Chapter 33
Claire’s heart thudded as Wade steered the car onto the massive driveway, the towering three-story house glittering with Christmas lights.
The glow highlighted the snowflakes spinning in the frosty air, and she swallowed at the sight.
Three cars were already parked, including the family limousine they normally used to transport Wade and his family to and from the airport.
Wade parked the SUV—the new car he’d bought with Bella in mind.
Bella’s cheerful gurgles provided a stark contrast to Claire’s churning nerves.
“I almost wish we’d come last night.” She popped her knuckles. “Then everyone arriving today would find us waiting.”
“My family already loves you.” He shot her a knowing glance as he pulled out the keys. “You met everyone at the wedding.”
“Except your grandparents.”
“They’re the easiest to win over.” His face softened under the glow of the awning lights. “Trust me.”
She exhaled. “It still doesn’t make sense for us to stay here overnight when our house is just a few minutes away.”
“Only Eric gets away with leaving overnight. He has a big family.” He smirked, unbothered. “Plus, we’re the organizers. It’ll be much easier if we’re around.”
Meeting his family had been one thing. Spending the night under the same roof was different.
“We’re making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch tomorrow, right?” he asked, but her mind was racing to what awaited beyond those walls.
“Let me see if I remember all your siblings’ names. Iris is the youngest, married to Sabastian.”
“Our former house chef.” Wade nodded, grinning.
Claire continued ticking the names off her fingers. “Then Logan and his wife, Serafina, who suggested the essential oils when I was sick.”
“Serafina is due to have a baby in April.” Wade nudged her. “No one’s going to quiz you, you know.”
Claire rolled her eyes but allowed herself a smile. “Nate, the former NASCAR driver, married Vanessa. Theo, engaged to Whitney.” She paused. “And Eric—the oldest.”
“You nailed it—remembered almost half of them. And Joy’s already become one of your good friends.”
“The whole family has been welcoming.” She could avoid Julia if needed.
Wade came around to open her door. He leaned in and kissed her before retrieving Bella. Claire grabbed the diaper bag. When he lifted Bella, his expression darkened like the shadow beneath the baby’s eye.
“Not exactly how I wanted her to reunite with her uncles and aunts.”
Claire reached out, her breath visible in the cold air as she brushed her fingers against Bella’s chubby cheek. “She’s tougher than she looks.”
After grunting his agreement, he led the way to the side door, Bella cradled in his arms. Claire followed, her thoughts swirling.
Wade had been nothing but amazing these past weeks.
He’d stepped in during her busiest season, watching Bella while Claire worked on her jewelry designs for the Christmas Market.
The market hours had been grueling, but he’d been there three out of the four days, cheering her on and helping wherever he could.
She adjusted the diaper bag strap as they approached the lit doorway.
Despite her nerves, he’d been her rock, even motivated her to resume her business.
Making jewelry had been refreshing, therapeutic like always.
It made her realize she could still do this while taking care of Bella.
If nothing else, she owed it to him to embrace this weekend.
Inside, chatter and laughter spilled through the hallway and carried through as they emerged into the sprawling living room.
“Wade’s here!” Iris rushed from the group, clapping as her blonde-highlighted hair bounced above her shoulders. She flung her arms around Claire, breaking through Claire’s nervousness. “So good to see you!”
Iris then swept Wade and Bella into her exuberant greeting. “And this little one! Oh, I’ve missed you both!” She bounced on her heels, cooing to Bella. “Give me this princess.”
Smiling, Wade handed Bella over.
Iris’s delight faltered as her gaze landed on Bella’s eye. She grimaced. “What happened?”
Wade exhaled. His shoulders stiffened beneath his coat. “She’s learning to walk.”
The last thing Claire needed was her husband being nervous, making two of them at his family gathering. “A tumble here and there is part of the process.”
Iris nodded and kissed Bella’s head. More family members emerged, drawn by the noise. Each greeted Claire warmly, but added inquiries about Bella’s injury. Sarcasm barely masked the guilt in his responses.
“Yay for the greatest guardian of the century,” he muttered under his breath after one too many questions.
“And here’s my other dashing son and his beautiful family.
” Regina swept into the room, her smile as radiant as the tree glittering by the staircase.
Her hug seemed to melt his defenses. She then turned to Claire with open arms. “Welcome again, my dear. So glad to have you with us for another reunion. As my daughter this time.”
Claire breathed in the subtle scent of jasmine. She greeted Regina’s husband, Kyle, before Logan and his wife approached. Serafina’s green silk top framed her slightly rounded belly.
