Three Wishes (Dreams Come True #3) (18 page)

See, nothing Damien did shocked or hurt me any more. He’d lost that power. He didn’t matter. This realization had me covering my mouth with my hand as tears prickled my eyes. How could I push Ben away over this guy? My heart hurt.

“You’re a guest in my house,” Gabriel warned. “Sit down and be quiet or leave.”

The screening. Poor Ollie. I searched for her, worrying she would be embarrassed or disappointed, but instead she seemed…satisfied. I shook my head. My girl knew what she was doing. She had a message to send.
I’m paying attention, Ollie. What’s your wish? You want Damien gone? What?

Damien marched up to Gabriel. “This may be your house, but that’s my daughter and we’re leaving.”

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. I knew he had no fear of Damien. I watched as Ben and Sebastian flanked him. This could get ugly. Ben was positively fuming. The way he kept flexing his fists, I recognized how hard he worked to keep his emotions under control.

Taking a deep breath, I stood and moved in between them while I heard Ben sigh. “Damien, you should go.”

“Fine.” He shrugged. “So let’s get out of here.”

I bit my lower lip and shook my head. “No. You’ll be leaving alone. And I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“Maybe I don’t want you anyway.” Damien chuckled.

Suddenly, Ben was standing beside me. I touched his forearm to keep him from speaking. This was my fight. If I didn’t end it, once and for all, Damien would keep trying to sneak back into our life.

I inhaled a deep steadying breath before speaking. “You aren’t here for Ollie, either. You don’t give a damn about her, never have. Just leave and never come back because I’ll never let you in again.” I crossed my arms resolutely over my chest and stared at him evenly without a hint of sorrow. He wasn’t worth even a solitary tear.

“We’ll see.” Damien leaned closer, but Ben reached out and pushed him back.

“Actually, there’s nothing to see here. I believe the lady asked you to leave. And I’m pretty sure my friends and I are eager to enforce her wishes.” Ben nodded towards Gabriel and Sebastian who looked ready to rip out Damien’s throat. “Time to go.”

For a second, Damien tried to stand his ground, but as he looked around and realized how unwelcome he was, he finally gave in. After shrugging it off, he strode casually toward the door and shut it behind him. Immediately, Gabriel moved to the wall and pushed the button on the speaker.

“Security,” the man answered in a low voice.

“One of our guests is leaving. Please make sure to secure the home after his departure.” Gabriel rubbed his hands together and quickly transformed back to the warm, fun loving man I’d met at dinner. “What do you say, Ollie? Shall we finish the movie without further interruptions?”

“Yes, please!” Ollie beamed.

Still feeling shaken, I sat back in my original seat. This time, Ben sat beside me. I couldn’t even look at him. Instead, I focused on the screen, anxious to view the rest of Ollie’s masterpiece.

A moment later we saw Ollie playing with the camera in the bathroom mirror. I swallowed hard as bile burned the back of my throat. “Know what I love about making movies?” Ollie asked her reflection. “It’s like…hocus pocus or ala kazam. It’s so magical!”

At first, all I could see was her excitement. Then I realized her magic wand was my pregnancy test. I covered my mouth and sank in my seat. From the back of the room, I heard Marisa. “Wait. Is that a pregnancy test?” Then she snorted with laughter. “I love this kid!”

My face was on fire. On the screen, I called to Ollie and she set the camera down. It pointed at the positive test. Ben laid his hand on my thigh, and said nothing, but I couldn’t meet his questioning gaze.

Finally, there was a montage of images, all of Ben and me. While they flashed across the screen, Ollie narrated. “I know if I have to leave right now, Mama will be okay. She has Ben. And Ben will be okay because he has Mama. And even if they don’t know it yet, they love each other. And usually when they say they’re checking her eyes, they’re really kissing. Mama would never kiss someone she didn’t really love.”

On the screen, Ben held me close in the kitchen, comforting me and drying my tears. “I wish I could take your pain away,” he murmured.

Goose bumps covered my body as I remembered that moment. Tears welled up in my eyes as Ollie spoke again. “Ben gave me my wish, but he got his wish too. Mama’s happy around him, even when she tries not to be.”

