“Why do you say that?”
“Because if you’re having a boy, which I think you are, then he’ll take after me and he’ll be perfect. If you have a girl, well...”
“You can’t be serious.” Madison gave Collin a playful punch in the arm. “Genes don’t work like that.”
“They don’t’?” Collin took the path by the lagoon and they sped past a row of bright yellow flowers. “Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll give either one an amazing name.” The path became bumpier and Madison held on to the railing. “What do you mean when you give them a name?”
Collin pretended to be shocked. “I thought the father got to name the baby.”
“Since when is that a thing?” Now, Madison was starting to get irked. The sexy cop persona had begun to grate. One second, she liked his domineering nature and the next, she didn’t. Was this him or the pregnancy hormones?
They reached the end of the lush lagoon and a large white crane carefully waded in, its beak poised above the mirrored water, ready to spear a fish. The huge green palm trees lining the sandy path swayed in the gentle ocean breeze. Their path joined another and a second golf cart drove ahead of them. The path was particularly dry, and sand kicked up from the back of the other cart. Madison ducked her head to avoid getting sand in her face. Collin eased up on the gas, and Madison glanced behind them, seeing Steve and Mark slow down, too.
“In my family, Dad named me. That was it. Mom just accepted the name he wanted. Period. No discussion. And, actually, my sister did the same with her baby, believe it or not.” Collin kept his eyes on the sandy road ahead, eyes hidden behind his polarized sunglasses.
“And you think that’s how it should be done?”
Collin shrugged. “It worked fine for me and for my niece.” He turned the wheel, leaning into a curve. A few tropical flowers brushed by Madison’s knee and the golf cart was suddenly filled with their fragrance.
“Why should the father get to pick out the name? The mother does all the work—carrying the baby. Delivering him or her. You know about labor, right?”
Collin let out a frustrated breath. “Fine, then. Have you thought about names?”
She hadn’t. Not really. “Well, I don’t know. I guess not.”
“Well, I’ve got two names already picked out. Jamie for a boy, after my best friend in grade school, or Chelsea for a girl.”
“Chelsea? Uh...no.” They hit a little bump in the road and Madison’s sunglasses slipped down her nose once more. She pushed them up.
“What’s wrong with Chelsea?” Collin asked.
“Everything,” Madison said, thinking about a Chelsea McAdams in second grade who used to tell her she was ugly. That was probably the only reason she didn’t like the name. Still, she didn’t like it.
“Give me a better name, then. What are your suggestions?”
“I haven’t thought about it very much. But I like Ava better.” Ava was a sweet name, and when she said it, she imagined a little girl with pigtails and a big gap-toothed grin.
“Ava? That sounds like an old person’s name.”
“It’s not!” cried Madison, feeling defensive. Collin scowled at her, and Madison glared back. He whipped the golf cart around the corner and drove into a space by the club. The officers pulled in after them and took a walk around the perimeter to check for unwanted guests.
“We’ll have to talk about this later.” His tone reminded Madison of a disciplinary father. It was a “we’ll talk about this later, but you have no chance of winning this argument” tone, which Madison did not care for in the least.
They hopped out of the cart and saw Yvana directing a few workers, clipboard in hand and the usual bright scarf around her head.
“You’re just in time,” she said, looking relieved. “Will y’all help with the folding tables? We just need a few more out by the pool.”
“I don’t want her to lift anything heavy,” Collin said, indicating Madison. She both liked and hated that he was so protective. She always seemed to be of two minds about him.
“I can help with the chairs. I’m fine.”
“I’d rather you sat this one out,” he said, sliding his sunglasses on top of his head.
Yvana glanced from her to him and back again. “I’m not getting in the middle of this,” she declared. “Y’all can figure it out. Ceremony is in less than an hour, and they’ll be doing it right over there.” She pointed toward a white arch with flowers near the north side of the pool. On the south side, some tables were already set up for the reception, maybe five or six. Five more were still folded and waiting to the side.
