“I can’t stay still. I’m so excited!” Bouncing on his toes, Henry was all smiles and happiness. “Ava’s getting married today!”
“That she is, and you look stunning.” Finishing his knot, I patted his chest and kissed his nose. “There you go.”
“Do I look good?”
“You look perfect, Cupcake.”
“So do you, Daddy.” Henry got up on his toes and kissed me. A brief kiss, then Henry was back to bouncing. “Are we still on time? Do we need to go soon?”
“Yes, Cupcake. We are still on time, and yes, we need to get going soon. So why don’t you check if you have everything you need.”
“Right. Yes.” Turning around, Henry started to rush through the apartment while he talked himself through his list. “Rings. Speech. Emergency bag for Ava.”
Sitting back down on the sofa, I watched Henry. Over the last few weeks, he’d thrived in his role as best man. He was determined to gift Ava with the best wedding possible. If he never sold another book, he could easily start a career as a wedding planner.
Weeks ago, I realized that before Henry could concentrate on his mission to plan the perfect wedding, he needed some time off. Some time away from everything. So before he could go into wedding planner mode, I took him to Florida. Just some fun times at the beach and theme parks. To have him enjoy it, I even invited Jakob and Sam and Darrell and Josh because they were his family now.
When we returned from our trip, Henry dove headfirst into planning the perfect wedding. At first, I was worried that he only used it as an outlet for some leftover emotional stress. But I quickly realized that he needed to do this for his aunt.
What Ava did took a lot of strength and courage. After I introduced Special Agent Marcus O’Hare to Ava, she’d told him everything she kept secret for so long.
While Ava and I had agreed that Henry didn’t need to know the full extent of the Altmanns's actions, Ava and Marcus had filled me in two days after the bust. Ava had told us everything about the gold and money her grandfather and father had brought from Germany. All while they fled the authorities after the second world war. She’d told us everything about the blood money the family used to build the compound on. The family sold stolen paintings and jewelry on the black market for cash.
For hours, Ava talked about her guilt. The guilt she carried because she understood the full extent of her family's crimes. Past and present. Current crimes included bribing authorities in Pinewood and the assaults on Jewish and black people in Kentucky. All things, I already heard from Henry.
What was new was their involvement in drugs and weapons—both crimes put them in place to be investigated by the FBI. But not only was the FBI involved in the case. Other authorities had an interest in them. CIA. ATF. All worried about national security. There was a compound of right-wing terrorists with access to money and weapons. No wonder they were worried. With the arrests done, no one would see the light of day again, and no plea deals offered.
But what Ava wanted to keep from Henry was something worse than drugs and guns. Henry knew nothing about the murders. He knew nothing about the five men who tried to run and got caught by Henry’s father. He knew nothing about the real terror that took place on the compound. And like Ava, I would do everything to keep Henry from this. He’d suffered enough, and the burden of knowing would break him. Both Ava and I wanted to protect the sweet soul Henry had.
Even though Henry had no idea about the details of the confession, he knew that Ava was the reason he was finally free. So he did the only thing he could. He could make this a wedding that Ava and Miles would never forget.
“Daddy?”
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at Henry and smiled. “Sorry, I was lost in thoughts. Are you good to go?”
“Yes! I have everything I need. We need to get going, so we are there when the caterer arrives.”
“You have the whips and cuffs?”
“What?” Henry blinked and stared at my lips to make sure that he’d understood what I’d said. “Why would I need whips and cuffs?”
“To make sure that everyone works as hard as you want them to and to punish them if they don’t.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I saw some cute, fluffy cuffs yesterday. Can we order them? Please, Daddy?”
“Do I get a sprinkled please today?”
“No, Daddy. Sprinkles are just for my desserts.” Henry laughed and grabbed my hand to pull me off the sofa. “Now come on. We need to check on the caterer. Ava will arrive soon after.”
Two hours later, I stood at a bar in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and admired the view. Henry had spent a hell of a lot of money to cater the perfect wedding for Ava, and every penny was worth it. There were torches and candles everywhere, chains of lights arranged in the trees, and flower arrangements complemented the flowers that grew naturally. It was perfect in every way, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Henry would like a wedding like this for himself.
“Why are you frowning like this at my wedding?”
“Nothing.” Collecting my thoughts, I turned to Miles, who appeared at my side. “What has you looking for the bar before your wedding?”
“I‘m nervous.” Miles chuckled and ordered a glass of whiskey. “There are only six guests, but Henry arranged a wedding for two hundred people. Don’t you think that it’s a bit much?”
“Believe me, I thwarted a few of his decisions, but stopping him was impossible.” Henry knew from the beginning that it would be just a small ceremony with only him, me, Miles's parents,
