The Quiet Child Page 20

  “Not yet. They’re flying in the day after tomorrow. We’ll have plenty of time to talk, but I know they’ll be fine with it. They want whatever makes me happy.”

  “They sound like really decent people. What about your birth father? Where’s he?”

  “Jurek and Rip got here this afternoon. Rip is my dog. They’re staying next door at Claude’s. Maya insisted on taking Jo’s pooch over to meet Rip. They got along okay, but I’m a little worried about what might happen if he gets out. He’s a city dog. Never seen a horse.”

  “That’s rein-pony. Get it straight.”

  The two men shared a chuckle. A few minutes later, they were relieved of duty by Gregor’s older brothers. “Better hurry,” the eldest, whom Mark remembered meeting years before, said. “The kids inhaled their food, but Grace told them Santa wouldn’t arrive until the dishes were done.”

  “She’s tough,” Mark said to Nick.

  “You better believe it. Has a bullet wound to prove it.”

  Mark was a little surprised by how easily he’d been accepted by the other men. No one seemed to question his presence, even though he hadn’t arrived with Alex. Yetta had asked him to come early so she could have a little quiet time with the children before the festivities started. That was how he’d wound up playing stable boy.

  Now, he was cold, starved and anxious to see Alex.

  And suddenly there she was, handing him a plate and a rolled-up napkin filled with cutlery. “That’s a pretty red nose you’ve got, Rudolph,” she said with a grin.

  “Thanks. Donner and Blitzen send their regards.” He lifted one foot to check for proof. “Literally.”

  Her laugh made him instantly warm and happy. “Save me a spot, and I’ll find you in a minute,” she said. “Braden and the other children are eating in Maya’s room.”

  He was delighted and relieved to hear that his son was being included in the children’s activities. Moving along the chow line, he helped himself to Cornish games hens, ham with crackling cranberry sauce, rosemary-garnished potatoes, vegetables that looked too pretty to eat and a dozen side dishes.

  “Punch?” Grace, who was manning the refreshment table, asked. “We have virgin and not-so-virgin.”

  “Virgin, thanks,” he said. “So when’s the big announcement.”

  “What announcement?” Liz, who was next to him in line, asked.

  Grace groaned and handed him his glass. “Way to go, Mark.” But he could tell she was teasing. A moment later, she let out a loud, dramatic sigh. “I guess now.”

  She grabbed her future husband’s arm, nearly making Nick drop his heavily loaded plate, and dragged him to the open archway between the living room and dining area. “Everybody. If I could have your attention a minute.”

  Alex cut through the chatter with a whistle that made the entire group stop talking.

  “Thanks, Alex. Okay. I just thought you should know that my amazingly generous, fabulously thoughtful and caring fiancé gave me the best present anyone has ever given me this afternoon.”

  “There are children present, Grace. Keep it clean,” a voice called out.

  Grace stomped her foot. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Gregor, grow up. Nikolai told me that he’s going to take over Zeke’s job when he retires in a couple of months. We’re moving home.”

  The place erupted in chaos. Mark couldn’t quit grinning, which made eating rather problematic, but the food was so good, he managed.

  Three hours later, after the mock sleigh rides with Santa Claude and the rein-ponies and a fairly well-orchestrated gift exchange, Mark sought out Alex. He’d been watching her all evening and could tell she was starting to fade.

  “Kate, would you mind keeping an eye on Braden? I think I should walk your sister home. And congratulations on the new addition.”

  “Thank you. We’re really excited—even though Maya is convinced Santa—not Rob—is the father.” They both laughed, and then she added, “Take your time. The kids are all immersed in their gifts. We won’t be able to get out of here for hours.”

  Mark double-checked on his son before seeking out Alex. Indeed, Braden and Luca were shoulder-to-shoulder building some kind of futuristic war machine with plastic interlocking blocks.

  Alex, he discovered, was still in the kitchen with her mother, putting away dishes. He went to Yetta first. “Thank you so much for having Braden and me tonight, Mrs. R. This could have been a tough holiday for us, but you and your family really made us feel welcome.” He kissed her hand.

