The band could have been silver or yellow or rose. The diamond caught glints of colored light, blinding her.

Had he really come all this way, not knowing for sure if Lily was his, but brought a ring just in case?

She let him pick up her left hand and tug at the mitten. She took the discarded mitt with her free hand. As though under a spell, she turned to face him.

She tried to think of reasons to persuade him this was wrong or stupid or doomed to fail. Marrying him was all of those things.

But she wanted to marry him. Her compulsion to know him remained. Beneath the anger and armor of indifference was a man who wanted to know his daughter. That meant everything to her.

As the aurora borealis continued to crash silently over them, full of mystical power and spirit voices, she told herself that Gramps wouldn’t steer her wrong. He wouldn’t tell her to marry Rico if this would ruin her life. He was telling her to say goodbye to her home and family and begin building her new one.

The cool ring caught slightly on her knuckle, then it was on her finger, heavy as the promise it symbolized. Rico’s mouth came down to hers again with magnificent heat, burning away her bleak doubts and fears, filling her with hope and possibility.

CHAPTER FIVE

You should have told me sooner. I would have made arrangements. Someone from the family should have been there.

RICO READ THE TEXT from Pia and swore, then dropped the phone onto the custom recliner beside the one he occupied.

Across from him, buckled into her own, Poppy looked up from distracting Lily with a book. Lily was making noises of dismay at being strapped into her car seat while the view beyond the windows turned to clouds.

“What’s wrong?” Poppy asked him.

“A text from my sister, scolding me about the wedding.”

“She’s upset?” Poppy’s expression dimmed.

“That I didn’t invite her. I pointed out there hasn’t been time.”

It hadn’t occurred to him Pia would want to come. His parents had urged him to wait for the DNA results and expressed consternation that he hadn’t. Cesar’s reaction to his impending nuptials had been a curt text.

Sorcha told me. Congratulations.

Rico had given up at that point and focused on the tasks at hand.

Poppy’s gran had been moved to her sister’s apartment, where she would occupy a guest room for a few days. Rico had had to push to make it happen, but he had arranged to have her personal items moved into a nearby, private seniors’ complex that was so well-appointed, Eleanor had asked him if he’d won a lottery.

Poppy had been anxious about the entire process until she’d spoken with the extremely personable, on-staff doctor who had already been in touch with her grandmother’s specialist. A nutritionist had made note of her grandmother’s dislike of cumin. Her sensitivity to certain detergents had been conveyed to the housekeeping staff. Eleanor had looked in on the pool where physical therapy sessions were held and checked out the lively games room, approving the entire complex with a delighted nod.

Poppy’s father had pointed out that the location in Regina would be easier for him to visit, too. He typically spent half a day driving after his flight landed. Rico had even hired a caretaker to look after the house until decisions had been made on whether to keep it in the family.

The last task had been a brief civil service at the courthouse. Poppy’s father had given her away and her grandmother had wept happy tears. They had eaten brunch at an upscale café then climbed aboard his private jet.

Another text rang through, but he ignored it.

“Tell her I didn’t even have my mother there,” Poppy said.

“I explained why I was keeping it private.”

“That wasn’t a complaint,” she said stiffly, making him aware of how tersely he’d spoken. “I didn’t want my mother there.” She picked up the book Lily dropped, mouth pinched.

Poppy had said she would inform her mother after Rico issued the press release. He’d had enough to juggle in the moment that he hadn’t questioned her. Now he did.

“Why not?” Had she been afraid she wouldn’t show up? Her mother sounded even less emotionally accessible than his own. At least La Reina Montero maintained appearances.

“I was afraid she wouldn’t keep her mouth shut,” Poppy muttered crossly. “I agree with you that it’s kinder to let your parents inform Faustina’s parents and give them a few days to prepare their own statement.”

Loathe as he was to bring Faustina into this marriage on any level, he appreciated Poppy’s understanding. Having a child Lily’s age wouldn’t reflect well on his fidelity, narrow window of a called-off wedding notwithstanding. This news would come as a shock to many, including Faustina’s parents.

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