Twenty Wishes (Blossom Street #5)(99)

“I wrote that I wanted to be loved by an honorable man.”

“You are loved, my Lillie. By me.”

“I love you back.”

His hold on her tightened briefly. “Manuel still has doubts that it’ll work out between you and me.”

“At least he’s agreed not to interfere.”

Hector nodded. “He said he’d be willing to wait and see—after he told me there’s no fool like an old fool.”

“Shall we be foolish together?”

Hector laughed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Lillie lifted her head. “Are we a pair of fools, Hector?”

“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be foolish with than you, my Lillie.”

“Me, neither.”

With their eyes closed, they continued dancing until the music ended. When the last note faded, they reluctantly broke apart in order to applaud politely. To Lillie’s astonishment, the entire Silva family had formed a circle around them and started to clap.

Lillie blushed profusely and Hector laughed.

It was a relief when the musicians began again. This time, his family joined them on the dance floor. The mariachi music was lively, punctuated by slow, plaintive songs. Hector and Lillie danced every dance and stayed until the restaurant was ready to close.

Hector drove them back to the dealership, where Lillie had left her car. There, in the shadows, he kissed her. Lillie slipped her arms around him and leaned into his embrace, letting her actions tell him of all the love in her heart.

“How did you know I’d come to the party?” she asked.

“I prayed you would.”

“And if I hadn’t?”

“Then I would have come to you. Most men don’t find a love this good, this pure, once in a lifetime—let alone twice. I wasn’t letting you go, Lillie, not without a fight.”

“But you already had,” she reminded him.

“No,” he said swiftly. “I needed time to regroup and to reason with my son. You were always with me, always in my heart.” He took her hand and pressed her palm against his chest. “You inspired me, my Lillie.”

“I did?”

“Yes. I have my own list of Twenty Wishes now.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes.” He paused to kiss her again. “And every one of those wishes is about you.”

Chapter 34

The small chapel adjacent to the Free Methodist Church off Blossom Street reverberated with the traditional wedding march as Brandon Roche escorted his sister down the center aisle.

Standing in a pew at the front of the chapel, with Ellen at her side, Anne Marie felt her heart swell with joy. When Melissa walked past her, she turned to look at Anne Marie and mouthed the words “Thank you.”

Robert would’ve been so proud of them, she thought, not for the first time. So proud and so delighted by the change in their relationship. For all the pain his betrayal with Rebecca had caused, it had a positive—if inadvertent—effect. It had brought Anne Marie and Melissa together.

Anne Marie gazed after her stepdaughter. The wedding was small, with only a maid of honor and best man. As promised, Ellen would serve wedding cake at the reception, a role to which she attached great importance.

Melissa looked lovely in her pale pink floor-length dress. A halo of flowers adorned her head, with flowing white ribbons cascading down her back, and she carried a small bouquet of white roses. The pregnancy was just starting to show.

Anne Marie’s one disappointment was Pamela. It would’ve meant so much to Melissa if her mother had relented enough to attend her wedding. Unfortunately, she remained upset and angry, and Anne Marie couldn’t help thinking she should have put her daughter’s needs ahead of her own feelings. But then, Pamela hadn’t come to Robert’s funeral, either, although her children could have used her support. Anne Marie hoped they’d eventually be able to resolve their differences.

With the maid of honor and the best man, both close friends, standing beside them, Melissa and Michael approached the young minister. Jordan Turner, Alix’s husband, would be performing the ceremony. He’d agreed as long as Melissa and Michael were willing to participate in marriage counseling classes. Even with all the busyness of college graduation, the couple had gone to every session, which boded well for their marriage, Anne Marie thought.

When the ceremony began, Ellen leaned forward, absorbing every word. This was her first wedding and she didn’t want to miss a single detail. Anne Marie had enjoyed watching Ellen line up her dolls and stuffed animals the night before and then carefully choose two—a Barbie and a panda—to march down the makeshift aisle. Later, Anne Marie had found her at the kitchen table writing furiously in a tablet.

“What are you doing?” she’d asked.

“I’m putting a new wish on my list,” Ellen explained. “I’m going to have a big wedding with lots of people and a dress with lace and pearls and a long veil.”

“What about your husband?”

Ellen chewed on the end of her pencil. “He’ll be handsome.”

“Is that important?”

The eight-year-old considered her response carefully. “I want to marry a man who’s handsome on the inside, too,” she’d said.

“And if he’s good-looking on the outside, that would be a bonus, right?”