Chapter 71

CHAPTER 71

MARIGOLD

T he whole day had felt like a dream—one of those surreal moments where everything aligned so perfectly, it had to be a trick of the brain.

Except this wasn't a dream. It was real. The people I loved were all together under one massive roof. And the ring. The gorgeous, sparkling ring on my finger that caught every light in the room as if it were winking back at me, sharing my secret thrill.

It was big. And heavy.

Dad rushed over and gave me a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you. This is what you were meant for. This is your life."

"I'm so glad you're here, Dad. Isn't this wild? Did you see the house?"

"I did." He grinned. "But I hope to see a lot more of it."

"For sure." I nodded.

He walked away to get a drink but I wasn't alone for long.

"Let me see that ring again!" Kathy said, holding her hand out for mine. Her eyes widened as she examined the ring, an approving smile forming on her lips. "Zayn did good . He got his good taste from his father."

I smiled, feeling my cheeks warm. "He really did."

Kathy winked, giving me a nudge with her elbow. "Well, you know what this means, don't you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Wedding dress shopping." She gave me a grin. "Hope you don't mind if I tag along. We might have to go together. We're both the newest members of this branch of the Bancroft family."

I laughed, but it hit me differently than she probably intended. My heart clenched a little at the thought of picking out a wedding dress without my mom. The memory of her always lingered in moments like these—big milestones where her absence became a little sharper. Kathy jumping into that role so seamlessly, with so much love, meant the world to me.

"I'd love that," I said softly, my voice catching. "More than you know."

Kathy's face softened as she picked up on the emotion in my voice. "I know this is going to be bittersweet, but it will be special. I've been able to get to know your father a little more. He's a good man. He told me a little about your mother. I would love to be there for you throughout this time."

I gave her a grateful smile, blinking away the sudden prick of tears in my eyes. Kathy had no idea how much she'd just done for me, and I didn't have the words to express it at that moment. But I made a mental note to thank her properly later—maybe after we'd all come down from the whirlwind of excitement that this day had brought.

Just as I was about to say something else, my dad waved at me from across the room. He jingled a set of keys in his hand, looking smug in that way only my dad could manage.

I excused myself from Kathy and made my way to him. "What's with the keys? Planning an escape?"

Dad chuckled, holding them up like they were some sort of trophy. "These? These are for my new digs."

"New digs?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

He gave me a grin, the kind that meant he'd been keeping a secret—and was loving every second of it. "Well, your fiancé here and I have been working behind the scenes."

"More?" I gasped. "What else have you been up to?"

"This house, sweetheart," he said, shaking the keys again. "I'm moving in. Into the apartment above the garage."

My jaw dropped. "You… what?"

"Yep." He looked as proud as a peacock. "No more Green River for me. I'm sticking around where my daughter is. It's time for a change, don't you think? I've been there pretty much my whole life. I'm ready."

I stared at him, unable to process the words for a moment. My dad. Moving in. To be near me.

"Dad," I breathed, my heart swelling. "This is the best news ever. I can't believe you two kept this from me!"

"Well, what's a big surprise without a few extra secrets?" he teased, pulling me into a hug. I hugged him tightly, my eyes stinging with tears again—this time from happiness. The idea of having him so close, of building this new life together with Zayn and my dad. It was more than I could have ever hoped for.

I had been dealing with a lot of guilt in the last two months since I came back to New York. I felt like I left my dad behind. Like I was living the high life while my dad was all alone in that little house. It made me feel like I wasn't doing enough for him.

And now he was here.

We were both here. There was nothing to stop me from enjoying my life.

"I love you," I whispered into his shoulder.

"Love you too, kiddo." He patted my back. I could hear the emotion in his voice. I knew this was a big deal for him as well.

When I pulled back, my smile couldn't have been wider. "I can't believe you're moving in! This day just keeps getting better and better."

He grinned, jingling the keys again like a showman. "Well, I aim to please."

As my dad wandered off to mingle with some of Zayn's family, I found Elaine by the pool, chatting with Carlos. I walked over to join them, still reeling from all the surprises.

"Hey, you two," I said, plopping down on a chair beside Elaine. "What's new? It feels like I just saw you." I nudged her arm. "Did you know about this?"

Elaine just grinned. "Well…"

"You did!"

"It had to be a surprise!"

I gave her a hug and then Carlos. "Thank you guys for being here. I feel like I'm in a dream. This is all so wild."

My head was spinning. It was all so overwhelming. I looked out over the backyard. More of the Bancroft family was lingering and talking. This huge family had opened their arms to me and my father.

"Did you know my dad was moving here?"

