Millionaires' Destinies(220)
“I seriously doubt Richard or Melanie will even notice,” Beth told him. “Come on, spill it.”
“I asked Kathleen to marry me,” he said, reaching for her hand. “And she’s said yes.”
Destiny began to cry. “Now that is worth celebrating. Oh, darling, I am so happy for you. For both of you.” She sighed. “A June wedding will be perfect.”
“Not June,” Kathleen told her without apology. “January.”
Destiny’s mouth gaped. “This January? As in next month?”
“That’s what she said,” Ben confirmed. “Before my show opens at her gallery.”
Destiny sank onto the chair next to Mack and reached for his hand. “Well, this really is moving along quickly.”
Ben caught an odd note in her voice. “Too quickly?” he asked worriedly.
“Oh no, darling. Getting you happily settled could never come too quickly.”
“Then why did you say that?” he asked.
“Never mind,” she said briskly and turned her attention to Kathleen. “We have a lot to do. I think we should get your mother down here right away, don’t you?”
Kathleen paled. “Oh, my God. I forgot all about going to Providence.” She glanced at her watch. “They’re going to be expecting me any minute now.”
“Call them,” Destiny advised. “Tell them about the baby and the engagement and invite them all to come here tomorrow. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate Christmas. We have so much happy news.”
“You know, you could be right,” Kathleen said. “Maybe this will be enough to get them all to finally come down here. I’ll go outside and call right now on my cell phone.”
Ben followed her. “You sure you want to drop this bombshell on them like this?” he asked. “We could go up there tomorrow. Maybe they should at least meet me before we spring the rest of the family on them.”
“No,” she said decisively. “I like the idea of all of us being together here on Christmas. Maybe they’ll see what a real family holiday can be like.”
“Whatever you want,” he said. “Want me to wait for you inside?”
She reached for his hand. “No, stay with me,” she pleaded as the call went through. “Hello, Mother.”
Ben couldn’t hear exactly what her mother said, but it was communicated in an aggrieved tone he couldn’t mistake. He watched Kathleen intently, but her expression never wavered.
“Mother, if you’ll just listen for a minute, I can explain. I got engaged tonight, to Ben Carlton, the artist I told you about, the man in my painting.”
Her expression softened at whatever her mother said then. “Yes, it is wonderful news. And there’s more. His brother’s wife is in the hospital right now having a baby, and we want to stay for that, but Destiny’s invited all of you for Christmas dinner tomorrow. Will you come? Please.”
Relief spread over her face. “I’ll call grandfather with the directions, then. Thank you, Mother. I love you and Merry Christmas.”
She turned off the cell phone and stood staring at it, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“I gather she said yes,” Ben said.
Kathleen nodded. “She says she can’t wait to meet all of you.” She grinned. “She also said she knew it was inevitable from the minute she saw the portrait of you.”
“Really? Wonder what she’ll say when she sees the one I’ve painted of you,” he said, glad that he’d hidden it away before sending the shipment to her gallery.
Kathleen’s mouth gaped. “You painted a portrait of me?”
“In the moonlight,” he confirmed.
“Oh, sweet heaven,” she murmured, her cheeks turning pink. “Do I have any clothes on?”
“Enough,” he told her, laughing. “Too many to suit me, though, but I wanted our kids to be able to look at this and see you the way I see you.”
“I want to see it,” she said at once.
“You will,” he promised. “But right now we’d better get back inside and see what kind of progress that baby is making.”
It was one minute after midnight when Amelia Destiny Carlton arrived, the Christmas baby that Beth had predicted. Destiny’s eyes shone with tears when she heard the baby’s name.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispered, clutching Richard’s hand.
“We wanted to,” Melanie said. “If it weren’t for you, none of this would ever have happened.”
“Amen to that,” Mack agreed, his gaze on Beth.
She smiled and tucked her hand into his. “I predict a lot of little Destinys in this family before too long.”