Juliana laughed and walked away. Hobie met her halfway across the large lawn, obviously on her way to where Baylor stood. She gave her a hug.

“You look absolutely wicked. This is your last chance, you know. You can still dump that girl and take a shot with me.” Juliana’s smile was infectious and Hobie found herself laughing.

“Please, Jules. Are you trying to start a fight? If Baylor hears that, it’ll be World War III.”

“I thought I’d send you over Baylor’s way to calm her down, but by the feel of these ice-cold hands of yours, it seems you’re a bigger bundle of nerves than she is.”

“Oh, very funny. Don’t even think of lying to me, Jules. The prospect of spending the rest of your life with someone would make you a little goofy, too. Admit it.”

“Alittle?” Juliana winked. “I’m really jealous as hell. You do know that, don’t you? Well, jealous of Baylor, at any rate. You, I simply feel sorry for.”



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“Is she really that nervous?” Hobie asked, glancing in Baylor’s direction. Baylor stood tall and straight, staring out at the ocean, her stance almost regal as twilight descended around her.

“You’d never know it to look at her, but right there stands a quivering tower of jelly.”

Hobie chuckled and shook her head. “She looks like she’s a million miles away. I think I’ll go ease her fears.”

Juliana could see the excitement mixed with trepidation in Hobie’s eyes.



Baylor watched as Juliana met up with Hobie, laughing and teasing her just as she had Baylor. She had a feeling they were talking about her. She turned away and looked out at the water.

So many changes, Baylor mused. She wondered at the future and how her life would change with the ceremony. Any number of people would have told her that she was crazy to think it would last. Most of the acquaintances who still tolerated her played the same games she had. Straight or gay, they went from relationship to relationship without thinking they would last. Baylor had never thought long term before Hobie. That would all change. Baylor just knew, in the same way she knew which of her stories would sell, that if she went through with this ceremony, it would be forever. It was a scary prospect, terrifying, if the truth were known. So the question became, did she want to back out?

She smiled to herself, glad nobody could see her face. Everyone thought she was strange enough as it was. Of course, for most of them, “strange” was a relative term. The last two days had been a whirlwind of activity, mostly planning for the very future that she now pondered. Their first serious discussion had been about where they should live. Ana Lia had been good to Baylor and Hobie, and Baylor had never thought about going back to Chicago for longer than the few weeks it would take to pack up her life. School was out, so they decided to take Noah with them and make it a vacation. Even though Hobie had told her it wasn’t necessary, Baylor was looking forward to sharing with Noah some of the places that had impressed her as a child. Wrigley Field, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Art Institute were places



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she wanted to share with him, and she knew that having a hot dog and watching the Cubs play at home would mean the world to Noah.

Baylor also wanted Hobie with her. She was afraid of what might happen to her once she left the island. Would she return to her old ways? Even though Hobie assured her that it hadn’t worked that way for her, Baylor didn’t want to take that chance.

They decided they would build a house on Ana Lia and live in Hobie’s guesthouse in the meantime. Hobie’s family was happy about the arrangement, and it worked to Evelyn’s advantage, too. As much as she adored having her granddaughter, Hobie, and Noah close, she was a private person and enjoyed living surrounded by the quiet of her greenhouses.

Baylor looked up at the evening sky. The two stars her grandmother had pointed out the previous evening certainly didn’t appear any closer. She wondered what would happen during the ceremony and if there was any truth to Rebecca’s tale. She looked down at her watch. It wouldn’t be long before she found out.

“Hey, lady, does the bus stop here?” Hobie asked as she came up behind Baylor and slipped an arm around her waist.

Baylor smiled as she placed her own arm around Hobie’s shoulder. “If it doesn’t, I’ll make it happen for ya.”

“I believe you would. So are you standing over here thinking, worrying, or a little of both?”

Baylor looked out over the water again and took a deep breath. “Wondering,” she said at last. “But no worries, especially today.”

“What a con artist you are, Baylor Warren. You mean to tell me that you’re not the least bit nervous?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m scared to death, and I’ll admit there’s not a bone in my body that isn’t screaming at me to turn around and run as fast as I can.”

“Oh?”


“Now who’s conning who? Do you mean to tell me that you don’t feel the same way?”

Hobie chuckled and studied the ground for a moment. “Okay, I give up. I thought about playing the part of the gingerbread man,



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but it was only temporary.”


“Don’t worry, baby, mine was, too. I’m still scared—scared as hell—but there’s one thing I’m not, and that’s worried over the prospect of spending my life with you.”

“I just hope you’re not setting yourself up for a fall. You know, some idea of me as the perfect woman.”

“I think I pretty much know better than that.”


“Thanks a lot!” Hobie slapped Baylor lightly on the stomach.

“Hey, you stepped into that one,” Baylor said. “I don’t think I have too many illusions, honey. You and I, we’re like fire and ice. I’m almost certain that, given enough time, we’ll run into areas where we disagree. Now if I know the two of us as well as I think I do, those disagreements are probably going to lead to some damn good fireworks. Just like real fireworks, though, they’ll explode and burn out quickly.”

“When you want to, you sure can put some nice words together. Do you know that?”

