Petite Madeleine: Drew's Story (Meadows Shore Book 3) (21 page)

“Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hey, yourself,” she said, looping her arms around his neck.

“I love that this place is on my way home. I can meet my girlfriend after work, walk her home, or take her out to dinner to celebrate all her hard work.”

“So what do you think?”

“I think it looks fabulous. You’re going to have lines around the block when you open the doors next week.”

“What time’s our dinner reservation?”

“We have a little while.”

“You know we haven’t christened that counter yet.” She tugged on his tie with a saucy smile.

“You’re a bad influence. Very bad.” He kissed her. “Please don’t stop. Don’t ever stop, but we don’t have that much time tonight,” he murmured between kisses.

“Not even for a quickie?”

He groaned. “No.”

“Too bad.”

“I’ll make it up to you later, but don’t count on a quickie. Wait right here, I need to get something. I’ll be right back.”

He opened the outside door and carried in a large, square package covered in brown paper.

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

She gently untaped the brown wrapping and gasped. “
Oh, my God!
It’s Lola’s scarf. You had it framed.” Her hands were trembling.

“Helena helped me pick out the frame. It didn’t cause any damage to the scarf, so if you don’t like it, we can take it out, and you can tuck it back in your drawer.”

“I love it!” She threw her arms around him, “And I love you.”

“Where will you hang it?”

She carried the frame over to the foyer area. “It would be beautiful right here at the entrance, where guests can admire it while they wait to be seated. It’ll be the first thing they see when they walk in. It’s the perfect spot.”

“I think so too. Come on back into the kitchen. I have another present for you.”

“Another one? This is like Christmas.”

He lifted her onto the counter and placed a small velvet box in her hands. His hands were the ones trembling now, and he rested them on her legs to steady the tremor while he waited for her to open the box.

She stared at it for a long time before looking up at him through thick, dark lashes. He watched her take in a big breath before opening the tiny box. When she lifted the lid, a stunning diamond ring, sitting on a satin cushion, peeked up at her. The stone glimmered against the laurel leaves woven through the platinum band.

“I know it’s not a traditional engagement ring, but I wanted you to have something different from last time, and this just seemed right.” He shrugged. “Laurel wreaths are presented to the victorious. When life gets too hard, when obstacles seem too big, when hope has all but checked out, I want the laurels to remind us of how far we came to find each other again. To remind us that where there’s love, all things are possible. Marry me, Cassie. Let me love you forever.”

Tears were trickling down her cheeks. “That’s so beautiful. This is so beautiful,” she sniffled.

“If you just say yes, I’ll slip it on your finger.”

“Yes.” She cradled his cheek. “I loved you from the very moment we met. There have been times when you’ve been gone from my sight, from my arms, even from my mind, but there has never been a single second, not one, that you’ve been gone from my heart. Yes, I’ll marry you, and love you forever.”

She kissed him and he kissed her back. “Are you sure we don’t have time to make good use of the counter?”

“Normally I’d say yes, so don’t be afraid to ask again. But not tonight, because I’m pretty sure our guests would think it was unsavory. Plus, I don’t want to push my luck too far with your dad. I think he’d be pretty pissed if you were naked on the counter when he walked in, and he’d never believe it was all your idea.”

“Guests? My father?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded, placing a small kiss on her nose.

“We’re having a little potluck to celebrate our engagement. Just family, mine and yours, and Reece, of course, since she’s family too. It’s important to have the people we love around to share our joys and sorrows. So we’re never alone.”

She smiled up at him. “What would you have done if I said I’m not sure, or I need more time to think about it?”

“I would have killed Reece.”

“Reece? Tell me.”

“I talked to her about the possibility of asking you to marry me and then having everyone together to celebrate with us, and she thought it was a great idea. When I hedged, worrying that you might say no, she assured me you would say yes. And then she went off on some tangent about Minnie Mouse and Kermit, and told me to grow a pair.”

Cassie snorted. “Did you say we’re having a potluck?”

“That’s what I said. I planned on using a caterer, and having them prepare Greek and Portuguese food. But apparently the Greek food in Boston isn’t up to snuff.”

“My mother?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Sorry,” she said rolling her eyes and suppressing a giggle.

“Don’t be, my grandmother agreed with her.”

“Your grandmother doesn’t like the Greek food in Boston, either?”

“My grandmother doesn’t like any food that doesn’t come out of her kitchen.”

“So we’re having a Mediterranean feast tonight?”

“A blending of the cultures,” he said, cradling the back of her head while their tongues danced, until car doors began slamming outside the kitchen window. “I think our guests are starting to arrive.”

“We’ll have our own celebration later, after they’ve all gone home.”

* * *

After wiping down all the counters with name-brand glass cleaner, the older women laid out a feast. Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and large chunks of feta,
spanakopita
, codfish balls, skewers of lamb and beef, shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce,
moussaka
,
arroz doce
,
and layers of golden phyllo filled with nuts and drizzled with honey. The leftovers would feed them all for a week.

Cassie was in the kitchen getting some extra silverware when she heard a knock at the back door.
Luke
.
Thank God
. She was sure he wouldn’t bother to come, which would have broken Drew’s heart.

“Hey. I saw you through the window, and figured since I’m family it would be okay to come in through the back door.” Like his brothers, Luke was tall and handsome, with deep blue eyes and that tiny Harrington cleft in his chin that enhanced his strong features, along with a smile that could melt the panties off an ice queen.