  “Oh,” she said with a flustered little laugh. “You always were such a gentleman. I’m sorry Ernst was so hard on you. I think you reminded him too much of himself.”

  “I take that as a compliment,” Mark said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to run off with your daughter—before she has a relapse.”

  Alex put up a halfhearted protest, but her mother seconded Mark’s suggestion. “You know her well. Always doing for others and not herself. She needs someone to remind her who comes first.”

  Mark agreed, and he had a sense that they both knew he was that someone.

  “Will we see you tomorrow at Romantique?” Yetta asked, as Mark took Alex’s hand and started toward the door.

  “Absolutely. Braden and I are both looking forward to joining the serving line. I’ve had more than my share of good fortune recently and I can’t wait to give a little back.”

  Alex was too tired to object very heartily when Mark helped her into her jacket. Naturally, it took another half hour to say goodbye to everyone, but he patiently followed her from room to room.

  “You really don’t have to walk me,” she told him once they were on the street.

  A fancy white horse trailer, fully loaded with ponies—sans antlers—was parked in front of Gregor’s house. One or two of the spunky little beasts gave a whinny as Mark and Alex passed by.

  “Claude really gets into the role of Santa, doesn’t he?” Mark observed.

  His hand felt good holding hers, despite the gloves they’d both donned. “Ever since Dad died, Claude has sorta risen to the occasion. The sleigh-on-wheels is a new addition, but I think the kids really had fun.”

  “I know Braden did. He’s never been around animals much, so this was pretty exciting.”

  Alex had observed both father and son all evening and had been impressed by how well they fit in.

  The cheerful lights provided plenty of illumination to see to unlock her door. She assumed he’d want to get right back to the party and his son, but instead he stepped past her and pulled her inside, too.

  “Aren’t you—?”

  “Going back? Pretty soon. I’m not done giving gifts.”

  Alex frowned. She’d already given Mark his present—a novel she’d heard him discussing with Zeke and a DVD set of an old sitcom they’d been devoted fans of when they’d been dating. In return, Braden had helped her unwrap a fabulous pair of opal earrings. “I—I…p-picked ’em,” he’d said proudly.

  “But you already gave me my present.” She started to reach up to touch her earlobe, but he grabbed her hand and led her down the hall to her suite of rooms. Grace had brought in a tiny pre-lit tree to cheer Alex up while she was sick. The miniature lights cast a festive—and rather romantic—glow.

  “Can I get you a cup of tea?” she asked.

  Mark laughed. “No. I’m still stuffed from dinner, but even if I wanted something, this isn’t the time.”

  “It’s not?”

  “Alex, I probably haven’t earned the right to ask you this—not yet, anyway, but being around you the past few weeks has shown me how empty my life is without you in it.” He pulled something out of the pocket of his coat and said, “I love you, Alex. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, and even though I don’t deserve it, I’m asking for a second chance.”

  He opened his fingers to display a small gray velvet ring box. It looked used, and a bit worse for wear. Her intuition made her throat go dry; her heart started to beat erratically.
It couldn’t be.

  “Open it.”

  Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely pry up the lid. There, on a bed of white satin was the engagement ring she’d first worn so proudly eight years earlier. A three-quarter-carat diamond in a simple setting of white gold. The prettiest one in their price range.

  So many emotions hit her at once she had trouble finding her voice. “You didn’t give this to Tracey?” she finally asked.

  Mark crushed her to him. He shook his head. “I was afraid you might have assumed that, but, no, sweetheart, never. Not in a million years would I have given your ring to another woman. It hurt so bad when you sent it back to me I almost threw it in Lake Mead, but I couldn’t do that, either. I kept it in a safety deposit box that I opened at the bank in my name only.”

  She pushed free of his hold and turned on the overhead light. “It’s been so long I’ve forgotten what it looks like,” she said, sitting down on the end of her bed.

