“Italian it is.” Nick linked their fingers and tugged her in that direction. “I’m starving, too, for the record. I’ve had a long day.”
“Yeah?” Maddie slid him a sidelong look. “What’s going on?”
“I’m going to tell you, but I want to get our food first and then find a table that’s as secluded as possible. Quite frankly, you’re not going to believe my afternoon.”
“Bigger than my conversation with Aaron?”
“Actually, yeah.”
“Wow. I can’t wait to hear this.”
“Remember you said that, Mad, because I think you’re going to change your mind before it’s all said and done.”
MADDIE OPTED FOR SHRIMP CAPRESE and a side salad while Nick bulked up with spaghetti Bolognese and seafood linguini. Once they were settled at a picnic table in the shade — one that was away from prying ears — Nick told Maddie about his day. When he was finished, she didn’t even know where to start.
“I ... wow.” She twirled pasta on her fork. “That is unbelievable.”
“Which one of them do you want to talk about first?”
“I guess Cassidy, but only because it will be a short conversation,” she replied. “Are you at all worried that she’s going to pull something before the wedding? I know it makes me sound like a Nervous Nellie when I say this, but I can see her trying to interrupt the ceremony.
“You know that part where the pastor asks if anyone has just cause why we shouldn’t be legally wed?” she continued. “I’ve had nightmares where she stands up, points at me, and says that we can’t get married because I stole you from her.”
Even though he knew she was dead serious, Nick couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You can’t steal a person from another person. That’s not how it works.”
“I know that. She clearly doesn’t believe it.”
“Maybe not, but it’s the truth. I wasn’t happy with Cassidy. I was already looking for a way out when you came back.”
“You can’t deny that spending time with me meant you didn’t want to spend time with her.”
Nick thought back to the time in question. “I don’t know, Mad,” he said finally. “I never loved her. There was never a chance of me loving her. You’re looking at it as if you came back and somehow swept me off my feet.”
“That’s a little grandiose, but pretty much,” Maddie agreed.
“You’re looking at it the wrong way,” he argued. “I already belonged to you when you came back. It’s just that neither of us realized it. I loved you when I was seventeen. I was crushed when you left and acted out. That doesn’t mean I still wasn’t devoted to you.”
Maddie considered the statement. “Huh. It does make me feel better to think of it that way.”
“I think it’s the truth. We always belonged together. It simply took us longer than we thought to find our way. Now that we have, we’re back on track. There’s no stopping us now.”
Maddie reached across the table and rested her hand on top of his. “There’s definitely no stopping us now.”
Nick’s smile was slick as he broke a breadstick in half and handed Maddie the bigger portion. “Is that all you want to say about Cassidy?”
Maddie nodded. “I’m hopeful she’ll truly move on after the wedding. I honestly think she’s tried, but she keeps waiting for you to walk away because that’s what you did with all the others before I came back. She thinks there’s a chance you’ll either see the error of your ways or run screaming from the room when the pastor asks if you want to marry me.”
“Neither one of those things is going to happen.”
“I know that.” Maddie was amused. “You don’t have to keep reassuring me. I know you’ll be waiting for me at the end of the aisle when I walk down it.”
“And I know we’re going to live happily ever after.” Nick was firm as he turned back to his food. “I guess that means it’s time to talk about Marla.”
Indeed, it was time. Maddie wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say about the situation, though. “Did she admit that she purposely trapped him?”
“No, and I’m not sure how all this is going to work out,” Nick said. “I don’t believe you can steal one person from another. If a man — or woman, for that matter — is a cheater, then he or she is going to cheat. If an individual is committed to their relationship, in love, then there’s nothing in the world you can do to make them cheat.”
“But?” Maddie prodded.
“But I still think that people should respect the marriage vows of others,” Nick admitted. “It doesn’t surprise me that Marla went after Trevor. That’s her way. She doesn’t care about others. Trevor was going to cheat on Alicia no matter what and I don’t know that it’s important that Marla was the one having the affair with him at the end.”
“You’re still annoyed that Marla actually set out to break up a family,” Maddie surmised. “I get it. I’m upset, too. It shows a profound lack of respect for Alicia and Trevor’s marriage vows.”
“That basically sums up exactly what I’m thinking,” Nick agreed. “The thing is, I don’t know that I believe Marla is a murderer. She’s far too lazy to get her hands dirty in that manner.”
“Maybe she hired someone,” Maddie suggested. “Although ... it doesn’t make sense for her to kill Trevor. She’d be far more likely to kill Alicia so she can take her place in Trevor’s life.”
“What about the kids, though?” Nick asked, furtive movement catching his eye and causing him to turn his attention to the middle of the fairgrounds. “There’s no way Marla would want to take care of those kids, so taking out Alicia makes zero sense. Of course, she asked me how much she was going to get from Trevor’s estate now that she’s pregnant. When I told her it was likely to be nothing, she wasn’t happy.”
“That’s so her.” Maddie was disgusted. “If you died and we had kids, I would be trying to figure out how I was going to take care of them and not lose my mind at the prospect of continuing without you. Part of me would want to be with you.”
