Page 16 of Father of the Bride

One quick swipe of lip gloss and two sprays of perfume. Now, she was ready.

The house was quiet. Only a few staff members remained, cleaning and putting things away, ignoring her, which suited her just fine. The kids were off somewhere together, and Orion’s drunk ass was probably sitting on his bed, staring at the door, waiting for her to walk through it.

She made her way outside, following the path Kez laid out, her body relaxing as soon as the sound of waves crashing against the shore filled her ears. A gentle breeze danced in from the ocean, carrying with it the smell of salt, rustling the palm leaves over her head.

She saw him before he saw her. He stood barefoot in the sand, adjusting the cuffs of his white linen shirt. She blew out a breath and averted her eyes, not sure she’d be able to resist him.

Colorful lanterns lighted her way, strung up between tall bamboo poles. When he finally noticed her, he raised his eyebrows, his mouth going slack.

“Look at you,” he said softly.

“Is there context for that statement?”

He grinned. “I’m trying not to come on too strong.”

“I like strong.”

“Good.” His eyes skittered over her face. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Cici. Can I call you Cici again?”

“If I can call you Kez.”

“Looking like that, you can call me whatever you want.”

Blushing, she looked around. “This is amazing. Was this already here, or did you do it for me?”

Their table sat beneath a small canopy that was draped in sheer white fabric, swaying like curtains in a breeze. Candles flickered on the table, surrounded by arrangements of white roses and eucalyptus. The chairs were plush. Their white and gold place settings were beautiful.

“The lights were here,” Mark said. “The rest of this is all my staff’s doing.”

He lifted the silver dome covering their plates, revealing lobster tails, roasted asparagus, wild rice, and buttery rolls.

Sunny’s head tilted as she took in the food. “You remembered.”

He held out his arm to indicate that she should take a seat. She settled onto the rickety chair, unstable on the sand, but she felt perfectly safe.

He sat after her and gazed across the makeshift table at her candle-illuminated face.

“I know it’s not a big mac and fries, but—“

“Stop,” she said, laughing. “I was gonna ask you if you remembered that.”

“How could I forget our first date?”

He reached out and grabbed her hand. The two bowed their heads, and he prayed over the meal.

“Who made this?” she asked after the amens had been said. “I knowyoudidn’t.”

“I commissioned them. The chef is already here, so…”

“Thank you, Kez.”

He nodded. “Thankyoufor meeting me tonight.”

The two ate in silence until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Orion, huh?” He wiped at his mouth with a napkin. “How’d that happen?”

Sunny looked up from her plate, her eyes narrowing. “What are you asking me?”

---