Chapter Twenty-Six #2
She laughed. She could hardly expect to keep anything secret for long with Zia around.
Although, to be fair, she hadn't given away anything about the two new paintings yet—not even when Alara had presented Charles with the finished canvas of the view from here, the house lit by the setting sun.
It had taken her a while to make the greenhouse gleam just the right gold, but she'd known it was worth it the moment Charles laid eyes on it.
To say he'd been moved was an understatement.
Reaves squeezed her hand. "I think it's time."
Charles raised his eyebrows, and she got to her feet.
"There's something I'd like to show you, Charles. Something I'd like to give you." She offered her hand, and he stood to join her.
"Oh. Well." He looked a little flustered. "I wasn't expecting this. What are we—where are we…?" From the way he glanced at Reaves and Faye, he seemed more concerned than pleasantly surprised.
"There's something in your study I'd like to show you."
"Let's go, Grandpa Grape." Zia took his hand. "You're going to love it. I know you are."
Charles chuckled. "Well, then, I'm sure I will. Lead on." He said it to Alara, then added, "And after whatever surprise you have in store for me, I'd like for us all to come back out here. I have something I'd like to share with you as well."
When they reached his study, she nodded at Reaves to keep Charles outside while she went in to make sure everything was perfect. Of course it was—she'd already set it up earlier. But she wanted one last look.
When she saw the two paintings arranged side by side, she nodded to herself and went back to the door. "You can come in now."
Zia led Charles in by the hand, and Reaves and Faye crowded after them.
"Look!" Zia announced.
Alara watched Charles's face, and had to swallow when his eyes filled with tears. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally managing, "Alara."
She went and put her hand on his arm. "It was after I started painting the view of the house from here.
And then Reaves took me down to show me around it.
When I looked back up here at the castle, I knew I had to paint it for you.
I felt as though I was seeing your dream made real.
" She glanced at the second canvas. "And then I could almost see the land as you must have seen it, when you lived down there.
Reaves helped—he told me what he could remember of how it looked.
Of how this place looked, before it became what it is today. "
Charles nodded and turned away to dab at his eyes before turning back. "It's like looking back through time. This is exactly how I saw it." He shook his head. "Alara. You have no idea of the gift you've given me."
"I think I have some idea, Charles."
"May I?" he asked.
"Of course." She leaned in for a hug and clung to him tightly for a few moments before he stepped back.
"Thank you, my dear."
Reaves nodded at her, and Faye gave her an approving look before clearing her throat.
"You can hang them on the wall next to my sparkly butterfly, Grandpa Grape," Zia said.
He barked out a laugh. "You know, little sunflower—I think I'll do just that. Thank you." He inhaled deeply and nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll take a moment before I rejoin you all on the terrace."
"Of course." Alara gave his arm a squeeze before reaching for Zia's hand. "Come on, Z."
Faye walked back outside with them, while Reaves lingered a moment with his dad.
Once they were back on the terrace, Faye came to hug her. "He'll cherish that for the rest of his days, you know."
Alara nodded, not quite trusting her voice. "That was my hope."
The three of them started to clear the tables, but Faye shooed Alara and Zia away when they tried to help. "I think, for tonight, things can wait. Come on—let's get back out there."
Alara just stared at her. Faye was a stickler for clearing up right away after meals.
The older woman smiled. "Didn't you hear Charles? There's something he wants to give you as well."
Once they were seated back on the terrace, Reaves and Charles appeared around the side of the house. Charles looked as though he'd recovered.
In fact, there was a decided twinkle in his eye when he took the seat opposite Alara.
"I want to say thank you—but those two words aren't big enough to express how I feel about those paintings."
"You don't need to thank me, Charles. It really is my pleasure."
He held her gaze. "Then please, hold on to that feeling—because what you just said is exactly how I feel. And I'd very much like you to accept my gift in the same spirit."
She wanted to say he didn't need to give her any gifts.
He'd already given her so much—a whole new life for herself and her daughter.
