Chapter Fifty-Four
Enrique flew back to Florida a week later to finalize the purchase of their new home. He had originally planned to surprise her on their wedding day, but Hannah had informed him that was the worst idea he had ever had. So, here he was, four days after his second proposal, feeling a little jet-lagged but excited for her to see their home.
It was Friday, and he had asked her to take the day off to spend with him. She readily agreed. He picked her up at eight and took her to breakfast. Their first stop after that was to pick out flowers. She said a premade artificial bouquet was sufficient, but he disagreed, arguing that they were still having pictures taken and he wanted the wedding to look small and intimate, not cheap. That hurt her feelings a little, but they moved past it quickly.
Then, they were off to the bakery. She had selected a two-tier naked cake with a sage green ribbon tied around the middle and simple vanilla frosting. He asked for a compromise and suggested a larger three-tier cake so they could each have their favorite filling. He wanted a waterfall of peach-colored roses and eucalyptus-type light green foliage to add some color. She agreed and selected strawberry filling, and he preferred the pineapple. They kept the vanilla filling on top.
“Keeping the top layer for the first anniversary is silly. It is gross by that point, and… this is Florida. Do you know how many times the power is going to go out in the next year? We are in the Keys; this place is a magnet for hurricanes. It will be bad, trust me. We should go with two tiers and not waste money on the extra one that will be trashed.”
“The bakery needs all the assistance they can get. It looks like they are holding on by a thread. Let the poor woman make the cake.”
“Fine,” Leigh grumbled. “Are we done now? I need a quiet walk on the beach. This wedding stuff is stressful.”
“Not quite. Two more stops. First, the caterer.”
“Caterer? I thought we were just going to head to the little seafood shack in town afterward. There are only five of us.” Leighann looked at his face and saw a look that made her very uncomfortable. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Well, I talked to Curtis, and he said he had some of your contact information. He put the word out and now some of your friends from Colorado are coming, a college roommate, some ski buddies, I can’t remember who else. All people he assured me you loved. We aren’t exactly sure how many will be there, but we will be ready either way.”
Leigh wasn’t sure how she felt about this. She had wanted simple and intimate. Not stress. Now, she was feeling stressed.
The caterer was painless. Apparently, Lorenzo had already gotten with them on the menu; they just had to taste the food and approve everything.
Leighann rested her head back in her seat and closed her eyes, trying to find peace with the change of plans. They crossed a bridge, alerting to the change of island, and shortly after, they rolled to a stop surrounded by coastal foliage.
“Close your eyes and don’t open them,” Enrique instructed.
Leigh did as she was told, feeling too drained to argue. Soon, he was opening her door and helping her down from the SUV. She felt uneven pavers beneath her feet. They walked for several minutes, her arm tucked in his as he led her to their destination.
“Okay, open your eyes,” there was excitement in his voice, and he was bouncing a little on his toes.
She wasn’t sure what to think. Before her was a monstrous mansion, which reminded her of the stone villas painted on the wall of Mateo’s Italian restaurant back home. They were standing in a circular courtyard, complete with a flowing fountain. It was at least three stories, with arched leaded diamond paned windows. To the left, there were two double garage doors. She was overwhelmed before he took her inside. Once he started the tour and started listing all the home had to offer, she was ready to run .
“So, there are nine bedrooms and eleven bathrooms. I already see the panic in your eyes, hear me out,” Enrique pleaded. “We want four kids. That is five bedrooms already. I have four brothers, and they will have children soon. We live half a country away. I want them to come here on vacation and have room to stay so the cousins will be able to get to know each other. We need nine rooms. Then there is the theatre and game room. As the children grow and have friends over, you will appreciate those. We can also watch movies and have game nights as a family. When my brothers are here on a football Sunday, you will be grateful for the soundproofing. Oh, and Fernando knows how to run a pool table. Those games can get loud. The living room, parlor, kitchen, butler’s pantry that Lorenzo will love, and an apartment for Mrs. Ellis. Oh, I forgot, there are two apartments over the garage, so one could be for Lorenzo and another for the nanny. A pool with a covered and uncovered patio will be wonderful to relax in on a hot summer day and perfect for the kids. I always wanted a pool as a child. The outdoor kitchen will be a great entertaining space for friends and family barbeques. I know it’s a lot to take in, but it really is perfect for us. Curtis and I have looked at over forty properties together, and this is the one we both agreed was the best compromise for both of us,” Enrique finished, slightly out of breath from racing to get all of the information out before Leighann exploded.
“Compromise? This place has to cost at least thirty million dollars. Is that a private beach and deepwater dock? It’s insane!” Her heart was racing, and she felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack, which she hadn’t had in years.
“I can see you need time to process. Let’s go get some dinner. Food is always a good idea. Just promise me you’ll think about it.” He was almost begging. This house was nothing like what he lived in now, but it felt like home to him. He wanted her to love it, too.
“I can’t do anything but think about it,” Leighann groused.
Enrique took her to a small chophouse owned by the local butcher, and she enjoyed a delicious steak with mushroom and onion cream sauce. They cut the night short as she was tired and a little grouchy after all the surprises the day had held.
Enrique wanted to give her space to think but also knew their time together was short. He kissed her good night on the forehead at her apartment door and reminded her to be ready by 8 am for another special surprise.
“I don’t know that I can handle any more of your surprises,” she grumbled before walking inside and locking the door.