Nick’s heart rolled. “Don’t say that, Mad. I don’t want you thinking things like that.”
“It’s true. You would be the same way with me. Don’t bother denying it.”
“I won’t deny it. I would be crushed without you. I would carry on for our children because I recognize that’s the best way to honor you. I would never get over it, though.”
“Even though I would want you to be happy?”
He smiled. “In theory, I would want you to be happy, too. I wouldn’t want you spending all your time mourning me. In practice, though, the idea of you finding someone else to raise my children and share your bed ... well, that makes me kind of rage-y.”
Maddie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at his serious expression. “I wouldn’t find anyone else. I would allow John to step in and act as a father figure — not a father, mind you, but a father figure — and then I would simply raise our children by myself. No one else will ever be able to replace you so I wouldn’t bother trying.”
“That kind of makes me happy and sad at the same time. What does that say about me?”
“That you’re honest. I ... .” Maddie trailed off when she realized her grandmother was slinking through the fairgrounds. Maude wore all black — including a knit ski cap — and she had camouflage makeup on her face. “What do you think Granny is doing?”
Nick followed her gaze and chuckled. “Yeah. I saw her outfit a few minutes ago. I’m not sure what she’s doing, but I bet it has something to do with Harriet.”
“Do you see her?” Maddie craned her neck as she searched.
“No, but that doesn’t mean she’s not around. I’m sure I’ll get a call first thing in the morning that Maude has vandalized something. I can’t wait for that.”
They were both so intent on Maude they didn’t notice two people standing at the other side of the table until a man cleared his throat to catch their attention. They turned quickly and Maddie�
��s eyes went wide when she saw her father.
“Hey, Dad,” she sputtered, doing her best to regroup. Her father wasn’t alone. He had a woman with him, and Maddie recognized her from Christy’s salon. “Hey, Mrs. Beckham.”
“Annie,” the woman corrected quickly, her cheeks flushed with color. “You can call me Annie.”
“Okay, Annie.” Maddie focused on her father, who was fidgeting. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing is up with me,” George said hurriedly. He was still getting used to spending time with his daughter on a regular basis so he had no idea how he was supposed to act. “It’s just ... um ... well ... .”
Nick narrowed his eyes as he glanced between George and Annie. It took him a moment, but suddenly things slipped into place. “You guys are on a date.”
“So what?” George snapped, causing Nick to arch an eyebrow. “You guys are on a date, too.”
“We most certainly are,” Nick agreed. “It’s the best kind of date, too. We’re loading up on garlic and we don’t even care that we’re both going to have terrible breath later. We’re going to make out all night anyway.”
Maddie shot him a scornful look. “Was that really necessary?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea, but it was a lot of fun.”
George sucked in a breath and calmed himself. He was obviously flustered, although Maddie couldn’t figure out why. “So ... um ... I just wanted you to know ... there’s something I wanted to tell you. In fact ... .” He drew in a long, cleansing breath. “The thing is, the invitation you sent me for your wedding included a guest.” He was suddenly calm (at least on the surface), businesslike. “Annie is going to be my guest.”
It was a surreal situation and Maddie had to swallow the urge to laugh because she wasn’t sure George would take it the right way. “I think that sounds great.” Maddie smiled at Annie. She’d always liked the woman, although she’d never given her much thought in the stepmother realm. If George liked her, though, that was good enough for Maddie. “We’ll have plenty of food, booze, and music. I hope you have a good time.”
Annie beamed at Maddie. “I think I will have a wonderful time. Your father was a little nervous to tell you.”
“Why?” Maddie asked, focusing on him. “I wasn’t nervous when I told you I was engaged.”
“They’re entirely different scenarios,” George reminded her. “I just ... wanted to make sure it was okay. If you didn’t want me to bring a guest, if there was an error in the invitation, well ... .” He left the sentence hanging.
“There was no error.” Maddie grinned at him, enjoying herself. “We want you to bring a date. In fact, that will probably be a good thing because Granny will be less likely to mess with you if you’re not alone.”
“Oh, I just love Maude,” Annie enthused. “She’s hilarious. I think I saw her about ten minutes ago, by the way. She was dressed like an extra from a military movie.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Harriet Proctor is in for a long night,” Maddie offered. “She’s around, though. If she says anything to you at the wedding, just ignore her. She’s a real ... pain in the behind.”
George snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.” This time, the smile he graced Maddie with was earnest. “I don’t want to interrupt your evening. I just wanted to tell you I was bringing a date.”
“It’s much appreciated.”
“Also ... I thought maybe I would stop by for coffee tomorrow morning,” he added. “I have to be up at the new house to sign off on a few things and I would like to drop by for a visit. That’s if you have time, of course.”
“I have time in the morning,” Maddie confirmed. “I don’t have to be here until noon.”
“We’ll be happy to see you,” Nick said, and meant it. “Can you bring some blueberries when you come? Maddie loves blueberry pancakes and I want to cook for her tomorrow morning.”
George brightened considerably. “I think I can manage that.”
“Great. We’ll see you then.”