  As she studied the simple design, a memory flicked to life. The two of them shopping at a jewelry store that claimed to offer the best prices in town. “I don’t want some fabulous rock that I’m afraid to wear to work, Mark. Just something simple and honest and affordable. We’ll buy each other gaudy jewels for our fiftieth anniversary.”

  “We could have it reset,” Mark said. “Styles have probably changed. I wouldn’t know. I’m not exactly—”

  She stopped him. “Mark. I don’t think so.”

  “Why? I know you still love me. I feel it.”

  She couldn’t deny the truth. “I do. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you, although Lord knows I tried.”

  “Is it because of the past?” He dropped to both knees in front of her. “Alex, I was a stupid, frightened kid the first time around. I’ve grown up—not because I wanted to but because I had to. Going through a divorce was a real eye-opener. Tracey and I saw three different marriage counselors. I didn’t learn anything that could save my marriage, but I learned a few things about myself. I know I’m not perfect, but—”

  “It’s not you, Mark. It’s me. I don’t even know for sure if I can have kids. If the cysts come back, I might have to go back on the pill. And if they don’t come back, the scarring might be too bad…” She looked down at the ring. “I’m not the same woman I was the first time you proposed to me.”

  He stood up and pulled her to her feet. “I’m bringing you one child, Alex, and you’re giving me twenty or thirty more at the Dancing Hippo. If that’s all the kids we ever have, then think how blessed our life will have been.”

  “But—”

  “Alex, marry me. Please. I don’t deserve you, but I do love you, and I promise I will never give you any reason to question that love.”

  She looked into his eyes and saw the future. Her first honest-to-goodness Romani vision. Christmases, births, christenings, weddings, graduations, funerals. All the images of life unfolded before her, and always at her side was one man. This man.

  “Yes,” she said, blinking away her tears. “Yes.”

  He let out a soft hoot of joy. “When?”

  “I…I don’t know. Grace has finally decided on May twelfth for her date. And I don’t know what Liz plans to do. She’s such a loner she might just elope, but I suppose I should ask her before we decide—”

  “New Year’s Day,” Mark said with conviction.

  “A week from tomorrow? Are you crazy?”

  “Why not? Your family will all be here. Liz and Paul are only going to be gone a week, right? Nick’s parents are flying in. And, most importantly, you and Braden and I can start making a life together. Why wait?”

  “Do we need to talk about this with Braden?”

  Mark whirled about and picked up the phone. Her mother’s speed-dial number was listed at the top. A few seconds later, his son came on the line.

  “Braden, I just asked Alex to marry us. She wants to know how you feel about that. Do you have something you want to tell her?”

  Alex’s heart was thundering. She hated to put the little boy on the spot like that with all of her family around in the background. She took the receiver. “Braden, honey, it’s okay. You don’t have say anything now. Your dad and I will come back over and we can talk in private.”

  There was a pause, then, in a clear voice, unfettered by hesitation or doubt, she heard him say, “I love you, Alex.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Mark. “I…l-love you, too, Braden.”

  Mark took the phone from her hand and said to his son, “Good job, buddy. All that practicing paid off. I think the answer is yes.”

  A loud cry of rejoicing echoed over the line, followed by a seemingly endless line of family members who wanted to extend their congratulations. Mark handled each one with finesse—and made sure that everyone knew about the wedding that would take place in just seven days. Finally, he told whoever was on the line, “I’m hanging up now. I have to kiss my bride-to-be.”

  And he did.

  Epilogue

  The wedding was simple; the party afterward considerably more involved. First, there’d been the matter of a big enough venue. Kate and Jo had offered to use Romantique, but between cops, firefighters, preschool families and Romani, the list of guests quickly numbered more than the restaurant could hold. Fortunately, Grace had come up with an idea.

  “Remember when I was going to use my trust fund to remodel the dining room at Charles’s casino?” she’d told her family the day after Christmas. “Well, guess what? On a hunch, I contacted Charles’s ex-partners, the Salvatore brothers, and, believe it or not, they went ahead with my idea. Gave the Xanadu a complete makeover. But the contractors fell behind schedule, and they couldn’t open on New Year’s Eve as planned. The work is all done, but the health department hasn’t signed off on the permit so they can’t use the kitchen. Which means we can hold a private party there. We just need to bring our own food.”

