“Is that why you stay at the island mansion?” she asked.
“Partly,” nodded Sadie. “Multiples have very strange bonds. I always knew if my brothers were in trouble or hurting, and they definitely knew when something was wrong with me. They helped to save my life. Them and Ham.”
“I like him,” smiled April. “I like them all. Patrick, Christopher, Ham, Gator, all of them. My grandfather often had men for dinner at the house who were under his command but I was so young, I didn’t pay much attention to them. I wonder why that is?”
“Mama Irene would say that it was fate. You knew that none of them were the man for you,” said Margo.
“I need to meet her and the other ghosts soon,” smiled April. “Do you understand how overwhelming all of this can be? I mean, it’s been less than two weeks since Quinn and I first met.”
“Sadie grew up with all of this around her,” smiled Margo. “But I didn’t. I married into it and you’re right, it can be overwhelming. But it’s overwhelming in the most wonderful, beautiful, spectacular way. It’s instantly having family where there wasn’t one before. It’s instantly having more than three-hundred people that you can call on any time of the day or night and they’ll be there. It’s instantly having others watching out for you, even though you think you don’t need it.
“Let me ask you, honey, were there ever moments in your life, before or after your grandfather’s alleged death, that you felt completely unprotected, unsafe, scared?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, nodding at the women. “More times than I care to count. Especially after grandpa died or pretended to die. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. I thought Jerry was my friend but I guess I learned that he was only using me.”
“Oh, sweetie, you’ll learn that our men represent the best the world has to offer. Yes, Jerry was probably using you but somewhere inside, you knew that. You probably suspected something he did or said at some point and then just blew it off, as ‘that’s Jerry’. You’ll never have to do that with Quinn,” said Margo.
They stepped up onto the massive wrap-around porch of the big house, only to be met by Kate, Ajei, Sophia Ann, Priscilla, Keegan, Winter, and Gwen.
“Hi,” smiled April.
“Hi, honey. Come on in. We’ve got everything ready for you,” said Gwen.
“Ready for me?”
“Dress options, flowers, food, cakes, everything,” said Kate. “We make sure that nothing is left to chance and believe me, we’re experts at weddings thanks to Irene, Ruby, Claudette and the others teaching us.”
“Wow,” said April touching one of the dresses. “I’ve never seen anything so fine in all my life.”
“Thank you,” grinned Gwen. “They’re all my own design. I own Gwen N’hana Designs but I’m married to Hex. My specialty is indigenous designs but I do a lot of wedding gowns or customer gowns for any occasion.”
“I’m completely overwhelmed,” she whispered looking at the gowns. There were mermaid, fitted, ballgown, blingy, not blingy, lace, satin, and everything in between.
She picked up one of the dresses realizing it was in her size. The fitted bodice would enhance her cleavage and offer Quinn, who was much taller, an exceptional view during the ceremony. She smiled to herself and nodded.
“That’s the one,” said the deep voice.
“Quinn! You’re not supposed to see the dress before the wedding,” said April hanging it quickly back on the rack.
“I don’t believe in that bullshit. We’re going to be happy for the next hundred years if I have my way. I just came to tell you we’re leaving. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll be on comms, so if you go to the comms room, Hiro and Tanner will allow you to hear what’s happening. But.”
“But what?” she frowned.
“Don’t,” he grinned. “It will only make you more nervous. Get this straight and we’ll be back soon.” He kissed her passionately in front of the others, then slowly knelt in front of her.
“Quinn,” she whispered.
“I should have done this already but now is the perfect time.” He pulled out the blue velvet box and opened it to reveal a large pink diamond surrounded by white diamonds. “Nothing more ‘April-like’ than a pastel-colored diamond. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she laughed. “Yes, I will marry you.”
He kissed her again, then kissed his mother, waving at the women. They all surrounded April, staring at the gorgeous ring.
“Well, are you ready to pick out everything else?” asked Margo.
“I think I am,” she nodded. “Thank you. Thank you all for being here to help and support me. I’m going to miss my mother terribly on this day, even though I don’t remember her at all. It will be nice to know that she’s living on through all of you.” Margo hugged her future daughter-in-law, smiling down at her.
“You got that right, honey.”