There was no way I could hold back my tears any longer. The moment I sniffled, Ben reached into his coat and produced a handkerchief. “Here, babe,” he murmured lovingly. “Dry those tears one last time.”

I nodded and looked up at him, hoping to convey without words how truly grateful I felt. In response, he wrapped an arm around me. For the first time since Damien showed up, I felt free to melt into him.

On the screen, Ollie started speaking once more. “I know I’ve already been granted one wish, but if I had three wishes, like in
Aladdin
, I’d wish Mama and Ben would be together forever.” She took a deep breath. “But what I wish most of all would be that I don’t have to do anymore treatments, no more hospitals, ever again.” Ollie sniffled. “From Ben, I learned not to make wishes but to follow my dreams. I love you all, but I can’t do it anymore.”

I hiccupped. Ollie had spoken. This changed everything.

Chapter Eighteen

Ben

The room was completely silent, then Becca cheered. “Oh, Ollie! Your movie was amazing. Wanna go play in my castle?”

Ollie stood and smiled. “I’d like that. Let me check with my mama first.”

I looked down at Charlie who had now turned to bury her face in my chest. This wouldn’t be the first time I had overstepped, but I went out on a limb anyway. “Hey, Olls, go have fun! We’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

Becca leaned over and whispered loudly in Ollie’s ear. “I think you’re gonna get that wish. Mommy and Gabriel are like that a lot and they’re together forever.”

I grinned. My life had never felt more uncertain, but for once, I was in a room surrounded by those I loved. It gave me the hope I could handle anything. Wrapping my arms around Charlie, I hauled her over the armrest and onto my lap without any regard for our audience.

Isabella moved to the front of the room. “Okay, kids…back yard. And adults, let’s go to the keeping room. We have food and wine, but it looks like all the ladies will be drinking strawberry lemonade.” She giggled. “Come on.”

In a matter of minutes, the room had cleared. We were finally alone.

“Hey, babe? You can stop crying now.”

Charlie shook her head emphatically. “I can’t.”

“Look at me.” I gently nudged her chin up with my finger so I could see into her eyes. “What’s there to be upset about?”

“Ollie has decided to die.” She looked away.

I rolled my eyes. “Please. Ollie has been saying this since I’ve known her. That’s not it.”

“She doesn’t want any more treatments.” Charlie bit her cheek.

I shrugged. “So, we’ll talk her into it. She’s already going to Toronto. We’ll work it out.” Leaning closer, I planted a kiss in the middle of her forehead and let my lips linger there, touching her skin while I inhaled the fresh, clean scent of her. “Let’s talk about what’s really bothering you.”

Slowly, Charlie climbed back into her seat and breathed deeply. “Okay, but if we’re going to do this, I’m sitting here.” She crossed her arms over her chest and I could actually see her building a wall between us.

“Well, now I know why I kept thinking you were different and acting strange toward me.” A smile played on my lips as I stared at her lower abdomen and pictured how she’d look with a big rounded belly. My heart filled imagining it. Then I frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s complicated.” Charlie avoided my eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed and I reached out to feel her forehead. “No fever.” I tilted my head to the side as I studied her demeanor. “Are you embarrassed? Ashamed?”

She sighed. “You must think I’m some whore.”

I shook my head. “Why would I think that?”

Charlie growled in frustration and threw her hands in the air. “Let’s see…I’ve been with all of two men my entire life and I’ve managed to get pregnant by both of them.” She stood and walked down the risers to the open floor in front of the screen and started pacing while I sat and watched, afraid to scare her off. “My life wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to marry Damien. We were going to have a life together.”

My jaw dropped and I moved to join her. “Do you really want to have a life with that guy?”

Immediately, she stopped moving. “Well, not anymore, no, but Ollie…needs her dad.”

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t you know by now, it was the idea you were in love with? Let go of the life you think you were supposed to have.” I reached out and laid my hands on her shoulders. “Forget about Ollie needing her dad. I think this is about you needing your father.”

Her eyes flashed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

I gave her the side eye. “Really? Because I spoke to your father and I think you know precisely what I’m talking about.”

“He has never been there for me,” she whispered.

I heard her hiccup and feared she’d be crying soon. “Sit with me. Let me show you something. I meant to talk to you about it earlier, in case you missed it.”