  Yep, Grace was definitely back in town, Alex thought as she and Mark greeted their guests at the post-nuptial reception and dance in the hip new restaurant.

  They’d exchanged vows two hours earlier at the Dancing Hippo. Not the most romantic setting, perhaps, but Alex had felt a sense of coming full circle, since this was the house she and Mark had originally planned to buy together.

  Soon, it would be their home—until their family grew. She still hoped to have a baby of her own, but even if that never happened, she was thrilled to be Braden’s mother.

  “Where’s our boy?” she asked the man beside her.

  “With Maya,” Mark said. “Hopefully not picking anyone’s pocket. We had a long talk about what is acceptable conduct and what isn’t—a concept apparently lost on your uncle Claude.”

  Alex laughed. Poor Mark. He’d just married into a family rich with traditions—some less noble than others. But the Romani way of accepting and embracing newcomers was very much alive, she thought, as she watched Lydia and Reezira talking to their dates, two handsome young brothers whom they’d met at school.

  At another table, Jo was sitting beside Rob’s father and his lovely young wife, who was holding their baby girl, Daisy Josephine. Grace’s future in-laws were nearby, along with Nick’s sister and her family, who had flown in to surprise Nick. Nick’s nieces were deep in conversation with Jurek, the man who had, in a way, made this convoluted connection possible.

  Alex shuddered to think what might have happened if her mother hadn’t contacted Jurek for advice when her Gypsy intuition had told her her family was in jeopardy.

  “Alex,” Grace said, rushing up to her. “You’ll never guess what just happened. Walter and Ralph—the two brothers who own the casino—asked if I’d be interested in managing this restaurant for them.”

  Somehow Alex wasn’t surprised. “What did you tell them?”

  “That I might—if they’d consider changing the name of the restaurant to Too Romantique.” She threw back her head and laughed. “Would that not be the weirdest twist of fate you’ve h
eard yet?”

  No, Alex thought. What defied logic was the fact that she and her three sisters had all found love within twelve months of each other. Those kinds of odds would have made the bookies in Vegas dizzy, but when Alex had raised the point with her mother, Yetta had smiled her “Gypsy fortune-teller smile” and had said, “Did I forget to mention that I saw all of your prophecies in one year’s time? I didn’t share these with each of you until you were old enough to understand, but I knew I was going to give birth to four beautiful daughters, and I knew they would find true love.”

  Alex pushed the thought from her mind and responded to her sister’s announcement. “Brilliant idea, Grace. What did they say?”

  Grace’s grin broadened. “They started fighting over who would get to tell Charles, who is still in jail as his lawyers squander the last of his personal wealth on yet another appeal.”

  Grace shivered, as if even mentioning her old nemesis made her uncomfortable. She glanced toward the stage where the DJ had finished setting up and pointed. “Looks like it’s time for the Sisters of the Silver Dollar to do our thing. Where are Liz and Kate?” She shifted on her treacherously high heels to search for the missing members of their foursome.

  “Wait,” Alex protested. “Don’t the bride and groom get the first dan—?”

  Liz walked up to them before Alex could finish asking her question. Her flight had been delayed, and she and Paul had rushed to the casino straight from the airport and changed clothes in the suite Grace’s future employers had provided for the wedding party. Both looked jet-lagged, but exhilarated. As promised, she had hundreds of digital images of their beautiful new baby girl. Carina Abigail, after Paul’s mother.

  “Surely you know by now not to waste your breath arguing with Grace,” she said. “Let’s just get this over with so Paul and I can slink off and crash.”

  Alex had agreed to join the Sisters of the Silver Dollar in one dance, as long as she didn’t have to change into a costume. She loved her wedding dress—a simple white sheath with lace sleeves and inserts in the back and bodice. Just seeing the look on Mark’s face told her she looked as beautiful as she felt.