When Zoe and Joaquin announced their big news, everybody was elated. Rachel and Matteo even decided to come up from Horseback Hollow to take them out for a celebratory dinner, which soon turned into a family meal at the Robinson estate.
For the first time in a long time the Robinson siblings had something else to focus on besides “the great Fortune hunt.”
Not only was the pending wedding romantic and exciting, it had offered a much-needed breath of fresh air for a family on the brink of civil war.
It was as if they had hit the reset button.
At least for now.
If the engagement hadn’t already made Zoe’s heart so full it was overflowing, she might’ve been relieved that the secret her dad had saddled her with had been pushed into the background. But she wasn’t even thinking about it.
Of course, that didn’t mean the conundrum about whether to keep his secret was gone. She still didn’t know what she was going to do. What had changed was that the problem simply wasn’t the first thing she thought about when she opened her eyes in the morning and the last thing on her mind as she drifted off to sleep.
Now her mind was full of wedding dresses, flower arrangements, cakes and signature wedding cocktails, dinner menus and invitations, because there wasn’t enough time to send out a save-the-date card.
While it was a lot of work, it wasn’t as hard as it seemed. Because she really had been planning her dream wedding since she was nine.
Until recently, the only thing missing from her well-thought-out plan was the groom. Now that she’d met her prince, everything was complete.
As she and Rachel walked arm in arm up the front steps that led to their parents’ front door, they talked about bridesmaids’ dresses and upon whom, out of her three sisters and best friend, she would bestow the honor of serving as maid of honor.
As Joaquin and Matteo trailed along behind them, talking about Orlando’s newly mended relationship with Esteban—Joaquin had told his brother about his paternity issue, and it had turned out to be a nonissue because nothing had changed except for Esteban and Orlando ending their feud—Rachel said, “I have the perfect solution to your problem. I can be the matron of honor since I’m married. Olivia, Sophie and Ronnie can duke it out for who will be the maid of honor. Or if you want an easy way to settle it, since I am the oldest of the sisters, I should get special distinction and they can all be bridesmaids. Since I have already been through this, I have the most experience. I know what the perfect matron of honor needs to do.”
Maybe Joaquin had been onto something when he’d suggested they elope.
Oh, who was she kidding? She loved every single second of agonizing over every single tough wedding decision she’d faced so far. She was only doing this once and she intended to do it right.
A cluster of nerves knotted in her stomach, catching Zoe by surprise. This is really happening, isn’t it? She had dreamed of this time for so long, it was hard to believe it was finally here.
“We will figure something out,” Zoe said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. So we will make it work.”
She glanced over her shoulder at her fiancé, who was still laughing and talking with Matteo, oblivious to the wedding plans being discussed right in front of them. This time the butterflies swooped and circled in her belly for a completely different reason.
That handsome, incredible man was the one she would spend the rest of her life with, the man for whom she had waited her whole life.
He is the one.
The one.
Matteo was in the middle of saying something, but Zoe caught Joaquin’s eye. The smoldering exchange made her ache for him.
Since he’d proposed, when Zoe wasn’t thinking about the wedding her thoughts were consumed with giving herself, body and soul, to Joaquin.
She had waited so long for everything to be just right, and he was being such a good sport about honoring her wish to wait for their wedding night to make love. But it hadn’t been easy for her to resist him. There were times when she was with him that it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to not give in to her desire.
Rachel opened the door and motioned for Zoe and Joaquin to enter first. Zoe breathed in the aroma of something delicious and it suddenly occurred to her that they must be the first to arrive because the driveway had been oddly absent of cars.
As she made a mental note to talk to her siblings about punctuality, since they would all be part of the wedding party, she turned the corner into the living room, into the thunderous sound of a crowd yelling, “Surprise!”
This was no family dinner. Some very sneaky people had apparently invited every single person she and Joaquin had ever met—and then some—to a surprise engagement party/wedding shower.
Good grief, the wedding was right around the corner, but Zoe was touched and a little taken aback by the generous, loving gesture that their friends would come out on a Saturday night to celebrate Joaquin’s and her love.
She truly felt like Cinderella as she received good wish upon good wish. She fully intended to talk to each and every guest in attendance and to tell each and every one of them how much she appreciated them being here tonight.
About an hour into her mission, the waitstaff began circulating with trays of champagne flutes, and her father, with her mother, Charlotte, standing at his side, called everyone to order.
“I love all my kids,” Gerald said. “But it’s no secret that Zoe and I share an extraspecial bond.” Her father’s gaze snagged hers and Zoe couldn’t quite tell if he was simply nervous or if something else was going on, because something in his demeanor didn’t quite match the tone of the father-of-the-bride-to-be speech he was giving.
