Lily, to Laura’s dismay, had seemed completely at ease with this.
Her dress remarkably had survived the wrestling match although, to Laura’s despair, her bracelet had been ripped off and her hair was in complete disarray.
Danielle had come out the worse for wear, however.
Alistair and Jeffrey had managed to pull Maxine out of the fray but it took both of them to control her as she tried to dive back in, all the while shouting encouragement to Lily who was in what appeared to be a struggle to the death with Danielle on the floor.
In the final moments of the battle, Mrs. Gunderson decided she’d had enough of sitting on the back of the couch and watching with feigned cat disinterest. She threw herself, hissing and claws bared, into action and scratched Danielle’s arms and legs viciously but, surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, the cat didn’t touch Lily.
As they were sitting in the police station waiting for their chance to use the phones, Lily had smiled at Laura and said, “Don’t worry, as soon as I can I’ll call Nate and he’ll get this all sorted out.”
This, Laura had to admit, did make her feel a little bit better. However it didn’t change the fact that Laura’s two rotten, horrible children had again spoiled things for Nathaniel and Lily and it was Laura’s fault because she had wanted to hear what they had to say hoping, stupidly, that it was going to be an apology.
Lily wasn’t wrong about Nate.
Ten minutes after Lily phoned Nate, an official-looking person came to them looking embarrassed and casting accusing glances at the officers who had arrived at Lily’s home and taken them away without regard to the celebratory circumstances, then didn’t offer them a bathroom or the use of the phone for what seemed like ages.
Upon arrival, the officer smiled consolingly at Lily.
“Ms. Jacobs, I’ve had a call,” he explained. “Please accept my deepest apologies. Your fiancé is on his way. In the meantime, let’s get you some tea and a place to tidy up.”
“Well!” Maxine stated grandly, standing and shaking out her flowing, lavender caftan that was liberally sprinkled with sequins around the collar and hem. Maxine’s outfit hadn’t fared so well in the struggle, there was a big rip rent from knee to hem. “He offers tea. I never,” she snapped.
“Could I please have some first aid?” Danielle asked snottily from her place down the hall, luckily far down the hall from where Lily, Laura and Maxine were sitting.
“And you would be?” the policeman asked.
“I’m Danielle Roberts,” Danielle stated as if she was saying, “I am Queen of the Universe”.
Laura closed her eyes in despair then opened them to see the man’s back straightening.
“We’ll get to you in a minute,” he said dismissively and somewhat threateningly. Laura noted Danielle’s face registering deep affront but she tore her gaze away from her birth daughter and watched as the officer turned back to Lily and offered her his arm. In a tone that was nearly reverential, he said, “Ms. Jacobs.” He also nodded to Maxine and Laura and they knew they were to follow.
Lily took his arm and they walked away, passed an outwardly fuming Danielle, a surprisingly silent and guilt stricken looking Jeffrey and the glaring, pacing, unrepentant Alistair.
Laura tried very hard to ignore her children but Danielle was scratched and bleeding though she knew it wasn’t that bad, Laura was still a mother and she couldn’t help herself. Even though she vowed never to care, never even to think about her two children again, she opened her mouth to speak but Lily beat her to it.
In a whisper, Lily leaned into the policeman and suggested, “Maybe, before our tea, you could see to her scratches?”
At Lily’s kind words, Laura reached out and caught Maxine’s hand and felt Maxine’s close around her own and squeeze with assurance.
Then Laura bit her lip.
Yes, she thought, yes, my dearest Lily, you are perfect for my Nathaniel.
Now they were sitting in an untidy but not unsavoury office. They had tea and package biscuits although someone had run out and bought Lily a skinny latte, such was Nathaniel’s power, Laura was proud to note. Laura and Maxine had done their best to get Lily’s hair back to its former loveliness. It looked fine but not nearly as fine as Susan’s handiwork. And they waited for Nathaniel to arrive.
