Arnie! And there are kids singing and a cool hip-hop vibe. I’ve been obsessed with it for months.”
She remembered encouraging Arnie’s lovable grandfather to join her for the upbeat tune. Turned out the spry old guy had some moves and was surprisingly light on his feet. Mostly, he held her hand while she twirled and danced around him in a circle. They laughed. It was a good time.
Getting Arnie to agree wasn’t hard. He shared her unconventional tendencies.
Hopping off his lap, she demonstrated a couple of moves, but in the end, he didn’t need her help.
“Dance lessons,” he informed her with a wink. “Not every guy is dance-floor challenged.”
This was what she wanted—what felt right for them. An explosion of joy to cap off the formal part of the ceremony. Adding a dance groove to their vows gave them an emotional touchstone tailor-made for their future anniversaries. Looking far down the road ahead, she f-loved the idea of them dancing to the happy song as senior citizens.
When they were satisfied with their improvised routine, Arnie swung her close, and they danced to him crooning a slowed down rendition of “I Shoulda Known Better.”
“The Beatles just made it to our wedding playlist,” she teased.
The hour was late and the house quiet as they walked hand in hand through Darnell Senior’s magnificent Montecito home to the bedroom suite they shared with their snoozing daughter.
She cherished their quiet moments. There was a lot more to their relationship than antics and drama. Now that they were comfortably together, she marveled at how easily they functioned as a couple, a team.
Arnie went straight to the baby’s crib for a daddy check. Summer’s heart smiled. Her big ole teddy bear of a guy was an unabashed softie. His adoration of the child they created was there for everyone to see.
Tiptoeing next to him, she gently stroked his back and stood close as they each stared lovingly at the sweet sleeping angel.
“I love her so much,” he whispered.
Summer laid her cheek on his arm and sighed deeply. “She loves you back.”
He looked down—his face was a mask of agony. He felt the loss of every day he wasn’t with her and Arianne and probably always would.
Seeking to offer him comfort, she told him how when she was pregnant and having conversations with her Tinker Belly, she noticed the baby would settle and calm when the topic was Daddy.
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes. I think she knew how much we loved her—how much you loved her—even though you weren’t around.”
Unhooking the baby monitor from his belt, she switched it off and placed it on a table.
As he turned and followed her from the nook where they put Ari’s crib, she gauged his mood and decided now was a good time to catch him off guard.
“What were you and Reed plotting?”
He looked stunned for a second—just enough time for her to adopt a smirky expression, cross her arms, and apply the appropriate cocked hip.
“I saw the limo drive past the house on the way to the garage. Pulling up out front half an hour later as if a clandestine meetup hadn’t just occurred was lame, considering who you two are.”
A snort of suppressed laughter came out of his mouth. “Lady, you are good.” He smirked and asked, “Do you need a job? Dottie’s hiring.”
She replied by slapping a look on her face and sighing.
“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “Shit. What can I say? Your brother and I were talking business.”
“Arnie,” she grumbled in an exasperated tone, “come on. Cut me a break.”
“What? No good?” His innocent tone wasn’t helped by the naughty twinkle in his eyes.
“Reed doesn’t live down the street. In fact, he’s closer to Malibu than he is to Santa Barbara and Montecito. Wouldn’t it have been a hell of a lot simpler to have him go directly to the beach rather than come all the way up here only to become another person we have to transport to the wedding?”
“Uhh,” Arnie muttered. He blinked, looked around, and then met her smirky gaze. “Yes, we are that stupid.”
With confirmation out of the way, she circled back to what their lame deception was about. “And?”
“He, uh, well, what I mean to say is, we, as in me and your brother, we thought drawing a box around Marie Warren was a good move.”
She appreciated the lack of maternal status mention. Arnie understood how she felt.
It was no surprise to learn they’d taken steps to shut out her useless excuse of a