I watch her face when we walk into the suite. Her eyes roam the living room with the baby grand piano and I have to roll my lips to stop from laughing. “You okay?” I ask her when I walk to her.
“We are going to have a conversation,” she hisses under her breath, “a serious, serious conversation.”
“I look forward to it.” I nod as I slide my hand in hers.
The concierge is still giving us a tour, but Avery is the only one talking to him. “I’m not kidding,” she says in a whisper, but her tone is stern. I lean in to kiss her, seeing that Avery has her back to me. “Did he say this has three bedrooms?”
“Not sure,” I say, looking at the man whose name I didn’t even catch because I was too worried about Addison freaking out.
“How many bedrooms?” Addison asks the man, who smiles at her, and I want to throat punch him. Even though he’s close to his sixties, it’s stupid since I’m holding her hand, and it’s clear we’re together.
“There are three,” he says. “If you go through that door right there.” He points at the glass door. “It’s the outdoor patio.” He puts his hands in front of him. “It has access to the library and the formal dining room.”
“Library?” Addison asks, shocked, and he nods proudly.
“I think we are good. I don’t want to keep you,” I tell him. “We will have a look around.”
“I will have everything set up for the tea in a couple of hours.” He looks at us. “The clothes are already away and hanging.”
“Thank you,” I say and watch him leave the room before turning toward the door. The minute the door is closed, Addison folds her arms over her chest and glares at me.
“Avery,” I call her name and she sticks her head in the room. “Grand-mère sent you a couple of things.” My eyes look at Avery, who jumps up. “I think it’s in one of the closets.” She turns to run out of the room.
“You left your mother in charge of buying us clothes?” she grumbles between clenched teeth.
“I did,” I say softly, “but in my defense, I don’t think I gave it enough thought.”
“Really?” she retorts, making me chuckle, but the chuckle leaves when I see how pissed she is.
“Listen, you were in the shower,” I start to tell her, “and then I wanted to surprise you, so I called Sofia. Then I didn’t know how much time I had, so I called my father.” I hold up my hands. “Obviously, I didn’t know he would go to the extreme.”
“Extreme?” she screeches. “A three-bedroom penthouse suite with a library.” I roll my lips to stop laughing. “With a baby grand piano.” She points over to the piano. “I’ve stayed in my share of suites before”—she looks around—“but even this is a little bit out of my comfort zone.”
“Momma, Momma!” Avery yells from somewhere in this place, her voice echoing. “Look at this,” she says, coming into the room dragging something blue and sparkly behind her. “Look, it’s Cinderella’s gown.”
“Oh my,” she says as she picks up the dress that is bigger than her. “Oh my,” she repeats as she grabs the dress from Avery. “This is…” She holds out the dress that literally looks like a replica of what Cinderella wore.
“Can I put it on?” Avery asks, jumping in the same spot, her hand flopping up and down. “I want to wear it today.”
“This is,” Addison says as she looks at the dress. “This has to have cost—” She doesn’t get anything out because there is a knock on the door.
“You should answer that, it might be Princess Kate to have tea with us,” Addison deadpans and all I can do is kiss her lips. “We are having a conversation.” I kiss her again. “This is over the line.”
It’s at that moment we both look down and see Avery looking at us. “Um,” I start to say, “I like your mom.” I close my eyes, thinking how dumb I sound right now.
“Aunt Sofia and Uncle Matty kiss all the time,” she says. “Do you like her like that?”
“I do,” I confirm, looking at Addison, who is staring at me and not saying a word.
“We are having many conversations tonight,” she grumbles between clenched teeth.
“Noted,” I tell her as the person knocks again. “But in my defense, have you met my mother?”
“Stefano,” she seethes as I walk away from her, going to the front door, pulling it open, and seeing my father and mother standing there.
My mother just smiles big at me. “Bonjour.” Hello, she says, coming in and hugging me.
“I tried to stop her,” my father says, “but well.”
“Grand-mère!” Avery shouts with glee, running over to us. My mother quickly lets me go to scoot down, opening her arms for Avery. She runs in them, and my mother just kisses her head.
“Ma puce.” Beauty, she says. “I missed you.” She covers her in kisses. “Tu as grandi.” You grew, she says to Avery, who just looks at me.
“You got bigger,” I translate for her.
“Where is Addison?” my father asks me as we walk into the living room. Addison is still looking at the dress.
“Momma, look,” Avery says to her and she looks up at my parents. “Momma and Daddy kiss,” she tells them, and when I look over at Addison, it looks like she wants the room to swallow her.
“Is that so?” my father says, trying to hide his smile. My mother’s eyebrows just shoot up.
“Yeah, on the lips like Uncle Matty and Aunt Sofia,” Avery elaborates, and Addison just closes her eyes.
“This is fun,” I say sarcastically.
“Why is this room so small?” my mother complains, walking into the room. “Markos, did you not book them a suite?”
“It’s the biggest one they had, Vivienne,” my father relays, walking over to Addison. “Hello, dear,” he says. “Sorry for intruding on the family vacation, but—”
“Oh, please,” Addison replies, “the more the merrier.” I can tell she’s one second from freaking out and trying to hide it. “Thank you for booking everything,” she says while my mother goes to her and gives her a big hug, “and this.” She holds up the dress. “We need to perhaps talk about dresses.”
