Page 10 of The Wedding Toast (The Hamiltons #10)

“The dress is really pretty,” Ava assured Becca. “And I’m so happy that you asked me to be your flower girl. But…”

“But what?” Hannah asked gently. “It’s okay, you can tell us, you know.”

Ava nodded slowly. “I know, it’s just…” She glanced up at Becca before looking away again quickly.

Becca thought it best not to push, so she waited. Ava fiddled with her fingers before looking up again.

“Maddie said that only babies are flower girls.”

Becca did her best to hide her scowl. Maddie was a girl in Ava’s class at school, and she was always causing trouble.

“I thought we talked about not listening to the mean things Maddie says,” said Hannah.

Ava nodded. “I know, but…”

“But what?” Hannah asked, reaching out to touch Ava’s arm.

“I just wondered…” She turned to Becca. “Am I really too big to be a flower girl? Did you only ask me to be nice to me?”

“No!” Becca exclaimed. “When my sister got married, her flower girl was one of her best friends – and she was twenty-five. She didn’t think it was babyish.”

She glanced at Hannah. “But maybe things are different here in Napa?”

Hannah shook her head rapidly. “They’re not. It’s just Maddie trying to be mean, as usual.”

“Would you rather be a bridesmaid?” Becca asked.

Ava looked up at her. “I thought you were only going to have one bridesmaid – your friend Callie. That’s why I’m a flower girl.”

Becca smiled. “I said I was only having one bridesmaid because I couldn’t ask your mom and all my other friends here.

” She shot a quick smile at Hannah. “If I asked everyone, there’d be a dozen of us standing at the front.

So, I stuck with my oldest friend, Callie.

I told you that she and I promised each other when we were seven that we’d be each other’s bridesmaids, didn’t I? ”

Ava nodded, and Becca reached out to touch her arm. “But I wanted you to be part of it, too, so I asked you to be flower girl. But if you’re not happy about it…”

“Oh, I am happy, Auntie Becca,” Ava cut in. “I’m so happy that you asked me, and I’m sorry. I am happy to be your flower girl.”

“We can call you a bridesmaid if that would make it better,” said Becca.

Ava stared at her for a long moment. “Would I still get to throw the flowers if I’m a bridesmaid?”

“I don’t see why not. This is my wedding, and I think I can have it however I like. So, how about you can be my bridesmaid who throws the flowers?”

Ava glanced at Hannah, who nodded. “Thanks, Auntie Becca. I love you.”

When she stepped forward and flung her arms around Becca’s neck, Becca hugged her tight. “I want you to be part of the wedding – but only if you’re happy about it, and only if you’re comfortable.”

“I am. I’m very happy now.” She went back to the small basket of freeze-dried rose petals that Becca had brought over with her. “These are awesome. Do you think there’ll be any left after the wedding?”

“I have a feeling that there’ll be more petals than any of us know what to do with,” said Hannah with a laugh. “Walt wasn’t impressed when Uncle Jacob asked him about freeze-drying petals at first. Now I think he might be setting up a cottage industry producing them.”

Becca had to laugh with her. “You might be right – and from the way he and my dad have been talking about it, it wouldn’t surprise me if Dad set up his own freeze-dried rose petal business back home either.”

“I wish your mom and dad could come to live here,” said Ava.

“I think they’ll be around a lot more now,” Becca told her. “They can’t move here because they have the farm, and because my brothers and my sister are back home in Kansas. But they love coming to visit.” She tapped Ava’s nose. “And we all know they love coming to see you.”

“And I do. I love seeing them,” said Ava.

They all turned when Scooter, Hannah’s Dalmatian, ran to the patio doors, barking.

Becca got to her feet. “Sounds like you have visitors. I should get going.”

“It’s okay,” said Hannah. “There’s probably nobody out there. He just gets all barky when he hears cars lately. I think it’s just because there’s been so much more traffic on the estate than usual.”

Becca gave her a guilty little smile. “And there’s going to be even more traffic for the rest of this week – and it’s all my fault, isn’t it?”

Hannah grinned. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s wonderful. I’m so looking forward to the wedding – and I’m looking forward even more to you officially becoming my sister-in-law.”

She came and gave Becca a hug. “We’ll see you later and give me a call if we can do anything.”

Ava took Becca’s hand as they walked her outside.

“You’re already my Auntie Becca,” Ava told her. “I hope you’re going to hurry up and give me cousins.”

Becca laughed with Hannah and said, “I hope so, too.”

~ ~ ~

Jacob found, as he neared the gatehouse, that he was a few minutes early – just as he’d intended to be. He’d thought that he’d have the chance to talk to Slade while he waited for Alara and her daughter to arrive.

The sight of a dusty white Suburban parked beside the gatehouse suggested that he was wrong. It looked like the kind of vehicle that belonged to a woman who was driving up the coast with her camper and her daughter in tow.

He parked behind the gatehouse, and Slade gave him a nod.

“Your visitors are here,” he said with a smile that Jacob couldn’t quite read.

“So I see. What are you thinking?” Jacob asked when Slade kept smiling at him.

“Just that this should be fun.”

Jacob glanced over at the Suburban. “You’ve talked to her already? What do you think? Is she not our kind of person?”

