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No one said anything for a moment.

“Did you get drums?” Luci asked, her voice soft.

“No. But I got some sticks. And our band teacher made sure I had some drums to practice on.” My eyes started leaking hot, traitorous tears. I could remember myself at age ten, starting to hear the rhythm and beats in everyday life and feeling this urge to imitate them on a set of drums. There had been one I wanted from the local music store but I knew that was a fantasy. Still, I was grateful for the sticks and for my band teacher. I practiced at school or in the barn on an empty apple box. Wherever I could tap them I did.

“How did you get that letter?” I asked as I accepted a tissue from Ivy.

“Your mom had it,” Ivy said.

I couldn’t believe it. A woman who, to my knowledge, never disobeyed her husband, keeping such a damning letter? Out of sentiment? It just didn’t add up.

“Why didn’t you want your dad to know?” Jack asked, although I suspected he knew already and just wanted me to talk about it.

“He didn’t approve of anything that didn’t improve my physical or mental abilities. He sure didn’t see the value in drumming. Still doesn’t. Like Beck’s parents, he disapproves of pretty much everything I did or do.”

“It’s our own small, very exclusive club,” Beck said, winking at me.

“Don’t be so sure about that,” Blake said. “A few more of us could join that group. We could call us the How to Disappoint Daddy in Five Easy Steps group.”

Carol continued to dab at her eyes. June, sitting next to her, patted her hand in that secret language of mothers.

“Mom, it’s okay. Look how everything turned out,” Jack said.

“I wanted to get you a guitar and Luci that dollhouse,” Carol said. “But there was no way. Do you remember what you got instead?”

Luci shook her head. “No, but it was probably something great. You always came through for us.”

“That’s not true,” Carol said. “I never came through.”

Luci got up to sit on the floor next to her mother, leaning against her legs. “Mom, you have to stop beating yourself up. You raised us to be good people. You always believed in our dreams even though they were so big. You gave Rhett a mother when he desperately needed one. Worked two jobs. Came home dog tired, yet never missed a teacher conference or a school event. For all three of us, actually. Rhett, do you remember?”

“I remember everything Carol did for me,” Rhett said. “And I thank God every day for it.”

“See, Mom?” Luci asked. “Do you hear that?”

“No mother ever thinks they got it quite right,” June said. “That’s the curse of it all. No matter how much we do, we always know we could have done more. Or less, as the case may be. But the proof’s right here, Carol.” She gestured toward Jack and then Luci. “They’re exceptional people—successful, kind, generous. Jack Wilder is, quite literally, my answer to prayer. So you think about that when you start questioning every decision, every failure. You did the best you could and you loved them with your whole heart. That’s all they needed, really.”

“Thank you, June. That’s very kind of you,” Carol said, dabbing at her eyes. “You kids are my pride and joy. All three of you. And Holly, you too. And now I have all of the rest of you too.”

Ivy clapped her hands once, then again. “All right, let’s stop all this boo-hooing and have another toddy.”

Everyone stood, wandering around the room, grabbing another drink, looking at ornaments on the big tree in the corner. Luci was standing with Carol and June by the fire, out of earshot as I gathered Holly, Rhett, and Jack. “We need to get her a dollhouse. I saw the most perfect one at the Christmas Market.”

“I love it,” Holly said. “And it’s her birthday in a few days.”

“I hope they still have it,” I said. “I’ll go to town tomorrow.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jack said. “I want to buy it for her.”

I nodded, knowing it would be too obvious if I insisted on it being my gift to Luci.

“Yeah, good,” I said. “Tomorrow then.”

Tomorrow we would get Luci her dollhouse. It might be decades too late, but she would understand that love and friendship stood the test of time. As for me, I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother.

I caught Luci’s eye and she nodded slightly toward the door, which I understood meant, Meet me in my cabin.

I nodded back and grabbed my jacket from the coat rack. As I was headed toward the door, Ivy caught my arm.