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Finally we slow. Motorcycle engines growl like big, African cats as we climb a brick covered driveway to the end. My heart begins to race.
Someone comes out the front door, gliding down the front steps as her shoes make sharp noises against the stones. She waves one arm over her head. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun, so extreme that seems to elevate her eyebrows a full half inch.
“Mr. Redken? Yoo-hoo!”
Father Daddy doesn't say anything as she comes near. He dismounts the bike and edges to stand in front of me, protective as always.
“It's such a pleasure to meet you!” She sings, her voice strangely smooth like someone who speaks for a living. Maybe she's an actress. Maybe everyone here is an actress.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” he says formally. He stands straight and extends a hand to shake hers. It's a strange gesture, one I have seen in movies but never in real life. But I remember, Father Daddy had a life before Kingdom Come. He probably knows all of the customs here.
“And, um… Mrs. Redken?” she says brightly.
She means me.
Father Daddy steps aside slightly. He cups me under my elbow, supporting me.
“Yes. This is Angel.”
She holds out her hand. I extend my arm, sliding my fingers against hers. She pinches me slightly, bounces, then lets go. That didn't go so badly. She doesn't seem alarmed in any way. I suppose that was a success as first-time handshaking goes.
Then she turns and repeats the same sort of greeting with Owen. After, she pivots on her heel and sails back toward the front door, erupting into a musical description of the house, claiming that the estate preserved everything intact, hoping we all find it satisfying, and if he would consider selling it to please, please, please contact her first.
It's only the breeze of her flying past me that lets me know that she's gone. The front door closes, and finally it is quiet.
It's just like I imagined it. We are standing in an enormous room with enormous windows, with the full blazing glory of the sun as it sinks below the horizon, setting everything on fire. I walk slowly over to the windows, holding my breath, expecting to wake up from this at any moment.
“You like it?” comes a voice of my ear. All I do is nod. But do I like it? That's an understatement. It's magical. It's unbelievable.
“Oh look, a swimming pool!” Owen observes. He points downward and I wonder if there's more to this house than just this part. Inconceivable. This building would have to be bigger than all the barns put together.
I turned toward Father Daddy, staring up at him, overwhelmed. The sunlight blazes on one side of his face and he smiles at me gently, maybe the happiest I've ever seen him.
“So… you do like it, don't you?”
Owen slides up behind me, stroking my shoulders. “Angel? It's important to us that you like it.”
“I don't even know what to say,” I admit. “It's beautiful. Beyond beautiful. It's like nothing I could've ever imagined. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”
“That's wonderful,” Father Daddy sighs with relief. He reaches down, tipping my chin with the gentle tips of his fingers. His kiss is sweet and slow, unhurried in a way that it's never been before.
“This is our home now,” Owen says gently in my ear. His fingers trace the side of my neck, stroking my collarbones as he presses closer to me. I can feel his heat rising as I kiss Father Daddy, then turn to kiss him as well. It's just the first night, the first of many, in our new life. In our new Kingdom, where I am the Queen.
Epilogue
Angel
A year later
“Girls, can you greet our guests?”
Mandy, Mercy, and Juanita rush to stand next to their neatly made beds. They each raise a hand and wave politely.
My guests wave back, shifting nervously in the doorway.
“You can go in if you like,” I suggest. “We don't have any secrets here. Have a look around.”
“Are you sure?” the senator's wife asks me, tipping her head toward mine and keeping her voice low. She's doing the same thing people always do: acting like they're in some kind of zoo situation. Everyone's very careful not to mention the words orphan or foster care, so the girls won't hear it. Like they don't already know they’re orphans or something.