“I don’t even have to work hard at it when it comes to you.” The two women embraced. No one appeared to be paying any

attention to them; it was as if they were all alone. “We can do this, right, Baylor?”

“Yes, baby, we can.” Baylor placed a kiss on top of Hobie’s head. She looked up at the two bright stars overhead. “Tell me, do they look any closer at all to you?”

“Well, maybe if I try real hard...”


“Do you believe any of this? I mean, I know these old gals are pretty trustworthy, but I’m having a hard time with this.”

“I believe that they believe. I’m with you. I’m not sure I can be a staunch supporter just yet. But like they said, we don’t have to believe for it to work. Whether it all comes together or not, I feel like we’ve helped a small bit.”

“Ditto. Well, shall we?” “I’m game if you are.”

They had nearly reached the spot where the ceremony would take place. Noah rushed up to them.

“Baylor!” he called out as he jumped into their arms.



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“Hey, Bubba, don’t you look sharp in your suit and tie.” “Are you guys gettin’ married?” Noah asked.

Baylor looked at Hobie, who silently nodded. “Um, yeah.” “Good. Then I can have a dad.”

Baylor looked back at Hobie again and swore she saw Hobie smiling just a tiny bit. “Well, Bubba, um...you do know that I’m a girl, right?”

“Yeah.”


“I’d be more along the lines of a mom then.” “But I already got a mom.”

“I guess I see your point, but what do you have if you go get an ice cream cone and they give you two chocolate cones instead of one?”

Noah shrugged.


“It’d be better, wouldn’t it?”


“Two chocolate cones, all for me?” Noah’s eyes widened and a smile began to take shape.

“All for you, Bubba. Great, huh?” “Great!”

“Now I bet all your friends only have one mom. How do you think it would be having two moms, instead of just one?”

Noah’s smile widened. “Great!”


“You know it,” Baylor agreed. “Okay, you go on and keep Jules company till we get started. She’ll give you the rings. Okay?”

“’Kay, Baylor.” He paused once she set him on solid ground. “You guys look beautiful,” he added before running away.

“Nice save,” Hobie said.


“Oh, yeah, thanks for pitching in there.”


“You did better than I could have. You’re a natural as a mom.”

“I sure hope so. Parenting isn’t exactly the kind of thing you get a do-over on.”

Baylor looked past Hobie. An archway of small red and white flowers was the main stage for their ceremony. A long table was set up in front of the arch, and a number of women from the guild stood around the table, preventing the couple from seeing what



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was on it.


“What in the world are they doing?” Baylor asked. “God only knows. Maybe it’s the sacrifice,” Hobie said.

“Don’t make me crazier than I already am about this whole thing.”

“Sorry,” Hobie said through her light laughter. “You’re about to find out. Mrs. Ashby is waving us over. Ready?”

“If you are.”


“Baylor?” Hobie reached for Baylor’s arm as she took a step away.

“Hmm?”


“I do love you and I would have married you anyway, you know.”

Baylor smiled, reminding Hobie that there was another woman behind that prickly outer shell. “I love you, too. Actually, it was probably a good thing. The Ladies Guild forced me to wait a couple of days.”

Baylor and Hobie arrived as Hobie’s mother gave Noah and Juliana their last-minute instructions. Noah was taking his job seriously, listening intently to his grandmother. Hobie had wanted her friends from the office—Laura and Cheryl—to stand up with her. That left Baylor short a friend, but she thought of Noah immediately. He was thrilled by the news.

“Baylor, Hobie Lynn, are you ready to begin?”


Both women nodded. The guests took their seats in the white garden chairs as the members of the wedding party arranged themselves, giving Hobie and Baylor their first look at the table.

“What the hell is that thing?” Hobie beat Baylor to the punch by asking.

They stood staring at a metal monstrosity that took up most of the tabletop. Baylor had the strangest feeling that she had seen the object somewhere before. “Is that an orrery?”

The object indeed appeared to be a brass model of the solar system. Each ornately formed planet was mounted on a rod that moved independent of the other rods, connected in the center to what appeared to be the sun. However, there appeared to be more than a few extra planets, and simple round brass rings topped



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two of the rods. The center area had a flat top that supported two empty crystal champagne glasses. Hobie and Baylor looked at each other again.

“I suppose you’re wondering what this is,” Rebecca said. She was elegantly dressed, as always, and leaned slightly on her walking stick.

“It may just be me, but I’ve always thought flowers made a good centerpiece,” Baylor said.

Hobie nudged Baylor with her elbow.


“I know it must appear terribly odd to you, but you’ll both have to trust me. The Pentasium is a three-dimensional planetary map. It’s essential to the ceremony and its use will become clear in a short while. Let’s begin, shall we?”

“It’s probably a way to communicate with the mother ship,” Baylor whispered to Hobie.

The ceremony proceeded as smoothly as if they’d all performed it every day of their lives. Rebecca, along with two women from the guild, lit the long line of candles on the table in order, from the outside in. Rebecca read a number of short passages, one in a language that neither Baylor nor Hobie recognized.

Finally, she stood before Hobie and Baylor. “It’s time for you to say a few words, Baylor.”