Soon, the reunion chaos took over—cousins darting through the halls, caterers weaving past with food trays, and animated debates over sleeping arrangements ensuing.
“As usual”—Wade raised his voice over the din—“the girls stay in the guesthouse, and couples, grandparents, and aunts and uncles are in the main house. Grandparents get priority for the elevator.”
“If you haven’t noticed, we’ve got more married couples this time around.” Rohan’s mischievous grin aimed squarely at Wade.
Claire had grown familiar with Theo and Rohan.
“And Bella gets to sleep in your room, Rohan.” Wade shot back with a wry smile.
“An honor.” Rohan rolled his eyes. “The newlyweds deserve a gift—like me taking the baby off your hands for the night.”
Claire’s cheeks burned hotter, but Wade dismissed his brother with a headshake, focusing on the logistics. “The setup should be easy since the reunion isn’t new.”
Once assignments were confirmed, Wade left to go fetch their luggage. When he returned, he snuck her away to his childhood room.
She shook her head in the doorway. “I should have expected your childhood room and bed to be bigger than the one we shared at Albert’s house.”
Unlike last time, when she’d shied away to take everything in, this time she opened drawers, examined trophies, and studied framed photos that offered glimpses of the boy who’d grown into the man she knew now.
While he unpacked their luggage, she picked up a Ziploc bag containing an article about a little boy. She smoothed it out, reading the headline through the clear plastic: Eight-Year-Old Nearly Dies after Falling off Roof.
She scanned the article, landing on the mention of a negligent foster father. Her throat tightened.
“You shouldn’t read that.” He took the bag. “I kept it as a reminder of who I was when I held onto this.” His gaze distant, he tossed the bag into the drawer and shut it. “After I was named Bella’s guardian, I decided it didn’t belong in my memento box anymore.”
“You are not that parent, Wade.” She cupped his face so he’d meet her eyes. “You went through that so you’d know not to become like him.”
His shoulders sagged, and his gaze dropped. Had her words reached him at all?
She pulled him into an embrace. His struggles hovered between them until someone yelled from downstairs, announcing that dinner was ready.
Laughter and conversation reverberated through the dining room as they approached.
Several long tables accommodated everyone, even the kids had their own table near the door.
Bella was perched in her high chair at the kids’ table, giggling and kicking her feet as one of her cousins played peekaboo with her.
She seemed so at ease around Wade’s family.
At their table, Wade laughed with his siblings. His brother Owen gestured with his hands as he talked about expanding his business ventures from real estate to a new tech startup.
Across from him, Rohan toyed with his plate, pushing the meat and potatoes to one side and centering the vegetables as though arranging his thoughts. “When I go back to India, I’ll have to visit my biological dad.” He frowned at his food design. “He’s not doing well.”
As Wade and his brothers questioned him on that, Claire shifted in her seat. Why had his biological father given him up for adoption if he was still alive? It wasn’t her place to pry.
Dinner remained lively. Afterward, the family migrated to the living room for a game to break the ice—a get-to-know-you activity she and Wade had planned for the first official night of the reunion.
Lighthearted and filled with good-natured teasing, the evening ended with a bedtime prayer by Wade’s dad.
Claire stifled a yawn, ready to call it a night.
Iris passed them Bella, her little body heavy and limp with sleep, and they retreated to Wade’s childhood bedroom.
The sizable walk-in closet fit the Pack ’n Play where they laid Bella to sleep.
Then they slid into bed, his arm secure around Claire. She snuggled in against his stiff shoulders.
What was going on in his head? The darkness without their usual night-light obscured his features. “I thought the first night went well.”
“If only Bella didn’t have a black eye.”
“Bella is fine.” She traced light patterns on his arm. “She was happy all evening. Did you see her with the kids? No wonder she fell asleep so easily.”
Wade chuffed out a breath, his arm tightening around her. “But how do you explain that to people?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” She rose to kiss him. “Bella has already forgotten it.”
She slid her hand to his back in hopes of soothing him. He needed a distraction, something to pull him out of his spiral. When his chest rose sharply under her palm and his breathing shifted, she felt the tension beginning to ease.
“If you’re trying to distract me”—his breath was a low strain—“it’s working.”
She gasped when he kissed her ear, his lips tracing a line that made her pulse quicken.
The air between them changed, the day’s worries dissolving.
Bella’s soft breathing from the closet became distant, replaced by their own breaths mingling.
Claire breathed his name between kisses, hoping his guilt, sadness, and stress could melt away as they poured love into each other.
Why did she fear it wouldn’t be enough?