Page 3 of The Meaning in Mistletoe
“And the Calendar,” Penny added, sounding equally excited.
“I wanna see Aunt Cassie, too.” Ben tugged on his father’s arm.
As Grant glanced down at his son, a crease appeared in his forehead. Although on the smaller side for an eight-year-old, Ben wasn’t exactly a little kid anymore, either.
Grant scanned the room, presumably looking for a chair Ben could stand on, but they were all occupied.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.” With minimal effort, Jack hoisted Ben onto his broad shoulders. “How’s that?”
“Whoa! I can see everything from up here,” Ben gushed, clearly impressed with his new vantage point.
“Welcome to my world,” Jack chuckled. At six four, he was used to the unencumbered view.
“He’s not too heavy?” Grant asked.
“Nah. I barely even notice him.” The eldest of six, Jack wasn’t a stranger to kids crawling all over him like a jungle gym. And if he were honest, he missed being needed by his younger siblings. For years, he’d been the one in charge while his parents each worked two jobs to put food on the table.
“They’re coming!” Eliza squealed, bouncing on her toes.
A hush settled over the crowd, all eyes glued to the swinging door that led to the kitchen as Luke and Cassie emerged. Luke covered his wife’s eyes with both hands as he carefully guided her around the long counter and display cases filled with tempting desserts, of which Jack had sampled every single one.
“What’s going on?” Cassie laughed, her hands stretched out before her as she took hesitant steps forward.
“It’s a surprise.” Luke paused at the edge of the round table where his mother sat with Frank and Beverly and slowly lowered his hands.
As Cassie’s gaze fell on the Christmas Calendar, in all its newly restored glory, she gasped in surprise. “How did you—”
“Mom and Beverly did most of the work,” Luke admitted, casting an appreciative glance in their direction.
“We tried to recreate it as close to the original as possible.” Maggie’s hazel eyes glistened as she handed it to her daughter-in-law.
Accepting it gingerly, Cassie whispered, “I can’t believe it.”
“Mom even found a recipe card for your grandmother’s mince pie written in her own handwriting,” Luke told her, his voice thick with emotion.
“I—I don’t know what to say.” Cassie blinked back tears as her gaze flitted from Luke to the faces of her dear friends, who all looked on with fondness.
“You don’t need to say anything, sweetheart.” Maggie smiled warmly. “We all love you dearly and wanted to make this Christmas as special as your first one in Poppy Creek. In a way, the Calendar is meaningful to all of us, since it brought you to our little town and into our lives.”
“Tell her the best part,” Eliza practically shouted in her eagerness.
Maggie chuckled. “I’ll let Luke do the honors.”
“We added some blank pages.” Luke gazed at his wife with tender affection. “In case we want to start a few of our own traditions.”
Cassie reached for his hand. “Oh, Luke, I love that idea.”
As Luke pulled her in for a quick kiss, the hollow feeling in Jack’s chest expanded. He wondered what it would be like to have someone by his side to not only share in special traditions, but make new ones. Suddenly, although surrounded by people, Jack had never felt more alone.
Still wrapped in Luke’s arms, Cassie addressed the group, her green eyes shimmering. “Thank you all. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Before I came to Poppy Creek, I never imagined how drastically my life would change. You didn’t just welcome me into your town, you welcomed me into your hearts. And because of you, I now have a family. A large, boisterous family who’s thankfully very fond of coffee and calorie-rich desserts.”
At that, everyone chuckled.
As the crowd gathered around the newlyweds, doling out hugs and admiring the Calendar, Jack remained near the back of the room, mulling over his conflicting thoughts.
While he wholeheartedly agreed with Cassie’s sentiments—the people of Poppy Creek were his family, too—he couldn’t deny the dull ache in his heart.
But he had no clue what to do about it.