Madison marched over to a chair, determined to help.
“Madison, I don’t want you lifting anything,” Collin said again.
“I’m not a baby. I’m having a baby.”
“Please. Sit.” Collin pulled out a chair and urged her into it. “You can help with flower arranging.”
Collin got to work sliding out one of the tables and pulling out the legs, setting it into position with a slightly red-faced struggle. But when Madison got to her feet, he sent her a warning glare that said, “don’t move.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. Why was he making this so difficult? She was pregnant, not made of glass, for goodness’ sake. She saw a crate full of white tablecloths and went to arrange those. Let him bark at her for lifting fabric, she thought. Collin cursed as he wheeled out another big table by himself.
“Need help?” she asked, as she carefully flipped out a white tablecloth and it billowed over the table.
“No,” he grunted as he moved the table for eight into position. She watched him work up a sweat and thought, Fine. He can just be stubborn, then. Pretty soon, he whipped off his shirt, the heat and humidity getting to him. Now, she might not even finish the tablecloths, not with him shirtless, moving tables and chairs around. His muscles bulged and demanded her attention.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help him.” This came from Mark, who arrived then with Steve in tow. The burly policemen added their muscle to the work, so Madison felt a bit better, but she still hated feeling helpless.
Yvana bustled out, carrying flower arrangements and putting beautiful pink and red roses in the center of each table. She glanced twice at Collin. He had a body made for a firefighter calendar. Madison wondered why there wasn’t a law-and-order calendar out there somewhere, but when she thought of the other prosecutors on staff, she figured they’d never manage to get twelve who looked like Collin Baptista.
“Oh, my, you better put a shirt on soon before the guests start arriving and think this is a bachelorette party,” Yvana cautioned him, grinning from ear to ear.
Collin smiled back as he stooped to pick up five folded chairs, which he carried all at once. “Nearly done, Yvana. I promise I’ll be decent when the guests arrive.”
“And you,” Yvana called to Mark. “You want to help me with these?” She held up a vase full of flowers. Madison noticed that Mark smiled when he came over. Was there a little something brewing between those two? Madison suspected there was. She definitely saw sparks. Yvana giggled like a little girl when Mark came to relieve her of the flowers.
A tall man in a suit arrived then and walked to the bar, where he helped himself to a glass of whiskey on the rocks.
“How are you holding up, Dave?” Yvana asked the newcomer who held up one finger as he took a deep sip of his drink. Yvana gave him a pat on the arm. Madison wondered if he was the groom.
“Nervous about getting married?” Madison asked, feeling sympathetic. She remembered the shot of nerves she’d felt when Collin presented her with that black velvet box. It took a lot to commit yourself to a person—especially one as stubborn as Collin.
“Me? No, no.” The tall man shook his head emphatically. “I’m not getting married. My mom is.”
The man was in his fifties!
�
��Your mother?” Madison tried to do some quick calculations and decided that meant she was at least...
“She’s eighty-six. I’m officiating the ceremony.” Dave leaned in and held out his hand. “Dave. Nice to meet you.”
Collin stopped working on his table and walked over in time for the introductions.
“Madison...and this is Collin.”
Collin shook the man’s hand.
“Dorothy and Herm, bride and groom, eighty-six and eighty-eight, respectively,” Yvana explained, standing near Dave. “The family has owned the Snapper house over at the south end of the island for years.”
Dave took another big sip of his drink. “I’m going to need a few more of these before I can officiate the ceremony.”
“Help yourself.”
“Oh, I’m paying for it. I will, thank you.” Dave finished off his first drink and went to pour himself another. “Thanks for helping out, by the way. My mother will be grateful. She’s very anxious to get this ceremony done.”
“Oh, she’s in love, is she?” Madison asked.