“Missed what?” Her brow furrowed with confusion, but she sat next to me in the front row.

Without hesitation, I pulled up the email from the station manager. “The station did a story on the donor drive I organized. I had no idea. And when I watched it, I saw this.” I held the phone so we could watch the video clip together. The reporter spoke in the foreground, but it was the activity taking place behind her I hoped Charlie would notice. As I watched her for a reaction, she suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“My father?” She looked up at me with big glassy eyes.

“Yeah. He’s coming around, Charlie. He may never be the man you want him to be, but he’s trying in his own way. We’ll know when we get back from Toronto if there are any matches.” I tucked the phone back in my pocket and held her close again. “As for Ollie, all she needs is to be surrounded by people who care about her. We can give her that. We already are.” I stroked her hair to soothe her, but instead, she sat back suddenly.

“What are you saying?” Charlie’s eyes narrowed on me.

My shoulders rose and I shook my head. “I don’t know. I swear to God, I don’t even know where that came from, but I know I mean it.” I took a deep breath and blew it out before continuing. “I’m not leaving. We’re having a baby together.” I grinned, genuinely happy about this unexpected plot twist in my life and held her hands in mine. “I’ll marry you. I’ll be the dad Ollie deserves, the man you can depend on.”

Charlie smacked her lips. “Yeah. That sounds delightful. Since you put it that way…no.” She yanked her hands away, stood and walked toward the door.

My legs felt like jelly. I wasn’t sure it was even safe for me to stand. Though my mouth had suddenly gone dry, I managed to choke out, “What do you mean, no?”

She whipped around angrily. “No. Not like this. Not because of Ollie, or pity, or an unplanned pregnancy.” For a moment she leaned her back against the wall. “I shouldn’t even be having a baby right now. My daughter needs all my love and attention.” Charlie turned to leave the media room.

The thought of losing her forced me to action. I bolted from my seat and rushed to the door, positioning myself so she couldn’t reach the handle. “You can’t possibly be considering an abortion. You never considered it for Ollie.” My mind was spinning, my heart racing.

Charlie stiffened. “Well…things are different now. I’m different now.”

I didn’t know what else to say. Instead, I opened the door for her and watched sadly as she exited the room and marched down the hall without me.

***

Charlie

I didn’t mean it. I don’t know why I said it or where it came from. I’d never have an abortion, no matter how bad the timing, how impractical the pregnancy. I bit my lips as I rushed down the hall, as quickly as the damn boot would allow. Why was I so dead set on pushing him away? My shoulders sank as I finally admitted to myself how truly damaged I had become. He’d leave me. They’ve all abandoned me in the past. What made him different? This time though, losing Ben could wreck me like never before.

He was the first man to treat me right, to love me the way I needed to be loved, to support me in every way possible. Ben was the first man Ollie had ever known and she loved him too. My daughter wanted us to be together forever, and so did Ben. Why couldn’t I just give in and let it happen? Could I possibly believe I didn’t deserve this kind of happiness? Probably. I wiped at my eyes and worked to pull my emotions together as I followed the voices to the keeping room. I hesitated, half expecting them to be talking about us. Instead, they were commenting on how nicely the kids were playing and discussing our Toronto trip.

“So, I heard something about food?” I tried to joke as I walked in.

They smiled warmly to welcome me, then glanced behind me. “Hey, where’s Ben?” Isabella wondered.

At first, I thought to make an excuse, then I caught sight of him outside, playing with the kids. I pointed.

Gabriel slid off the barstool. “Sebastian, I think he has the right idea. Care to join me?” The men kissed their wives and then stepped through the French doors to the patio to participate in the fun.

“Gabriel is so subtle. I’ve always admired that about him,” Marisa commented lazily as she stuffed an Italian meatball in her mouth. She chewed for a moment, the gestured to her heaping plate. “Please eat. I feel like such a cow.”

I laughed. “Well, you look amazing. I don’t do pregnant pretty.”

“Me neither.” Isabella made a face.

“Stop! You’re absolutely glowing,” I sighed as I picked up a plate and walked over to the hot and cold buffet prepared on the island.