No one else probably noticed because Gerald Robinson was not known for being an emotional, warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Maybe it was because the two of them hadn’t spoken since the showdown in his study nearly a week ago. Maybe this was his way of sending her a message, like a male peacock who fans out his feathers in splendid glory when the gesture was really meant to serve as a warning.
Whatever the case, everything that had gone out of her mind elbowed its way back into the forefront. She’d resolved not to think about the situation until after her wedding, because it upset her. She still hadn’t wrapped her mind around the fact that her father was, despite how vehemently he’d railed against it, Jerome Fortune. She hadn’t come to terms with the fact that her knight in shining armor had lied to his family all these years.
No! She wasn’t going to think about that now. Joaquin’s arm was around her waist and when she looked up at him, his smile turned the butterflies loose again. Boy, they were really swarming tonight amid all the excitement. She took a deep breath and raised her glass to his, refusing to let Jerome Fortune spoil any part of Joaquin’s and her party. No, Jerome Fortune was not welcome at anything that had to do with their wedding. The next two weeks would be a Jerome Fortune–free zone.
She mustered the appropriate smile and made all of the coos and sighs expected of a consummate daddy’s girl and bride-to-be.
As everyone raised their glass and said, “Cheers!” Zoe scanned the crowd of happy faces, letting the merriment of celebration wash through her.
That’s when she noticed an unfamiliar face among the crowd. A nice-looking guy was standing in the back, holding a glass of champagne and engrossed in conversation with her brother Ben.
She hugged her father because that’s what everyone expected and kissed her mother on the cheek. Then she said to Joaquin, “I’m going to say hello to Ben. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Resuming her mission to greet everyone, Zoe headed toward the two men. Her brother had kept a relatively low profile tonight, or maybe there were just so many people here this was the first she’d seen him.
As she approached, she heard the stranger’s proper British accent. “Why don’t I come to your next family meeting and we can tell everyone about the others?”
Zoe stopped in her tracks, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Because surely Ben wouldn’t discuss their family’s dirty laundry with a stranger and air it at her engagement party.
Zoe stood there, intending to listen to their conversation, hoping to hear something that proved this wasn’t what it looked like, but Ben looked over and saw her.
“Zoe.” He motioned for her to come closer. “I want to introduce you to Keaton Whitfield. Keaton, this is my sister Zoe.”
Keaton Whitfield?
Was he kidding? He had better be kidding.
“Ah, yes, Zoe. It is lovely to meet you. Congratulations on your engagement. I am delighted to celebrate with you.”
The British accent confirmed Zoe’s nightmare.
This was the Keaton Whitfield. The guy Ben had found who claimed to be a half sibling and supposedly knew of others.
Was that what he meant a moment ago when he said he would come to the next family meeting and they could talk about the others?
“What are you doing, Ben?”
Her brother gave her an odd look. “I’m introducing you to Keaton?”
“Don’t be a smartass,” Zoe said. “You know what I mean. Why did you bring him here tonight? Tonight of all nights, Ben? Why would you do this?”
Keaton transferred his weight from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. “I see that this is upsetting you, Zoe. I am terribly sorry. I will say good-night.”
Zoe couldn’t even look at Keaton as he walked away. Her angry gaze was glued to Ben’s. Her brother stood there looking just as annoyed.
Zoe lowered her voice to a whispering growl. “Why would you pull a stunt like this at my engagement party? What are you trying to prove? Did you see this as your chance to rub your crusade in Dad’s nose? What about Mom? How do you think she would feel about you bringing Keaton Whitfield into her home? Did you ever think that maybe at least until after the wedding is over you could give it a rest? It’s only two weeks, Ben. If you don’t have enough empathy or common sense to know what’s appropriate and what’s not, then maybe you just need to stay away from me for a while. I’m going to leave for a bit. When I get back, I want you to be gone.”
She didn’t give him the chance to answer. Tears were welling in her eyes. She had to get out of there before anyone noticed.
She ducked her head so that her hair fell in her face, hiding her tears until she’d made it to the hallway and out the front door. She couldn’t leave her own party, so she would walk around until she got her emotions under control and her brother had time to leave.
What was he thinking, bringing Keaton Whitfield to a family event? Their mother was there. Did he have no regard for her and the pain it would cause if she had discovered her husband’s illegitimate son in her own house?
As Zoe stepped out into the humid night, she saw that the valets were there now. They must’ve had instructions to lie low until she and Joaquin were inside. The two young men stood as Zoe approached.
