Page 67 of Finding Love in the Clouds

Glaring at him, Sophie swatted his arm. “We’ll talk about that little stunt later. Go have fun. Thirty minutes, and I’m pulling the plug on all this fun. I’m hungry.”

After changing into her shoes Sophie sat on a bench and laughed at the antics of her men. Fernando did so well with Javier, and it was clear her little boy already worshiped the ground his new daddy walked on.

They spent the afternoon playing games with her parents in the large suite they had been provided at Harrington House before everyone dressed for dinner. Her parents once more declined, saying they were perfectly happy where they were but that the youngsters should go have fun. They offered to keep Javier with them, but he decided to venture into the children’s party to see if any of his friends from the pond were there. Sure enough, an adorable little blond with a stellar personality ran up to him and immediately pulled him into the gathering. Javier was so excited he forgot to say goodbye to his mother.

Fernando and Sophie decided to arrive fashionably late and leave a little early to avoid making things awkward for their hosts in case anyone felt obligated to entertain the outsiders. The reception line had just ended, and the party was preparing to move towards dinner when they entered, and an audible hush fell on the room.

“So much for not being recognized in a small town,” Fernando whispered against her ear as all eyes turned towards them.

Before Sophie could respond or decide what to do, a stunningly handsome blond man in a perfectly tailored Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo approached. “Welcome, so glad you could make it. Come this way and meet the gang.”

Sophie turned questioning eyes on Fernando who whispered, “Tom.”

Within moments, they were surrounded by Sarah’s friends and family while introductions were made. Then, they were ushered into a luxurious Gilded Age dining room, where they ate off century-old china. The night was something out of a movie, and she and Fernando had turned into the stars.

She tried not to be obvious as she took in the room, trying to memorize every detail. Never in her life had she ever eaten at such a lavishly set table. She could imagine an ancient butler polishing the silver and measuring each setting to ensure its precise placement.

“You don’t have to take it all in tonight,” Fernando once more whispered in her ear. “We can come back for another visit soon, and you can tour the old mansion at your leisure.”

“Yes, but it won’t be so beautifully decorated or laid out for a celebration banquet. If I had known this place existed, I would have insisted we marry here. It’s something out of a storybook,” Sophie whispered back.

An hour later, after dancing to one song expertly played by a local school band, Fernando excused them from Sarah and Eric and made their way to collect Javier from the children’s area. When they arrived, it was clear he had enjoyed his time with the other kids. He came quickly when called, demonstrating once again to Fernando what a wonderful job Sophie was doing, raising him to become a respectful young man. As they turned to leave, the little blond angel skipped overto him with a gift bag in her hand. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, “Thanks for coming to my party. I hope you come back soon.”

Javier took the bag and thanked her, hugging her goodbye before she skipped back to her room full of guests. “That’s Grace Harrington. This is her house. She’s my new friend.”

“Well, she looks like she will be a good one. It’s time for us to go, but we will come back and see her soon,” Sophie said, taking his hand and leading the way to their rooms so they could get a good night’s rest before their flight home the next morning. There was a huge family gathering at Elsie’s, and they had promised not to miss it.

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Fernando awoke with a start, reaching for his Rolex on the nightstand beside his bed. Only six o’clock, plenty of time. His head felt foggy from lack of sleep. Children’s laughter and the sound of tiny feet running down the hall brought a smile to his stubbled face. Javier was having a wonderful time getting to know his cousins. Jada and Tiyanna were obviously delighted to have someone close to their size to play with. Although, the night before, Javier had made a good pretend horse for the little girls.

He dressed quickly, leaving his stubble to shave off later, and made his way to the kitchen. He could already smell the coffee and bacon.

“What do you think you’re doing down here?” Hannah demanded when he entered his favorite room in Anthony’s home.

“I’m coming to eat some of my big sister’s amazing breakfast. Am I suddenly not allowed?” Fernando asked defensively.

“Not on your wedding day, you’re not. You are sequestered in your room until the bride leaves to get pampered. If you want, you can join your big brother in his office. Nah-ah, not that way. Back up the stairs,you go,” Hannah ordered, pointing with her spatula to the stairs he had just come down. “Stay in your hall, and you can use the back stairs to get to the office. Don’t you dare go past the office, though! We women are working in the library. You do not get to see your bride on your wedding day.”

“Why don’t you send Sophie to the spa early, and I will help you decorate the library?” Fernando suggested, hopefully eyeing the bacon.

“Nope. Sophie, Mamma Williams, and I have it all taken care of. Now go before she comes out,” Hannah ordered once more.

Entering his brother’s office, he heard Anthony laughing from behind his newspaper. “Tried to sneak some bacon and failed, did you?”

“I can’t believe you read those things. You know they’re all electronic now, right?” Fernando asked, flopping down onto the overstuffed couch under a bank of windows.

“Yes, I do. But there’s something about reading it this way…”

“That makes you look like a pretentious snob?” Fernando interjected.

Folding the newspaper and placing it on a pile of others already on the surface of his desk, Anthony leaned back in his leather desk chair and folded his hand in his lap. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Any reason in particular? Cold feet, perhaps?”

“No way! I just want it to be over. Not the wedding. The waiting,” Fernando admitted, rubbing his hand over his eyes.

“Well, the best way I know to make time pass more quickly is to be active. You heard my wife, you are sequestered. Let’s meet her terms on the golf course. If they need us, we’ll only be a few minutes away.”

Sure enough, the day went by quickly after a light breakfast at a local bistro and eighteen holes of golf. Julio showed up halfwaythrough and finished the game with them before running home to clean up for the evening’s gathering.

---