14
The wedding took place the next afternoon in the atrium under a suspended chandelier and a sweep of white orchids. On the upper decks, other passengers leaned on the rails to look down at the wedding party. Leo caught himself grinning at a woman in a sunhat who waved back enthusiastically, as if they’d been friends for years.
Catherine walked Daniel down the aisle. She wore a soft dove-gray dress, arm tucked through Daniel’s, walking her son to his bride with the contained joy of a woman who had raised three children and lost two husbands, and knew to appreciate these happy moments. When she reached the platform, she kissed Daniel’s cheek and then, to Leo’s surprise, turned around and walked straight back up the aisle to the empty chair next to him.
She looked him directly in the eyes. “You’re coming to Thanksgiving this year.”
“I—“
“And you’re coming to dinner this Sunday. Bring dessert. Bring Marcel.”
“Catherine—“
“No excuses. Jackson doesn’t go back to New York for another two weeks. I want all of my children at dinner. At as many dinners as we can.”
Leo looked down at the top of her silver head. His eyes stung. He managed a nod.
She glanced sideways and whispered, “No crying before the bride does.”
Up at the altar, Daniel violated that edict halfway through his vows. His eyes filled and he had to press the back of his hand against his mouth. The photographer caught the moment. Alyssa, who had spent the entire morning holding herself together by sheer force of will, gave a delighted bark of laughter and said, “You owe me five dollars!“
Then promptly burst into tears.
Leo looked to where Marcel stood in the wings, watching the ceremony with his head slightly tilted, and had a sudden, calm certainty that he was going to see that face for a long time. That’s a face I could fall in love with.
Wayne broke the hush a moment later, with a stage-whispered protest about the shortage of tissues aboard a ship of this size, and could everyone please pull themselves together.
The bride and groom laughed and vows were recited.
At the reception, Leo wanted to find Marcel, but the family found him first.
Daniel, actually, with two slices of cake and a vaguely panicked expression. The lady with the sunhat had invited herself to the reception and somehow taken control of handing out plates. Daniel was followed by Catherine. Then Jackson, who pulled him into a one-armed hug like they’d been doing it all their lives. Finally Naomi, wielding a glass of champagne and an expression that said they had some things to catch up on, starting now.
“Dad talked about you,“
Naomi said, at one point. “More than you know.”
“I’m starting to get that.”
Across the room, Marcel appeared briefly in the doorway, consulted his tablet, looked up, and caught Leo’s eye through the crowd. His mouth curved once, fast and warm. An entire conversation in half a second. Later.
Then Marcel was gone again, because Wayne may have become more self-aware, but that apparently wasn’t going to stop him from trying to start a food fight in the atrium of the Neptune Whisper.