One word from her, and I’d toss the man out on his ear. The only expression upon her face was one of pure joy.
“Gabe, my father, Alberto.”
I’d sent him a letter months ago. I had expected a letter back, not a reunion. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir. How long will you be staying?”
He glanced at Ginny. “I wouldn’t dare intrude more than this evening. Adriana and I are staying at the White Horse Inn.”
Ginny went to the man and took his hand in hers. “Please, I would like it if you would both stay with us while you visit. We have plenty of room.”
As much as I wanted Ginny alone, I wouldn’t dare argue. This was her moment. The servants brought in tea. “Come, sit. We can talk.”
Ginny slid her arm through his as she led him toward a chair. “Can you tell me about yourself? You’re from Spain?”
“Yes, However, my mother was from the New World.”
He settled in the chair, while I rested on the settee, and Ginny poured tea.
“Decades ago, before my birth, my father went on a ship to the New World. He was a doctor. They traveled around the globe. But it was in the New World, a place called Mexico, where he met his wife, my mother, and your Grandmother. She was a lovely woman, a native to that country, with beautiful black hair.” He smiled. “You get your hair from her.”
Ginny settled next to me.
“She was a strong woman, a determined woman. She came back to Spain with my father, even though she knew no one, and they judged her harshly.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a small painting of a woman with tanned skin, beautiful dark eyes, Ginny’s hair and knowing smile.
Ginny held it reverently. “She’s lovely.”
“She is. Please, keep it. The miniature is yours.”
“Thank you.” She pressed it close to her chest. “And how did you meet my mother?”
The smile upon his face wavered, as a sadness washed through his eyes. “I was here to sell horses. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Also, the melancholiest. At first, I made it my mission only to get her to smile. Then to laugh. We fell in love quickly, passionately. She wanted to escape and travel Europe with me. But I knew she would have regretted leaving your brothers behind. In the end, when I found out she died not long after your birth, it was I who regretted leaving her.”
What a different life they all might have had. I reached over and took Ginny’s hand in mine. I was here, we were here. She had a family who loved her.
She squeezed my hand back. “It’s in the past. But we have a future now to look forward to.”
He smiled. “Indeed.”
“Papa!” Adriana raced into the room, Tommy and Izzy following. “They have a Christmas tree in the library! Come see!”
He glanced at us for approval. Ginny nodded.
“Do, please, while I see that the housekeeper has made up your rooms.”
He stood when Ginny did and took her hands. “You don’t know how often I’ve thought about you.”
As they embraced, I moved to the windows. This, I realized, could have been my lot in life. I might not have ever met Izzy, might not have been in her life at all. The realization that I’d come so very close to ruining everything didn’t sit well.
I felt Ginny’s presence right before she slid her hand into mine. She pushed open the French doors. Although it was bitterly cold, she pulled me outside. It was quiet, so very still. Stars sparkled above in a blue velvet sky. “Are you angry with me that I wanted him to stay?”
“Never. Are you angry that I wrote to him?”
She shook her head.
“Are you happy then?”
“How can I not be?” she said. “For so many years I felt so alone. I never knew or understood where I’d come from. Where I belonged. Now, now I know. Now I have a family. Now, I know, without doubt, that I belong with you.”
I started to lean forward, desperate to kiss her, when she pulled back.
“Did you see that?” she whispered in awe. “That falling star? Hurry, make a wish.”
I cupped the sides of her face and brushed my lips to hers. “I already did, a long time ago, and here you are, with me, now, and forever.”
The End
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L.R. Olson writes historical romance, contemporary and new adult. You can find out more about