Cassie was so happy to see him, she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and give him a big kiss. But things had been so frosty between them that she didn’t dare. “I’m so glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would, but your brothers and your cousins never doubted you’d be here. Drew will be very happy to see you.”

“I’ve been in D.C. for a few days, my flight was delayed, and I needed to make a stop before I came. Nothing could have kept me away from the celebration. Drew’s my brother.”

“Luke…”

“Cassie, let me say what I have to say first, and then you can have a chance.”

Luke looked away for a moment, and then met her eyes. “I love my brother, and it was tough watching him, watching everyone, after my parents died—helpless to make anyone’s pain better. I want him to be happy. That’s all I care about. You make him happy, happier than I’ve ever seen him, and that’s all that really matters. Nothing else.”

“I hope someday we can be friends again,” she said, touching his sleeve. “That you’ll be able to move past the feeling that I’m selfish, that Drew could do better. I love him Luke, with all my heart, and he loves me. But he also loves you, and I know he wants you to be a part of our life, and I want that too.” It was becoming difficult to hold back the tears.

“We’re already friends, Cassie, and soon we’ll officially be family. But I’ve thought about you as family for a long time. And you’re not the one being selfish. As Alexa so articulately pointed out, I was the one being selfish. Don’t let her sweet demeanor fool you, she has quite a way with words.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

* * *

Drew spied them through the glass in the door.
What the hell!
Whatever Luke was saying looked serious, and Cassie was crying.

He pushed open the heavy kitchen door like it was weighed nothing. “Hey.” He glared at his brother. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s fine,” Cassie said softly, reaching for Drew’s hand.

“No, it’s not fine.”

“Let me finish,” Luke said.

“You’re finished.”

“Let—”

“Not tonight buddy, or ever. You have one hell of a nerve coming in here talking a bunch of shit to the woman who’s going to be my wife, and tonight of all nights. You’re damn lucky we have a room full of guests out there.”

“Are you done?”

“No, I’m not done.”

“Well neither am I, and I was here first. So shut up and listen.” Luke turned his attention back to Cassie. “I have an engagement present for you.” He pulled a satin-covered box from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

Everyone’s attention was on the rectangular box. “May I open it?”

Luke nodded. “Please.”

She lifted the lid to find a gold necklace with a daisy-shaped pendant.

“It belonged to…”

“Your mom. She was wearing it the night we all had dinner before they left for their trip. She had on a white sundress dress with yellow ribbons woven through it, and cute little sandals. I wondered how someone so petite and pretty could have given birth to six monsters. And she had on this necklace that matched her dress.” Cassie caressed it with her fingertip. “Your father had it made for her birthday.”

Luke nodded. “I was standing nearby when you complimented her on it. And she said, ‘after I have it to myself for a little while longer, you can borrow it. It’ll be beautiful on you.’ I remember thinking, w
ow
, she must really like Cassie. She must be really special, because otherwise Mom would have never offered to lend her something Dad had given her. Right then, I thought you’d be part of our lives forever. And then they were gone, and you were gone, too… I’m so happy my brother found you again, not just for him, but for all of us.”

“Luke. I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure…”

“That necklace belongs to you.”

“I’m so touched that you’d even think of giving this to me. But are you sure you want me to have it? It was the last birthday present, maybe the last present your dad gave your mom. One of you might have a daughter someday.”

“It doesn’t matter how many daughters we have, it’s yours Cassie. I’m sure.”

She wrapped her arms around Luke and laid her head on his chest. And not more than a second or two passed before another large pair of arms wound around both of them.

“Thank you,” Drew whispered to his brother in a low, husky voice.

* * *

“Tonight was wonderful! Unbelievably, perfectly, stupendously wonderful. Have I thanked you enough?”

“If you thank me any more, baby, you’ll need to call for an ambulance.”

She snuggled into his chest. “I can’t believe you were able to arrange the Skype with my grandparents. You thought of everything.”

“I wish I could take credit for every good idea tonight, but I had lots of help from a posse of women, young and old, who love a good romance. Even Reece surprised me with what a girl she is.”

“I’m going to tell her you said that.”

“I already did, not to her face, of course. Over the phone.”

“I was thinking about the wedding tonight.”

He pulled her in tighter. “Yeah, what were you thinking?”

“Would you be okay with a small, intimate affair? Maybe just family and a few close friends.”

“I would love that. We can have a bigger party sometime after that includes the team, because I’ve gotten pretty close to those guys. But I don’t need a mob scene at the wedding. And we can get married wherever you want.”

“Wherever, really?”

“As long as the location isn’t a ballpark in the Bronx where the players wear pinstripes. Even your gorgeous body and your very talented mouth couldn’t persuade me to do that.”

“What ballpark would that be?”

“That name is never to pass your lips in our bed.” He pinched her behind.

“Ouch, you brute!” she said, swatting his hand, and then erupting into a fit of laughter when he began to tickle her.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

“I kind of do. Having everyone together made me wonder… How would you feel about getting married in Greece, where my grandparents live?”

“
Hmm, Greece
. I think it has real possibilities. As long as we’re careful about the timing, everyone should be able to get there. Jake’s schedule is probably the least flexible, especially during the fall. But we wouldn’t want to get married then anyway, because I expect my boys will still be playing when the leaves begin to turn. We might have fallen a bit short this year, but next year, I have a feeling the Commissioner’s Trophy is coming to our clubhouse.”