ily sat on an elegant settee waiting, Tash resting heavily against her side, Maxine on her other side holding her hand.

Nate had demanded to talk to the Registrar and had disappeared behind a closed door.

Tash had noticed instantly, after her father left, that Fazire was gone and she’d asked after him. Lily had lied, trying for a brave face, telling her that Fazire had forgotten something and would be back in no time. Lily would break the news to Tash later. Soon, she knew, Tash’s mind would be on other, happier things and Lily didn’t have the heart to ruin her day any more than it already was.

Lorna came forward and handed Lily her bouquet made of full, white, fat, fragrant peonies, Becky’s favourite flower.

“Just in case,” Lorna whispered hopefully and moved quietly away.

“I wish your grandparents were here,” Lily said to Tash, holding the bouquet to her nose.

“They are,” Tash glanced at Laura and Victor.

Lily smiled, it was small and sad but genuine.

“Your other grandparents, doll baby.”

Tash snuggled into Lily’s side, wrapped her thin arm around Lily’s waist and gave her a firm squeeze. “Me too.”

And I wish Fazire was here, Lily thought fervently, throwing her thought out to the void, desperately hoping that the Great Grand Genie Number One monitored wayward wishes and granted them on a whim, even as she knew he did not (Fazire would have told her, the Great Grand Genie Number One wasn’t much on humans, even though those he oversaw served them).

Vehemently in her head, she went on. I wish Fazire was here to see me married. I wish Tash could have a wish from Fazire and her child too and on and on, forever. That’s what I wish for myself, for my daughter, for my line but mostly it’s what I wish for my beloved Fazire.

The door opened and Nate came out with the girl from the Registry Office. They were, Lily was not surprised to see, smiling.

“There’s been a cancellation,” the girl announced.

There were cries of happiness and cheers of joy. Tash jumped up and ran across the room, throwing herself bodily at Nate who grinned without reservation at his daughter. He picked her up and swung her around as Tash laughed with sheer delight. Along with his unguarded grin, Nate’s face was relieved and joyous.

That was when Lily knew she did the right thing.

However, she couldn’t help but think it was wrong.

* * * * *

Nate and Lily sat in front of the long, gleaming table.

Victor and Maxine sat at one end, the official witnesses to the marriage; they’d eventually sign the marriage certificate. The Registrar sat opposite Nate and Lily.

“Shall we get started?” the Registrar asked, smiling at the couple.

Lily nodded and turned her head to Nate. He was sitting beside her but seemed far away. As if he felt her thoughts, his hand came out and grabbed hold of hers in a strong, reassuring grip.

Lily bit back tears.

Fazire, can you see me? She silently asked no one.

There was no response.

I hope you can see me, see what you’ve done. She thought.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today –” the Registrar began.

Then pandemonium struck.

The closed doors at the back of the room slammed open loudly, banging with force against the walls and a man walked in.

Not just any man.

He was a man wearing a gold fez, gold earrings, gold armbands, a gold bolero vest, gold flowy pants and gold curly-toed shoes. He had black hair, a black, pointy goatee and what looked like black kohl around his eyes. He was walking on the ground but he looked disgusted at this act, as if his feet should be treading on clouds.

“Excuse me! We’re in the middle of a ceremony,” the Registrar was standing and Lily noted belatedly that Nate had let her hand go and was also standing. Lily also noted, with some alarm, that Nate had a face that could only be described as thunderous.

“What on earth?” Lily heard Laura ask.

Behind the golden genie came more genies, one, two, three, a half a dozen, two dozen, four dozen, all in the same outlandish outfit but in different, vibrant, contrasting, loud colours.

They filed in, as the Registrar blustered, “Excuse me! What is the meaning of this?”

More genies came through until they filled the room, sitting in the open chairs, squeezing around the sides, down the aisle, along the back of the room and all of them craning their necks to see, staring unashamedly at Lily, Nate and even Tash.

Lily slowly stood, watching the Spectacle of Genies along with everyone else.

“This is absurd. Who are you people? You must leave. I’m marrying this couple,” the Registrar announced.

“You!” the Golden Genie, who had plonked himself down right next to Tash in the front row, spoke pompously to the Registrar, “Can wait a moment.”

“I will not wait,” the Registrar told him.

“You will,” the Golden Genie commanded.

“I will not,” the Registrar returned.

