by Nina Lane
Downstairs, Kelsey is in the living room, finishing off a piece of pizza and drinking a beer. I lower myself on a nearby chair.
“Did Archer leave?” I ask.
“No, he’s putting the lights away,” Kelsey says, glancing at Dean. “Whose idea was it?”
“His.” Dean pops the top off a beer and takes a long swallow. “He saved my ass.”
Kelsey and I exchange glances.
“What’re you talking about?” Kelsey says.
“Do you remember the day of Liv’s surgery when you told me I needed a cavalry?” Dean asks her.
“I remember.”
“He was it.” Dean tilts his head to the window to indicate his brother. “He gave me something to do. A focus that wasn’t on medieval literature or castle architecture.”
“With the tree house?” Kelsey asks.
“And other things.” Dean shrugs, looking down at the floor. “I mean, it’s been good just having him around. He’s met me for kickboxing, beers, a couple games of football. He’s always been great with the kids, but these past few months, he’s helped make them feel like everything would be okay. I didn’t even realize it until recently. It was like he handed me a map and helped me find my way out again, you know?”
Kelsey’s throat works with a swallow. She turns her gaze to the window to watch Archer coming out of the woods, carrying a box filled with lights. Patch lopes along at his side.
“Yeah,” Kelsey says softly. “I know.”
I look at Dean. He’s watching me, his gaze warm. My heart lifts like a bird taking flight. A tangible current of love and hope flows between us. The end of something grueling. The start of something good.
No. The continuation of something good.
“I’ll bet no one else could have done that,” I say. “It makes perfect sense that Archer, a man who spent so many years on the road trying to find his own way, knows exactly how to help others find their way too.”
“But not just anyone,” Kelsey says, still watching Archer. “People he loves. His family.”
The sliding glass door opens, and Archer’s voice booms inside. “Did anyone save me some pizza?”
“There’s some in here,” I call. “Come and get it.”
Archer comes in, pointing his chin to the window. “Dean, you gotta get that boundary fence put up, especially if the kids are going to be running around the woods now. I’ll pick up some posts tomorrow and get started.”
He grabs a piece of pepperoni pizza from the open box and flops down on the sofa next to Kelsey. She’s looking at him with an oddly intent gaze that makes him blink with puzzlement.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” she replies softly.
Electricity sizzles. Kelsey pushes slowly to her feet.
“I’ll get you a beer from the fridge,” she says, heading into the kitchen.
Archer glances at Dean, his eyebrows lifting. “My girl is fetching me a cold beer.”
Dean grins. “Enjoy it, man, because it might not happen again.”
We hear Kelsey rustling around in the kitchen, opening drawers and closing cabinets. There’s a scratching noise at the sliding glass door, and she goes to let Patch in, murmuring to him and maybe even doing a little baby talk.
“Sounds like he won her over,” Dean remarks.
“Yeah, took me a lot longer to do the same thing,” Archer says.
Kelsey returns to the living room and hands Archer a beer. Patch follows at her heels, his tongue lolling out. He stops beside Archer and puts his front paws on Archer’s leg, nudging for attention. Archer absently rubs the dog behind the ears, then stops.
A sign is hanging from around Patch’s neck. I’m at an angle where I can’t read it, but the cardboard sign is looped with a frayed string, the words written in black ink.
Archer takes hold of the sign and reads it. His expression doesn’t change, but he studies the sign for a minute, as if trying to make sense of it.
Then he looks up, right at Kelsey. She’s standing by the door, and this time her lovely face and rimless glasses can’t hide the nervousness in her expression.
She and Archer look at each other for a long time. She bites her lip. Tension twists through the air.
“Yes,” Archer says.
Kelsey blinks. Then a radiant smile breaks over her face, lighting her with happiness. She moves toward Archer, and he gets up to hurry over to her, and then they’re in each other’s arms and kissing with such passion that I don’t know whether to clap in admiration or give them some privacy.
Dean takes hold of Patch’s collar, turning the dog toward us. The cardboard sign around his neck reads:
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
DEAN
July 1
“HURRY, MAN, WE’RE GOING TO BE late.” With an impatient frown, Archer holds the gray necktie out to me.
“We’re not going to be late.” I get behind him and start to knot the tie around his neck, turning him toward the full-length mirror in his and Kelsey’s bedroom.
“Have you seen Kelsey yet?” Archer asks, looking at me in the mirror.
“No, she’s up at the Butterfly House with Liv and Bella.”
I give the tie a final pull and step back. We’re both wearing gray suits and ties, and I have a flashback to the days when our mother would dress us up in suits when we were kids getting dragged along to the governor’s fancy dinners. Back then, I’d never have imagined we would be here now.
I clap a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He straightens his tie and slants me a glance. “Why?”
“I mean, you’re not nervous?”
He shakes his head. “I’m too happy and relieved to be nervous.” He holds out his arms. “Can you put the cufflinks in?”
I pick up the links from the dresser and start fastening them to his cuffs.
“So, uh, I wanted to tell you I’m glad you’re marrying her,” I remark, concentrating on the task.
“I’m glad she’s marrying me.”
