Trade It All(76)

Lance stepped back and chuckled at his mother’s playful demand. Playful. She was happy finally, and he felt a sense of ease seeing his mother healing along with the rest of them. “I will.”





Chapter Nineteen




Bridezilla Kenzi was taking Florida by storm. Her tour of potential wedding sites had not only started in Tampa and extended to Orlando but Kenzi also requested all four of them wear formal attire for their food tasting at the Grand Floridian. Willa hadn’t brought anything Kenzi had considered up to par, so the trip had also included a quick shopping spree—thankfully on Kenzi’s card.

Willa didn’t feel the need be to dressed in an expensive gown to help decide if the cake at the Grand Floridian was better than the cake at Clay’s Beachside Hotel. But it was important to Kenzi that everything be perfect, so Willa obliged her friend.

Lexi had been unusually quiet all day, but Willa attributed that to residual nervousness from the flight. Dax didn’t seem at all worried that his bride-to-be was already going a little over the top.

As they stepped out of their limo—Kenzi’s choice of vehicle, of course—Willa wondered if there was a wedding here today. So many cars. “It looks like there’s a wedding here today. I wonder what they’re like here.” She spotted something white in the distance that was coming closer and exclaimed. “Oh my God, is that Cinderella’s coach? How cool is that? Is it full of kids? It can’t be.” As it came closer Willa gasped. It was full of kids. Happy, cheering children. “Now that is fun.” She turned to Lexi. “Disney is just as magical as Mom described it. Remember? She used to tell us that this was where happily-ever-afters were born.” Willa sighed. Seeing such wonder, she struggled against the disappointment and yearning she felt for her own happily ever after.

Not everyone gets a happy ending.

That’s why we pay to come to places like this where we can experience what it would be like—even if for a moment.

Willa gave herself a mental shake. This was about Kenzi, so she quickly squashed her feelings. “This place . . .” She pushed back her disappointment in her own love life and focused on Kenzi’s. “This place has my vote, Kenzi. Even before we taste the food.”

Kenzi’s smile widened. “If you like this, you’ll love what comes next.”

Lexi, Kenzi, Dax, and Willa walked toward the entrance of a large building that housed several ballrooms. The door to the building opened and Lance stepped out. He didn’t stop until he was standing directly in front of Willa. “Hi, Willa.”

She swayed and took a step back. “Lance. I didn’t know you were meeting us.”

Kenzi, Dax, and Lexi excused themselves and headed inside the building. Willa almost bolted to go with them, but Lance blocked her escape. “I was an idiot in Cape Cod.”

Willa raised her hand. “Please. We don’t need to rehash this.”

Lance took her hand in his and held it even though she tried to pull it free. “We do because I need to explain. I thought you were about to tell me that you loved me, and I didn’t want you to.”

A cold swept through Willa. “Let go of my hand.”

Lance didn’t. He grimaced. “That came out wrong. Let me start over.”

“Please don’t.”

“I love you. I’ve loved you most of my life, but it took me until now to be able to say it.”

Willa’s legs wobbled beneath her. She wanted desperately to believe that she’d heard what she thought she’d heard, but she was afraid to. “I’m sorry?”

Lance dug in his coat pocket. “I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” He dropped to one knee. “Marry me, Willa. I’m a work in progress. My whole family is. I know that. But we need you. I need you.”

Willa shook her head as she tried to make sense of the sudden shift in Lance. “You really hurt me.”

“I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Although a part of her wanted to cry, “Yes. Yes. Yes.” Another part of her was still recovering from the last time she’d believed in him. “I don’t know, Lance.”

Lance rose back to his feet and took both of her hands in his. “I do. I didn’t before and I’m sorry, but I know now. We belong together.”

“You didn’t call me at all after Cape Cod. Nothing. Not for a week. Why?”

Lance’s expression was contrite. “I went to Aruba. I wish I could say that was the only reason, but I also needed to sort out how I felt about you.”

Willa swallowed hard, keeping a part of her heart protected. “And you’ve done that now?”