The Golden Genie ignored her and his dark eyes fell on Lily.

“You are Lily Jacobs,” he declared.

Nate had moved to her side, his arm slid around her protectively and he glared at the Golden Genie.

“What’s going on?” Nate demanded to know.

“And you are Nathaniel McAllister,” the Golden Genie proclaimed.

“Yes, I am. Now what in bloody hell is going on?” Nate snapped.

“I am the Great Grand Genie Number One,” the Golden Genie stated pretentiously.

Lily gasped, Maxine gasped and Tash clapped happily, staring up at the genie beside her in awe. The Golden Genie spared Tash a glance and, Lily could almost swear, he winked at her daughter.

“I don’t care who you are, you’re interrupting our –” Nate started then stopped, his eyes scanning the room, jumping from genie to genie. Lily felt his body grow tense beside her, his fingers digging into her waist. Then his head jerked to Lily and his brows drew together.

“Where’s Fazire?” he asked.

Lily opened her mouth to speak but she didn’t need to, Nate’s face moved from alarmed inquiry to understanding. Slowly he closed his eyes and turned her into his strong body. He dropped his forehead to hers and opened his eyes.

“Lily,” he murmured, staring straight into her eyes, “you didn’t.”

She nodded and she felt the tears again coming. How one person could cry so much in one single day was beyond Lily but she was proof it could happen.

“I knew you wanted it,” Lily whispered, “and Tash would have been devastated.”

“We could have waited,” Nate said, ignoring the genie army. Ignoring the fact that he’d driven like a maniac (well, not exactly like a maniac but close to it) to get them to the Registry Office. Ignoring the fact that he’d given into Lily’s dare at the entrance and told her about her lovely, unbelievable, amazing surprise honeymoon. She would never have not actually gone into the Office until he’d told her about their honeymoon, she was kidding, but he was that impatient.

He didn’t want to wait, she knew he didn’t. For goodness sakes, eight years ago, he got her pregnant to bind her to him. Lily of all people knew that Nate would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Visions of him forcing the Registrar to marry them at gunpoint were dancing in her head (that, she admitted, was a wee bit dramatic, but she certainly didn’t want him to blow his stack in front of Natasha).

As for Tash, even to think her father couldn’t move mountains was something Lily, if she could help it, simply would not tolerate.

Nate pulled Lily deeper into his arms, cutting off her thoughts.

“Will someone tell me what’s happening here?” the Registrar demanded.

Nate and Lily ignored her.

“He told me to,” Lily said. “I didn’t want Tash… we’ve waited so long… I knew you wanted…” she stopped and then went on. “He told me to,” she repeated, her voice finally breaking and she shoved her face in his chest.

“Darling,” Nate whispered against the top of her head.

“What’s happening here?” the Registrar shouted. “Who are these bizarre people?”

“They’re genies,” Natasha chimed in, her voice angry, “and they’re not bizarre.”

“They are not genies,” the Registrar retorted.

“They are,” Tash shot back.

“They are not. There’s no such thing as a genie,” the Registrar returned smartly, staring at Tash like Nate and Lily should get a handle on her.

“There is such a thing as a genie. You’re looking at, like, a bazillion of them!” Tash, finally losing patience, yelled.

Lily took her face from Nate’s chest and looked at her daughter.

“Tash, don’t yell,” she remonstrated quietly.

“Mummy, that lady’s crazy. How can she say there are no –”

“Tash.” Nate’s voice was firm and Tash’s mouth snapped shut, her arms crossed on her chest and her face settled into an obedient-yet-rebellious pout. Tash didn’t only get her quirky smile from Lily; she also got a bit of a rebellious streak.

Nate’s eyes moved to The Great Grand Genie Number One.

“Why are you here?” Nate asked.

“To judge the Wish of the Century Award, of course. This,” the Great Grand Genie Number One gestured about him, “is the council, plus, er… a few other genies who just wanted to see you get married.” He finished slightly less grandly but still in pronouncement mode.

“Fine,” Nate clipped. “Would you mind then if we actually got married?” he asked wryly.

The Great Grand Genie Number One inclined his head regally.

“A thousand expressions of gratitude,” Nate muttered with dry humour and Lily felt a hysterical bubble of laughter rising in her chest.

Nate threw her a look that said he was again not amused and the giggle escaped. Lily clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle it.