“Good evening,” said the tall one. “May I get your car?”
She was grateful that the light was low and hoped he couldn’t see her misty eyes. She mustered a smile to give the impression that everything was okay.
“No, thank you. I’m just out for a short walk.”
Because everyone leaves a party to take a walk.
He nodded. “Have a nice evening.”
Zoe walked toward the garden on the west side of the property, where she knew she could have some privacy.
Try as she might, she couldn’t find the strength of spirit to give her father the benefit of the doubt on the cheating accusations and proof of illegitimate children Ben had dug up.
She was still coming to grips with the fact that her father had lied about his past and had asked her to keep it a secret.
Lying and cheating went against everything Zoe believed in. She certainly didn’t want it paraded around at her engagement party, or her wedding, for that matter. But the damage had already been done. And she could no longer ignore the stark reality that had burrowed into the pit of her stomach: because of her father’s actions, she now doubted everything she’d ever believed to be true.
These sickening doubts were dredging up all sorts of unwelcome memories of incidents she’d rationalized in the past.
Such as that time with her father and their neighbor Mrs. Caldwell. Zoe hadn’t thought about it since she was six or seven years old.
Her parents had hosted their annual New Year’s Eve party. At least one hundred and fifty people dressed in their finest evening wear had converged on the Robinson estate. It was a party worthy of Jay Gatsby.
Zoe was supposed to be in bed, but she’d gotten up to get a drink of water and seen her dad embracing Mrs. Caldwell on the second-floor landing of the main staircase. Now it dawned on Zoe that they’d probably thought they were tucked out of sight. The woman had been crying and Zoe thought she’d heard her whimper something about a baby. When they’d seen Zoe, Mrs. Caldwell had gasped and descended the stairs like a weeping Cinderella racing against the strike of the clock.
“What’s wrong with Mrs. Caldwell, Daddy?” Zoe had asked as her father filled her princess cup with water from the bathroom faucet.
“She’s sad and I was comforting her.” Her dad’s voice had sounded so kind, Zoe hadn’t imagined he could be telling her anything but the truth. Still, as he’d tucked her into bed, Zoe had persisted. “Did a baby upset Mrs. Caldwell?”
“Why would you think that, princess?”
“Because I heard her say something about a baby.”
“Sweet girl, you must’ve misunderstood.”
“Then what made her so sad, Daddy?”
Zoe remembered how he’d gently brushed her bangs off her forehead and smiled down at her with sad eyes. “I’m not allowed to tell, princess. It’s Mrs. Caldwell’s secret. She would be very upset if I betrayed her confidence. You understand, don’t you?”
Zoe had nodded even though she hadn’t understood. She knew she’d heard the word baby.
“I think Mrs. Caldwell was embarrassed that you saw her crying. Will you promise me that you won’t say anything to anyone? Because that would make her cry even harder. I know you’re too sweet and kind to make anyone feel sad. Besides, this can be our secret. Something that you and I share that no one else knows. Just like the fact that you are my favorite of all my children.”
He’d planted a kiss on her forehead and then plucked at her nose, which had made her giggle.
“You know you’re my favorite and I know it, but if you tell your brothers and sisters it would make them sad. So, that’s our secret, too. Right?”
She’d loved having secrets with her father. It made her feel special. So they’d sealed her promise with a pinkie shake.
When Zoe was a little girl, a pinkie promise was sacred and her father’s word meant everything. She’d been his princess and he’d been her steadfast knight. So, naturally, she’d believed him because heroes didn’t lie.
She’d kept his secret all those years ago. Now, even when he’d admitted to telling a lie of staggering proportions, he had asked her to cast aside what was right and good and keep another one. Only this time his knight’s armor was tarnished and she didn’t believe in fairy tales anymore.
If, in fact, he had fathered children outside of his marriage, that meant the situation was worse than she’d originally thought. Even though her parents weren’t prone to public displays of affection, she’d always thought their marriage was strong, that it was impenetrable, rock solid.
Given her father’s confession and Keaton Whitfield’s talk about “the others,” Zoe couldn’t help but wonder whether Mrs. Caldwell had been pregnant with her father’s baby. Was yet another half sibling out there somewhere, too? Had every word her from father’s mouth been a bald-faced lie?
She didn’t know what to believe now. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was an illusion built on naive dreams...or delusions.
All she knew was that she had to leave. She couldn’t stay and pretend that everything was fine when it felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her.
Apparently nothing was sacred anymore. Apparently her tendency to see the best in people amounted to nothing more than naïveté. How could she have been so stupid? So blind?