“You’re really good for her.” I fasten the second cuff and look at him. “I’m glad you’re here, too. In Mirror Lake. I’ve really… uh, appreciated having you around. Everything you’ve done.”
Faint surprise flashes in his eyes. “No problem.”
Before we both get embarrassed, I step back and look him over. “I guess she can’t get out of it now, huh?”
“No way will I let her.”
Archer follows me out to the kitchen, where Nicholas is at the table, eating a peanut-butter sandwich and drinking a glass of chocolate milk. His necktie is already half undone, and there’s a smear of jam on the lapel of his suit.
“Little man, you gotta look good for a wedding.” Archer reaches out to straighten Nicholas’s tie. “Neat and stuff.”
“It’s too tight.” Nicholas squirms and pulls at his collar. “Are we leaving yet?”
“Do you remember what you’re supposed to do?” I ask, grabbing a napkin to wipe the jam off his lapel.
Nicholas looks at the ceiling and sighs gustily. “Carry the pillow, walk down the aisle, do not let the rings fall off, and hand them to Uncle Archer when the guy says something about rings.”
“Awesome.” Archer gives Nicholas a high-five. “You got this.”
We go out to the driveway and pile into Archer’s truck. Patch is waiting in the backseat, freshly washed and groomed. We drive to Wizard’s Park, where Allie worked magic to set up the wedding site—glowing lanterns line an aisle strewn with flower petals, leading to an arched trellis decorated with white lights.
A chorus of chatter rises in the air from the gathered guests—Archer and Kelsey’s friends, grad students, fellow professors, garage mechanics, Wonderland café employees, and plenty of children.
I take Nicholas b
ehind the line of trees that separates the staging area from the guests. My heart does a crazy spin at the sight of Liv—a vision of loveliness in a pale blue dress, her short hair enhancing the shape of her eyes and high cheekbones. She turns and sees me approaching, her smile hitting me right in the middle of the chest.
“Hello, my beauty.” I stop in front of her, tracking my gaze over her face. “I’d kiss you, but I’d mess up your lipstick.”
“Go ahead.” She steps closer, lifting her hands to the sides of my neck. “A kiss from you is worth any amount of messing up.”
That’s all the invitation I need. I slide my hand to the back of her head and bring my mouth down on hers, tasting all the wholesome warmth and goodness that is my wife. She parts her lips under mine. The spinning of my heart starts to go to my head.
“Daddy!”
Bella’s voice slides into our growing haze, and Liv and I slowly separate and turn toward our daughter. She’s like a perfect flower in a pale blue dress and white petticoat, her hair fastened back with a spray of bluebells.
“Hey, Snowbell.” I hold out my arms so she can hurry into them. “You’re more beautiful than the moon.”
“You look like a clown.”
Liv laughs, fishing in her purse for a clean tissue to wipe the lipstick off my mouth. She takes out a pocket mirror to fix her lipstick.
“Where’s Kelsey?” I ask.
Liv nods toward the Wonderland Café, where Kelsey is coming down the porch steps. I indicate to Liv that I’m going to meet her, then I cross the grass toward the bride.
She catches my eye and smiles. She’s in an ivory-colored dress that hugs her figure in all the right places and shows off her long legs. Without her glasses, her eyes are a piercing blue, and the navy streak in her smooth, blonde hair gives her an edgy, otherworldly look.
We stop in front of each other. I look at her face and suddenly see the wild, rebellious young woman I’d first met in college.
“You must be a lousy lay,” were the first words she ever said to me. “Come on, I’ll buy you a beer.”
“You look incredible,” I say. “My brother is one lucky guy.”
“I thought I’d be nervous, but I’m not.”
“That’s because it’s right,” I tell her. “So what finally made you realize you wanted to marry him?”
“It felt like something snapped inside me, but in a good way.” Her gaze flickers past me to the trellis where Archer is standing. “Like a lock. He’s been my world for so long, and knowing his loyalty and devotion, and seeing what you and Liv have gone through… what’s more important in life than committing to being a family? To loving someone else that much?”
“Nothing is more important than that.” I move closer to her. “I’m going to hug you now.”
“You’d better.”
I pull her close, and she slides her arms around my waist. Over twenty years we’ve known each other, and now she’s marrying my brother.
After parting, we walk back to the entrance to the wedding, where Liv is giving Bella and Nicholas last-minute instructions. The guitarist starts to play, signaling the beginning of the ceremony, and the guests stand.
Bella and Nicholas walk out first, with Bella clutching a bouquet of flowers and Nicholas carefully holding the rings. A chorus of “awws” and affection rises from the guests.
Liv and Kelsey exchange a hug. Liv whispers something in Kelsey’s ear before stepping past the trees and starting down the aisle.
I hold out my arm to Kelsey. “May I?”
“Lord, yes.” She slides her arm through mine. “It’s about freaking time, isn’t it?”
“I’ll say.”
A hush, expectant air fills the space, murmurs of awe rising, the guitar music playing softly alongside the breeze. Kelsey’s hand tightens on my arm the closer we get to where Archer is waiting with Nicholas at his side. I can’t help thinking that the next time I walk a woman down the aisle, that woman will be my daughter.
