by Grace Palmer
Drew shook his head. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Pearson. But no, this can’t wait until after the holidays. As for my family, yes, I would rather spend this evening with them instead of talking with you on your front porch. However, Ashley is part of my family, and I can’t let you simply take her away from me. It’s not right, and I think you know that.”
The older man scratched his chin and shook his head. “Look, Drew, I think you and Ashley already had this discussion. I’m not making her doing anything. I’m simply—”
Drew raised his hand as his heart beat out of his chest. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pearson. I’m going to have to stop you there. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but we both know things wouldn’t be this way if you hadn’t made your wishes known. She and I had our future all planned out. You know as well as I that she was going to go back to school. There was no need for you to threaten to withhold her funds for college.”
“Now hold on here, young man,” he said with his voice raised. “She’s been putting off her education for much longer than she should have already. And it’s because of you. How much longer would you have me tolerate her putting her plans on ice?”
“That’s no reason to make her break up with me. First of all, Ashley makes her own decisions. I only support her in them. And secondly, with all due respect, you could have addressed me man to man instead of putting her between us. I know you think that I don’t have my life figured out, and you might be right. My life took a sharp turn when I was cut from the team. I’ve been looking for something I can be as passionate about as baseball ever since. As yet, I haven’t found it. But honestly, I stopped looking after our conversation on the lake. I’ve been so busy trying to please you that I put my own wants and needs on the back burner. But as it turns out, nothing I do is good enough for you.”
Before him, the man raised a hand to stop him from going any further. But Drew could not be deterred.
“No, Mr. Pearson. Please, let me finish. I will find my calling, professionally. I know I will. It might take me a while, but I’ll get there. In the meantime, I’ll do anything I can to support Ashley. If that means moving to Portland with her so she can get started on her schooling, I will. What I won’t do is let your preconceived ideas of who I am get in the way of Ashley’s and my happiness.”
There was a frigid silence on the back porch. Mr. Pearson’s forehead was furrowed as he thought, chewing over Drew’s words. Drew did his best to keep his hands still and not fidget back and forth. He wanted to appear how he felt—strong, determined, certain.
Finally, Mr. Pearson spoke. “Well, son, that’s a very passionate speech. I commend you for finding the courage to come and speak to me. However, I’m not the one who broke up with you. That was on Ashley. She seems to have some doubts about your relationship.”
Drew didn’t hesitate to answer. “If she had doubts, I’m sure she would have brought them up with me, had she not been pressured by you to end our relationship altogether. As her father, I would think that her happiness should be of the utmost importance for you. And I know you know we were happy.”
Another uncomfortable silence fell between them. Greg Pearson narrowed his eyes at Drew. Then he sighed heavily as he shook his head.
“I’ll give you this, Baldwin. You’ve certainly found your voice. Ashley’s been quite depressed these past few days, I have to admit. I’m sure you can understand as her father I’m concerned for her future. However, maybe I have been a little too bullish on the matter. My wife certainly thinks so. Alright, well, if you insist, I will get out of your way and let you and Ashley make your own decisions. That is, of course, up to Ashley. If she is inclined to speak to you, I won’t stand in your way.”
Just then, the front door was yanked open and Ashley appeared. She wore a floor-length knitted dress Drew had given her for her birthday earlier in the year. Seeing her in it made him smile and ignited hope inside of his heart.
She stepped out onto the porch and looked at her father. Placing a hand on his arm, she said, “It’s alright, Dad. I do want to talk to him.”
With a grunt, her father nodded and returned to the house, leaving the door ajar once more.
“Ashley…”
“Drew, listen. I don’t think this is going to work.”
“What are you talking about? You heard your dad. He’ll get out of our way, and I meant what I said. I’ll find something that I’ll be passionate about. You don’t have to worry about that.”
She shook her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I know you will. I have every ounce of faith in you. I just don’t think our future as you envision it will ever come to pass.”
Drew frowned, utterly confused by her words. He hadn’t expected her to react this way. He was sure once her father gave his blessing, however begrudgingly, she would gladly reunite with him.
She sighed deeply as she sat down on the step outside of the house. To his shock, she wrapped her slender arms around her legs and dropped her head between her knees. Before he knew what was going on, he heard her sobbing.
Quickly, he rushed to her side and sat down beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder. “What is it, Ashley? Please, talk to me.”
“Oh, Drew. My dad is right. I’ve had doubts about us. Not about our love for each other, but about my ability to give you the life you want. There is so much you are willing to give up for me. Taking out a loan so I can go back to school without my father’s help, moving to Portland with me… It’s too much, because I can never… It’s just too much.”
Drew pulled her close, nuzzling his nose in her hair. Goodness, how he’d missed all the little things—the feel of her body against his, the smell of her shampoo. His heart ached with love for this woman.
“Ashley, I do these things because I love you. I love our life together. We can have everything. You’ll be a vet, I’ll find my career path, we’ll be married with our own little house, our own children…”
Her body jerked up at this, and she whipped her head around to face him. There was a fire in her eyes he had not seen in a long time.