“Lily,” Nate said warningly.

Lily took her hands away. “I can’t help it. Oh Nate!” She put her hands on his shoulders and went up on tiptoe to look him eye-to-eye as best she could. “I so wish Fazire was here to see this. He’d laugh and laugh and –”

“Your wish!” the Great Grand Genie Number One announced in a booming voice, a voice that made Lily jump and Nate scowl and both Nate and Lily’s eyes swung to him, “Lily Jacobs, granddaughter of the Great Sarah Jacobs, is my command!”

Then he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers and in a dramatic poof of swirling grape smoke, Fazire appeared not two feet away.

“Fazire!” Lily shouted, pulling from Nate’s arms and throwing herself into Fazire’s.

She vaguely heard astonished murmurs as her body hit Fazire’s for she had no idea that genies rarely, very, very rarely touched humans and humans never touched genies.

“Lily-child!” Fazire exclaimed. “What, where –?”

Fazire was looking around him then he stilled and stared at the Golden Genie.

“Great Grand Genie Number One!” he cried, disengaging from Lily and dropping in a deep, low bow before his master.

“Fazire,” the Great Grand Genie Number One stared down his nose at the bowing Fazire, “arise.”

Fazire straightened and Lily took his hand. The Golden Genie’s eyes dropped to their clenched hands and he closed them in obvious despair then shook his head.

“Great Grand Genie?” Fazire called, clearly confused at the turn of events.

The Golden Genie’s eyes opened.

“My friend,” he said softly but his voice still carried, “you have served this family well. The only genie who ever served three generations of humans. And you have performed the two best wishes in genie history, the creation of this girl and binding her to this man who needed her.”

Fazire nodded, still confused but trying to pretend he wasn’t. Lily clenched his hand tighter and her genie returned the gesture.

“Therefore, I think, Great Fazire,” the Golden Genie declared, “if it is your wish, you will serve them through eternity.”

Gasps were heard all around but Lily barely registered it, her own and Fazire’s were so loud.

“Truly?” Fazire asked, his face wreathed in hope.

“Do you wish it, Fazire?” the Golden Genie demanded.

Fazire looked to Lily then to Tash then to the Great Grand Genie. Then without another moment of hesitation, he nodded.

“So it will be,” the Golden Genie decreed. “Your wish, Great Fazire, is my command!” And, just like that he lifted his fingers and he snapped.

And it was done.

Lily threw her arms straight up in the air and shouted with joy.

“Yipeeeeeeeee!” Tash called, rushing forward and jumping up and down, her arms around her mother and Fazire.

Lily hugged Fazire, she hugged Tash, she hugged Maxine who’d come around the table. She hugged Victor then she hugged Laura. Finally, she turned and threw herself bodily at Nate who lifted her off her feet in an automatic half-whirl as he took her weight.

Nate set her down and looked at her, shaking his head and touching her cheek as he absorbed the pure, unadulterated delight emanating from her gaze.

Then his eyes moved to Fazire.

“Do you mind if we get married now?” he asked with sham courtesy but his lips were twitching.

Fazire’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t let me stand in your way. It was only me who brought you together in the first place,” Fazire grumbled. “We shouldn’t let my little wish have any time in your busy, human lives. Not that it’s unprecedented for a genie to get a wish. Not that we shouldn’t revel in the fact that this has never happened before all through eternity. Not that we should glory for a moment in my joy and everlasting gratitude to the Great Grand Genie Number –”

“Fazire,” Nate cut him off.

“What?” Fazire snapped curtly.

Nate put a hand on Fazire’s shoulder. Fazire looked at the hand then looked at Nate.

“Tash,” Nate said quietly and Lily’s heart melted.

She never expected she could love Nate more, not in a million years, but at that moment she did.

Fazire’s face softened. Then he hid it and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll sit down,” Fazire said with feigned harassment and his eyes cut to Lily. “Lily-child, get married for goodness sake, I’m hungry.”

Again Lily giggled but this time she could hear Nate join her with soft laughter.

Fazire took Tash’s hand and walked her back to the seats.

Everyone sat except some of the genies who floated.

Then Nate took Lily’s hand. When he did, Lily squeezed his.

Then Lily looked deeply into Nate’s beautiful, dark, beloved eyes.

Ten minutes later, they were married.