Laura felt her heart ache as she struggled to find the words yet again to apologise to Lily that her children ruined everything. She closed her eyes tight, feeling the tears clogging her throat as she sat in a police station, of all places, with Lily on her wedding day, of all days, when Laura heard a giggle.
Her eyes flew open and locked on Lily who was giggling harder, louder, her body beginning to shake with it.
“I can’t,” Lily breathed and then let out an unladylike snort of laughter. She tried for control and started again, “I can’t believe I wrestled on the floor of my sitting room in my wedding dress.” Then she threw herself bodily against the back of the chair and rocked with her laughter.
Maxine was laughing too, softly, as she got up and divested Lily of her latte. Lily’s dress had made it this far, even if they had to wait another month, or, Laura hoped not, two for an alternate date at the Registry Office, Lily could wear the dress again and she didn’t need coffee stains on it.
“I had my money on you,” Maxine said through her strengthening laughter. “You had her hair so tightly fisted, I thought you were going to yank it…” she stopped and gulped down laughter, her eyes swinging horrified to Laura, “Laura, I’m so sorry. She’s your daugh –”
“She’s nothing to me,” Laura declared firmly and both Lily and Maxine’s laughter died abruptly.
“Laura,” Lily said softly and she prepared to stand.
Laura brought her hand up.
“No.” Lily’s movement arrested at Laura’s word.
“But she’s –” Lily started.
Laura pinned Lily to the spot with her gaze and Lily’s mouth snapped shut. “No, she isn’t. I have a daughter, yes, I still have a daughter. And she’s sitting with me in this very room.”
“Laura,” Lily breathed and surged out of her chair. Laura rose as well and they found themselves in each other’s arms and both hugged tight.
“Mr. McAllister,” they heard in respectful voice coming from behind the closed door, “I can assure you…”
The door flew open and Nathaniel stood there, his tall body tense, his eyes sweeping the room then they stopped on Laura and Lily.
“That’ll do.” Nathaniel’s deep voice rang with authority, his gaze still on Lily and Laura but he was speaking to the police officer at his side.
“What I was saying is, I can assure –” the police officer began but stopped when Nate’s angry eyes cut to him. “Of course,” the officer went on, “I’ll, erm, leave you to it.” Then the officer backed out of the room.
Everyone stayed still and silent, the women staring at Nathaniel, Nathaniel staring at Lily.
Finally Lily broke free, ran to him and threw her arms around him. His arms closed around Lily and, as she pressed her cheek against his chest, he rested his on top of her head.
“It’s okay,” Lily whispered her assurance, “it’s okay, we’ll wait. We’ve waited this long. We’ll just go have a party and then we’ll have another one when we –”
Nathaniel lifted his head and looked down at his bride. “We’re getting married today,” he declared, his voice implacable.
“But I thought –” Lily started, her head tilted back to look at her fiancé.
“Victor’s dealing with it,” Nathaniel cut her off and his eyes moved to Laura. “Mother, the limousine is waiting to take you and Maxine to the Registry Office.”
The room stilled yet again and Laura felt a tightening around her heart and a tremble move through her body.
“Wha… what did you just say?” she whispered as she felt her heart travel to her throat.
Nate’s carefully controlled face grew soft as he looked at Laura.
“Please take our friend to the Registry Office,” he said quietly, then finished, “Mother.”
Laura stood rock solid at hearing her son call her “mother” for the second time in his life.
Then, shakily, her heart finally righting itself and feeling strangely, beautifully, buoyant, she nodded.
“I’ll take Lily,” he went on.
“Of course,” Laura replied quietly.
Maxine was standing and watching, fanning her face with her hand and swallowing convulsively to stop the tears.
Lily didn’t even try. She pressed her cheek against Nathaniel’s chest and stared at Laura, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Lily, careful,” Maxine said, “you’ll ruin your makeup.”
“I’ll fix it in the car,” Lily assured her then she smiled. “Go,” she ordered gently.