“You’ll be fine once you get through the first trimester and the exhaustion. Then we’ll all be a lot more fun.” Marisa took a swig of the lemonade. “Gawd, this is good. I may end up with gestational diabetes, but so good!”

Finally, Isabella blurted out, “I can’t believe we’re all pregnant at the same time.”

Marisa snickered. “Seriously. But hey, three’s company, right? And how cool that our kids will all be able to grow up together.”

I felt my cheeks grow pink and warm. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. You guys are married to the father and you’re in love…”

“Oh, don’t worry. Ben will ask” Isabella nodded knowingly.

Marisa agreed. “He’s such a good guy. I haven’t known him as long as Isabella has, but he’s the best of us.”

“I don’t know, Gabriel is pretty awesome, but I’ll agree that Ben is super special.” Isabella moved around the island to hug me. “He deserves a super special woman.” I bristled, unsure of where this was going. “So glad to see he has that in you.”

I felt completely shocked. “What? I’m a mess. He deserves so much better than me. Did you know when we first met he planned to travel around the world? We’ll only hold him back.”

“Is that what you think? This may take longer than I thought. We should get comfortable.” Isabella gestured for us to follow her to the couches. “Ben wanted a family. I don’t know the whole story. I don’t think anyone does. He holds everything in and takes care of everyone else. He has never wanted much for himself. I’m not sure why he planned to leave, but I promise you it had nothing to do with being a world traveler.”

Her words made sense and suddenly I understood Ben a little better. “I think I know.” I looked around the room. “Being around all of you is too hard on him. He sees what he’s missing.” I swallowed hard. “His father is kicking him out as soon as he graduates. I guess he decided to go build a life elsewhere.”

Isabella reached over and touched my hand. I looked up and met her warm eyes. “Ben has been looking for love for a long time. He hasn’t dated anyone since I’ve known him. I think he took my advice.” She laughed. “I told him to stop looking and it would happen.”

I clasped my hands together tightly in my lap. There were so many thoughts rushing through my mind. Maybe he was serious with his impromptu proposal. Maybe I pushed away the one guy who had ever been kind to me, ever treated me in a loving manner, and ever cherished my daughter. Tears prickled my eyes.

Suddenly, a familiar handkerchief was thrust under my nose. “Dry those tears, Charlie.” Ben squatted before me. “Like it or not, you have me now, for always. So let’s go get those suitcases and meet everyone at the airport. We’re flying out tonight.”

“Already?” My breath caught in my throat. “What about Ollie?”

“We’re going to celebrate her birthday. What happens from there is up in the air, but let’s focus on having a really great time.” He smiled at me and touched my cheek in a way that made me want to curl up into him. “I think that will help our cause.” Then he pulled my head closer so he could kiss my temple.

“Way to keep it PG, man, with all these kids around,” Sebastian teased.

“Hey, I know we originally said we’d come,” Marisa began looking guilty, “but I’m swelling. I need to stay off my feet.” She held out her hands and showed how her skin bulged around her wedding bands. “Forgive us? We’ll be at the next big thing no matter what. Promise.”

I laughed. “I’m thinking the next big thing may be your birth.”

Marisa smirked. “Really? Because I had my heart set on a wedding.” Then she looked back and forth between us with an innocent look on her face.

“Agreed. Weddings always have the best cake.” Sebastian squeezed his wife then frowned. “Let’s get those rings off. Then we need to get you home and put those feet up.”

“I hate taking off my rings. These are family heirlooms.” She pouted and held them close to her heart.

“Wow. That makes them all the more special,” I agreed, “which is why you should take them off before they have to cut them off.”

Ben chuckled. “Charlie’s right.”

“Ugh. We’re out of here. The pressure.” Marisa rolled her eyes and grinned.

“We’re leaving too. We’ll meet you at the airport in two hours.” Ben stood, then held out a hand to help me up.

I blew out a breath. “Okay, so we’re doing this.”

He nodded. “Together.” This time, when he squeezed my hand, I squeezed back.

We drove first to Ben’s pool house, then to our apartment, and finally to the private airfield where the Charmant family kept their plane. It seemed surreal to me, but I tried to roll with it. Then Ollie started in with the questions.