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Isaac reached into his pocket, pulling out two pristine invitations. Hopefully, these would show Daisy and Kiera what a good guy Isaac was. He’d had them made with a gold leaf border, and in the center, there was a cartoon depiction of Peach and himself. They had both been drawn to look like members of PAW Patrol. He was Chase, in a police uniform. She was Skye, in a pink pilot’s outfit. It was the first time Peach had seen the invitations too, and he heard the breath catch in her throat.
“What the heck?” said Daisy, picking up one of the invitations and glaring at it. She didn’t seem interested in the cartoon dog versions of him and Peach. She was staring at the words. “You’re getting marriedtomorrow?At Dade-D Bar?”
Peach took a look at the invitation, her lower lip trembling. “Er, yes. Apparently so.”
Daisy stood up, her chair screeching on the polished floor as she did so. “Come on, Kiera. We’re leaving.”
“But… but… pancakes…” Peach said.
“Eff the pancakes!” Daisy hissed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Isaac knew that her Daddy would have been very angry to hear her cussing like that, but at least she’d said it quiet enough that nobody else could hear.
After that, Daisy stormed off.
Kiera watched her go, then stood up too. “If you wanted to punish us for moving to Miami, you could have done it in a less mean way,” Kiera said, frowning. “You just ruined Daisy’s wedding. Some friend you are.”
Kiera left too, and Peach turned to Isaac, unable to hold back the tears.
“Oh, darling,” Isaac said. “I’m so sorry. I was trying to do something nice. I messed up.”
Tears fell heavily on Peach’s cheeks, and then, finally, she stopped crying. She shuddered a few times as the tears died down, then her expression became blank and unreadable.
There was a long, terrible moment of silence between them. Isaac imagined the many ways that Peach might have been about to break off their wedding.
“I hate having to lie to my friends,” she said, whimpering. “That’s why I couldn’t see them before the wedding.”
“But sweetheart,” Isaac said, stroking her face, wiping away her tears with his thumb. “That’s the thing. I didn’t say one word of a lie to them.”
Peach looked away, as if trying to remember all the things that they’d said. Eventually, she turned to him. “Nor did I, Daddy.” She looked down at the invitation, running her finger over the gold leaf. “This is really beautiful, you know.”
“Like you,” Isaac replied. It was corny, but he didn’t care. This wonderful girl of his made him feel feelings he thought he’d never get the chance to feel.
“I still want to marry you,” Peach said softly.
“I still want to marry you,” Isaac replied.
“And I still want to eat all my pancakes,” Peach said with a small giggle.
“That’s my girl,” Isaac replied. He pushed Daisy’s plate a little closer to hers. “And you know what? It looks like today’s brunch just turned into an All You Can Eat buffet. So don’t stop until your belly aches.”
Peach laughed a big laugh now. “Okay, Daddy. Anyone would think you’re trying to fatten me up for this wedding.”
“All I want is for you to stay exactly as you are, Peach Trimble,” Isaac replied. And he meant it.
Just then, a man in an orange jacket walked up to them. He was in his fifties, with a long, gray ponytail and a scruffy beard.
“Sorry to interrupt your meal,” he said, “but have you heard about the Defenders of Wildlife charity? I’m collecting donations for them today.”
Isaac felt his blood start to boil. He was in the middle of a moment. Having brunch. There was a time and a place to ask for handouts and this wasn’t one of them.
“Not interested,” he grunted, with a dismissive wave of the hand. “Leave us alone.”
The man walked away, and when Isaac turned around to look at Peach, she was open-mouthed with shock. “The Defenders of Wildlife are amazing,” she said. “They help sea turtles and polar bears and manatees. We should have listened to the guy.”
Isaac smiled at her. “I’d rather listen to you telling me which pancake topping you prefer: this one, that one, or all of them.”
Peach smiled, but he knew that he had messed up a bit. He’d be sure to make it up to her later.
Chapter Fourteen
