As they all stepped inside, three set of eyes turned to the dominating footsteps of Nat’s father entering the foyer. Dropping her mother’s hand and stepping away from Dexter’s possessive touch upon her lower back, Natalie ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Without hesitation, he embraced her.
“Daddy.”
“My little Nat. You had us all very worried.” Even at his age, his deep voice summoned respect while commanding any situation.
She reached for her father’s hand and led him back to where Dexter and her mom stood. Stepping close to Dexter, she said, “Daddy, I want to introduce you to my fiancé.”
Her father’s shoulders broadened and neck stiffened. Before Natalie could say anything, her mother’s petite hand landed upon her father’s sleeve. As Claire’s diamond ring glittered and prisms of rainbows danced, her touch served as a gentle reminder that this was not the time for Anthony Rawlings to assert his dominance.
Her father let out a long breath and offered his hand. “Hello, son. It’s good to finally meet you.” The address was a statement of Anthony’s position and age, not a term of endearment. This battle wasn’t over. Anthony Rawlings didn’t surrender.
“Sir,” Dexter said.
“My husband, Nat’s father…Mr. Rawlings,” Claire said, introducing the two men. “Tony, this is Dexter.”
“Dexter Smithers,” Dexter repeated.
Tony’s dark eyes narrowed. “Relation to Jonas?”
Surely he knew the truth. Anthony Rawlings would have known after the first time he saw Dexter’s name. If he didn’t know on sight, a search by his security would have been conducted and within moments the dots connected.
There was no reason for Dexter to deny it. “Yes, sir, his son.”
“We lost touch. I didn’t know he had a son.”
“Second wife. Only child, a little later in life. My father’s no longer with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Tony said.
Natalie watched and listened as her father and Dexter spoke. She’d never heard about Dexter’s family. She’d spoken about hers, but he’d never offered. Yet in merely seconds, her dad had shed more light than Dexter had offered in nearly five months.
“Dexter, can we offer you a drink before dinner?” Claire asked.
“Thank you, I’m not much of a drinker.”
Tony nodded toward an archway. “Cognac. It’s a man’s drink.”
As they all started walking toward the den, Claire reached for Natalie’s hand. “If you gentlemen will excuse us for a moment, I have a few things upstairs for Nat.” She smiled. “Your Christmas gift.”
Natalie looked to Dexter. She wasn’t supposed to leave his side or speak out of his sight. He’d made the rules crystal clear. The panic may have shown in her gaze until he grinned and kissed her cheek. “Hurry back.”
As they walked up the stairs, Claire chatted about Natalie, how beautiful she looked, how handsome Dexter was…she asked about the sights Natalie had visited…and then they reached her parents’ room and Claire shut the door.
Her mother’s emerald eyes no longer shone. There was darkness in their depths that stung Natalie more than a slap to her cheek. Somehow, in this brief span of time, her mother knew. She knew Nat’s secrets… knew what happened behind closed doors.
“Is he good to you?” Claire asked.
Natalie shifted, finding it difficult to keep her mother’s gaze. “He can be, Mom. He really can.”
Claire’s eyes closed as her face momentarily fell forward. When she looked back up, Natalie’s eyes were wet. Claire wrapped her daughter in her arms. “Tell me if you love him.”
“I do. I can’t explain it. Please don’t ask me to.”
“I don’t need to ask. I understand.”
Natalie’s head shook. “I don’t think you do. It’s not like you and Dad.”
Taking a step back, Claire sighed. “Oh, my baby. Some day when you have children, you’ll understand the struggle. Parents are complicated. We play such a vital role in our children’s lives. Sometimes we keep secrets hidden to protect, but it seems that it doesn’t always protect; it leaves the door open, an invitation to those who wait.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Does he value your feelings and opinions?”
It was a strange question, yet Nat answered. “He wants them. He’s always asking me to tell him how I feel and what I’m thinking.”
Claire smiled. “That took your father longer.”
“Mom?”
“I love you, Natalie Rawlings. I always will.”
“I know, Mom. I love you, too.”
“Your father does too. We also love one another.”
Natalie slapped her hands against her side as she let out an exasperated breath. “I know. I always thought I wanted what you have, but then with Dexter…”
Claire reached for her daughter’s hand and led her to a small sofa where they sat. “When I found a man I loved more than life itself and whose love for me was overwhelming, I was alone. I didn’t have my mother. I’m not unhappy with the final result, but let me just say that the journey would’ve been easier if I wouldn’t have made it alone. I know you aren’t ready to hear or say more. I can see it in your eyes. They’re mine. They always have been, different from Nate’s and so much different from Nichol’s. Natalie, you are me.”
“I’m not…” A tear trickled from her freshly painted eyes as her words faded away.
“You are. The question I asked—if he’s good to you—was the same question your Uncle John asked me a long time ago. You answered it exactly as I did.”
“Mom?”
“No matter what I need to do,” Claire said, “I want you and Dexter to know that I won’t judge you. I won’t lose my baby or her babies. Your father will be more difficult, but leave him to me. Please promise me that no matter what the future holds, no matter your last name, you’ll always be a Rawlings.”
“I don’t know about my name. Dexter and I haven’t discussed…”
Claire smiled. “I don’t mean your legal name. You have a man in your life. One who consumes your thoughts, one who takes up most of the room in your heart, but, baby, there’s always room for more. I know, because there was a time I believed your father was my everything. It’s not that he wasn’t or isn’t. It’s that each time I learned that there was a baby inside me, my heart grew. The same will happen for you. I’m just asking that you also keep a spot for us—for your family and especially for me. No matter what, I’ll be there.”
Natalie leaned into her mother’s embrace. “I love you, Mom.”
After their hug, Claire rose and walked to a bookshelf, reaching for a small box with a ribbon. She came back and handed it to Natalie. “Merry belated Christmas.”
Nat’s eyes watered as she opened the hinged box to the delicate necklace. “It’s like yours and Nichol’s necklaces.” A small pearl sat nestled in a white-gold X.