do you want to do?”
“Part of me feels the way Colton does, but the other part, the part that’s missed my original family so much over the years, is thinking about going.”
“You know you don’t have to, right?” Lucas asked. “If you decide not to go, you’d have no reason to feel guilty or anything like that. Tell me you know that.”
“I do, son. I don’t feel like I owe any of them anything. After all, they’ve known where I was all this time. They could’ve sought me out, but they chose not to for whatever reason. That’s on them, not me.”
“Do you want to go, Dad?” Wade asked.
“Part of me is curious about why my father wants to see me, and the chance to see Charlotte and my brothers is tempting. I can’t deny that.”
“If you go,” Hunter said with a fierce edge to his voice, “we’ll all go with you. Let them see what came of this choice they forced you to make.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s four days before Christmas. You’re all busy at the store and with your own families.”
“Try to stop us,” Will said with the same fierceness his older brother had displayed.
“We’d never let you do this without us,” Hannah said. “If you go, we all go.”
The others nodded in agreement that brought tears to Linc’s eyes. “If you wonder why I’ve never regretted my choices, it’s because of you guys. All of you. I’m so proud of this family your mom and I built and the people you’ve grown up to be.”
“I’m going, too,” Elmer said. “I want them to see you had a father after yours turned his back on you.”
Linc smiled at his father-in-law, touched by his support. “Thank you.”
“Did you know what’d happened with Dad’s family, Gramps?” Landon asked.
“I did know, and it was horrifying to me. I can’t for the life of me imagine asking my kids to choose between me and the ones they loved.”
“Even if you gave the man I love a run for his money at first,” Molly said with a grin for her father. “And threatened him with a hunting rifle.”
“I couldn’t make it too easy on him,” Elmer said.
“Mission accomplished,” Linc said.
“This is why,” Hunter said, “you made us all work somewhere else when we were in high school and college before we could come into the business. Isn’t it?”
“It is,” Linc said. “I wanted to make sure the choice to work for the family business was entirely yours and not something that felt like an obligation.”
“He was very insistent on that,” Elmer said.
“And we never knew why until now,” Will said.
“I wanted everything about your lives to be your choice, not mine,” Linc said. “That all of you choose to be involved in the family business is a thrill to me, your mother and your grandfather.”
“It sure is,” Elmer said. “My parents would be tickled pink to see what you all have done with their modest little store.”
“I think we should go to Philly,” Ella said, “and, like Hunter said, show them what became of your life with Mom.”
“It’s four days before Christmas,” Charley said.
Thanks to the catalog, they were enjoying the busiest holiday season in the store’s history. And sure enough, women from all over had come looking for the “models” who’d made the catalog such a hit. Linc’s sons, sons-in-law and nephew had had to keep a low profile lately.
“My sister said my father doesn’t have much time,” Linc said. “And I don’t expect you guys to come. I know how busy this time of year is for all of us—at work and at home.”
“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