Updrift (9 page)

On the last night, John treated them to dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from the hotel. She and her mother both wore new outfits they’d purchased at a ridiculously expensive boutique earlier that day; Kate wasn’t able to consider the cost of what she wore without remorse but delighted in the results the clothes gave both her and her mother. John was dashing in a suit and tie. She and her mom held hands on the way, giggling at Kate’s assessment, “I feel like we’re living someone else’s charmed life.”

The meal itself was incomparable, each bite pure bliss. After four exquisite courses, the three of them rested before dessert, and John ordered a bottle of champagne for the table. When it was served, they snuck a little into an empty water glass for Kate so they could all toast.

John raised his glass first. “To the two most beautiful women I know.”

“To good health and good fortune for my loved ones.” Cara raised her own glass.

Kate hesitated to find the right words. “To being a family.” Her mother’s eyes teared as they all sipped their champagne.

John rose from his chair and reached into his jacket pockets, drawing out two small boxes. He came around the side of the table, knelt between her and her mother, and cleared his throat ceremoniously. “I have something for each of you.” He handed Kate one of the boxes. “Kate, you should go first.”

She opened it carefully. Inside was an engraved locket with the initials
CLB
. She guessed at the meaning of the first two initials. “Catherine Lucille…?”

“This is a bit of a risk, I know, but I very much want us to be a family in every way, Kate. The
B
stands for Blake.” John swallowed. “I’d like to formally adopt you. It’s a symbolic effort, of course, where we would all have the same last name, but there are some practical considerations too, concerning benefits and estate planning and things like that. It will be easier for me if you’re legally my daughter.

“But if you are at all uncomfortable or feel it would be disrespectful to George, I’ll understand.” His voice softened. “I’ll always think of you as a daughter, though. There’s not much you can do about that.”

Her mother clasped John’s hand to her cheek, closing her eyes. Kate was too moved to speak at first. She eventually realized Cara and John both waited for her to say something and she hurried to keep them from further suspense. Her voice was strained with emotion when she answered.

“I feel so special. This is such a wonderful thing for you to do, John. It would never have occurred to me, an adoption, but now that you’ve asked, I can’t think of anything better. I’d love for us to be a family in all ways.”

“Whew!” John laughed. “I’m so glad! Thank you for accepting this. Me, my offer, for making everything good even better.” John knelt by her mom. “This one’s for you, Cara.”

Her mother stared tearfully in his eyes for several seconds before opening her box, which held an anniversary ring set in platinum, along with a platinum band. “We’ve been talking about it for weeks now but I should have had a ring right away…” John’s voice was low, his expression intense and kind as he watched her.

Cara wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him, and offered a brilliant smile when she drew back. “You did this perfectly, John. Thank you. Thank you, so much.”

According to the RSVP count, the Wilkes house would be bursting at the seams with relatives for Luke and Solange’s wedding. Oddly, but in keeping with what Kate saw as covert-as-usual, Blake-like behavior, she watched Carmen decline hospitality to any guests from Solange’s side despite Alicia’s respectful inquiry. Kate, Alicia, and Carmen were working in the library garden when Alicia first approached the subject. She was as surprised as Alicia was by Carmen’s refusal.

“I’m sorry, Alicia. We’d love to help, really, but we’re getting a whole entourage, about twenty people coming, and they’re basically taking over the house. I’m honestly trying to figure out where my little family is going to sleep.” Carmen closed her eyes as if she regretted either the situation or that she’d revealed any details surrounding it. Kate tried to imagine what kind of guests would come into someone’s home and displace the family. And she wondered why Carmen and Michael would ever agree to such an arrangement but she didn’t have the courage to delve.

Alicia responded graciously. “Not to worry. We’ll figure it out.” Carmen and Michael continued to apologize thereafter but neither explained why a group of strangers had the ability to occupy their very large house to the exclusion of close, long-time friends.

When Cara drove her to the Blakes’ two days before the wedding, Kate’s confusion became complete. Black-suited men and women, wearing security gear and headsets, toured the property and inspected the house for unknown reasons, eying everyone who approached with suspicion.

