“I am not naming any boy of mine Destiny,” Mack grumbled.
“And if it’s another girl?” Ben asked him.
“That’s different,” Mack said, giving their aunt a hug.
Ben gazed at the tiny, perfect little girl in Richard’s arms. He glanced back at Kathleen. “I wonder if I can get that portrait finished in time for the show?”
They all stared at him.
“You’re painting portraits now?” Melanie asked.
“And showing your work?” Richard echoed.
Ben laughed at their shocked expressions. “Oh, yeah, that’s right, you were out of the room when I mentioned that I’m also getting married.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s wonderful,” Melanie said and began to cry. She swiped at her eyes. “Don’t mind me. Hormones.”
“Hormones nothing,” Richard scoffed. “You’re just sentimental.”
“I notice you’ve got tears in your eyes, too, bro,” Mack commented.
Richard shrugged. “What the hell! I’d say the Carlton men have come a long way, wouldn’t you?”
“A very long way,” Melanie and Beth agreed.
Destiny gazed at each of them in turn, then clucked her tongue. “Don’t encourage them too much, ladies. There’s always room for a little improvement.”
Ben picked his aunt up and twirled her around until she told him he was making her dizzy.
“Not until you promise to stop meddling,” he said. “Your work here is done, Destiny.”
She gave him a long look that was tinged with just a hint of sorrow. “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“Oh, no, it’s not,” Melanie piped up.
“Absolutely not,” Kathleen and Beth agreed. “There’s a whole new generation to worry about now.”
To Ben’s relief, Destiny’s expression brightened. “My goodness, I can’t leave this precious baby and all the ones to come to the likes of you, can I?”
“Hey!” Richard protested. “I don’t think we turned out too badly.”
“Neither do I,” Mack said.
Ben looked at his brothers and the women in their lives, then turned to Kathleen. “What about you? Do you think I’ve turned out all right?”
She moved into his arms and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then whispered in his ear, “I wouldn’t want the others to hear this, but I think you turned out best of all.”
“You’re biased.”
She laughed. “Hey, I’m only following Destiny’s lead. Everybody knows you’re her favorite.”
“I heard that,” Richard grumbled.
“Me, too,” Mack protested.
“Oh, stop squabbling,” Destiny said. “I don’t have favorites.”
“Of course not,” Ben agreed at once, then leaned down. “But if you did, I’d be the one, right?”
“Isn’t knowing that you’re Kathleen’s favorite enough?” Destiny scolded.
Ben met Kathleen’s gaze over Destiny’s head. “More than enough,” he agreed at once. It was something he would never allow himself to forget.
Epilogue
For a wedding that had been pulled together in less than a month, Kathleen thought it was pretty spectacular. Her mother and Destiny had used every contact, called in every favor and invited a cast of hundreds to witness the occasion. She didn’t think it could have come together any more beautifully if they’d had an entire year to plan it.
Kathleen stood at the back of the church in a sleek, strapless satin gown from a well-known designer whom Destiny knew personally. She was holding a simple bouquet of lily of the valley and white velvet ribbons that her mother had created. Her grandfather, looking incredibly distinguished in his tuxedo, stood at her side.
“Are you happy, angel? Truly happy?” he asked.
“You can’t begin to imagine how happy,” she assured him. “I’ve gotten it exactly right this time.”
“I hope so. Ben seems like a fine young man and it’s plain that he adores you. I don’t suppose you’d reconsider and settle in Providence?”
She squeezed his hand. “No, but it means the world to me that you’d want us to.”
He nodded, his expression sad. “I wish I’d done better by you and your mother.”
“That’s in the past, Grandfather, and it has nothing to do with me wanting to stay here. My life is here now.”
He patted her hand. “No need to explain. Now it seems to me that I hear music. Are you ready?”
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this,” she said as they took their places at the back of the church and waited for Melanie and Beth to reach the front.