Chapter 2
Ransom Payne couldn’t have been more pleased with this quarter’s sales predictions.
They were through the roof.
But he knew they would be.
That was the benefit of having not only fairy godmothers, but a tiny sprinkle of fairy dust in the soil of his cacao farms. It gave his chocolate that little something extra. All he’d had to do was promise the godmothers he’d ethically source his materials and take care of the environment. All of those things were important to him, so it wasn’t any kind of sacrifice. This was the kind of business he’d wanted to run.
The kind of man he wanted to be.
The fact that it made him richer than Midas didn’t hurt, either.
He leaned back in his chair and surveyed his kingdom. Err . . . his office. This wasn’t somewhere he’d ever expected to be. Not when he’d first started. Not until he found out his godmothers were actually fairy godmothers. The real deal.
He’d started in a garage with some grow lights. Now, he had a penthouse office, more money than he could spend in one lifetime, even with all of his charitable contributions, and he’d crossed almost every item off of his bucket list.
Except a family.
Sure, his best friend worked as his assistant, he had the godmothers. They were his family, but he wanted a wife—a partner. He wanted children.
Roderick, his best friend, stepped inside the double doors. “A Miss Jonquil is here to see you.”
“Did she bring cookies?”
Jonquil toddled in behind Roderick. “Of course, I did, darling. Of course.”
“You’re supposed to wait until I tell you that you can go in,” Roderick said, but his tone was patient and kind.
“Do I ever?”
“No, Miss Jonquil.”
“But I do bring you cookies.” She handed an overstuffed basket to Roderick. “There you go, dear. Now, off with you. I have some important business to discuss with my godson.”
“Important business.” Roderick nodded, but accepted the basket with a grin. “I can be bribed.”
“Cookies are my superpower,” Jonquil said, and handed the other basket to Ransom.
Ransom didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t drooling for his godmother’s cookies. This batch was the best he’d ever tasted, so he was sure she was going to ask him for a favor.
The godmothers usually traveled as a trio, unless they had a mission. Jonquil and her cookies were the big guns when it came to Ransom. Although, if they ever needed anything, Ransom was more than happy to help them. They were family. He loved them dearly.
Also, cookies.
“While I enjoy bribes, you know that you don’t have to bribe me,” he said around a mouthful of cookie.
“You might need it for this favor.”
He stopped midbite and eyed her. Her “grandmother glow,” as he liked to call it, was extra glowy today. Her round cheeks were pink, and her white hair was pulled back into a bun with a crown of yellow flowers. And her dress was especially starched, swishing when she walked. Yes, she’d gone the extra mile today.
“What is it?”
“So Ever After is in trouble.” She took a bite of her own cookie, seemed to think about it before stuffing the rest of it in her mouth. “Not my best work. But I was stressed. Sorry, dearie.”
“Tastes fine to me.”
“Savage,” she said with no real rancor. She handed him another cookie.
“So what is it? How can I help?”
“The town is losing all of its magic. Why, when Bluebonnet tried to bring the cherry tree to bloom, we got nothing.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we need a way to refill it and fast, or Ever After is going to fade away, as will what’s left of the magic in the world.”
“Do you need money?” He had that in abundance, but he didn’t know what else he had to offer them that could help.
“We need something money can’t buy. We need love. So we need you to get married.”
He proceeded chewing calmly and swallowed before he spoke. “Well, that’s all fine and good. I can get married, but I need to do this little thing called falling in love first. Don’t think I haven’t tried. I’ve been on some of these dating apps; I even let Roderick set me up, which was horrible.”
“You haven’t let us fix you up.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Why do I suddenly feel like this conversation is going to take a turn I don’t like?”
Jonquil smiled at him. “Don’t you trust us?”
“I know you.”
“Of course, you do, dear. Of course.” Jonquil smiled a rather large smile. “But you don’t have to get real married. Fake married is fine.”
Yes, this conversation was definitely taking a turn down an ugly road. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Please explain to me, Godmother, how getting fake married will help restore the love in Ever After?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Jonquil perked. “See, it’s a publicity stunt. That’s what you call it, right? All the press with billionaire chocolate magnate getting married in Ever After, Missouri, quintessential small-town USA. If you do it, others will do it, too. We have a whole plan. Turn the castle into a B and B, hire a team of wedding planners, magical caterers . . . it will be the best thing ever. People will flock to get married in a fairy-tale town. Especially after seeing yours done right on Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t get any more romantic than that.”
