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“Always the protector.” She dabbed her eyes. “But I think it would be special for her to meet the father of the man she loves … and I think it would make Dad very happy.”
I never thought about how Dad would feel to meet her. He would never see me get married; my children would never know their grandfather. This might be the only chance he gets to see his son happy. That hit me hard.
“Oh, no.” Mom scrambled to get a napkin. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry.”
I wiped my tears quickly. “It’s okay. Maybe I’ll invite her over.”
Her face lit up.
“Don’t get all excited. She might not be able to come.” I left the kitchen with my phone in my hand and dialed Charlotte’s number.
Charlotte
I stared up at Tanner’s large colonial as I walked up the pathway. The window above the front door displayed a spiral staircase and a crystal chandelier. It was beautiful, and not at all what I expected Tanner to live in. I knocked on the wooden door and fixed the hem of my dress nervously.
The door opened, and I had to look down to see who’d opened it. Standing before me was a small, blond-haired girl with wide hazel eyes. She wore a festive red velvet dress with white fur trim around the hemlines. I couldn’t help but smile as wide as she was smiling.
“You’re Charlotte?”
“I am. You must be Chase, right?”
She giggled the most perfect little giggle. “No, silly! I’m Khloe!”
“Oh, Khloe. That’s right. I got confused. You guys look so much alike.”
She put her small hand in mine and pulled me into the house.
A tall, slender woman entered the foyer from another room. Like Khloe, she was another spitting image of Chase. Did that mean Tanner looked like his father?
She smiled and opened her arms as she approached me. “Charlotte, it is so nice to meet you. I’m Beverly.”
Her hug instantly made me feel comfortable and welcome. “It’s nice to meet you, as well.” I held out a box of assorted cookies. “My dad baked these.”
“Oooh, cookies!” Khloe took the box and scampered into another room.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to bring anything. Let me take your coat.”
Tanner finally emerged at the top of the stairs while I was slipping out of my coat. He was beaming, and I knew he was excited for me to be there.
Tanner wrapped me in his arms so tightly, I could barely breathe. “Merry Christmas,” I choked out.
“Merry Christmas, beautiful.” He gestured with his thumb to a doorway to my right. “Dad’s really tired. He fell asleep in the recliner. You’ll meet him when he wakes up.”
“I’m glad you didn’t wake him just for me. He needs to rest.”
Tanner laced his fingers with mine and led me into the dining room. Beverly had prepared coffee, tea, and several pies.
“Mom’s an amazing baker.” Tanner pulled out my chair for me.
“Not like your father, I’m sure,” she added.
“This all looks wonderful. Thank you for having me over.”
Khloe was busy piling a tower of cookies onto her plate. I stifled a giggle when Beverly’s eyes widened as she saw what her daughter was doing.
“How was Merritt?”
“She put on a smile, but I’m sure she was sad.” Beverly looked down at her lap. “It was her first Christmas without her father.”
