Twenty Wishes

That did it. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Thank you, Manuel.”



He nodded and passed her another dish.



Lillie wondered why Hector had waited so long to reach out to her. As if reading her thoughts, Manuel added, “Rather than repeat what happened with me, Dad decided he needed to let the family know. So he went to everyone and explained that he’d met someone very special.”



No wonder his family behaved as though they already knew her.



“My fear was that you’d break his heart,” Manuel murmured. “Unfortunately my attitude toward you was what did that. I hope you can look past our rather…difficult beginning and start again.”



“Of course,” she said and when the next dish was handed to her, she scooped up a huge helping of chili conqueso and placed it on Manuel’s plate before serving herself.



Manuel grinned and then winked at her.



After dinner, the music began, and Hector took Lillie’s hand and led her onto the dance floor. “You and Manuel seemed to be deeply involved in conversation,” he said as he turned her into his arms.



“Hmm.” She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes, grateful that this was a slow number.



“He apologized?”



“He said you loved me.”



Hector exhaled noisily. “I never expected to fall in love a second time and certainly not like this.”



“I didn’t, either. Blame the wishes if you want.”



“Your Twenty Wishes?”



“I wrote that I wanted to be loved by an honorable man.”



“You are loved, my Lillie. By me.”



“I love you back.”



His hold on her tightened briefly. “Manuel still has doubts that it’ll work out between you and me.”



“At least he’s agreed not to interfere.”



Hector nodded. “He said he’d be willing to wait and see—after he told me there’s no fool like an old fool.”



“Shall we be foolish together?”



Hector laughed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”



Lillie lifted her head. “Are we a pair of fools, Hector?”



“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be foolish with than you, my Lillie.”



“Me, neither.”



With their eyes closed, they continued dancing until the music ended. When the last note faded, they reluctantly broke apart in order to applaud politely. To Lillie’s astonishment, the entire Silva family had formed a circle around them and started to clap.



Lillie blushed profusely and Hector laughed.



It was a relief when the musicians began again. This time, his family joined them on the dance floor. The mariachi music was lively, punctuated by slow, plaintive songs. Hector and Lillie danced every dance and stayed until the restaurant was ready to close.



Hector drove them back to the dealership, where Lillie had left her car. There, in the shadows, he kissed her. Lillie slipped her arms around him and leaned into his embrace, letting her actions tell him of all the love in her heart.



“How did you know I’d come to the party?” she asked.



“I prayed you would.”



“And if I hadn’t?”



“Then I would have come to you. Most men don’t find a love this good, this pure, once in a lifetime—let alone twice. I wasn’t letting you go, Lillie, not without a fight.”



“But you already had,” she reminded him.



“No,” he said swiftly. “I needed time to regroup and to reason with my son. You were always with me, always in my heart.” He took her hand and pressed her palm against his chest. “You inspired me, my Lillie.”



“I did?”



“Yes. I have my own list of Twenty Wishes now.”



“Really?”



“Oh, yes.” He paused to kiss her again. “And every one of those wishes is about you.”



Chapter 34



The small chapel adjacent to the Free Methodist Church off Blossom Street reverberated with the traditional wedding march as Brandon Roche escorted his sister down the center aisle.



Standing in a pew at the front of the chapel, with Ellen at her side, Anne Marie felt her heart swell with joy. When Melissa walked past her, she turned to look at Anne Marie and mouthed the words “Thank you.”



Robert would’ve been so proud of them, she thought, not for the first time. So proud and so delighted by the change in their relationship. For all the pain his betrayal with Rebecca had caused, it had a positive—if inadvertent—effect. It had brought Anne Marie and Melissa together.



Anne Marie gazed after her stepdaughter. The wedding was small, with only a maid of honor and best man. As promised, Ellen would serve wedding cake at the reception, a role to which she attached great importance.



Melissa looked lovely in her pale pink floor-length dress. A halo of flowers adorned her head, with flowing white ribbons cascading down her back, and she carried a small bouquet of white roses. The pregnancy was just starting to show.



Anne Marie’s one disappointment was Pamela. It would’ve meant so much to Melissa if her mother had relented enough to attend her wedding. Unfortunately, she remained upset and angry, and Anne Marie couldn’t help thinking she should have put her daughter’s needs ahead of her own feelings. But then, Pamela hadn’t come to Robert’s funeral, either, although her children could have used her support. Anne Marie hoped they’d eventually be able to resolve their differences.



With the maid of honor and the best man, both close friends, standing beside them, Melissa and Michael approached the young minister. Jordan Turner, Alix’s husband, would be performing the ceremony. He’d agreed as long as Melissa and Michael were willing to participate in marriage counseling classes. Even with all the busyness of college graduation, the couple had gone to every session, which boded well for their marriage, Anne Marie thought.