“I can’t have any. Kids, I mean. I found out this summer. It’s just not possible. I can’t give you the future you want. Do you see it now? That’s why, when my dad pressured me to break up with you, I gave in. It seemed easier. Easier than telling you the truth, at least. I figured you could just move on, and start over with someone else who could give you everything you want. I was a coward, and I’m sorry. I should have told you the truth.”
Drew exhaled, feeling suddenly as a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. So this was why she gave into her father’s demands so quickly. Ashley couldn’t have children, and she thought that spelled doom for their relationship.
He reached for her hands and held them in his. “Ashley, please look at me.”
After a moment, she did. Her face was wet with tears.
“I don’t care that you can’t have any kids. But I can see how me constantly talking about the future would have freaked you out. I would be perfectly happy just being with you. Just the two of us. Besides, there is always adoption if we do choose to start a family. Please, don’t let this torpedo everything we have built. I love you. I’ve never been as miserable as I have these last few days without you. Not even when I got cut from the team.”
She squeezed his hands then, and a small, uncertain smile appeared on her face. “Are you sure? I don’t want you compromise your dreams for me.”
Drew shook his head. “But that is life, and that is love. Compromising for the person you love. That is the secret to any successful marriage. I know when I proposed to you, it wasn’t under ideal circumstances. But I meant what I said. I want you to be by my side. Now and forever. We don’t have to get married right away; I just want you back in my life. I want us to be on the same page. Please, Ashley.”
For a moment, she sat and looked at him as she bit her lip. And then at last, a wide smile spread across her face. “Oh, Drew. I
’ve been so unhappy without you. I’ve been racked with guilt. How can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Just come back to me. As long as we have each other, we can work everything else out. What do you say?”
She nodded then, and cupped his face with her hands. “I say yes. Yes, to everything. I wanted to say yes when you proposed to me that night, but I couldn’t. I just… I want to marry you, I want to be by your side. I love you, Drew. I want to share your life with you wherever it leads us.”
“That is the best Christmas present I could have ever asked for. Just one more thing. Promise me this: no more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” she agreed.
With that, the two smiled at one another. A moment later, Drew felt Ashley’s lips on his. He closed his eyes, knowing they were united once more.
This time, it was forever.
25
Melanie
An hour after she watched her brother slip out the back door, Melanie found herself leaning back in her mother’s comfortable sofa. Beside her, Colin stretched his arms as a yawn overtook him. Then, in one smooth movement, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.
She smiled and nestled into the crook of his arm as the fireplace crackled before them.
Her mother and Joel were in the kitchen with Sam and Stella as they were finalizing their Christmas dinner plans. With Drew gone to hopefully patch things up with Ashley, Melanie and Colin were alone with Eddie and Tasha, who were cuddled up in the oversized armchair in the corner.
Melanie couldn’t remember the last time they’d had the house to themselves at Christmas. It was usually full of guests who would join in the celebration. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, she had to admit, being alone with her family for a change was nice.
“This is cozy,” Colin said, “although I am afraid I’m pretty full. I shouldn’t have had that last serving of s’mores!” He laughed and rubbed his stomach.
“You probably shouldn’t have! But it’s Christmas and who am I to stop you from indulging? You’ve had to make do with hospital food for far too long,” Melanie replied. “The good news is that dinner is a few hours away, so hopefully your stomach will settle before then.”
His eyes widened at the thought of more food. “Once this Christmas season is over, I might have to invest in a gym membership, or maybe a treadmill. Otherwise I’m going to be four hundred pounds!”
“I don’t foresee a gym membership in your immediate future, I’m afraid. Maybe start slow. A walk, perhaps?”
“That is a good idea. I’ll work my way up to a marathon soon enough, you’ll see. Bandit misses our morning jogs, too. He’s getting a bit porky, too!”
The dog lifted his head and glanced at them at the sound of his name but then laid his head back down, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace.
Melanie blinked and bit her lip. Her fingers slipped into her cardigan and slid around the edges of the small rectangular box she had hidden there. She’d waited all day for an opportunity to get Colin alone and none presented itself. Until now.
“How about we go for a little walk right now?”
He looked around and frowned.
“Now? Where would we go?”
She shrugged. “How about the backyard? The Fayettes in the next house over always have the most amazing snowmen. I want to take a look and see what they did this year. And a short walk will do you good.” She glanced at his stomach and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Ouch! Point taken. Let’s go. Give me a hand, please?”
She got up and helped him stand. As he slipped his crutches under his armpits, Eddie called over to them from the armchair.
“Where are you off to, Mr. Hobbles?”
“Snowman watch, Mr. Romance. I hear there’s a magnificent display nearby that’s not to be missed.”
At once, Eddie moved as though he was about to get up. “Oh yeah, the Fayette snowmen! I heard they got one dressed as a surfer this year but I haven’t seen it myself. Mind if I tag—”
Before Melanie could protest, Tasha reached for her fiancé and yanked him back down to the armchair beside her. “Not now, Eddie!” She placed her two socked feet onto Eddie’s lap. “I was promised a foot rub. And I would like to cash it in right now. The snowman can wait; these feet can’t.”
