Victorious(73)

I told Addie to tell Nat’s makeup artist to use only waterproof mascara. I’m glad now we thought of that.

The girls are still carrying on when Leah and Aileen appear in the doorway.

“Is this a private party, or can anyone join the fun?” Leah asks.

Natalie lets out another scream and launches herself at her friends, who wrap her up in hugs. “Oh my God! I’m surrounded by liars!”

“It was so hard,” Aileen says. “We all felt terrible telling you we couldn’t come.”

I’m pleased to see her looking a thousand times better than she did the last time we saw her. My father’s doctor friend set her up with the top breast cancer doctor in New York, and he has made some changes to her treatment that have her feeling much better. She and Leah are also dressed in the red gowns the four of them chose to wear as Natalie’s attendants.

Natalie turns to me, shaking her head. “And you… You did this.”

I go to her, put my arm around her and kiss her forehead. “You couldn’t get married—again—without your people here.”

“Thank you so much.” She looks up at me with those eyes that have held me in their thrall from the first time I ever saw them. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, my love.” I release her to hug my sisters-in-law, who are pretending not to stare at me. “I’m Flynn. So nice to finally meet you both.”

“Doncha love how he says that?” Leah asks with a giddy grin. “‘I’m Flynn.’ Like the whole freaking world doesn’t already know that.”

“He’s got manners, Leah,” my wife says dryly. “You might want to get some.”

“Manners are so overrated.”

Laughing, I hug her and then Aileen. “Did you have a good trip?”

“The private plane totally sucked,” Leah says. “We all hated it.”

“I worried that you might.” She cracks me up. To Aileen, I say, “Where are the kids?”

“Oh my God,” Nat says. “Logan and Maddie are here, too?”

“Yep.” Aileen glances over her shoulder. “They’re downstairs with your nephews, raising hell out by the pool. I just hope they don’t fall in.”

“Is Ian with them?” I ask of my eldest nephew.

“He’s the one who looks like you, right?”

“So I’m told. He’ll keep an eye on things. My dad says he was born a thirty-year-old.”

Speaking of the devil, my dad appears at the door carrying a huge box of flowers for the girls, red for the attendants and white for Nat. Mom has truly thought of everything.

“We’re ready whenever you are, kids.”

Natalie clears her throat. “Max… I wondered if you might be willing…” She takes a deep breath, seeming to fortify herself. “I could use an escort downstairs.”

“It would be my honor, honey,” he says softly.

Okay, I’m done. You can stick a fork right in me. She’s so f*cking sweet, and she just totally unmanned my dad and me with one adorably hesitant request.

I hold out my hand, palm up. “I need to borrow your ring, Mrs. G, so we can do this all over again.”

She’s as hesitant about removing her wedding ring from her finger as I am about removing mine.

“Just for a short time, and then they’ll never come off again,” I whisper to her as I kiss her. “See you downstairs?”

“I’ll be there.”

“You’d better be.”

As I go down the stairs in the home where I grew up and head out to the yard where my wife and I will exchange our vows in front of our family and friends, everything is right in my world.





I can’t believe he flew in the girls, although I probably should’ve expected something like this. He thinks of everything. I have to give them credit—they were all very convincing telling me they couldn’t come and sounding appropriately heartbroken to miss out on a chance to attend a big Hollywood party.

“Are you mad that we lied?” Livvy asks in a small voice that tugs at my heart.

I hug her again because I can. “I’m thrilled that you lied and gave me the best surprise of my life. I was so sad that you couldn’t be here, but I didn’t want to admit it even to myself.”

“It was all Flynn’s idea,” Leah says. “He thought it would be fun to surprise you, and it was! You should’ve seen your face when we walked in here.”

“I thought I was seeing things.”

A yip from the hallway has me running to the door again, where I see Addie leading Fluff on a leash. I bend to scoop up my baby, who runs to me when she sees me. “What’s she doing here?” She’s wearing a special new red collar and a red bow on the top of her head. I can’t believe she allowed that.

“Flynn made sure the security guys brought her over. He knew you’d want her here.”

“After he told me she’d be happier at home. He’s too much. Thank you, Addie, for anything and everything you did to make this day so special for us.”

She hugs me. “My pleasure. Ladies, let’s get you downstairs.” Addie lines up the girls so Leah and Aileen go first, followed by my sisters.