Slade laughed. “She seems great. The daughter’s a trip. But honestly, I don’t know what you’ll make of them. I guess as long as she can build this arch for you, it doesn’t matter.”

“I guess not,” said Jacob. “I should go and introduce myself.”

Slade laughed again. “Yeah—and I think I have to come with you. I can’t wait to see this.”

“See what?” Jacob gave him a puzzled smile, wondering what exactly was going on. But Slade simply gestured toward the Suburban. “I’ll let you see for yourself.”

As they approached, the rear passenger door flung open and there was a flurry of movement. A little girl spilled out – long dress, tangled curls, a backpack shaped like a fox.

She stood her ground as Jacob and Slade approached. When they reached her, she blinked up at them, then down at her sneakers. When she looked back up again, she tilted her head to the side and met Jacob’s gaze.

“You are very tall,” she announced.

Jacob exchanged a smile with Slade. “Thanks,” he replied solemnly. “I work on it every day.”

The girl examined him more closely. “You must be the one who likes blue flowers.”

She pointed at Slade. “He’s the Growly Dragon.”

Jacob barked a laugh. “I certainly am the one who likes the blue flowers – cornflowers, to be precise.” He turned to Slade. “But… growly dragon?”

Slade chuckled, and the child stepped forward, reclaiming Jacob’s attention.

“He lays in wait in there.” She pointed at the gatehouse. “Guarding the Empire. And growling.”

Jacob couldn’t help but ask, “Growling?”

The child shrugged nonchalantly. “He doesn’t growl all the time. He’s a friendly dragon, mostly.”

She studied Slade again carefully. “But he’s a powerful dragon underneath the smiles. You can tell. Your kingdom is in no danger while he guards you.”

“Zia.”

Jacob had almost forgotten that the child’s mother was with her. Zia was such an entertaining little character.

The woman approached wearing an apologetic smile. She was pretty – her curly, warm brown hair half-pinned up in an unruly twist. Unlike her daughter, she wore jean shorts and a T-shirt bearing the slogan Bloom Alchemist .

She approached slowly, much more cautious than her daughter, slipping sunglasses onto her head, her bag slung crossbody, her arms already apologizing.

Jacob greeted her with a smile, wanting to put her at ease. “Hi. Thank you for coming. I’m Jacob.” He held out his hand.

She nodded without speaking.

The child pointed at her. “Her name’s Alara. She’s my mom. She’s awesome. She makes flowers do things they weren’t meant to do.”

Jacob heard Slade let out a strangled laugh beside him but managed to keep a straight face.

Alara shook hands with him. “That’s me, and this is Zia,” she said with a wry smile. “I think the two of you may already understand a little better now why I wasn’t sure about taking the job.”

Jacob looked down at the child, who stared back at him, her arms hanging loosely by her sides, her wild curls framing her face.

“As I told you, my daughter’s a free spirit,” Alara explained.

The child, Zia, apparently – Jacob had never heard the name before – smiled at him reassuringly. “Most people think that means I’m bad, but I’m not.”

“That’s good to know,” said Jacob. “And do you help your mom with the flowers?”

Zia shook her head slowly. “Only Mom has that kind of magic.”

She turned to Slade when he chuckled. “It really is magic, you know. That’s what people say every time, when she builds her flower arches and things for them.”

“I can believe it,” said Jacob, smiling at Alara.

“From the photos I’ve seen, your work really is magical.

What do you think? Would the two of you like to come up to the house?

My fiancée’s mom’s there, and Elena who works here.

They’re eager to meet you. They’ve both said they’ll be happy to help keep an eye on your daughter while you work, if you’d like. ”

“Thanks,” said Alara.

“My name’s Zia,” the girl announced firmly. “I’m my own person as well as my mom’s daughter.”

Jacob’s lips twitched with the smile he was trying to hold back as he addressed her solemnly. “Well, excuse me, young lady. I shall be sure to refer to you by your own name in the future, then. And it’s a very nice name – I’ve never heard it before.”

“It means light ,” she explained proudly. “In Arabic, and in Persian it means splendor. Did you know that?”

“I did not,” Jacob told her.

“Now you do.” She gave him a sassy little smile.

“Zia.” Alara held her hand out to the girl. “Come. Climb back in – we’re going to follow Mr. Jacobs up to the house.”

“Okay.” Zia looked at Slade. “You’re not coming, are you?”

“I’m not,” Slade answered. “Although I wish I could. I’m sure you guys will have fun,” he added with a wink at Jacob.

“We will,” said Zia. “I’ll tell you all about it when we come back out. But I knew you couldn’t come. You stay here to guard the entrance to the Empire, don’t you?”

Slade chuckled. “That’s right, young lady, I do.”

“If you want to follow me,” said Jacob, “we’ll go up to the house and I’ll introduce you to Darlene and Elena. And then I’ll show you around, see what you think, if you want to take the job.”

Alara nodded, and Zia – who was already on her way back to the Suburban – stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

“She will,” she announced. “She likes it here already.”

With that, she climbed into the rear seat of the Suburban through the door she’d left wide open when she got out.

Jacob stood beside Slade a moment longer, as they watched Alara secure Zia into her car seat.

“You have a good feeling about this?” Slade asked.

Jacob nodded, his eyes on the cornflowers lining the driveway. “The best.”