Two years later
Daisy
“Daisy! Hello, dearest. Come in out of the cold!” Patricia pulled me into the house and hugged me. “Where’s Wes?”
“Grabbing the suitcases from the car,” I said. I took off my jacket and hung it up before following Patricia into the kitchen. “Are Frannie and Owen here yet?”
“They are but they’re at the Brenners. I swear this might be the Christmas that starts up Gregory and Ryan’s feud again,” she said. “Although, fighting over who gets to hold their new granddaughter is a perfectly legitimate reason to bring it back to life.”
I laughed as Wes walked into the kitchen. He gave his mom a hug and she kissed his cheek. “Hi, dearest. How was the trip?”
“Fine. A bit of trouble with the car rental place at the airport, but we got it sorted out. Where’s Dad?”
“In the basement. Why?”
Wes wiggled his eyebrows at her before leaving the kitchen. I heard him yelling for his Dad as his grandmother walked into the kitchen.
“Hello, Daisy.”
“Hello, Grandma Francine. How are you?” I stood and hugged the fragile old woman.
“Can’t complain,” she said. She suddenly blinked and grabbed my left hand. She stared at the ring on my finger as Patricia pulled a pan of cookies from the stove.
“I swear, this is the warmest Christmas we’ve had in years. We won’t need our winter jackets when we get the tree tomorrow.”
I put my finger to my lips and winked at Wes’ grandmother. Her wrinkled face lit up and she made a zipping motion across her mouth before sitting down next to me. “Where’s my great grandbaby?”
“They’re still at Joy and Ryan’s,” Patricia said. “They should be here any minute though.”
“Mom?” The front door slammed as Frannie’s voice carried down the hall. “We’re back.”
“In the kitchen, dearest,” Patricia shouted.
I turned in anticipation as Frannie and Owen walked into the kitchen. Owen was holding the car seat and he set it on the floor in front of me before kissing my cheek. “Hey, Daisy.”
“Hi, Owen.” I was already reaching into the car seat and I unbuckled the tiny baby before lifting her into my arms. “Hello, sweetheart. Your Aunt Daisy misses you so much.”
“She misses you too. One quick visit when she was born isn’t enough,” Frannie said. She sat down beside me and watched as I placed the baby on my shoulder and rubbed her back. “In fact, she misses you so much that she insists you do the nighttime feedings.”
I laughed. “I’m more than happy to help, Frannie.”
“God, I love you. Are you sure you don’t want to move back and live with me and Owen?”
“So, she can be your unpaid nanny?” Wes said as he walked into the room. His dad was with him and I grinned when Gregory’s face lit up and he hurried over. I handed the baby to him and he kissed her forehead.
Frannie scowled at Wes. “Better than living with you. She figured out you wear your underwear more than once, yet?”
“Hey, I quit doing that when I turned fifteen,” Wes said as I made a face.
He laughed and kissed my forehead. “So, did you tell Frannie already?”
“No,” I said.
“Tell me what?” Frannie asked.
Wes pulled me to my feet and put his arm around me. “I asked Daisy to marry me and she said yes.”
“What?” Frannie shrieked. She stood up and grabbed my hand, staring wide-eyed at the ring as Patricia clapped excitedly and hugged Wes.
Frannie studied my ring for a moment before pulling me into her embrace. “Congratulations, Oopsie. I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you, Frannie,” I replied.
She stepped back as the other members of Wes’ family crowded around me to say congratulations and look at the ring.
“What a wonderful surprise,” Patricia said. She wiped at the tears on her face before hugging me hard. “I’m so glad you’re a part of our family, dearest.”
“I am too,” I said. I returned her hug and then hugged Gregory and Owen and Wes’ grandmother. The baby made a sharp cry and I laughed when everyone hurried to Gregory and began to fuss over her.
Wes put his arm around me and kissed my neck. “Well, we had five minutes of glory before my niece stole the show again.”
“I don’t mind,” I said. “I love you, Wes.”
“I love you too, little flower.”