“Don’t you run the risk of exposure?”
“That’s the genius part. Everyone will just think it’s part of the kitsch. People will get the real fairy-tale weddings to celebrate their love, and we’ll get to thrive again.”
“If I agree to this, I assume you already have a bride picked out?”
“Oh yes. She’s beautiful, and it’s a perfect second-chance romance.”
“Second chance?” His eyes narrowed.
“The papers are going to love it.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know who I’m talking about.” Jonquil rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I do. Lucky.” He said her name like a curse.
Jonquil gave a delicate cough. “Maybe you do. But listen. It’s time for both of you to forgive each other.”
Was it possible she hadn’t forgiven him after all of this time? He’d forgiven her for telling everyone about it. Although, he supposed . . .
“I have forgiven her.”
“Have you? Then why haven’t you spoken to her?”
“To be fair, she hasn’t spoken to me, either.”
“The last time you spoke, what did you say to her?” Jonquil gave him a stern look with a raised brow.
He’d swear that woman could stare down the worst criminal and make him confess with only that look.
“We tried to let you two work this out on your own. We can’t help too much. Especially since we’re low on magic, but by the gods, you two are the single most stubborn creatures on earth. I could push a recalcitrant donkey up Everest before I could get either of you to do what I want.”
“Maybe what you want isn’t what we want.”
Jonquil snorted. “Of course, it is. You just have to realize it. I’m the fairy godmother, remember? I know things.”
“Well, she said some mean things to me, too.”
“She did.” Jonquil nodded. “But is that how we deal with being called out on our behavior? Hmmm?”
Ransom sighed. He hated being treated like a kid, but she was right. “You’re right. No, what I did was wrong, regardless of what she did. Her actions are a separate topic, and we can address them after I make amends for what I did,” he recited.
“Some lessons do stick.”
“I just don’t think this is a good idea. Why can’t Roderick get fake married to Lucky?”
“I heard that,” Roderick called back into the office. “Not a chance. You’d murder me in my sleep.”
“There is that,” Jonquil said.
They were right. Despite everything, he did still have feelings for Lucky. How ridiculous was that after all of this time? After everything that happened, that should’ve been closure enough.
But the idea of seeing her again . . . of being in the limelight, someone would dig up that story and it would explode from the gossip rags like an awful comet.
“You’re not that boy anymore, Ransom.” Jonquil touched his hand. “You’re a grown man with a successful empire. And we need you.”
It was the “we need you” that got him.
Ransom made a secret promise to himself when he discovered magic and his godmothers had helped him start his business and make it what it is today. He swore if there was ever any way he could help them, he’d do it without question.
He hadn’t expected it would come at such a personal cost. He hadn’t imagined any future where what they’d need from him would rip his heart out and tear down the idea of himself it had taken him so very long to construct.
Of course, if one silly mishap from the past could tear it all down, maybe he needed to start over anyway.
“Ransom, one more thing.”
He looked up into Jonquil’s wide, and kindly, blue eyes. “What?”
“She already said yes.”
He coughed. “I didn’t say no. I . . .” Saying yes would make it real. Of course he was going to say yes, but Ransom was having trouble getting the words out of his mouth. Making the commitment outside of his own head.
“I know this is scary, but we believe in you.”
Yes, the godmothers had always believed in him. Although, he’d always had the fairy dust as a backup. He couldn’t fail with fairy dust, right? Maybe they could just dust him for this?
No, he knew there was no magic like that of the human heart. They couldn’t make you brave, or change who you were deep inside.
This would be all him.
Roderick had come back inside. “Since I was eavesdropping, I figured I might as well come in and offer my two cents.”
“Yeah, thanks for that. Privacy, man.”
Roderick shrugged. “Whatever. You were going to give me the play-by-play anyway. Is this the woman from college?”
“You just eat your cookies and mind your business,” Jonquil advised.
“Everything Ransom does is my business. I’m his assistant and his best friend.” But he didn’t hesitate to eat another cookie.
Jonquil made a face, but relented. “Yes, it’s that woman.” Then her eyes narrowed. “I suppose if Ransom is getting married, then you should be in attendance. You’ll need to be the best man.”
“Yep.”
“Lucky’s best friend is about to be single.” Jonquil eyed him pointedly.
“No thank you.”
“You haven’t even met the woman.”