His son, the wonderful man she'd fallen in love with.
But she had to honor his request. Painting the view and giving him the canvases had brought her so much pleasure.
How could she deny him the chance to do something similar for her?
He dug in his pocket and held something out to her—something gold, glinting in the last rays of the setting sun. "This is for you."
She reached to take it, and it was only when her fingers closed around it that she realized it was a key. A front door key. She took it with a puzzled smile.
"Thank you." She looked down at it. "What is it?"
He chuckled. "It's the key to the house."
"Oh—that's okay. I use the one that hangs in the kitchen."
He shook his head and smiled gently. "This is your key. For your house. To keep."
She looked down at the key, then up at Charles again. Her brain had frozen. She couldn't make the words make sense. She looked at Reaves. He was grinning at her, nodding.
Faye had her hands clasped against her chest.
"I don't understand," she said eventually.
"It's quite simple, my dear. I'm giving you the house."
"But… I…" She shook her head. "You're going to rent it out."
He chuckled. "That was never my intention. It was only ever your assumption. What did I tell you when we first talked about it?"
She stared at him, thoughts racing. "You told me…" She stopped when it hit her. "You told me to make it a home."
"I did. I asked you to pour yourself into it."
Her hand came up to cover her mouth.
"It's yours now, Alara."
She glanced at Reaves. He was still smiling, still nodding. Zia was watching her, wide-eyed. Charles waited.
Alara looked down at the key in her hand again. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll accept it."
When she looked back up at Charles, he looked hopeful, but doubtful. And it finally hit her: what he was asking her to accept wasn't really the house. It was the love, the family, the belonging that he and Reaves had offered her right from the beginning.
She nodded slowly as tears filled her eyes. Her voice cracked. "Thank you just doesn't seem…"
"That was my point exactly," said Charles. "It's how I felt. How I feel. About the paintings."
"We get to live in the magic cottage?" Zia asked in an awed whisper.
"You do," said Reaves.
Alara's gaze snapped up to meet his. He'd said you. Not we.
Charles chuckled. "You're the keeper of your own boundary this time, Alara. The house is yours."
She panicked for a moment, looking at Reaves again. "But you—I—"
Charles shook his head. "You mustn't feel as though I'm giving his inheritance away out from under him.
The estate will pass to Reaves when I'm gone.
The house is yours. Your very own." He smiled.
"I made a rule on your behalf when you moved in here.
But the rules you set in your own home are your choice. "
She looked from him to Reaves and back again. Then, finally, she took Reaves's hand.
"The rule was that you couldn't stay unless and until I invited you to."
He nodded.
"Well. This is me, Reaves. Inviting you to stay. Not just for the night—but for good. Under the same roof. With me."
"And with me," Zia chimed in.
They all laughed at that.
Reaves squeezed her hand. "There's nothing I want more." His big brown eyes were so full of love that everything else seemed to fade away as she leaned in, and he pressed his lips to hers.
"And the prince kissed the princess, and they all lived happily ever after," Zia pronounced.
She and Reaves pulled back, laughing, and Charles got to his feet.
"I think this calls for a drink. Sherry all round?"
Reaves went inside and came back with a tray. Zia giggled when she saw he'd brought a grape juice for her, along with four glasses of sherry.
"Oh—wait," said Charles. "I prepared for this.
Just because you can't have sherry doesn't mean you can't enjoy something that tastes like it with us.
Reaves—would you run inside? There's a pack of Rolos in my desk drawer.
After we talked about it last time, I picked some up. For an occasion such as this."
The sun was finally dropping below the horizon when they all raised their glasses. Zia clunked her juice box against them, making everyone laugh.
"I didn't think this part out," said Charles. "I should have prepared a toast."
"To your new home," he said, as their glasses met.
"To family," said Faye.
"To us," said Reaves.
Alara pressed her glass against each of theirs in turn. "Home."
And Zia waved her juice box in the air and shouted, "Fairytales!"