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“Because it’s cold in the winter, and they need to sleep,” Fifteen said.
“And why do hummingbirds eat all the time?”
“Because their wings beat fifty times a second, and that takes a lot of energy, which means they need to eat a lot of food to give them energy.”
Little One nodded, then asked, “Do you have any little boy robots?”
“No,” Fifteen said, shaking his head sadly.
“What about a lady robot?”
“I wish I did,” Fifteen said as the hearts above him did a crazy dance.
Little One leaned close to Fifteen. “My mom doesn’t have a man robot either.”
His implication was clear. The two robots needed each other.
Hearts fell from the ceiling right over Number Ten’s head as she reached out for Fifteen. As he took her hand in his, Little One nestling happily between them, the hearts merged over their heads.
The guests applauded as the curtain fell on the puppet factory and the little robot matchmaker with his mom and new dad. Rosie and Ari high-fived in the bride’s tent. They’d all put the storyline together during a string of dinners at Matt and Ari’s house in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Judging by the laughter and applause from the audience, it had gone over even better than they’d hoped.
Chi pointed to a couple in the audience. The man was tall and broad in a dark suit, and the woman was absolutely beautiful in a yellow silk dress. “I think that’s Nicola Sullivan and her husband, Marcus. I’ve got to get an autograph! Although, I wouldn’t want to make her feel she shouldn’t have come, if she was hoping to be anonymous for the day.”
Nicola was famous around the world as pop star Nico, and Chi, Ari, and Rosie were all huge fans of her music. Rosie grinned, having heard how sweet Nicola was from Harper and Charlie, who’d both spent time with her. “I bet she’d love a little fangirl moment.” As Chi dashed off, Rosie called out, “Get an autograph for me t—”
She lost her breath before she could finish her sentence. Gideon had stepped out to escort Jorge to Susan’s side.
He was gorgeous in a white tux, his hair slightly spiked, his jaw clean-shaven. But what made her heart beat wildly was the way Gideon gazed down at her son in his mini white tuxedo, a joyous smile curving his mouth. That special smile he reserved just for the boys. Jorge held on to one big hand, looking up at Gideon as though he was a hero.
Rosie’s heart melted completely.
How could it not?
The rest of the crowd faded away as Gideon bent down to say something to Jorge that made her son smile wide, before he handed him over to Susan and headed back toward the groom’s tent, which was on the opposite side of the puppet theater from the bride’s. Only as Gideon disappeared from sight did the rest of the wedding come back into focus.
Rosie rested her hand over her heart, stunned by its hammering beneath her fingers. She’d been struck by Ari’s brother from the moment they’d met, and her crush had only grown over the past nine months. Grown to the point where she couldn’t help but fantasize about the strength of his arms around her and the feel of his mouth on hers.
Jeremy Newman, who was escorting guests to their seats, waved as he spotted Rosie peeking out of the tent. Snapping back to earth and reality, Rosie smiled and waved.
Harper Newman’s younger brother was the sweetest kid. He was nineteen now, but he’d been hurt in a car accident when he was a boy and suffered permanent brain damage that had left him with the mind of the boy he’d been. He was just so happy all the time. He adored Jorge and Noah and loved playing their games. And he adored Harper’s husband, Will Franconi, who was like a big brother to him.
Looking extremely dapper in his white tux, Jeremy took his sister’s arm and walked with her to the Maverick row, where the family would sit during the ceremony while the Mavericks stood up as groomsmen for Matt.
Harper was beautiful in a blue dress the same color as her striking blue eyes, with her soft brown hair in a loose updo. As a corporate recruiter who loved matching people with their perfect new jobs, she was the perfect foil for Will. He had not only built Franconi Imports into a multibillion-dollar company, but he also loved his fast cars—and so did Harper and Jeremy.
With Harper seated, Jeremy made his way back up the aisle to escort Charlie Ballard and her mother. Charlie created the most incredible sculptures out of metal and was engaged to media mogul Sebastian Montgomery. Charlie was stunning in a flame-red dress. Though Rosie had heard it said that redheads should avoid red, especially at a wedding, on Charlie the dress was perfect. Rosie was sure Sebastian, who positively adored the talented artist, would agree.
Charlie’s mother, Francine, had severe degenerative osteoarthritis, and Jorge and Noah had helped deck out her walker in daisies earlier that morning. They loved making things pretty for Francine, whom they treated as an honorary grandmother.
Next, Jeremy walked up the aisle with Paige Ryan on his arm, who was radiant in a light pink silk dress, her pretty smile a mile wide. Though Paige had known financier Evan Collins since college, they’d become a couple only at the beginning of the year, after Evan’s marriage to Paige’s younger sister had broken up. Initially, Rosie had been shocked to hear the news—not because Paige was in a relationship with her sister’s ex, but because Paige’s sister had done such horrible things during the marriage. Rosie shouldn’t be surprised by how evil some people could be, not when she’d had to deal with Jorge’s father. And yet, she still wanted to believe the best about everyone.
Paige was seated beside Evan’s birth mom, with whom he’d only recently been reunited along with the brother and sister he hadn’t even known existed until this year. Tony and Kelsey were both smart and fun, and Rosie was enjoying getting to know them better at the various Maverick birthday parties and other celebrations. Kelsey was also one of Ari’s bridesmaids.
Jeremy dashed back to escort Tasha Summerfield down the aisle. She was amazing in a gold dress, the sequined bodice glittering in the afternoon sun peeking through the trees. The light caught her long dark hair, turning it into glossy waves. The newest addition to the Mavericks, she’d met Daniel up in Tahoe a few months ago, when they’d bought homes next door to each other. Rosie had spent enough time chatting with Tasha to know that she’d come through some seriously tough times after discovering her father and brothe
r had been running a sophisticated real estate con for years, all behind her back. Daniel, and his unconditional love for her, had been a major support for Tasha as she’d worked not only to rebuild her life, but also to make reparations to the people her family had scammed.
The stage curtain rose again to reveal the robot assembly line transformed into a wedding scene, complete with an arched trellis trimmed in flowers and vases filled with roses.