“Yes, but it’s not even a legal marriage,” Dave explained, setting the bottle of whiskey down as he made himself comfortable at the bar. “My mother and Herm...they didn’t want the legal part of the marriage, since it’s expensive to rewrite their wills and nobody wants to start a fight between their grown children about who would get what when they go. They just want to make it a kind of spiritual ceremony, so they can fool around and not feel guilty. Do things I don’t want to know about.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Madison got the picture.
“She’s worried about what God will think, so she wants it official, just not legal.” Dave grinned and finished most of his second drink. “But like I said, there are just some things a grown son doesn’t need to know about his mother—like what they do with their walkers when they...you know.”
Both Collin and Madison laughed.
“I think it’s sweet that they’re getting married,” Collin said, surprising Madison. “You can’t ever give up on love.”
“Can’t you?” Dave joked. “I mean...eighty-six? Right now, my sister is decorating Mom’s walker with flowers.”
Collin and Dave shared a laugh.
“Where did they meet?” Madison asked.
“The assisted-living home,” Dave said. “It was love at first sight, though they both have trouble remembering things, so they might have met once or twice before it really stuck.” Dave took another drink. “Hey, why don’t you two join me? I hate to drink alone.” He offered up the whiskey bottle. He began to pour two glasses, but Madison raised her hand. “Oh, no, sorry, I can’t. I’m...”
“Expecting,” Collin finished, and then put a possessive arm around her shoulders, as if to take all the credit.
“Oh, congratulations, you two! That’s wonderful. Boy? Girl?” Dave pointed to the soda water dispenser on the bar and Madison nodded. He filled her glass and added a wedge of lime.
“Boy,” Collin announced with certainty. Madison nudged him.
“We don’t know for sure yet,” Madison said. “It’s too early.” She elbowed Collin in the ribs.
“Well, congratulations, whatever it is.” Dave handed Collin a glass of whiskey and Madison her soda water. Then the three clinked glasses. A breeze made a ripple in the crystal blue pool behind them, and the sun beamed down on the deck chairs that had been tucked away to make room for the wedding tables.
Dave glanced at the bar. “Well, I think one more scotch on the rocks and then I ought to be able to handle this ceremony.” He shook his head and grinned. “It’s not every day your mother wants to have her fooling around blessed by God and about two dozen witnesses.”
Madison smiled and Dave raised his glass to her. “I mean, God bless her, but sheesh.”
“Say, do you do ceremonies for other people?” Collin asked.
“Sure do.” Dave dug in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, then he handed Collin his card. Madison caught a glimpse of double rings and flowers bordering contact information. Collin took the card and studied it. “The State of Florida says I can marry you,” Dave said. “Did one of those online certifications.”
“Good, because we might need someone to marry us.”
Madison choked on her club soda and nearly gagged.
Dave’s eyes grew wide. “I might be old-fashioned like my mom, but you two aren’t...?”
“No, we’re not,” Madison said evenly. “And we might not ever be if he keeps asking random strangers to marry us. No offense meant.”
“None taken,” Dave replied.
Besides, didn’t they know all the judges in Fort Myers? One of them could perform the ceremony, if it came to that. Madison wondered if Collin was ashamed to ask. After all, then they’d know for sure that he was marrying a defense attorney.
“He’s not a random stranger. We know all about his mom, Dorothy and Herm,” Collin argued. Dave laughed at that.
“Well, I live in Fort Myers, so if you want a romantic little ceremony here, I’m not that far,” he said. “And both of you are welcome to stay for the wedding. And as we know, there’s an open bar, which I’ll be utilizing to its fullest extent.” Dave took another deep swig of his drink and grinned.
“What do you think, should we stay for the ceremony?” Collin asked Madison. She was still wondering about Collin’s motives in asking Dave to officiate. And still a little annoyed that he was so certain she’d eventually say yes. How many times did she have to say no?
“I’d need to go shower and change first,” Madison protested.
“No need,” Dave said. “It’s a casual affair. Don’t let the white tablecloths fool you. We’re going to be almost one hundred percent orthopedic shoes and compression socks around here in about half an hour.”
“Let’s stay,” Collin suggested.
