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When we got upstairs, Orlando unlocked the door and we went into the dark living room. Instantly the lights came on and we were greeted by a series of cheers. The room held ten or so people, including my dad, Aunt Tess, Deanna, Elijah, and a couple of people I didn’t recognize. It was after two o’clock in the morning, but we were suddenly wide awake and I was glad we’d taken care of our urges in the limo.

“Congratulations!” Deanna squealed, throwing herself at me and hugging me with all her might. “You won! You won!”

I laughed and returned her hug. “Indeed I did,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “But I thought I told you to be in bed by one?”

She looked sheepish. “I couldn’t,” she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I knew Uncle Paul and Aunt Tess were coming, and we were going to surprise you.”

“Ah, so it was a conspiracy,” I said, moving around her to hug Aunt Tess. “How did you know we’d even come home after the ceremony?” I asked, kissing her cheek.

“We figured you wouldn’t stay out all night, what with having to get Deanna on a plane tomorrow,” Aunt Tess explained, squeezing me tightly. “We’re so proud of you, baby girl.”

“Yes, Charlotte, we are,” Dad said, coming over to me, tears in his eyes. He scooped me up in his arms, like he had when I was a little girl, and hugged me tightly. “We’ll have a proper celebration next time you come home, but for now, we have champagne, and food, and a flight for tomorrow afternoon, rather than the early one we’d booked Deanna on.” I hugged him tighter.

Orlando was greeting Elijah and what I assumed were friends of theirs while I dealt with my family. I went with Aunt Tess into the kitchen to get a drink.

“I’m guessing you’ve had a spectacular night,” she whispered as I poured myself a glass of Diet Coke. I didn’t need anymore alcohol that night. Her tone implied she was talking about more than just my Tony win.

I decided to play dumb. “Wouldn’t your night be spectacular if you won one of the most prestigious awards in your industry?” I asked, shrugging, fighting to keep the grin from my mouth.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” she said, adding a bit of rum to her own Coke. “The look on your face and the light in Orlando’s eyes are very telling, my dear. Don’t go near your father for a bit, if you don’t want the shit to hit the fan.” She chuckled and shook her head. “Oh to be young again.”

“Well, it’s not like we expected anyone to be here,” I said, feeling the need to defend what we’d done, even though we hadn’t really done anything wrong. “Deanna isn’t old enough to catch the nuances.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Aunt Tess agreed, taking a sip of her drink. “So how long have you known Elijah Wood?”

I let the change of topic go, thankful I wasn’t getting a lecture. “Uh, a few weeks,” I said, leaning on the counter. “He and Orlando have been hanging out a lot lately, so I see him quite a bit.”

“I think I like the company you keep, my dear,” she said, smiling, a proud expression on her face. “First an elf, now a Hobbit. Pretty impressive.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you know how long ago those movies came out?” I teased, nudging her shoulder. “I’m sure we can come up with something a bit more current to call them.”

We laughed. I realized as I talked to Aunt Tess how much I’d really missed my family. My contact with Dad had dwindled to a half-hour phone conversation once a week, when I had time, and most of the time, there wasn’t much to say. I didn’t dare tell him half of the things going on in my life, especially where Adam and Orlando were concerned, so he ended up with the impression that I worked too hard and did little else. He didn’t even know about Sean’s second attack, and I was fine with that.

After a few minutes of chatting with Aunt Tess, Dad came into the kitchen to see where we’d gone. He kissed my forehead and put his arm around me. He still smelled the same, that musky aftershave he wore, combined with him, my dad. I’d missed that smell.

“And what are you two doing in here all by yourselves?” he teased, a gin and tonic in his free hand. “Cackling like hens, no doubt.”

I reached up to kiss his cheek. “We were just talking about Hobbits and elves,” I said, exchanging a look with Aunt Tess. “Nothing too important.”

“Orlando’s out there with his friends and Deanna,” Aunt Tess pointed out, a semi-worried expression on her face. “Is that something we should be worried about?”

I shook my head. “Orlando wouldn’t let them be inappropriate with her around,” I assured her. “And Elijah’s really sweet, so I doubt he’d be his typical gross self.” I laughed. It still amazed even me that I could be so candid about such famous people.