Doubts swirled through Enrique’s mind as he drove the ten miles to the private airstrip to pick up his guests. He was excited for Leighann but knew he had overwhelmed her. He hoped she slept well that night.
“Thank you, Lord, for brothers and their toys,” he whispered as he approached Gabriel’s private jet on the tarmac and greeted Stella and Curtis as they disembarked the airplane .
Curtis embraced him in a firm hug, slapping him on the back, “Good to see you, man. That is a bit of a flight but nothing like doing it in style.”
“Thank you for the lovely transportation. If that is how you do things, I may be persuaded to travel more often with you around.” Stella smiled and wrapped him in a grandmotherly hug.
Enrique quickly escorted them back to Islamorada. The resort was nowhere near finished, but they had several floors done and had started on the space that would hold the offices and the owner’s apartments so he would have a place to stay and work while he oversaw the project.
Stella was provided a guest room next door, and Curtis was placed in Gabriel’s apartment at the end of the hall. The next day, they got up early and drove to Leighann’s apartment on Key Largo. Leigh was so surprised at seeing her family that she instantly burst into happy tears and gave her brother and grandmother massive, suffocating hugs. When she finally tore herself away from her loved ones, she walked up to Enrique and kissed him deeply.
“Thank you, I needed them,” she whispered.
“I know,” he replied, giving her a quick but meaningful hug.
They enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and then the ladies were dropped off at a bridal boutique to try on wedding gowns while the men headed over to the realtor’s office to finalize papers on the house .
“I’m worried, Curtis. Leighann was really upset when I showed her the house yesterday. If I finalize the sale, she may not trust me. We didn’t come to a final compromise, man.” Enrique ran his hands through his hair before looking at his best friend and future brother-in-law.
“I know my Angel. She will come around. This is the house for her; I feel it in my bones. When she finds out what your plans are, she will feel uncomfortable at first, but will appreciate the gesture in time. It will all work out.” Curtis patted his shoulder, then strolled into the office.
At the bridal shop, the dresses hadn’t even been pulled for her to try on yet, and Stella ordered her to spill it. Leigh’s dam broke and she poured out her heart and her tears to her grandmother.
“I have never known you to let fear run your life. That is all this is. It’s fear of the unknown. You love him, right? His reasoning for the house made sense. Okay, so it is bigger than you ever imagined. Sounds to me like your imagination could use some work. But it also sounds like this is him trying. I haven’t seen the house, but from what you described, it is nothing like some of the houses down here. I think there is a palace just on the other side of this road. He is meeting you halfway. Are you meeting him? Try it. If you hate it, then in a year, ask to move.” Stella gave her a hug and then commanded, “Now stop that crying! You can’t stand in the mirror all puffy-faced and decide if the dress is pretty or if it's just your sad face messing things up. Come on, let’s have some fun!”
Within an hour, Leigh found the perfect gown, and it didn’t even need to be altered. It was a simple A-line with a square neck and capped sleeves, very simple yet elegant. She insisted that her grandmother get a mother-of-the-bride dress, and she picked out a salmon-colored sheath dress with a jacket that would look perfect at sundown.
When the men returned, they took Leigh to sign the papers on the house.
“I really don’t feel comfortable doing this before the wedding. What if something happens to Enrique before we say, ‘I do’? I’ll be buried in debt; I have no hope of paying!”
“Enrique will never leave you hanging like that, Angel. He has you taken care of on all accounts. Trust me on this,” Curtis assured her.
The realtor piped in, “You don’t need to worry about anything darlin’ the estate is fully paid for and if he dies you will inherit a beautiful estate worth 50 million dollars, free and clear.”
Leigh’s eyes just about bulged out of her head until Enrique kissed her and whispered, “Just breathe.”
With all the final wedding preparations and the house taken care of, the small family headed to the beach to enjoy a lovely lunch on the patio of the little seafood shack, followed by a tour of Leigh’s “office” at the SeaLife Guardian Alliance building. They were just about to leave when her boss, Mr. Cruthers, approached, “So you’re the lucky man who has stolen Leigh’s heart. I bet you’re proud of her promotion. ”
Leigh’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “I hadn’t told them yet since it was still pending, and I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch.” Mr. Cruthers had no such concerns as he said it was pretty much set in stone and filled them all in on Leigh being appointed over her own research team.
“Like I said, it hasn’t happened yet. It will be after the wedding and honeymoon, but I am in the process of picking the team and setting up the lab.”
“That is wonderful news, dear. I’m so proud of you,” Stella said, kissing her on the cheek.
They went for a walk on the beach and caught up on life and discussed the future. Stella suggested that Enrique take them all by the house to see it before it got dark and she gushed, oohed, and awed over the place until Leighann had to smile.
“That’s it, I’ve made up my mind. I’m staying. Enrique, you can start having furniture delivered here tomorrow, and I’ll help Leigh get it all set up before the wedding,” Stella announced.
“I would gladly do that, but I’m afraid you ladies will have to pick out the furniture you want first. I can have an interior designer here first thing in the morning to help. I imagine you could have this entire home set to rights before I return for the wedding,” Enrique teased with a grin.
“You just watch. It will look nothing like this when you return. And you said I have a room out back. I’m going to have fun designing that. I haven’t changed a thing in my house since my husband died. This is going to be fun.” She clapped her hands, tucked her arm through Leigh’s, and led her away.
“I told you it would all work out,” Curtis whispered before going to inspect the backyard and dock.