As Eddie got to working on her feet, Tasha winked at her sister. Melanie smiled as she left to catch up to Colin, who was already halfway across the room.
“Oh, yeah, that is a cool-looking snowman. Not sure I had to drag myself all the way across the house and into the backyard when a picture of it would have sufficed, but now we’re here, I’ll have to admit that it’s pretty neat.” Colin lowered himself onto the Hollywood swing in the backyard, assisted by Melanie, who joined him a moment later.
She kicked her feet, sending the swing into motion as they watched the snowman across the fence. The Fayette kids were running around the yard, enthusiastically throwing snowballs at each other.
Colin glanced at her. “Did you really just want me to look at a snowman dressed as a surfer dude?”
She grinned and shook her head. “Alright, I’ll admit it. The snowman was not the only reason I wanted to come out here with you.”
“I figured as much. Especially after Tasha’s sudden insistence on a foot rub to keep Eddie from joining us. I figured you needed to get away from your family for a little bit, have a little us time?”
She nodded. “Yes, I did, but that’s not the only reason. I actually wanted to give you my Christmas present.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Now? Out here? I thought we were exchanging gifts tomorrow morning with the rest of the family.”
“We are. But this one I wanted to give you in private.”
“Well, I’m curious now, beautiful lady.”
He smiled at her as her heartbeat increased. With one smooth motion, she pulled a small rectangular wrapped package out of her cardigans in a pocket and handed it to him.
He cleared his throat. “What is it? A watch? Did you get me a watch?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe you should just go ahead and take a look, that way you’d know for sure.”
She leaned back and watched him undo the pink and blue ribbon with bated breath. She’d taken such care to wrap it in her favorite Christmas Cat wrapping paper only to see Colin tear it apart with as much enthusiasm as a child.
Then he stared at the present as realization set in.
For one moment, her old insecurities reared their head and she worried what his reaction might be. There was no reason to be concerned at all.
When Colin looked at her again, his face was lit by a bright smile. “You’re pregnant? Really?”
She nodded, holding back happy tears. “At least, according to this pregnancy test—and the eight others I took just to be sure. Looks like Bandit isn’t going to be our only child anymore.”
Colin’s eyes grew even bigger. “Mel! I can’t believe it. We’re having a baby?”
When he let go of her, she sat back and nodded. “I know the timing is not great. I know we just hired a contractor and they’re not even going to start finishing the house until after the holidays, but…”
He placed one finger gently on her lips and shook his head. “The timing might not be perfect, but you know what is? We are. You and I. We’re perfect for each other. We enhance each other, and we make each other better. And this little bundle here couldn’t hope for a better, more loving family to be born into, imperfect as it might be.”
He placed a hand on her stomach and then looked in her eyes. They glistened with happy tears and she felt her own eyes well with tears of joy as well. Yes, they were a work in progress, but she knew in her heart that there was no man who she’d rather build a future with than Colin.
He was her forever, after all.
26
Georgia
Georgia stood in the doorframe and watched her family. Melanie, Colin, Drew, and a
newly-arrived Ashley sat in the corner by the fireplace, playing an animated game of Monopoly. Tasha and Eddie sat opposite Stella and Sam, who’d joined them, along with Stella’s son.
She turned and looked down the hall where the muffled sound of Joel’s voice could be heard. He’d rushed to answer the phone and had been away for at least then minutes.
“Mom!” Tasha called. “Join us. Stella just had a great idea for the set display for our next play. We’re doing ‘A Secret Garden.’ Do you think you could assist with floral arrangements?”
Georgia smiled and made her way across the room, joining her youngest daughter, her brand-new fiancé, and her friends.
“Of course, sugar. I’d be happy to. In fact, I’ll ask Gwen and Alma as well. And Caroline Piedmont. She mentioned she wanted to get more involved.”
Tasha smiled. “I was afraid after the whole Winter Queen debacle she’d not want to get involved in any civic projects anymore, but the opposite seems true.”
Georgia nodded. “She’s out caroling with Alma and Gwen right now.”
“She asked to officiate our wedding,” Eddie announced.
Georgia’s eyes grew wide. “Really? That’s sweet. Isn’t it?”
Tasha and Eddie both nodded and then beamed at each other. Georgia’s heart was full of joy at the sight of them, but it was Melanie whose glow drew her attention. She had been told of her daughter’s secret, along with Tasha, but nobody else knew just yet. Not even Joel. Georgia planned to tell him that very evening, once they were alone.
Just then, her fiancée returned, a broad grin on his face.
“You look pleased. What happened? Won the lottery?” Sam asked with a wink.
He shook his head and slipped into the seat beside Georgia, clutching her hand in his. “Better. I just spoke to a reporter from the Hampton Caller and they want to do a story about the brave inn owner and her family who caught the vandal. Turns out, Porter was up to the same tricks in Hampton a while back. He was buying up everything he could while incidences of vandalisms had increased. They’d like to talk to the woman and her friends who put an end to it all.”