“You definitely will.” George moved to step away and then cringed. “You know Maude has a big container of fireworks, right?”
Nick let loose a weary sigh. “I did not but thank you for the tip. I need to confiscate those before we have a fire situation on our hands.”
George looked dubious. “Good luck. I don’t think she’s just going to hand them over.”
“Well, we’ll see about that.”
Fourteen
Maddie slept hard and she was sluggish when she and Nick made their way to the kitchen the following morning. Nick immediately set about making pancake batter, while Maddie settled at the kitchen table.
“What time did Dad say he was going to be here?” she asked as she sipped her coffee.
“He didn’t, but your father strikes me as a guy who would rather err on the side of caution, so he’ll be early.”
“True.” Maddie flicked her eyes to the clock on the wall. “It’s almost eight.”
“I bet he’s here at eight o’clock on the dot.” Nick was at home in the kitchen. He spent years cooking for himself and he enjoyed spoiling Maddie on the few mornings when she would allow him to play chef. “You should check on Maude to make sure she’s up.”
Maddie made a face. “You want her to join us? That seems ... dangerous.”
“I think that the more Maude is around George, the better it will be for all of us. She needs to get used to him.”
“I guess.” Maddie said the words, but she wasn’t convinced there was anything she could do to make her grandmother like her father. Maude was living in the past where George was concerned. She remembered the man who freaked out when his wife told him she was pregnant and willingly took off.
Maddie spent her entire childhood resenting the man who abandoned her mother and left her to struggle. Part of Maddie still felt that way, but the other part was willing to open her heart to George. He’d admitted what he’d done, apologized profusely, and then informed Maddie he realized his mistake when she was still a child. He stopped in Blackstone Bay several times over her childhood and asked Olivia if he could forge a relationship with their daughter. Olivia refused, and part of Maddie was still angry about that because she felt somehow robbed.
She was an adult, she reminded herself. What happened when she was younger didn’t have any bearing on the future. She wanted to move forward with George, let bygones be bygones. Her mother’s ghost remained bitter about it — which was one of the reasons Maddie knew Olivia hadn’t been around as much — but she refused to let sour grapes ruin the happiest day of her life.
“What are you thinking, Mad?”
Nick interrupted her private interlude and hunkered down in front of her, hands on his knees.
“What?” She was flustered when she realized he’d been talking to her all this time. “Did you say something?”
He shook his head. “I’ve said a few things. Where was your head?”
“Oh, well ... I was just thinking about Dad,” she admitted, rueful. “You said you think that forcing Granny and him into the same room together will thaw their relationship. I’m just not sure that is true.”
“It’s true.” Nick was matter-of-fact as he straightened. “They both love you. They want you to be happy. Eventually, that means they’re going to have to call a truce.”
“I think you have more faith in their inner natures than I do.”
He chuckled. “I think that you’re so easy to love that they’ll bend over backwards to do the right thing before it’s all said and done.”
Maddie arched an eyebrow, speculative. “You’ve turned into an optimist. When did that happen? I thought you were a pessimist when I first came back, but I was obviously wrong.”
“Obviously,” Nick said dryly. “I don’t know that I’m either. I just know that we’re going to be happy. If that makes me an optimist, so be it.”
Maddie’s expression softened. “I know we’re going to be happy, too.”
He leaned
over and pressed a kiss to her mouth. “Very happy, Mrs. Graves-Winters.”
Maddie’s mouth spread with a sloppy grin. “That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“Yup.”
“Oh, geez.” Maude, who had slipped into the room without them noticing, pulled up short when she saw them at the table. “You guys are officially sickening. I’m so glad you’re almost married so I don’t have to see crap like this every morning over the breakfast table.”
Reluctantly, Maddie tore her gaze from Nick’s handsome face and focused on her grandmother. She knew Maude well enough to read the signs right away. “You’re hungover.” Her tone was more accusatory than she envisioned but she didn’t attempt to walk it back. “You didn’t drive, did you?”
“Do I look like an idiot?” Maude challenged.
Nick bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Maude’s steel gray curls were standing on end, suggesting she’d somehow slept on them wet or managed some other feat during sleep, and the question felt loaded. “You look like you had a long night,” he noted, moving back toward the counter. “What did you do? I’m not going to get a call from Harriet this morning, am I?”
Maude adopted an air of innocence. “I’m pretty sure I should be offended by that question.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“If she calls, I can guarantee I didn’t leave any evidence behind.”
Nick shot her a fond smile. “Here’s hoping, huh?” He poured her a mug of coffee and carried it to the table before detouring through the house at the sound of the doorbell. “I’ll get it.”
Maddie wasn’t nearly as ready to play nice with Maude as Nick. “You know, Granny, Nick and I are going to be out of town on our honeymoon for a full two weeks.”
“I know.” Maude adopted a far-off expression. “It’s going to be glorious.”
Maddie frowned. “It’s going to be a big change for you. I’m going to have Dad stop in and check on you while we’re gone.”
The expression on Maude’s face was straight out of a horror movie. George, who was trailing behind Nick as they walked into the kitchen, pulled up short.
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