. Cut it then. I don’t care.”

  It was going to be a difficult enough day for Ava, and Sophie didn’t want to make it worse. “Maybe another—” She was too late. Her grandmother had already grabbed a pair of scissors off the dressing table and was starting to cut Ava’s hair when Sophie realized they were the same scissors Dana had used for the ribbons. “Nonna, no! They’re pinking shears!”

  “Oh, accidente. Don’t worry, I fix it.”

  “Here, Rosa. I’ll do it,” Dana said, and grabbed another pair of scissors. Ten minutes later, she stood back.

  “Sei bellissima tesoro.
You are so beautiful, cara. Look, look at your hair, your curls have come back.” Rosa pressed her hands to her chest, staring at Ava with shiny eyes.

  Ava waved her hand. “It’s just hair.”

  But Sophie caught her cousin staring at herself in the mirror with what looked to be a small hint of pleasure and surprise in her eyes.

  Kitty walked in and did a double take. “Ava?”

  “Sí. Look.” Rosa held up the long hank of hair. “We’ll donate to charity. The one that makes wigs.”

  Kitty smiled then said, “Poppy Harte has arrived to take pictures. I don’t imagine she has ever had a more beautiful bridal party. You all look absolutely stunning.” She walked over to Sophie. “I have something for you, my dear. It’s a small token of our appreciation for all you’ve done and to welcome you to the family. It was Colleen’s,” she said, holding up a gold charm bracelet. “I know she would have very much wanted you to have it. May I?”

  “Yes, please.” Sophie held out her arm, the heavy gold bracelet covering the faded scar on her wrist. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Kitty.”

  Liam’s grandmother kissed her cheek. “Now what can I do? Do you need anything?”

  “Oh,” Sophie gasped. “I need…I’ll be right back.” She lifted her skirts and ran from the room, racing down the hall in her red shoes. She ducked when she reached the landing and hid behind a potted plant. She heard Liam’s and his brothers’ voices near the bar. The man she was looking for was seeing to the guests. “Jasper,” Sophie called out, trying to keep her voice low. His head came up, and his gaze shot to the bar.

  He hurried to the stairs. “Miss Sophie, what are you doing? It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride.” He bounded up the stairs to stand in front of her, blocking her from view.

  She looked up and smiled at him. “My parents can’t be here to give me away, and my brother is standing, well, sitting for Liam, so I was hoping you would.”

  He gave her a clipped nod. “I would be most honored, miss.”