Tower. He hand-fed me pastries in bed. We walked the Champs-Élysées, falling deeper in love by the day.
He filled my life with surprises, like a special trip to Abertville, France.
The town was full of the same medieval charm as Ademar, which delighted me as we walked the historic city of Conflans.
“This area is best known for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1992,” he said as our host led us to Halle Olympique. I stood in front of the Olympic topiary sculpture out front. “Oh, my God,” I breathed. “Dallas would freak. I have to take a photo.”
“We’ll get to that,” he promised. “A performance is about to start.”
Our guide led us inside where the large rink was prepared for a skater. Auggie sat me down in one of the seats to look out onto the ice. His song suddenly filled the stadium. I turned to him with a furrow in my brow. He pointed to the ice.
There skated my sister, Dallas McPhee, who had the entire rink to herself. She wore a dazzling, crystal-studded costume in purple, black and gold. I immediately knew it was handmade by Darcy and designed by none other than Prince Auggie himself.
I gasped into my hand, tears instantly springing to my eyes as I watched her perform. Her face was blissful and happy, if focused, and we both marveled at her skill as she demonstrated some complicated routines. When she finished, he threw some Aldayne roses onto the rink, which she happily skated forward to pick up.
“How?” I breathed.
“Dash got his tutu. Archer got the contracts,” he grinned, and I giggled. “Fern got a fiancé, and you got me.” I laughed at his silly smirk. “I thought she needed something special, too,” was all he said.
Every single time I thought I loved him as much as I could love him, he did something like this. I was on my feet to meet my sister as she reached us.
I hugged her over the railing. “You were amazing!” I gushed. “Did you come here all by yourself?”
“Not quite,” my mother said from behind.
“Oh, my God!” I exclaimed again, practically climbing the seats to reach her. She laughed as she hugged me.
Auggie turned to Dallas. “Show me something else,” he said. She was only too willing to do so.
They left us so that we could speak privately.
Mom held out my arms. “You look beautiful, Pea,” she said. “Well cared for,” she added, nodding at Auggie.
“Every day and in every way,” I said. “I mean look at you. You’re here. And Dallas,” I offered weakly. There were no words big enough to say what Auggie had done for her.
We turned to watch Dallas skate. It was everything she had ever dreamed to do. It was a dream we all wanted for her. It was such an important moment. And a priceless gift. Finally, we sat together.
“I know you were concerned when we told you the news,” I started, but she simply covered my hand with hers.
“I was. It seemed so sudden. So unlike you.”
“It was,” I granted. “Is,” I corrected with a shrug.
Mom glanced out at the rink where her youngest daughter skated. Auggie leaned over the rail, clapping if she nailed a complicated move, hooting and hollering like a true McPhee. “I get it,” she said. “He’s hard to resist.”
“Impossible,” I grinned.
“I just need to know you’re going to be okay.”
I thought back to Auggie’s parents. “How can we ever be sure?”
She gave me that. “Are you happy?” she asked. It was the only thing that mattered.
I took her hand in mine. “Blissfully.”
Mom and Dallas joined Fern and me in Paris before they would return home to the States once we headed to our next city. Auggie took joy in showing the McPhee girls the City of Lights, especially since we spent much of the trip planning a couple of weddings.
Though Auggie and I had talked about marrying in Ademar, we decided we wanted to legally marry sooner rather than later. For that, we needed little more than my family, so I was fortunate to plan my wedding in America within a few months. The Tremwells were a much bigger tribe than the Quinns, so Fern relented and decided to plan her wedding in Aldayne spring of next year, when Jack would be old enough to travel overseas.
I just wanted something simple. My mother was an ordained minister, because of course she was, and we could have the entire affair right at Maggie Farms. I already hit Darcy