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“For what? Nathaniel was right. Wehavebeen pushing men at you. I've been so blinded by my own regrets that I stuck my nose in where it wasn't wanted. And I made you uncomfortable. For that, I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK. I know you were only doing it out of concern. I just…I couldn’t keep pretending to like these men anymore. So, I invented one of my own. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
“Oh gosh, you didn’t deceive me at all. I watch so much TV that I recognized him straight away. He’s obviously much more famous than he thinks he is. As Lucy mentioned, he’s been on Law & Order, and I’ve seen him in Grey’s Anatomy—I’m fairly sure I spotted him in an episode of Modern Family—and that’s not to mention all the movies he’s been in. I mentioned thinking he was an actor to Tommy after Thanksgiving and he and I went through his IMDB page, and I have to say I’m so impressed. So many speaking roles. Whatever is he doing taking a fake boyfriend role that involves no acting credit?”
“His father passed away, and they didn’t finish up on good terms,” I say, and she nods, a knowing expression on her face.
“Oh, grief mixed with regret is a powerful tool for change. And, again, I’m sorry for trying to right my own remorse by pushing my agenda onto you. I suppose I did it because I see so much of myself in you, dear. You have that same tenacity I had, the get-up and go, the fight inside you to bend the world and shape it to your will…it’s so special to see that in you. But I also know that once the work and the drive aren’t there anymore, you look around and realize it's very lonely at the top. I kept telling myself that I still had time, that I could have love and familylater,always later. But I left it too long, and my time was up.” She releases a heavy breath and gives me a rueful smile. “I see you, pet. And I know that you are going to be an amazing success. I'm so proud of everything you've done so far, especially because you did it all by yourself—which is a little more than I can say for the rest of them. But, I digress. My point is, I wanted you to find love before you got caught up in chasing success. That way, you’d know the man you love, loves you for you and not your money or your connections. It becomes very difficult to know who to trust and what their intentions are. Even your own family can be a little dubious at times. But at least with family, I understand their intention a little clearer. Still, it can be very hard to know who to trust.”
“I’m sorry, Aunty Joan. I knew you had regrets about not getting married and having kids, but I didn’t understand that struggle quite as much as I do right now. And if it’s any consolation, I never looked at you for your money. I just thought you were fun and amazing, and I always wanted to be like you.”
“Oh, I know, sweet girl. That’s why you’ve always been my obvious favorite and why your brother thought he needed to discredit you like that. He had it in his head that I’d leave everything to you since I make it quite obvious that I like you so much. But, we setthatrecord straight just now, and he can go back to his room and lick his wounds until tomorrow morning when he’ll be required to eat his words and grovel once he realizes what the surprise I have for you all is. I love the boy, but my gosh, he’s always been a greedy little shit. He should have been a bank manager just so he could go and sit in the vault and smell the money for fun.”
I let out a giggle as I wipe my hands under my eyes, patting away all of my half-dried tears. “So you’re really not angry with me?” I ask. “For making Liam up and hiring Nate to play him?”
“No. Not at all. At first, I admit I was…confused. But Tommy pointed out that your mother and I have put a little too much focus on your marital status over the years. Plus, I could see how enamored you both were with each other. And I know I’m not supposed to print all of those pictures up, but I couldn’t help myself.” She turns away from me as she digs around in her bag. “You know, there’s a little store on the ship that makes photo books. So, I had them make a little love story in pictures from all the happy snaps I took of you both since Thanksgiving. Sometimes, I think it helps us to see ourselves how other people see us. And this is how I see you—happy and in love.” She pulls a wrapped square from her bag and hands it to me. “Happy Jolabokaflod.”
“Oh, Aunty Joan. This is so incredibly thoughtful,” I say as I tear open the paper and run my hand over the front cover. It’s a glossy image of Nate and me kissing at the waterslides. When I open the book, there’s a chronicle of secretly caught moments of us together, smiling, touching, gazing…I just love it, and I will treasure it always. “Thank you.”
“You’re so welcome,” she says with a happy sigh as she pats me on the knee. “Now, if you can take a short walk and possibly go and speak to your mother, then I’ll get that dashing man of yours in here and have a talk with him. Do you think you can do that for an old woman who loves you, dear?”
With a laugh, I lean in and embrace her. “Of course, Aunty Joan. Anything for you. And thank you again—for this talk, for understanding, and for the beautiful book.”
“Always. You’ll find your mother in the bar drinking daiquiris. She’s having a meltdown.” Aunty Joan is smirking when I turn back to her, and I sigh before heading for the door, resigned to having a much more difficult conversation with my mother than the one I just had with Aunty Joan.Maybe I should get Tommy to soften Mom too?
“She’s ready for you,” I say as I step into the hall and find Nate leaning against the opposite wall.
“Are we in shit?” he asks, his worried eyes meeting mine.
I shake my head and move toward him, sliding my arms around his waist. “Seems she’s a bit of a fan of yours, actually. I don’t think you and I really fooled anyone.”
“Not even each other.” He smiles as he bows his head and brushes his nose against mine. “I was head over heels for you the moment you tapped my shoulder in that coffee house.”
“And I couldn’t believe my lucky stars when I saw you. I thought, if I have to pay to have a boyfriend, please let him be this guy. And it was, and I’m so happy that this turned into something more. So, no matter how dramatic my mom is over this, I’ll never regret it for a moment because otherwise I would never have met you. You have my heart, Nate Charmers. And I never want you to give it back.”
Grinning, he touches his lips to mine before deepening the kiss and holding me tight, making me feel like I’ve won the boyfriend lottery. “I love you, Delaney,” he whispers as he releases me.
“I love you too,” I return, pressing my lips to his once more before I step back and gesture toward our cabin. “And good luck in there. She might be a sweet little lady most of the time, but she’s got a sharp tongue when she wants to.”
“I’ve no doubt,” Nate says. “Where are you off to now?”
“Mom’s in the bar drinking up a storm. Seems I’ve driven her to drink.”
“I’ll meet you up there after?”
“No. Wait for me here. I want to spend the rest of the night alone with you. No family. No drama. No clothes.”
He chuckles as he reaches for the door. “You’re on,” he says before he disappears inside, and I head up to the main deck to face the music. I imagine my mother won’t be anywhere near as understanding as Aunty Joan, but the one thing I’ve learned from the women in my life is to not have any regrets. And I don’t. I’m in love and I’m happy. I don’t have any regrets at all.
NATE
"And here he is. The man of the hour." Joan shifts to the side a little so I can fit beside her on the couch. "Seems you've caused a bit of a stir."
"That wasn't my intention," I say as I sit. "I just wanted to help out a friend of a friend. Delaney and I met through Liz who is the little sister of my college roommate. Things escalated from there."
"I see. So, pretending to be the significant other of successful women isn’t something you do on a regular basis?” I love how straight to the point this woman is. It’s refreshing.
Chuckling slightly, I shake my head. “No. I’ve been a stand-in a few times, but it’s a very rare occasion where I would escort a woman anywhere for a fee. There were…extenuating circumstances this time. And for what it’s worth, I won’t be taking any money now that we’ve become something more than just a job.”
