the Charity who had melted into a puddle of unadulterated joy at the sight of her family, admitted to being more than a little grateful to him for orchestrating this reunion. And that Charity worried that he had left thinking she would never forgive him. Possibly even that she hated him.
And she couldn’t hate him. Because deep down she knew that this hadn’t been the move of a man who felt the need to manipulate or dictate her life. The fool man had been attempting to help her.
She sighed. Then again…making excuses for a man was something she was good at doing, and that sketchy track record made her doubt herself and Miles’s intentions.
Still, she wished she knew where he was.
Gracie, who had left with her father to get dressed for her party, ran into the room, dressed in a pink tutu and a glittery unicorn T-shirt. The girl had been understandably reticent and shy when everybody had pushed her to hug her “Auntie Cherry” hello. But she seemed to have overcome that initial reserve now. She was hugging a plush white unicorn to her chest, and she ran straight to Charity to give her a gap-toothed smile.
“Thank you for my present, Auntie Cherry.” Charity stared at the toy the girl was holding and lifted her gaze to the entrance of the restaurant, where Miles now hovered uncertainly. He must have been with Gracie and Stuart earlier, and he had obviously thought of everything. She didn’t even know when he’d had the opportunity to buy this toy…especially since he had spent almost every waking—and sleeping—moment with her this past week.
“You’re welcome, sweetie. I’m glad you like it.”
“This is a unicorn party,” the girl happily lisped. “My cake is a unicorn.”
“That’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see it.”
“All of my friends are coming. Aaaaall of them.” She gestured expansively to emphasize that fact.
Gracie threw her arms around Charity’s neck to give her a squeeze.
“I’m glad you’re here, Auntie Cherry.” Charity tried not to wince at the nickname and hugged her niece close for a long moment. Loving the sweet smell of her. How could she have stayed away for so long?
“I’m glad too, Gracie,” she admitted. The words sincere. She wasn’t happy about the circumstances that had led to this moment, but now that she was surrounded by these people who loved her so dearly, she couldn’t regret being here.
She released Gracie reluctantly, and Stuart gave her an affectionate smile. “Thank you for coming, Charity, it means the world to all of us.”
Charity swallowed past the lump in her throat and gave her brother-in-law a watery smile. He steered Gracie away, telling the excited little girl that she had to get to the venue to greet her guests.
Her father had joined Miles in the doorway and grabbed hold of his hand to shake it vigorously. The older, taller man slung a familiar arm around Miles’s shoulders and led him toward the table.
“We have so much to talk about,” Faith said, drawing Charity’s attention away from where her father was ushering Miles into a chair beside her mother. “But I’m afraid that duty calls. Mr. Hollingsworth told me that he’d booked a couple of rooms for you guys for the night. That’s great. We’re here for the weekend, and once the guests are gone and Gracie has crashed from all the sugar and excitement, the adults can have dinner and wine and catch up.”
“Can I help with anything?” Charity asked, not wanting to watch her parents fuss over Miles any longer.
“There’s nothing much to do. The venue has taken care of everything. You stay here for a while longer, catch up with Mom and Dad. And I know Sandra and Paul have been dying to talk with you.”
Something in her face must have revealed how she felt about that idea, because Faith gave her a sad, sympathetic smile and squeezed her forearm reassuringly.
“I know it’s hard, Cherry,” she said, clearly misinterpreting the emotion behind Charity’s reluctance. “But they love you too, and they’ve missed you so much. You’re like a daughter to them. And honestly? I think having you around, keeps some vestige of Blaine alive for them.”
The thought of keeping any part of Blaine alive was sickening to Charity, and she swallowed down her nausea before forcing herself to smile.
“We all have a lot to talk about, Faith,” Charity said in a husky