She nodded. "It's big news back home."

"Have you been back there?"

"Yes." She smiled. "Funny you should ask. I saw Courtney."

I grimaced. Yes, we had made our peace, but I was still not ready to welcome her with open arms. "Good. How was she?" I was trying to be polite. I knew Elaine was still friends with her.

"Actually, Courtney's become a much better friend lately."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What's she done now—host a cupcake party for charity?"

I couldn't help the snark. It was going to take a long time for me to completely forgive and forget the torture Courtney had rained down on me for most of my life. I would be wearing those scars for a good long while. It didn't matter how good my life was now. There were still some hard feelings there.

Carlos chuckled, and Elaine shook her head. "No, seriously. She's been great. It was a little scary at first."

"Like she'd been replaced by a pod person?" I teased.

"Yes, actually. I asked her what changed, and she said it was because of you."

"Me?" I blinked, surprised. "What did I do?"

"Whatever you said to her really sunk in," Elaine explained. "She told me you made her think about things differently—about how she treats people, about life in general."

I sat back, thinking about my last conversation with Courtney. I hadn't realized it had such an impact. "Huh. Well, I'm glad. It's nice to hear she's growing, I guess. I guess it's never too late to change."

Elaine smiled, leaning in. "You've had a bigger impact on people than you realize, Marigold. Throughout everything, you kept your chin up. I think she admires you more than you know."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just nodded, feeling a warmth settle in my chest. It was nice to think that maybe, in some small way, I'd helped someone change for the better.

Before I could say anything else, Hudson's voice boomed across the room, drawing everyone's attention. "Hey, everybody! I've got an announcement!"

Zayn's older brother stood at the center of the crowd, looking as proud as ever. He had that Bancroft confidence—like he could announce that the moon was made of cheese, and everyone would just nod and agree.

"Oh gosh," I sighed. "I'm not sure how many more surprises I can take. My cup runneth over."

I stood up while Carlos helped Elaine to her feet.

Everyone had come into the backyard once again. I spotted Zayn and his brother Hayes standing near Hudson. They were both grinning like fools. I loved seeing Zayn happy. I wanted him to be as happy as I was. I couldn't buy him a home or a car or anything really, but I could love him like he had never been loved before.

"The next time we're all together like this, it'll be at the grand opening of the Bancroft Rehabilitation Center!" Hudson shouted.

The backyard erupted into cheers and applause. People began to hoot and holler. Zayn caught my eye from across the yard, giving me a playful wink as if to say, See? We're always up to something.

I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, there was always some new Bancroft venture in the works. But this one? It was special. The rehabilitation center was going to change lives, and seeing the excitement on everyone's faces made me proud to be part of it.

I knew how important it was to Zayn. He had sacrificed a lot to get the foundation off the ground. In fact, the foundation was already working wonders. It was what brought us together. His attempt to fix his reputation had led him to me.

Later, after the party started winding down and we'd said goodbye to the last of our guests, I found myself sitting at the bottom of the grand staircase in our new home. My feet were killing me from standing and mingling for hours, but I was too happy to care. I admired the ring on my finger, watching as it caught the dim light from the chandelier above.

Zayn appeared in front of me, kneeling down with that easy smile that always made my heart skip a beat. "Let me get those shoes off you, princess."

I laughed as he gently lifted my foot onto his knee and carefully removed my shoes. "I knew there was a reason I agreed to marry you," I teased, letting out a relieved sigh as he freed my aching toes from the stylish but clearly evil shoes.

He raised an eyebrow. "That's the only reason?"

"Well, the house helped," I said, gesturing around us. "And the ring. And, oh yeah, my dad moving in!"

Zayn chuckled as he worked on my other foot. "Three surprises in one day. Not bad, huh?"

"Not bad at all," I agreed, wiggling my freed toes. I leaned back on the staircase, closing my eyes for a moment and letting the contentment wash over me. "I love you, Zayn. And I'm grateful. You've given me more than I ever thought I'd have. I mean it."

He reached for my hand, his fingers brushing lightly over the ring. "I love you too," he said softly, then pumped his eyebrows in that mischievous way that always made me laugh. "But you know, I can think of one thing that would make it better."

I opened my eyes, eyeing him with suspicion. "Oh? What's that?"

He kissed me, softly at first. Then with more intention. "We're all alone in our new house. If I remember correctly, it wasn't all that long ago we were all alone in an empty apartment and we found something to do."

I smiled. "Oh yeah. If I'm hearing what you're saying, you want to christen our new home."

He nodded. "Yep."

I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. I was more than happy to start the process of making the place ours.