“I want to go,” Charley said. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything, but we’ll need to figure out some coverage at work if we’re all going.”
“Let’s work on that in the morning,” Hunter said. “I’ll take care of arranging transport. I’ve driven to Philly before, so I know it’ll be the same amount of time to drive as to fly from Burlington. We’ll go after lunch tomorrow, spend one night and come back the day after?”
After the others nodded in agreement, Hunter said, “Great. Plan to be at the store to leave around two.”
“I have to bring Caden,” Max said.
“You could leave him with Aunt Hannah,” Molly said. “If you think the trip will be too much for him.”
“I don’t want to be away from him that long. So if no one minds, I’ll just bring him.”
“Of course we don’t mind,” Linc said.
“I’m going to bring Callie, too,” Hannah said. “It’s too late for Nolan to plan for a day off at the garage.”
“Gavin will want to come, with the baby due in just a couple of weeks,” Ella said. “He’ll flip his lid if I tell him I’m going away without him.”
“Bring him,” Linc said. “Anyone who feels the need to come is welcome. Just let Hunter know. And you guys… It means so much to me that you want to come.”
“We’d never let you do this without us,” Will said.
Each of them hugged him and Molly on their way out, leaving Linc emotionally overwhelmed by the time he and his wife were alone in the family room.
“Well,” she said, “aren’t they something?”
“They sure are.”
“How do you feel after sharing the story with them?”
“Drained after reliving it, but the kids wanting to come really lifted me up. I didn’t expect that at all.”
“Why not? You raised them to be there for each other. Of course they’d want to be there for you as you take this difficult journey.”
“I’ve never been more proud of them than I was just now. They heard what happened, and all they wanted to know was how they could help.”
“We raised them to be independent and to look out for each other and those less fortunate. Loyalty runs deep in this family, and just as they know there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them, they feel the same way about you.”
“That makes me one lucky dad.”
“It’s not just luck, Linc. You made sure your kids would never feel the way you did when your father forced you to choose him or the life you wanted. They respect you for that as much as everything else you’ve done for them.”
“I suppose so.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder as she continued to hold his hand. “You know what I think we ought to do?”
“What’s that?”
“Have an early dinner and then turn in to continue reminiscing about the parts of our story that belong only to us.”
“Would this be like a live reenactment?”
Molly laughed, and as always, the sound of her laughter eased the ache inside him. “That could be arranged.”
“Sounds like the perfect evening.” And, he thought, it was just what he needed after this emotionally charged day.
Hunter drove home in inky darkness that came so early this time of year that it seemed like they got about ten minutes of daylight. It was more than that, of course, but since he worked long hours inside, he didn’t get to enjoy it most days. In addition to the darkness, he felt weighted down by the story his father had shared.
With his first child due in late January, Hunter couldn’t imagine ever giving that precious child an ultimatum the likes of which his grandfather had given his father. The thought of that kind of horrific choice made him sick, and knowing now what his dad had given up to have a life with Molly made him admire his parents and their marriage even more than he already had.
You just never knew what some people went through to get to where they were always meant to be. Of course, he’d wondered about his father’s family, understood there must’ve been a rift and had questions about it, but because it seemed like a painful topic, he hadn’t asked about it. To hear the full story had been shocking, to say the least.
He pulled up to the home he shared with Megan, and the first thing he noticed was that she’d turned on the holiday lights he’d strung on their porch and in the shrubs. The inside lights were on, too, and knowing she was in there, waiting for him to get home, made him happier than anything ever had. If he had her, he had everything he needed, so Hunter completely understood his father’s determination to make a life with the woman he’d felt that way about.
The air was crisp and cold, like always this time of year, which had become his favorite time now that he was married to Megan. When it snowed, everything came to a halt for a while—and he got to snuggle in with her and their dog, Horace. He came through the unlocked front door to find her passed out on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree. The lights cast a warm, cozy glow over her pretty face.
In her third trimester, she was tired all the time, but absolutely refused to slow down at the diner. Soon he’d talk to his grandfather, who actually owned the diner, about finding someone to replace her for a few months so she could take time off before and after the baby’s arrival.
He would’ve gotten away with sneaking in if Horace hadn’t jumped up from where he was sleeping next to Megan to bark at Hunter.
“Hush,” he whispered to the dog. “Mommy’s sleeping.”
“Not anymore,” Megan muttered.
“Sorry. I tried to be quiet, but someone wasn’t having that.”
Horace gave a playful yip.
Hunter kissed the top of the dog’s head the way he did every night when he got home. He loved the routines and rituals of having his own family and couldn’t wait for their little one to arrive to make what was already perfect that much better. “How’re you feeling?” he asked as he sat on the coffee table and leaned in to kiss her.
“Pretty good. Just tired and fat.”
“You’re not fat. You’re pregnant.”
“I’m pregnant from head to toe.”
“You’re adorable.” He pushed the blonde hair back from her face, which was fuller thanks to pregnancy. “Did you get the message I left you?”
“I did. What’s up with your parents?”
“You won’t believe it.”
“They’re okay, right?”
“They are, but you know how we never talk about my dad’s family?” When she nodded, he said, “It turns out that’s because my grandfather forced my dad to choose between my mom and his original family.”
“What? Seriously?”
Hunter gave her an abridged version of the story his parents had told them.
“Oh my God. That must’ve been so awful.”
“It was, but he said emphatically that he never regretted his choice because he got to spend his life with my mom.”
“That’s so sweet and romantic.”
“Except for the part where he never saw his mother or siblings again.”