Over the next hour or so I caught up with Dad and Aunt Tess about what I’d been missing at home with the rest of my family, and my friends. Deanna wandered back and forth between us and Orlando and his friends, but it was clear she was bored.

“Can I crash in your room for a bit?” she finally asked, around three-thirty. “The party is kind of taking over my bedroom.” She gave me a sleepy smile.

“Sure, sweetheart,” I said, setting my Diet Coke on the counter behind me. “Just let me clear off the bed.”

We headed for the bedroom, Deanna saying good night to Orlando and Elijah and the others on our way.

“Did you have a good time?” I asked as I gathered up my jewelry from the bed and put it back in my jewelry box.

“Oh yeah,” she said, turning her back to me so she could slip her pajamas on. “I got to hang out with Elijah and Orlando. How cool is that?”

I smiled, hanging my garment bag for my dress on the closet door. “It’s not something very many girls your age get to say, that’s for sure.”

“Charlie, I’ve been thinking about what we talked out,” she said, suddenly serious. “That’s why I asked to come in here. I’m leaving tomorrow, and I wanted to talk about it with you.”

“Okay,” I said, sitting on the now-clear bed. She sat beside me. “What have you been thinking about?”

“Well, I’ve been watching you and Orlando all week,” she said, a bit of a blush spreading over her face. “The way you look at each other, the way he touches your cheek or your arm, the way you smile up into his face. And it’s so obvious that you’re really in love.” She looked at me for a minute. “Ethan doesn’t touch me like that, and I don’t look at him like that, and I really think that’s what I should have with someone before I have sex.”

I couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that escaped me, but I don’t think she noticed. “Um, okay,” I said slowly, treading very carefully where this subject was concerned. I couldn’t just tell her it was the right decision, because I wasn’t my choice to make. I wanted to hug her and leap for joy, all at the same time. She seemed so defeated, though. “Honey, do you think you’ve made the right decision?” I asked gently.

“I think so,” she said, twisting her fingers together. “I just want what you have, to make sure it’s right.”

“Okay, look, don’t ever tell Aunt Tess or my dad that I’ve told you this, because they’d spazz on me for being inappropriate,” I said, lowering my voice for good measure. The burst of laughter from the living room told me I didn’t need to, but I did anyway. “Before Orlando, sex was sex, and nothing more.” I took a deep breath and tried to push aside the fact that I was telling my fifteen-year-old cousin this. “Now, though, it’s so much more. It’s really love-making, the way it is in those cheesy movies and books that we all secretly love to read. And that’s what I want for you, honey. I want you to know what that’s like, especially for your first time.”

“But what if that never happens?”

“It will, just be patient,” I said, smoothing her hair back off her face. “You’re fifteen, you have loads of time. And if Ethan can’t wait, then he needs to find someone who’s willing to be with him that way.”

“Have you talked to Orlando about this?”

“Would it be a problem if I had?” Of course I had, but she didn’t need to know that if it would embarrass her.

“Not overly,” she said, her maturity poking through again. “I’m just curious as to what he thinks.”

“He thinks that a man should treat a woman with as much love and tenderness as possible,” I said, smiling to myself as I said the words. “We share a lot of the same views on this.”

She seemed to relax in front of me. “I feel like I’m making the right decision now,” she said, smiling a genuinely happy smile. She hugged me. “Thanks, Charlie. I needed this. And I won’t say anything to Aunt Tess and Uncle Paul.”

“Good,” I said, squeezing her back. “Now get some sleep, okay? We won’t be too much longer, I don’t think.” I stood up. “Sweet dreams, honey.”

“G’nite,” she said, settling herself on the bed.

I shut the light off and closed the door, going back into the living room, where everyone else was congregated. Aunt Tess and Dad were sitting on the sofa, and Orlando, Eljah, and the three men I hadn’t met yet were standing around the room.

“Everything okay?” Dad asked as I went and sat on the chair beside the sofa. Orlando came over and sat on the arm of the chair, beside me. His hand strayed to the back of my neck, lightly caressing the skin.

“Everything’s fine,” I said, smiling. “So what’s going on out here?”

“We were just discussing Orlando’s grand plan here,” Elijah said, a beer bottle in his hand. His words were slightly slurred, so I knew he’d been pounding them back. Although, he was almost as much of a lightweight as Orlando, so it wouldn’t take much.

