“It’s a surprise,” Nate replied, the traffic light changed and he moved forward, closing in on the Registry Office hopefully to find that Victor had succeeded in his task.
“Does it have a beach?” she asked.
“No,” he answered, deftly executing a turn in the heavy traffic.
“Does it have mountains?” Lily tried again.
“No,” he responded, feeling his lips twitch at her sweet interrogation.
“Is it in a foreign country?”
“Yes,” he told her.
“Italy?” she queried, hope in her voice.
“No.”
“France?” Lily went on doggedly.
“No.”
She seemed stymied as Nate pulled up outside the Registry Office. He parked on the double yellow lines and the Aston would stay there. They could ticket him, he didn’t care, he had millions of pounds. He’d happily pay a parking ticket or a hundred of them to shave off ten minutes of waiting to be married to Lily.
He got out and was rounding the car when she alighted from the other side.
“Please wait for me to open your door, Lily,” he requested softly when he made it to her.
“Switzerland?” she ignored his request and kept at her former topic and Nate threw back his head and laughed.
He brushed his lips against hers and escorted her to the pavement, saying a firm, “No.”
“Where are we going then?” She lost her patience and her eyes flashed but with happy frustration rather than true anger.
“I’m not telling you.”
She dug in her heels at the bottom of the steps to the entry. Victor and Fazire filled it as Lily looked up at Nate.
“I never said I wanted it to be a surprise Nate,” Lily stated then threatened, “I’m not going in there until you tell me.”
Without hesitation, for Nate no longer cared if it was a surprise or not if it meant he’d have to wait any longer to get married, he finally relented and told her, “Indiana.”
Lily’s head moved involuntarily and she blinked.
“You’re taking me to Indiana for our honeymoon?”
Nate slid his arm around her waist and pulled her toward his body. When he felt her softness hit him, he bent his head to hers and, their faces a breath away, he said, “I want you to see this property I purchased. It cost a fortune. The people living there didn’t feel like moving. In the end, I persuaded them. It’s a limestone farmhouse with marble window sills and a big pond in the front yard.”
Lily sucked in her breath and her eyes grew wide. Then he watched as they filled with tears and she leaned into him. Her hand went to his cheek, she whispered his name and he felt all the love in the world wash over him in that quiet whisper.
At his name on her lips said in that tone, Nate’s head descended the rest of the way and he kissed her through her tears.
“Lily!” Maxine yelled from somewhere near but Nate didn’t care where. “You’ll ruin your makeup!”
Fazire
“Nate, it doesn’t matter.” Lily said comfortingly to Nathaniel.
“It matters,” Nathaniel said curtly to Lily.
Fazire looked on.
“There’s nothing we can do. We have a full schedule,” the Registry Office person said, wringing her hands.
“Son, I tried,” Victor cut in and Fazire saw he looked completely dejected. Fazire knew the proud man had tried, he’d watched him. Victor had tried everything. He tried coaxing, he tried threatening, he tried bribing, and nothing worked.
“She was accosted in her living room and mistakenly carted away by the police!” Maxine shouted dramatically. “Surely you can make an exception for that.”
The Registry Office employee shook her head.
“But they’ve been waiting eight years.” Fazire heard Laura say, her voice so sad it made Fazire sad too or more sad than he already was. He was sad for Lily, for Nathaniel, for Tash, his glorious Tash who was looking on crestfallen, even for Laura and Victor who so wanted this for their family.
“Lily-child,” Fazire said softly, knowing what he had to do.
Lily didn’t look at him. She was staring up at Nate with love and concern shining in her eyes.
Fazire knew at a glance she had changed. Fazire knew that Nathaniel had healed her last night that Lily had healed Nathaniel, that her wish had finally come true, that they would finally find happiness. For the rest of his genie days, and there would be many, he would live happily with the knowledge that he’d created that for his Lily.
But Fazire was still sad, sad for himself, sad that he was to be leaving them, his adored Lily, his beautiful Natasha and this fine man he’d grown to respect.
“Lily-child,” Fazire repeated, his voice stronger and Lily turned to him, took one look and disengaged from her furious lover and moved to Fazire.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, her hand light on Fazire’s arm, she was watching him closely, losing track of her own dire circumstances to worry about him.
“Use it,” Fazire said and he found, to his utter astonishment, his voice was croaky.
Oh, how the other genies would laugh if they ever heard that.
He cleared his throat and repeated, “Use it.”
“Use what?” she asked, her eyes confused.
Fazire nodded his head toward Nathaniel and Lily looked over her shoulder at her fiancée.
“I want a word with the Registrar,” Nate demanded.
“I’ve already spoken to the Registrar, he’s already spoken to the Registrar,” the employee pointed at Victor and Tash leaned heavily, despondently, against her father’s legs. Nathaniel’s hand came to his daughter’s shoulder reassuringly as the employee went on. “I’m so sorry. We’ll schedule a new date for you as soon as we can.”
Lily turned back to Fazire, her face pale and Fazire knew she understood.
“I can’t… we can wait,” she whispered, her eyes panicked.
“Look at them, Lily. Look at Tash. She thinks your Nathaniel can do anything. She thinks Nathaniel has a different kind of magic. To learn any different, Lily-child, you know it would break her heart.” Lily shook her head, this she did fervently, fear now filling her face and her fingers on his arm tightened as if she’d never let him go. “Look at them,” Fazire urged softly.
She shook her head again and she didn’t look but she knew, she knew and so did Fazire. He knew she’d do anything for Tash and he knew she’d do anything for Nathaniel.
Her other hand came up to take hold of his other arm.
“Fazire,” she whispered and then she moved close then closer, her arms locking around him.
“Use it, Lily-child,” Fazire murmured softly in her ear as his darling Lily shoved her face in his neck.
“I don’t want to. You’ll go away and you’re family. Family doesn’t go away until they have to go away and you don’t have to go away. You never have to go away.” Fazire felt his Lily’s body jolt then she whispered, “I love you Fazire.” her voice broke on his name and her arms went so tight, Fazire didn’t think he could breathe but luckily he didn’t have to breathe so he just let her hold fast.
“I love you too,” he replied, shocking himself because he meant it, he meant it to the depths of his cynical genie soul.
The genie council for Best Wish of the Century had been wrong. Lily was the best wish ever granted.
Ever. Since eternity.
“Use it,” Fazire repeated.
“No,” Lily denied.
“Lily-child, use it,” he begged and felt her body jolt again.