After I had checked myself in the mirror, I could hardly believe the image staring back. I routinely had bad hair days, and the humidity of Charleston wreaked havoc on me. But in this moment, my dark hair somehow looked perfect. Since I was a little girl, I’d always had long auburn hair, naturally curly, which translated to naturally frizzy and wildly-out-of-control most summers. I happened to be wearing one of the most elegant gowns I’d ever seen and felt almost like a fairy princess. I smirked when I said out loud, “Or maybe a Centaur princess.”
A voice called from the other side of my door, “Honey, are you ready?”
I recognized the hesitant voice waiting in the hall, “Hi, Will, you can come in.”
The door opened and Will looked a little tentative. His apprehension melted away. He stretched his arms out to me, taking long strides in my direction, and took both my hands in his. “Camille, you are truly a vision. Have I told you today how happy I am that you’re here?”
Will stepped over to my bed and sat down, patting the space beside him. I took a seat next to him, a little self-conscious of my “princess” comment, wondering if he’d heard me.
Will took a deep breath and let it out loudly. “Gretchen has filled you in on some aspects of our kind that are less than ideal, yes?”
“What? That I’m supposed to pick a husband the same way someone would pick a new puppy at the pound?”
A nervous chuckle released from Will, “No, actually that was something I thought you might find appealing, but it’s related.” He cleared his throat, “Your mother had been betrothed to Kyle Richardson of Florida. He was not . . . pleased when your mother broke off the engagement.”
“Okay.” This much I knew, but he had my attention.
“Our kind, once a woman chooses, she cannot change her mind, at least not without paying a debt to the man she’s rejected. There is good reason for this: as men so clearly outnumber the women, if a woman chooses to break off her engagement, it is rare that another woman would consider that man a potential suitor. He is in essence ‘black-balled,’ and if he is an only child his bloodline is unlikely to continue.”
“So when my mom broke off her engagement, Kyle Richardson wasn’t able to marry anyone?”
“Actually, he is one of the very few that I have ever heard of to be betrothed a second time to a Centaur woman. The fact that he was given a second chance for his bloodline does not diminish his right to exact a blood debt.”
What she’d said had bothered me, but I wanted to hear it from Will. “Gretchen said that he wanted me dead. Is that true?”
“As he is the one that the debt is owed to, he sets the price. Given our circumstances and that so much time has passed, he does not wish for your death.”
The pain in my stomach didn’t diminish as I waited for Will to get to the bad news. “She said you would pay him, and he’d be fine. I get the feeling that that isn’t the case.”
“Mr. Richardson has traveled here tonight. He wishes to meet you.”
“Meet me? But why?”
“I explained to Mr. Richardson the situation—that I was unaware of you until just this week. You were indeed part of my family. Given your mother’s debt, I felt it was my responsibility to pay to ensure there would be no bad blood between our families.”
“So, how much am I going to owe you?”
Will shook his head. “You’ll owe me nothing, Camille. You’re my daughter. If he will accept money as payment, then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“If?”
“It’s complicated, Camille. For right now, he just wants to meet you.”
“So he’ll be here tonight? I have to meet with him?”
“Yes. I promise, I will be with you the whole time. Nothing will happen to you tonight. But you must talk to him.”
I noticed that Will told me everything would be fine “tonight,” but he made no mention of tomorrow or the day after. “Uh . . . okay. I feel like I’m missing something?”
“He didn’t mention it on the phone, but you know Gretchen sees things. Gretchen shared with me that Mr. Richardson has a son who is of age. He may be unwilling to set a price with an actual dollar value.”
“Are you saying I have to marry some guy I don’t know because my mother refused to marry his father? You aren’t saying that, are you?”
“Camille, the possibility is remote. Gretchen senses that his intentions are pure and that it is better to deal with this immediately rather than delay the meeting. Given the wedding tonight, it’s unlikely he’ll create any kind of scene.”
Our conversation had been calm, but I could feel my blood beginning to boil. I shouldn’t have lashed out at Will, but I was furious that this was even possible. “I’m not marrying some guy I don’t know. That isn’t going to happen!”
“I will never force you to do anything you do not choose. However, since Mr. Richardson has travelled here tonight, I need to insist that you meet with him.”
My mouth opened but nothing came out. I started arguing that this was one of the most absurd things I’d ever heard of, but reality was, meeting a man with Will wouldn’t be bad. It’s not like I was being told I had to marry his son. It was harmless, for now.
As I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine, I realized that knot in my stomach still hadn’t eased. Will reached over and took my hand in his. “Camille, I promise no harm will come to you. Do you trust me?”
How do you trust someone you hardly know? I looked in his eyes and nearly melted when I saw love staring back at me through his deep brown eyes. No matter how much I disliked the situation, I did trust him. He may not have been a rock star, he wasn’t fixing world hunger, but he was exactly the type of father I had dreamed of. I realized I didn’t need a lifetime to know that I loved him unconditionally and trusted him emphatically. He was my father. I was safe with him, and regardless of what a big wheel he was financially, he had given me the one thing I had craved my whole life—a family who loved me back. I reluctantly nodded that I did trust him.
Will took me in an embrace. When he let me go, he took my hands in his again. “I have one last request before we head downstairs.” I gave him a quizzical look as I couldn’t imagine anything more concerning than what we’d just talked about. “In front of the guests, I need for you to address me as your father.” He paused, then added, “Especially, Mr. Richardson. I understand if you aren’t comfortable with it, and privately you may address me any way you wish, but tonight, please call me ‘Dad.’”
My whole life I had known the word. It had always been in my vocabulary. Never having called anyone that name, my eyes gave him my answer. I could feel the glossiness and used all my willpower to keep them from leaking. I could feel the enormous smile begging to be released along with the tears. I held it all in and simply replied, “Okay.”
When we stepped off the front porch together, jitters threatened to envelop me as I looked at all the people I didn’t know. Will must have sensed how nervous I was when he confessed, “Having found you is a dream come true for me.” It was exactly what I needed to hear. His love for me gave me the strength I needed to face all the strangers on the grounds.
I had been walking on air, floating three feet above the ground. I was going to my brother’s wedding with my dad tonight—just a short week ago, an event and a circumstance I would have never dreamed possible. The air I was floating on suddenly got too thin, and I felt my foot miss the bottom step. I instinctively knew I was getting ready to do a face plant on the pavement in front of at least two hundred people I’d never met. My arms flailed out to the sides as if I were a bird about to take flight.
Chapter 11
Camille Benning – Charleston, SC