Grannie wanted Chris to bring Gwen back for Easter. Gwen smiled and nodded but didn’t give her an answer. Easter fell that year at the end of March.
When Chris left the family gathering it was with a decidedly lighter heart than he usually had. It’d felt good to express himself to his family members, and he knew that for far too long he’d let their comments and ribbing go because he didn’t want to upset his mother.
His father had also apologized to him privately for possibly misjudging Gwen. There was no doubt she could hold her own with his family as far as he was concerned. The rest he said was none of his business.
After helping Gwen into the truck they got on the road headed back to Divine.
Curiosity finally got the better of Chris. “Where did you, Ma, and Grannie get off to this evening?”
“I think that was the highlight of the whole visit, for me, at least,” she replied as she sat in the front passenger seat. “I think your mother and grandmother wanted to have mercy on me. They must’ve seen that I was feeling overwhelmed and they said they wanted to show me something. I found out what your full first name is.”
“It’s Christiaan, with two A’s.”
“I know, and now I know why, too.”
Now he was really curious.
“Angelina took me back to their bedroom and she and her mother got out what I thought at first was an old photo album. It turned out to be just one picture in an old leather easel-back portfolio that you could open up to put the picture on display.”
“Who was the picture of?”
“It was a picture of your Grannie’s grandfather, taken when he was about your age, in 1908.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, or if I have I’ve forgotten about it. Was it cool?”
“Cool? Yeah. And surreal. If I’d ignored the dated apparel and setting, and the fact that the picture is obviously very old, I would’ve sworn I was looking at a picture of you. Your Grannie said she was right there when you were born and she recognized his features in you. I about died when she told me that rumor had it her grandfather was hung like a horse. We all had a good laugh about how in the world she could possibly know something like that. Your mother remembers him when he was an older man and verified that you were a chip off the old block, if the rumors were correct, in the anatomical sense. He was very much beloved in your family. She and your Grannie were both so happy that at least one of the children had taken after her side of the family that they both cried.”
Chris frowned. “She told me she cried when I was born.”
Gwen sniffled and replied, “Yes, she did.”
“She never showed me that picture that I can recall. I knew I was named after him but not that I looked all that much like him. I must not have been listening.”
He glanced over and caught Gwen wiping a tear from her eye. “Both she and Angelina also told me that they could recall hanging on him and crawling up in his lap just the same way the kids in the family do with you now.”
“Don’t cry, darlin’.”
Gwen sniffled and let out a sob, then fanned her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional about it all of a sudden.” She hiccupped and wiped her nose as Julián leaned forward and caressed her arm. “It just all felt so…intimate. To have details like that shared with me. It made me…”
Chris got worried. “Uncomfortable?”
“No! What they shared with me was precious. It made me sad.”
Chris rubbed her thigh, wishing he knew what to do or say. “I’m sorry.”
She gave him a watery smile. “I’m not. It just made me sad that I’m leaving. I won’t be there at Easter.” The soft cry that tore from her with the last word just about broke his heart. She thanked Julián for his handkerchief when he handed it to her and blotted her tearstained cheeks.
“My family is a lot to take in all at once. It’s been overwhelming even for me. Do you want to go straight home?”
Gwen smiled at him as she blotted and said, “Not on your life, Captain Caveman. You and Julián promised me a dance.”
Chapter Fifteen
Julián tipped the tall glass of draft beer to his lips and then murmured, “Well, this is awkward, isn’t it?”
He made eye contact with Chris, who looked way too fucking amused. Gwen looked like she wanted to hide under the table.
The Dancing Pony’s New Year’s Eve Bash was in high gear. The club was packed nearly to capacity, the music was pounding as partygoers filled the dance floor, and their waitress had just delivered their drinks to the table they were sitting at along with several of their friends.