On trembling legs Laura walked towards the door but as she would pass her son and his fiancée, Nathaniel’s hand came out to stop her. She looked up to him and he bent to kiss her cheek. When he straightened, she bit her lip, nodding as she touched his shoulder. Then Maxine’s hand slid through her arm and Maxine guided her through the door.
Lily and Nathaniel followed.
Jeffrey and Danielle were still sitting in the hall, Alistair had disappeared. Laura was pleased to note (she was, still, a mother), Danielle’s arms were covered in plasters.
“Nate!” Danielle jumped up out of her chair and Jeffrey followed her, grabbing on to his sister to hold her back. “Listen to me, you must –”
First Laura and Maxine then Nathaniel and Lily walked right by the two without a word.
As usual, Nathaniel showed no reaction to seeing his ne’er-do-well siblings. It took a mammoth effort of will for Laura to glide by she hoped serenely. She was helped by Maxine squeezing her arm and moving closer to her body in a show of support.
Then they were out the door and Laura realised she was holding her breath. She let it go in a whoosh.
Nathaniel saw them both safely into the waiting limousine and closed the door firmly behind them.
As the limousine smoothly slid away, Laura and Maxine watched out the window as Nathaniel walked Lily to his Aston Martin.
“Can I just say,” Maxine started, still looking out the window, “he’s the bomb.”
For the first time in hours Laura felt mirth burble up inside her chest and then she burst out laughing.
* * * * *
Nate
Nate was trying very hard not to lose his temper while he drove fast, but not too fast, to what he hoped would still be his wedding. He didn’t want them to crash in a ball of fiery flame in one last trial and tribulation to test their love before Lily’s wish was finally, solidly, irreversibly granted.
Lily was sitting beside him in the Aston Martin leaning towards the opened mirror on the sun visor, calmly applying mascara and babbling.
“Then, Mrs. Gunderson jumped in, hissing and very, very angry and –”
“Lily,” Nate cut into her rambling story, a story that for some reason Lily found hilarious but Nate most definitely did not.
“What?” Lily asked, screwing the top back on her mascara.
“I don’t find this amusing,” Nate told her.
“Well, of course not, you weren’t there. You had to see it to believe it,” she explained on a giggle, underlining her words with verve as she had been doing for the last half an hour. “I was wrestling on the floor in my wedding dress,” she reiterated a snippet of her infuriating story that she’d already told him, one of the many snippets Nate found he detested most of all.
“Even if I’d seen it, I wouldn’t find it amusing,” Nate replied.
“Well, I do,” she stated firmly and then she went on, saying words that shocked Nate even though he couldn’t imagine ever feeling shock again, he felt it at her words, “Nate, I don’t care what it says about me and I hope you don’t think less of me but here it is, I’m glad. I would have paid for that opportunity. I told you what she said, what they said, her and Jeffrey, about you and also about Victor. And then she slapped Laura. I was itching to get at her, slapping her mother! I just could not believe. What a bitch!”
That snippet of the story, Danielle slapping Laura, was the one he detested most of all. He was pleased he’d not known that part when he’d been at the police station or, he had little doubt, he’d be the one in jail likely locked in a cell after committing double homicide.
“Do you think less of me?” Lily asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts.
“No,” Nate answered honestly.
“You’re sure?” she pressed.
“Absolutely.”
Silence, then in a bare whisper, she said, “I think I may have torn out some of her hair and I have to admit, I kind of feel badly about that.”
Finally, Nate laughed and after a few seconds, Lily joined him.
It took a moment but it registered on Nate that this was the first time they’d shared laughter. They’d shared many moments of amusement, smiles, grins, he’d made her laugh, she’d (far more often) made him laugh but never had they shared a moment like this.
And now he had a life before him that would be filled with these moments.
His laughter naturally died and once it did, he found her hand and brought it to his lips. He brushed them against her knuckles and then dropped their joined hands to his thigh but he didn’t let hers go.
“Do you think Victor arranged for a new time?” Lily asked, Nate glanced her way and saw that surprisingly she was relaxed, happy and not at all affected by her tumultuous day.