When the ceremony began, Ellen leaned forward, absorbing every word. This was her first wedding and she didn’t want to miss a single detail. Anne Marie had enjoyed watching Ellen line up her dolls and stuffed animals the night before and then carefully choose two—a Barbie and a panda—to march down the makeshift aisle. Later, Anne Marie had found her at the kitchen table writing furiously in a tablet.



“What are you doing?” she’d asked.



“I’m putting a new wish on my list,” Ellen explained. “I’m going to have a big wedding with lots of people and a dress with lace and pearls and a long veil.”



“What about your husband?”



Ellen chewed on the end of her pencil. “He’ll be handsome.”



“Is that important?”



The eight-year-old considered her response carefully. “I want to marry a man who’s handsome on the inside, too,” she’d said.



“And if he’s good-looking on the outside, that would be a bonus, right?”



“Right,” Ellen had said.



Now as Melissa and Michael exchanged their vows, Ellen studied them attentively, dreaming of her own wedding one day.



Anne Marie gazed protectively at this child who would legally become her daughter. The greatest desire of her life was to be a mother and that wish had been fulfilled—but not in the way she’d expected.



As the ceremony continued, Anne Marie felt Dolores Falk’s presence. The older woman had nurtured the child to the best of her ability. She’d given her love and security. In the end, Ellen’s grandmother had handed her over to Anne Marie.



Anne Marie believed Dolores had recognized that the two of them belonged together, that they needed each other. Once the bond between them was established, and Anne Marie had promised to keep Ellen if anything happened to her grandmother, Dolores had been able to die in peace, knowing Ellen would be loved and cared for by Anne Marie.



Anne Marie placed her hand lightly on Ellen’s shoulder. The child joined fervently in the applause when Jordan Turner pronounced Michael and Melissa husband and wife.



“This is so nice,” Ellen whispered as the music crescendoed. Then Melissa and Michael walked back down the aisle together, their arms linked and their faces bright with joy.



“It is lovely,” Anne Marie agreed, struggling to hold back tears. It wasn’t only Dolores Falk’s presence she felt, but Robert’s, too. She knew Melissa felt him there, as well.



“What happens next?” Ellen stared up at Anne Marie with wide, curious eyes.



“Now we go to the wedding reception.”



“Oh, goody! When do I serve the cake?”



“Not till later on.”



The reception was at a restaurant on Lake Washington. Lillie had secured the banquet room, and Melissa’s friends had decorated it and prepared everything for the small reception. Anne Marie had volunteered to help and Melissa was grateful but said she’d already done so much. Besides, her friends had everything under control.



When they arrived, Anne Marie could see that was true. The room, which was separate from the main part of the restaurant, had a sweeping view of Lake Washington. Sailboats with their multicolored spinnakers glided across the choppy waters. A lush green lawn sloped from the restaurant down to the waterfront, bordered by rows of blooming perennials. Double-wide French doors opened onto a stone patio.



Because the day was overcast, Melissa and Michael had decided to hold the reception indoors. Lillie had chosen the perfect location, Anne Marie thought gratefully.



The room itself was strung with white streamers, twisted from the center of the ceiling, where a large paper wedding bell hung. The streamers fanned out in every direction. White and silver balloons were tied behind each chair.



The cake, topped with the traditional bride and groom, sat on a table with an array of gifts surrounding it. Alix Turner had baked and decorated it herself. The restaurant had supplied an elegant buffet, for which Brandon, Anne Marie and Michael’s parents had split the expense.



Entering the room with her husband, Melissa looked radiantly happy.



“It’s hard to think of my little sister as married,” Brandon said, claiming the chair next to Anne Marie and Ellen. “Mom’s going to regret not flying over for the wedding.”



Anne Marie nodded. Pamela would have to accept that Melissa had her own path to follow. “In time I believe she will.”



“Who?” Ellen asked, then added, “Is this for adult ears or kids’ ears?”



Brandon laughed outright. “It’s for adult ears.”



“Okay.”



He grinned at Anne Marie.



The buffet line formed, and after they’d filled their plates and sat down again, Michael’s parents, Jim and Paula Marshall, joined them.



“This turned out to be such a lovely wedding,” Paula said, watching her son with pride. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. What is it with children these days? So much happening at once. Michael graduated from college, married and a father-to-be. It’s enough to make my head spin.”



Anne Marie agreed. “I didn’t know what to knit first, a baby blanket or a garter for her wedding.”



“You knit?” Paula asked with real interest.



“I’m only just learning. I’ve been taking classes.”