“Oh no,” my mother says, putting her hand to her mouth, “did it not fit?” She looks outraged. “I gave them the measurements we took the last time. I had the whole line made.”
“I’m sorry,” Addison says, “the whole line?”
“Well, the last time Avery said she loved all the princesses, so I called my seamstress, and she made me them all.” She looks at my father. “We have to redo them.”
“No,” Addison says quickly, “I meant they are—” She tries to think of the words and then looks at me.
“Mom, we have to tone it down a touch.” I walk over to stand next to Addison. “We love it, but she can’t wear this.”
“Of course, she can wear this,” my mother states. “She is wearing it today.” She looks over at Avery. “Did you find the shoes?”
“It comes with shoes?” Addison mutters from beside me, but all I hear is my mother and Avery.
“We should go check your room.” My mother holds out her hand for Avery, who grabs it and they walk out of the room. My mother looks over her shoulder as if she just won the lottery.
“Dad,” I say and he shakes his head.
“Listen, I know.” He holds up his hands. “I had the same conversation with her, but this is her first grandchild.”
“There is the guilt I was waiting for.” I put my arm around Addison’s shoulder.
“So I’m assuming,” my father says, putting his hands in his pockets, hiding the smile he wants to make, “you haven’t seen what she bought you?”
“What she bought me?” Addison asks, pointing at herself.
“I might have asked her to buy you a couple of things for the vacation,” I confess, and I can see her head is ready to explode. “Dad.” I turn to him. “Thanks for this.”
“Oh, son.” He walks over to the couch. “Trust me, this makes me happier than you will ever know.” He sits. “Also, you owe me. I stopped your uncle Matthew from coming.”
“Stefano,” Addison says from beside me, “I’m going to need you to take me to the room where the clothes are.”
“I don’t think we need to do that,” I deflect, shaking my head. “You look fine the way you are.”
The knock on the door comes again. “Who is that?” Addison looks at me, and it’s my chance to run away.
“I’ll get it,” I say, walking over to the door and pulling it open, finding five people standing there. “Hello.”
“We are here to set up for the high tea,” the woman in the front says as I move out of the way for them to come in. “Where would you like us to set up?”
“Wherever you think,” I say and Addison comes out of the living room. “They will set up for tea.”
“You should go change!” my father yells from the living room. “I’ll wait here.”
We walk down the hallway past the billiard room and hear my mother and Avery talking in the second bedroom. “I love tea parties,” Avery says from the bedroom. “Do you think I need a crown?”
“Of course, my love.” I hear my mother, and Addison looks at me.
“Fine,” she grumbles, “I’ll give her the tea party, but we have to have limits.” She holds up the dress. I just nod. “Silence isn’t golden,” she mumbles as she walks into the master bedroom. “There are no closets?” She looks around the bedroom and I point at the wall on the side. “Here we go,” she says and I sit on the king-size bed, waiting for her to freak out. I know this is too much for her, but knowing how much my family loves her is everything. Knowing for five years she didn’t have any support and now she has us is, well, there are no words for that.
“Stefano.” She comes out of the walk-in closet. “There is a floor-length cape dress.” She walks back into the closet. “There are also more clothes in here than I own at home.”
I get up, walking over to the closet, and see both sides stuffed as if we live here. “If it makes you feel better, she bought clothes for me also.”
“That does not make me feel better at all.” She shakes her head, and fifteen minutes later she walks out of the closet wearing a long floral skirt with a sleeveless white shirt. “These shoes—” She lifts her dress. “These are the ones from Sex in the City. They are the Carrie shoes.” She points at the blue shoe. “They also cost eight hundred and ninety dollars,” she huffs. “Trust me, I know because they are my dream shoes.”
“You look beautiful,” I compliment her, “so, so beautiful.” I get up and she looks at me as I wear my beige linen suit. “Shall we go?”
“Sure,” she says as I slide my hand into hers. “I’m doing this for Avery,” she mumbles to me as we walk out, “and for your mom.”
“Thank you,” I say as we walk toward the living room. There is a woman in the corner playing the harp.
“Our daughter is going to have to marry the King of England at this point.” She side-eyes me as we see the outside patio has been transformed with a round table in the middle. The table has trays of food all over it and of course teapots everywhere.
My parents are taking pictures of Avery, who is dressed like Cinderella, with a crown on her head. “Show the shoes, my love,” my mother urges her and she smiles as she picks up her dress and shows us glass shoes. “You are a true princess.” My father looks at my mother with all the love in the world. I know she pushes it, but this is how she shows her love. What I didn’t tell Addison is the number of times my mother has cried because she missed so much. The number of times she calls me to make sure I’m making them feel loved. This is her way of making up for lost time. “I love you so much.”
We walk out onto the patio but Addison doesn’t follow me, so I stop. “I can’t go out there,” she says to me as she wrings her hands in front of her.
“What, why not?” I ask her, wondering if she is sick.
“I can’t mess up the bottom of the shoes or else we can’t return them,” she says softly.
“Addison.” I grab her face in my hands. “Those shoes are never being returned, my love.” I see how her eyes get big when I call her my love. “Now, let’s have tea with our daughter.”