Kelsey and I stop at the base of the stepped platform. The officiant moves forward.
“Who presents this woman to be married to this man?” he asks, looking at me.
Something sticks in my throat and for a second, I can’t speak.
“On behalf of her family and friends,” I say, after clearing my throat, “and in honor of her parents, I do.”
I press my lips to Kelsey’s cheek. She hugs me and whispers, “Thank you.” I put my hand on her back and guide her up the steps, following to take my place beside Archer as his best man.
The ceremony is simple, with Archer and Kelsey reciting poems before exchanging vows. Not once do they take their eyes off each other. Only once do I have to put my hand on Nicholas’s shoulder to remind him not to fidget.
As Archer and Kelsey exchange rings, I look across to where my wife is standing. At the exact same instant, Liv turns her head to meet my gaze, and a warm smile curves her mouth.
And then we’re both remembering our own wedding, and the first moment we saw each other in the registrar’s office, the first time I kissed her, the first time we made love, the first time we looked at each other as husband and wife, the first time we saw our children.
After Archer and Kelsey have walked back down the aisle, Nicholas and I meet Liv and Bella beneath the arch of the trellis.
“My legs hurt,” Bella whines, shifting her feet.
I bend to pick her up. Liv takes my other arm, and a thousand more memories between then and now flood the space between us.
Nicholas attaches a leash to Patch’s collar, and the five of us start down the aisle together, past the friends who have become our family. When we reach the end of the aisle, I set Bella down. Miraculously cured from her legs aching, she runs toward a stream of kids heading away from the wedding site.
Liv calls after her, “Bella, don’t get your dress… oh, never mind.”
She reaches out to take my hand as we follow our children to the playground.
The terrace of the Wonderland Café is decorated with linen-draped tables, flowers, and glowing, multicolored paper lanterns. Allie and Liv closed the café for a “special event,” and the wedding reception lasts well into the evening—dinner, dancing, music, cake, more dancing. I don’t see much of Liv, as she and Allie bustle around watching all the kids, supervising the service, and making sure everyone is having a good time.
“May I have this dance?” I stop beside Florence Wickham, who is sitting at her table, tapping her toes in time to the music.
“Oh, of course, Dean, aren’t you lovely?” She puts her hand in mine and rises.
I lead her to the dance floor and guide her to the music of “Renegades.”
“Olivia looks so well, Dean,” she says, sorrow passing across her face. “I’m still just gutted over what she went through, but do you know, she never failed to stay in touch. She always asked me how things were in Florida, told me what was going on in town, and assured me that my plants were doing just fine. She even told me when my peace lily bloomed.”
“That’s Liv.”
“She is such a treasure, have I ever told you that?”
I can’t help smiling. “I’m sure you have, Florence.”
“Not that you need telling,” she remarks, patting my chest.
There’s a tap on my shoulder, and we look up to see Mr. Jenkins standing beside us, peering at me over the tops of his bifocals.
“I gotta cut in here, feller,” he tells me.
I wink at Florence and let her go. She smiles, giving my biceps a squeeze before moving into Mr. Jenkins’ arms.
I leave the dance floor and return to the terrace. Archer is sitting at one of the tables, his suit jacket off and his tie loose around his neck. He gestures to the empty chair beside him, and I sit down.
“When do you leave?” I ask.
“Tomorrow morning. A week on the road with just the two of us, and then we’re meeting up with the Storm Hunters crew in Kansas City.”
“What’s going to happen with the whole wedding thing on the show?”
“Kelsey agreed to the romantic storyline, but she gets full script approval and no one is allowed to use the words girly or tame.”
I grin. “Sounds about right.”
We watch Kelsey as she steps onto the dance floor with Nicholas, taking his little hands in hers as they start to dance.
Archer shakes his head in admiration. “She’s something, huh?”
“Yeah.” I reach up to loosen my tie. “You’re the only guy who’s ever figured her out. Who’s ever been worthy of her.”
I feel his surprised glance. “You think I’m the only guy who’s ever been worthy of her?”
“Well, yeah.” Uncomfortable suddenly, I look at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Archer shrugs. “Just… I don’t know. I mean, that’s good to hear, man.”
He nods to the steps of the terrace, where Liv is talking with Allie.
“The West brothers both married up, huh?” he says.
“Way out of our stratosphere,” I agree, pushing to my feet. “Hey, I got you something. Wait here a sec.”
I go into the café and get a large wrapped box out of the walk-in refrigerator. I return to Archer and plunk it down on the table in front of him.
“I guess it’s a wedding present, but more for you than Kelsey,” I tell him, sitting back down.
He pulls the blue paper off the box, his eyebrows lifting as he reads the wording on the side of the crate. Mr. Moo’s Chocolate Milk.
Archer looks at me in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“I tracked them down,” I explain. “The company moved to Humboldt County years ago, but they’re still in business. Had it shipped overnight in dry ice.”
Archer opens the box to reveal two dozen individual containers of chocolate milk. He takes two out and hands one to me. We clink them together in a toast before opening them to drink.