“What grand plan?” I asked, looking up at Orlando, who looked ready to kill.

“Don’t worry about it, love,” he said, trying to smile. Elijah giggled loudly.

“Oops, I guess I’ve spoiled the surprise,” he tittered, taking a swig of his beer.

“Orlando, what’s he talking about?”

“Go on, tell her,” Elijah said, grinning like an idiot. “She’s not going to leave you alone until you tell her what we’ve been doing.”

“I think you need to stop drinking, ‘Lij,” Orlando said, getting up and taking the beer bottle from him. “Your mouth is running away with you.”

“Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on here?” I said, getting frustrated. Everyone in the room knew what was going on, except me. “Dad, Aunt Tess?” I looked to them, hoping they’d shed some light. Dad looked slightly disconcerted, but Aunt Tess was smiling warmly. My stomach lurched just looking at them.

“You know what?” Elijah said, looking at Orlando. “I think we need to leave.” He gestured sloppily to his friends, who were actually his security team, and they headed to the door. He hugged me briefly on the way. “Congrats again, you gorgeous creature,” he said. “And don’t let him keep his secret, okay?”

“Get out, Elijah,” Orlando said, his tone angry.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Elijah said, winked at me, and left.

“Don’t get angry, Orlando,” Aunt Tess said softly. “He won’t even remember tomorrow what he said.”

“I know,” Orlando sighed, running his hand over his chin. “But I wanted to have everything perfect before revealing that I even had a surprise.”

“Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on here?” I said, fighting the urge to stomp my foot like a child.

“Can I keep you in the dark a little longer, love?” Orlando said, coming to take me in his arms. He leaned back a bit to look down into my face. “Please, just let me get everything right before I tell you.”

I sighed. “I hate surprises,” I said, shoving his shoulder gently. “This sucks.”

He chuckled gently and kissed my nose. I saw Dad shift uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye. “Just wait, love,” Orlando said. “It’ll be worth it.”

“And on that note,” Aunt Tess said, standing up. “We should go. Is Dee okay here for the rest of the night?”

I nodded as I hugged her. “Of course,” I said. “What time is your flight tomorrow?”

“Four-thirty,” Dad said, resting his hands on my arms as Orlando hugged Aunt Tess. “Would you like to have lunch before we leave?”

“Definitely,” I said, launching myself into a hug. “Thank you so much for coming, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Charlotte,” he said, patting my back as he squeezed me briefly. “Congratulations again. We’ll see you later on.” He shook Orlando’s hand, and left with Aunt Tess.

I immediately began to fold out the sofa bed, while Orlando cleaned up the food and put all the dirty dishes in the kitchen. I was suddenly very glad we had a dishwasher.

“I know you’re dying to ask me, love, so go ahead,” he said, coming back into the living room. He helped me finish with the sofa bed and we sat on it for a minute.

“I just don’t know what’s going on, and it’s driving me nuts,” I said, smoothing out the wrinkles on the comforter. “When have you even had time to work on a surprise?”

“While you’ve been working,” he said, shrugging. “I certainly don’t drink or party as much as you think I’ve been doing with Elijah.”

“Then what exactly have you been doing?” I sighed. “I know I said I’d wait, but come on, give me a hint.”

“Let’s just say it’s something I’ve been thinking about for awhile now, and want to be just perfect,” he said, pulling me against him. He kissed my neck gently.

“Orlando, are you going to propose to me?” The idea sent shivers through me, but I wasn’t sure if they were good shivers or bad shivers.

He chuckled against my skin. “No, love, that’s not it,” he said gently. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Well, since you’re not going to tell me, I’m going to get Deanna so we can go to bed,” I said, pulling away from him and standing up. I went into the bedroom and gently woke Dee. She followed me into the living room, collapsed in the bed, and was snoring lightly within seconds. I tucked her in, shut off the light, and Orlando and I went into the bedroom to go to bed.

Nothing more was said as we undressed and got under the covers. I laid on my side, facing away from him, and he curled around my back. It was almost four-thirty in the morning, but I was wide awake. As Orlando went to sleep behind me, I stared into the dark, wondering what exactly his surprise was. Needless to say, it was a very restless sleep I eventually fell into.