One of them stepped in front of her and her mother before they reached the steps to the porch. “Are you friends of the Blakes?”

“We are,” Cara replied irritably. “Who are you?”

“Security, ma’am. I’ll escort you in.”

“Um, Carmen? Why do you have security guards crawling all over your house?” Kate asked as Carmen led them inside.

“Don’t be silly. They’re exterminators. We’re having a problem with termites.” She addressed her mother. “And you didn’t need to make a special trip
with Kate
today. I could have sent John’s tux over.”

Cara sniffed. “We were in the area. Let this be a lesson to you, Kate. Never put off yard work or you’ll get termites nesting under your house. And then you’ll get rodents after that, of course.”

Carmen squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Such good advice. I could come up with some advice of my own for your mother.” She handed Cara a garment bag and propelled them toward the front door. “See you Saturday,” she said sourly.

As they left with John’s tux, Kate remarked none of the vehicles—luxury, black, mostly sedans—parked around the house sported exterminator signage, or any other kind of signage, for that matter. “They’re very high-end exterminators,” Cara explained, quickly changing the subject to what she called the
daily dinner dilemma
.

The wedding day began in a frenzy because the female half of the wedding party overslept. The families also had relatives in town from hither and yon who needed to be shuttled about or entertained; several from the Wilkes side stayed at Kate’s house, meaning Kate had spent the night at Maya’s to free up her bedroom. She’d stayed up late talking with the Wilkes girls too, so they all awoke groggy.

“We don’t need to be awake to be groomed, do we?” Kate inquired hopefully. Maya shoved her away and told her to hop to.

To add to Kate’s nerves and excitement over the event, she learned the night of the rehearsal dinner she and Gabe were paired for the processional. They flashed each other huge grins when they heard this news. Gabe leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m so relieved! I thought they were going to send me down with Kathleen and a barf bag.”

Kate knew Kathleen as one of the women from the now-infamous Blake party and an early participant in the marriage mania that ensued. She’d married one of the Blake cousins in a civil ceremony in July, was admittedly pregnant, and struggled with violent fits of nausea. Solange had already told her to sit out if she didn’t feel up for the whole bridesmaid thing, practically begging her not to vomit during her wedding. But Kathleen insisted she could make it through. Kate doubted it.

Breakfast alleviated the last of Kate’s sleepiness, with eye-popping portions too big to fit on the large plate Jeremy handed her through the door. Kate ogled the pie-size blueberry muffin, precariously balanced on too many scrambled eggs before complaining. “Holy cats. This is more than I can eat in one whole day. Are they expecting us to fell timber before the ceremony?”

Maya broke off part of the muffin before shuffling into her closet. “It’s a tradition at weddings among the guys in our family, which is actually kinda helpful with this many people to feed.” She inclined her head toward the stairs. “They have a great time trying to outdo each other. Listen.” Kate heard the men’s loud, raucous voices and booming laughs coming from the kitchen.

“Good for them. As long as they don’t expect me to actually eat all this.”

She spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at the salon getting herself and everyone into their dresses and then at the church for photographs. The bride and groom had opted to wait for joint photos after the ceremony but photos with just Solange and her bridesmaids were taken early. One picture, which Kate came to treasure, was of just her and Maya, cheek to cheek with their arms around each other, both smiling hugely.

When the bridesmaids and groomsmen gathered at the back of the church, Kate stood beside Gabe at their spot in the line-up. “You look really handsome,” she told him shyly. And he really did, his tuxedo accentuating his lean, athletic form, his wavy hair shining and perfect. He started to comment but just then, several of Carmen’s
exterminators
appeared, quietly demanding they step aside for a few final guests to be seated. Without waiting for a response, they presented their backs to the wedding party, providing the newcomers with a guarded aisle into the church.

Kate was astonished. Who would dare come in this fashion, seconds before the wedding march began and comfortable making the bridal party wait while they found their pew? Gabe placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her from the doorway. At Gabe’s touch, Kate felt a familiar contentment overtake her and instead of considering the etiquette of the situation, thought instead on the pleasure of Gabe’s nearness.