“I don’t have to meet her to know I don’t want any part of her.” He leaned against the desk. “I’m sure she’s lovely, but I am not interested in a relationship right now.”
“Doesn’t matter, if the relationship is interested in you.”
“That’s true,” Ransom agreed. “Sometimes, it just happens.”
“No, relationships don’t just . . . happen.” He wiggled his fingers to accentuate his point. “They take planning. Work. Effort.”
Jonquil nodded. “They do at that, but you find yourself doing those things for the right person. You want to do them.”
“Nope, and you can keep your fairy dust or whatever to yourself, ma’am.”
She laughed. “No fairy dust needed.”
“I’m all for fake best man duty. You know I’m always up for an adventure. But the rest of it? No thanks.”
“We shall see.” Jonquil grinned. “So you’ll do it?”
“Yes, I’ll do it. I’ll fake marry Lucky Fujiki.”
“Good. I’ll see you in Ever After, then? We’ll have our publicity people get started.”
Dread sank like a rock in the bottom of his gut, but he nodded.
Jonquil stood up on her tiptoes to hug him and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best godson we could ask for. All will be well. Eventually. You’ll see.”
“It’s the eventually I’m worried about.”
Jonquil headed toward the door, but stopped in front of Roderick. Instead of kissing his cheek, she gave it a solid pinch. “Sweet boy, we’ll get you right as rain soon enough.”
“No more meddling. You’re not my godmother.”
“I think yours had an accident on her broom on the way to Bora Bora.”
“That would explain it.” Roderick nodded in all seriousness.
Jonquil waved her goodbyes and after she was gone, Roderick turned to Ransom.
“Does she really believe she’s a fairy godmother?”
Ransom studied him for a long moment and considered his next words carefully. “Do you doubt her?”
“I know they gave you the seed money for Heart’s Desire, but . . .”
Ransom eyed him.
“But . . .”
He continued to eye his friend.
“You’re fucking with me. You don’t believe all that nonsense. This fake-marriage thing is just an excuse to get you in a room with Lucky.”
“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But you can’t deny that the chocolate is good.”
“Because you worked on it. You put all of your blood, sweat, tears, and heart into a product.”
“I did. But Jonquil, Petunia, and Bluebonnet really are fairy godmothers.”
“I’m on some kind of prank show, right? If I say I believe you, a crew is going to come out of their hiding places and—”
Ransom shook his head. “Nope, they’re the real deal.”
“Where the hell is my fairy godmother, then?”
“Jonquil just told you she’s still recovering from an accident on her broom.” Ransom laughed. “That’s probably why she brings you cookies, too. They’re really wonderful ladies. I’m so relieved to finally be able to tell you the truth. I hated keeping that from you.”
“Say I believe this. What else are you keeping from me? Are you really a dragon who hoards chocolate?”
“Maybeeeee.” Ransom grinned and ate another cookie.
“So Ever After. It’s actually magical?”
“Yep.”
“Huh.”
“You’re taking this much better than I thought you would, honestly.”
“Yeah, I’m still hung up on Jonquil’s prediction for me with Lucky’s friend. I don’t like it.”
“You’ve never met the woman.”
“She’s still married.”
“But she won’t always be. The godmothers know these things. Their specialty is love.”
“Don’t want it.”
Ransom shrugged. “You can’t fight fate.”
“I don’t believe in that crap. You know that.”
“So you can accept there are fairy godmothers with real magic, but you don’t believe in fate?”
“Considering I met one and, really, it explains so much. The easiest answer is usually the correct one, so I’m just going to roll with it. I figure if you get one over on me, that’s fine. You know what you’ve got coming.” Roderick grinned. “By the way, this fake-wedding thing? Consider me still on the clock.”
Ransom rolled his eyes. “As if I don’t actually pay you a robber’s fortune anyway.”
“You couldn’t live without me.”
“You’re right.” Ransom grinned back. “So, uh, I guess we should get ready to go to my doom.”
“It’s not going to be that bad. No one is going to call you The Boy Who Missed. They stopped doing that when you made your first million.”
“Let’s hope you’re right about this, too.”
Roderick stood. “I’m always right. Obviously. But would it matter if I wasn’t? The godmothers need you.”
“Right again.” Ransom sighed.
Even though trepidation coiled tightly around him, something warm sparked in his chest and Ransom wondered if the flame between them would still burn as hot after all of these years.
And if it could burn through the shame of the Incident.