Was she rushing into things with Joaquin? How well did she really know him? For all the joking about knowing each other for more than a year, really, it had only been a few weeks. He hadn’t even wanted to ask her out. She’d had to all but cajole him into it. And then he’d disappeared for three days and come back with a ring.
Zoe’s head was spinning.
The proposal had been lovely and romantic and everything she’d ever dreamed a proposal would be, but it had happened so fast.
Maybe she needed to take a step back and think about what they were doing. The wedding was less than two weeks away. If they canceled everything tomorrow, they could still get partial refunds.
Zoe only intended to get married once. She wanted a life with one man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with one woman: her.
In the wake of all that had happened with her father, happily-ever-after suddenly felt like the biggest fairy tale a naive woman could buy into. It was high time she removed her rose-colored glasses and saw the world and people for who they really were.
* * *
Out of the corner of his eye Joaquin caught a flash of Zoe’s long, golden-brown hair as she turned into the hallway. Something about the way she moved warned him something wasn’t right.
After the toast she had said she was going to say hello to Ben. Now she looked as if she was leaving in a hurry.
“Please excuse me,” he said to the small group of well-wishers who were clustered around him asking about his and Zoe’s plans for the future. “My bride needs me.”
By the time he made it to the hallway, Zoe was nowhere to be found. On instinct he went outside and saw the same valets who had been working the night of the Robinson Tech dinner, but Zoe was nowhere in sight.
“Did a beautiful woman come through here a few minutes ago?”
“Long brown hair, white dress?”
“That’s the one,” Joaquin said.
“She went that way.” The guy pointed toward the far side of the grounds.
“Thanks,” Joaquin said and took off in that direction.
Once he had cleared the driveway, he called, “Zoe? Are you out here?”
He heard something rustling near a vine-covered arbor and headed in that direction. As he passed through, he caught a glimpse of something white a few feet ahead.
“Zoe? It’s me. Are you okay?”
He passed through another arbor, this one heavy with pink wisteria, and saw Zoe sitting on a stone bench, her head bent so that her hair shielded her face.
“Zoe? What’s wrong?”
When she didn’t look up, that was when he noticed her shoulders were shaking. Was she crying?
He walked over and put his arms around her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
When he tried to lift her chin, she shrugged away from him.
“What’s wrong?” he repeated.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“The wedding.” Her voice broke on a hiccupping sob. “I think we need to postpone everything.”
“No,” Joaquin insisted, his heart thudding at the thought.
“Okay, then we can call it off,” Zoe said. “I can’t marry you right now, Joaquin. It’s all happening too fast.”
“Can we talk about this?”
“What’s there to talk about?”
“I love you. That’s what there is to talk about. Did I do something to make you change your mind?”
She took in a shuddering breath. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve been nothing but wonderful.”
“And that’s why you want to call off the wedding? Because I’ve been wonderful?”
“No—” Her voice broke and she shuddered out a sob.
He hated to see her cry. It cut him down to the quick. “You don’t want to be part of this family. I love you so much that I don’t want you to have to deal with them. I’m stuck with them, but you’re not. So, get out while you can.”
“That’s crazy. If you’re going to call off the wedding, the least you can do is talk to me.” He had driven the four of them to the Robinsons’ house tonight. “My car is still in the driveway. Can we go somewhere and talk?”
With tears still rolling down her cheeks, she gave a faint nod. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders and they made their way back to his car.
The valets had the decency to not stare and stayed on the other side of the driveway, giving them some privacy. Joaquin opened the passenger-side door and helped Zoe inside before sliding behind the wheel.
They drove in silence. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and an occasional sniff from Zoe. Finally, when they arrived at a spot overlooking Lake Austin where Joaquin could pull off onto the side of the road, he killed the engine and turned in his seat to look at her.
“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life, Zoe. I don’t want to lose you. I’m not afraid of your family.”
“I just don’t even know what I believe anymore,” Zoe said.
She told him about the encounter with Ben and Keaton Whitfield.
“Every day something that had defined my life is shattered. I don’t even know my own mind anymore. This relationship has happened so fast. I love you, but what if we’re moving too fast? What if I wake up and discover this had all been a lie, too?”
“It’s not a lie. I have never been so sure of anything in my life,” Joaquin said. “But if you’re not ready to get married, I’m not going to force you into anything. Just say the word and we can call the wedding off. It’s the last thing I want to do, but if that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do. Whatever happens, I’m going to tell you what somebody wise once told me—take some time if you need to figure out what you want, but I won’t give up on you.”