“Yes,” he replied, returning his eyes to the road.
“Well, if he hasn’t, please don’t be disappointed. We’ll reschedule and –”
“He’s done it,” Nate said firmly.
“If he hasn’t, then –”
“He has.”
“If he hasn’t –”
“Darling, he has,” Nate said in a tone that was unmistakably final.
“Okay,” she muttered then rebelliously, under her breath, she said, “but, if he hasn’t, I don’t care. I have you now, married or not, it doesn’t matter to me, just as long as I have you.”
He felt that becoming-familiar feeling of happiness surge through his chest, his hand squeezed hers but reluctantly he let it go so he could downshift and stop at a traffic light in Bath.
“So,” Lily changed the subject, “where are we going on our honeymoon?”
“It’s a surprise,” Nate replied, the traffic light changed and he moved forward, closing in on the Registry Office hopefully to find that Victor had succeeded in his task.
“Does it have a beach?” she asked.
“No,” he answered, deftly executing a turn in the heavy traffic.
“Does it have mountains?” Lily tried again.
“No,” he responded, feeling his lips twitch at her sweet interrogation.
“Is it in a foreign country?”
“Yes,” he told her.
“Italy?” she queried, hope in her voice.
“No.”
“France?” Lily went on doggedly.
“No.”
She seemed stymied as Nate pulled up outside the Registry Office. He parked on the double yellow lines and the Aston would stay there. They could ticket him, he didn’t care, he had millions of pounds. He’d happily pay a parking ticket or a hundred of them to shave off ten minutes of waiting to be married to Lily.
He got out and was rounding the car when she alighted from the other side.
“Please wait for me to open your door, Lily,” he requested softly when he made it to her.
“Switzerland?” she ignored his request and kept at her former topic and Nate threw back his head and laughed.
He brushed his lips against hers and escorted her to the pavement, saying a firm, “No.”
“Where are we going then?” She lost her patience and her eyes flashed but with happy frustration rather than true anger.
“I’m n
ot telling you.”
She dug in her heels at the bottom of the steps to the entry. Victor and Fazire filled it as Lily looked up at Nate.
“I never said I wanted it to be a surprise Nate,” Lily stated then threatened, “I’m not going in there until you tell me.”
Without hesitation, for Nate no longer cared if it was a surprise or not if it meant he’d have to wait any longer to get married, he finally relented and told her, “Indiana.”
Lily’s head moved involuntarily and she blinked.
“You’re taking me to Indiana for our honeymoon?”
Nate slid his arm around her waist and pulled her toward his body. When he felt her softness hit him, he bent his head to hers and, their faces a breath away, he said, “I want you to see this property I purchased. It cost a fortune. The people living there didn’t feel like moving. In the end, I persuaded them. It’s a limestone farmhouse with marble window sills and a big pond in the front yard.”
Lily sucked in her breath and her eyes grew wide. Then he watched as they filled with tears and she leaned into him. Her hand went to his cheek, she whispered his name and he felt all the love in the world wash over him in that quiet whisper.
At his name on her lips said in that tone, Nate’s head descended the rest of the way and he kissed her through her tears.
“Lily!” Maxine yelled from somewhere near but Nate didn’t care where. “You’ll ruin your makeup!”
* * * * *
Fazire
“Nate, it doesn’t matter.” Lily said comfortingly to Nathaniel.
“It matters,” Nathaniel said curtly to Lily.
Fazire looked on.
“There’s nothing we can do. We have a full schedule,” the Registry Office person said, wringing her hands.
“Son, I tried,” Victor cut in and Fazire saw he looked completely dejected. Fazire knew the proud man had tried, he’d watched him. Victor had tried everything. He tried coaxing, he tried threatening, he tried bribing, and nothing worked.
“She was accosted in her living room and mistakenly carted away by the police!” Maxine shouted dramatically. “Surely you can make an exception for that.”