“The food’s going to be fantastic,” Dave said. “And like I said, there’s an open bar.” He turned to Madison. “Not that you can take advantage of it, but still...all the Shirley Temples you want!”
Madison glanced at Collin’s green eyes and found herself agreeing to stay. “I guess I don’t see the harm.”
“Besides, if we’re going to hire Dave to marry us, we need to see if he has what it takes,” Collin joked. Madison made a sour face. Really, Collin’s overconfidence knew no bounds.
“Oh, if I can do this, I can do anything,” Dave said, leaving his empty glass on the table. He glanced at his watch. “Well, time for me to go check on the bride and groom. I’ll see you kids in a bit.”
Dave wandered off, back toward the main office, and Madison turned to Collin.
“Why don’t you want any of the judges to marry us? If we were ever to get married.”
Collin shrugged. “Why would I want them to marry us? We probably couldn’t agree on which one we liked the most.”
That was true enough. The judges who tended to side with Collin, she found unfair, and the ones who liked her objections, Collin would describe as bleeding hearts.
“Dave seemed nice and neutral,” he said as he drained the last of his whiskey.
“You really are positive that eventually you’ll convince me,” Madison said, as she finished her club soda, the ice plinking in her glass as she set it back on the bar.
Collin grinned, but his eyes were serious. “Oh, I know you will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because we were meant to be together, that’s why. It’s why we’re having this baby. It’s fate.”
“What if I don’t believe in fate?” Madison asked.
“That’s all right.” Collin pushed his empty glass away. “I believe enough for both of us.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE CEREMONY FOR Dorothy and Herm went off without a snag, and was surprisingly moving, Collin thought. The bride, with
her walker, wedding bouquet wired to the side rail, wore a light gray suit and a white flower in her hair. The two exchanged vows, the love apparent in both faces. Even Dave seemed to enjoy himself, and the crowd at the ceremony was nothing but loving and open. Collin thought it was proof that no matter how old people got, they weren’t immune to the power of love.
Dorothy gently kissed her groom, Herm, who looked debonair in a light blue suit and tie. Herm had hardly any hair left, but he did have a sparkle in his eye and was spry enough to crack a few jokes after the kiss, causing the crowd to laugh. Then, a string quartet played classical music as the bride took to the dance floor, walker and all, and swayed a little with her new groom. Dave headed to the appetizer table but gave Collin a nod and a wink, followed by an exaggerated wipe of his forehead. All done, thank goodness, his face said.
Collin sat at the bar, nursing a bourbon on the rocks as he watched the other guests join the elderly couple on the floor. He wondered what it would be like to have elderly parents. He’d never know. How he wished his mom had lived to eighty-six and married someone like Herm, who clearly had a lot of affection for Dorothy. He had to admire the couple for sticking with it, for not giving up on love or happiness. His own mother had largely given up on men after his father. Still, he would’ve liked to have seen her happy, in love. He also wished she could’ve seen him happy and in love. Not that love was everything, he reminded himself. Love could fade. Loyalty remained.
His mother would’ve made a wonderful grandmother, and he was sorry she’d never get to meet her grandson. There was the Baptista ESP again. He knew the baby was a boy. He had no doubt in his mind. It was his gut that told him to trust his instincts. Like now. He and Madison belonged together. And she’d be having his son. He glanced over at her; somehow, on her way back from the bathroom, one of Herm’s elderly friends had pulled her onto the dance floor. Steve, the officer who’d stayed to guard Madison, stood up to intervene, but she waved him off. Mark was on the other side of the wedding, keeping an eye on the crowd. Madison and the older gentleman slow danced—not too many fast dances for the eighty-and-up set. Madison obliged the man, who was old enough to be her grandfather, and who seemed to greatly enjoy their little waltz. It was so kind of her to dance with him, he thought, but then that was Madison. Softhearted to a fault. She almost needed someone to look after her, make sure no one took advantage of that big heart. That was why she needed him.
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