Her enjoyment stalled when a regal couple and their entourage appeared inside the church doors. They were very nearly a wedding party themselves, complete with a gown, tuxedo, and attendants of their own. Kate’s gaze darted to Solange, expecting her to take offense but her expression reflected nothing but welcome. She could almost hear a gracious greeting as Solange nodded toward the latecomers.

She let out a small, bewildered huff, which brought the head of the male half of the couple around sharply in her direction. She was momentarily stunned by the man’s sudden, intense focus on her, a sensation that deepened as his attention persisted. She didn’t think to worry or turn away, and her regard back at him was open, curious. She was dimly aware of a harsh intake of breath from Gabe behind her. She ignored it and allowed herself to be absorbed in the stare of the man facing her.

Within seconds, the periphery of her vision softened, darkened, and then imploded until she saw only the eyes of the gentleman drinking her in. She was aware of his clinical, meticulous perusal of her and very briefly felt his intense curiosity, but unlike any other interaction she’d ever had, she intuited nothing from him. Not warmth, anger, happiness, or feeling of any kind. Odd.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the episode was over and the man pivoted toward the sanctuary, the gowned woman on his arm. His face was blandly serene, betraying nothing of the scorching evaluation to which he had just subjected her.

Kate felt like she was coming out of a trance, her first conscious sensation that of Gabe standing by her, watchful. He grasped her forearms and searched her eyes.
Are you all right
? His expression was wary.

Did he say that out loud? He must have. “I’m fine. I think.” She summoned enough energy to hide her confusion. “Who are they?”

“Sort of…well, diplomats. Peter and Kenna Loughlin.”

“Royalty?” she guessed.

Gabe was astonished. “Yes. Yes, in fact.”

“That was his wife?” she pressed.

“His mother,” he clarified. He focused on her intensely then, the effect calming, although, since she did not lose herself this time, it was a weak reflection of the experience she’d just had. And of course, instead of the nothingness she’d felt from Peter Loughlin, she was flooded with a sense of Gabe. Then, as he held both of her hands in his, her curiosity evaporated as she felt the righting of her reality. Here was Gabe, boyish and charming and warm, just as he’d always been; and they were there to stand up for Luke and Solange at their wedding. She smiled at him.

He smiled back. “We’re on.” He tucked Kate’s hand in the crook of his arm, holding it there with his other hand. “Keep breathing,” he reminded her, “and don’t lock your knees, okay?”

“I’m all over it,” she promised. They started down the aisle.

When they were stationed at the altar, everyone’s attention returned fully to the wedding at hand. Solange appeared at the back of the church with Jeremy, her hair an intricate masterpiece of braids, her dress perfectly hugging her graceful figure, her face radiant with joy. Luke’s eyes blazed with emotion as she proceeded. Once at the front, bride and groom seemed to forget about the crowd gathered around them, their eyes only on each other, small smiles playing at the corners of their mouths.

As Kate watched them, she felt their shared feelings of insulation; how they weren’t listening to the words the pastor spoke over them. How sweet she found them, and how surprising they could make such a public moment private. Once, during the vows, she scanned the pews to find the two who had made their disturbing, last-minute entrance. Peter’s gaze burned at her for a fraction of a second before fading into inexpressiveness, so quickly she wasn’t sure he’d been watching her. She shifted her attention back to Luke and Solange, resolved to keep her focus where it should be from then on.

When the ceremony was finished, everyone transitioned to the reception hall for the dinner and dance. After the first dance featuring the wedding couple, and the second dance featuring the parents, the wedding party took the floor.

Other than the two occasions Kate had now walked with her arm in Gabe’s, this dance was the only traditional couple-like activity she’d done with him. She noticed the strength in his hands and shoulders, and how the air between them radiated with warmth. He’d grown so tall, she had to tilt her head up to see his face. He smiled down at her, and she felt dizzy.