After dinner the next night, Rafe linked his fingers with Eleanor’s and led her from the kitchen into the living room. As he turned to sit down on the sofa, he caught her curious expression. Smiling, he tugged on her hand, allowing her to fall down near him on the comfortable cushions.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her face beautiful with a wide smile.

Suddenly nervous, wondering if he were about to do the right thing—or make a terrible mistake—he rubbed his hand over hers, offering comfort for himself as much as her. With a pointed look at the portrait above the mantle, he said, “Introduce your family to me.”

Eleanor’s gaze shot to the portrait as her eyes widened. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she wheezed, “Introduce…” Clearing her throat, she stared into Rafe’s eyes, seeing longing in their depths. Dropping her gaze to their joined hands, she tried to still her racing thoughts.

“Baby,” he said softly, drawing her attention back to him. “If they were here, you’d invite me over…for dinner. I’d get to meet the wonderful people that made you and the brother that always made you smile…or made you crazy. But the point is, I would have met them.”

She held his gaze and for a moment she was filled with the knowledge that her injury had taken something from her that she had not yet acknowledged—the opportunity for her family to meet Rafe and for him to meet them.

A gasp left her throat and he immediately moved in, his arms encircling her body. “Oh, baby, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sor—”

“No, no,” she rushed, pulling back just enough to grasp his cheeks, holding him close. Her eyes were teary, but she blinked several times to keep the tears at bay. “You’re right. You would have met them and they would have been so happy to meet you too.”

Rafe said nothing as he held Eleanor, allowing her the chance to gather her thoughts in peace, hoping his body would offer her strength. After another moment, she appeared to have relaxed slightly and he loosened his grip, allowing her to lean back.

She looked up at the portrait for a long time, a smile curving her lips. “My father, who was actually not named Richard—”

“I’m surprised,” he grinned, shaking his head.

Meeting his grin, she said, “I think my grandfather, the third Richard, would have kept it going, but my grandmother put her foot down. So, my father was Jonathan.” Settling deeper into the sofa, she continued, “He was born here, but my grandfather was exceedingly specific about raising his son the way he had been raised…honor God, family, and hard work. And in that order. My father went to the University of Virginia and that was where he met my mother, Alice. Once graduated and married, they moved into Bellamy House as well, and he worked for the family business.”

“What was he like?”

“He was…” she leaned forward, her hand on his leg, her eyes now gaining their sparkle once again, “larger than life to me when I was a little girl. He was a big man, right about six feet tall. He liked to eat, sure, but he swam and played tennis to keep in shape.

“I always wanted a pony but we found out I was allergic to horses, so I was never able to take riding lessons. I remember he would sometimes scoop me up and plop me on his shoulders and jog around. I also remember him getting onto the floor, on all fours, and letting me ride him like a pony.”

She thought some more before saying, “He was funny…could tell a joke at any occasion and had a big, hearty laugh. Just hearing him laugh would always make others around him start laughing. He always had a big hug for me and I especially liked it when he came in to say goodnight. My mom would gently fuss, because she would get me all calm for bed and he’d come in and crack a joke or tickle me and I’d be ready to jump out of bed and play some more.

“I know he was smart and Granddad said it was easy to turn the business over to him. Dad used to say that if I wanted to go into the family business, I could, but that he wanted me to be happy and to major in any career that suited.”

“Did he still feel that way when you studied nursing?”

Nodding slowly, she said, “Yes. He was proud. He told me that I had entered a noble profession and God would bless my choice.” At this, she blinked furiously again. “He used to say that he married the smartest, prettiest woman he had ever met and considered himself to be the luckiest of men.”

“Tell me about your mom,” he encouraged gently.

She held his gaze, a soft, but sad, smile on her lips. “My mother was beautiful. She had some Native American in her heritage and it showed with her long, black hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones.”

They both looked up at the portrait at the same time, and he recognized the traits she had just described. The same traits Alice Bellamy had passed on to her daughter.

“They were such opposites. My father, large and gregarious. My mother, dainty and quiet. She had such a genteel quality…soft-spoken, kind, with a loving touch.” Smiling, she added, “My dad was the one you could hear coming into a room, but my mother’s quiet nature was the one you obeyed.”

She looked at him, a sweet smile curving her lips. “In my teens, when most of my friends talked about their parents in not so flattering terms, I adored my mother. She was my best friend and I could tell her anything. She knew when my heart was broken, when I was happy, when I was mad. She could calm me with a gentle touch or even a look.”

Silence coated them in the room for a few minutes, each grappling with what all she had lost.

“I really miss her,” Eleanor said then, her voice barely above a whisper. Rafe’s arms encircled her once more and she relished the feel of human touch—comforting, strength-giving, loving. Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine her mother’s arms around her again. After a moment, she pulled back, staring into his eyes as he bent to place a sweet kiss on her lips.

“That’s enough, baby,” he said, gently. “I don’t want this to be too hard on you.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken of them,” she admitted. “Mr. Thomas and Sally knew them, so I haven’t had to vocalize my memories. But with you, it’s like…well, just like you said…I’m introducing them to you. And, honestly Rafe, it’s good. It feels really good to do this. I’m just so sorry that you could not meet them in life, because they would have so liked you.”

Smiling at this tidbit of information, he squeezed his arms around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes drifting back to the portrait over the mantle.

“My brother was younger, of course, and I remember being so excited to hear that I was finally going to have a younger brother. He was so much like my father…I swear, I think he came out talking and laughing. At least, that’s what Mom always said. He was a big teen and would have been a big man. I think he was already about six feet, two inches when he was seventeen. He loved baseball and even though I was already out of college and working when he was in high school, I made it to a few games. He was such a natural athlete. He and my dad loved to play tennis and, while they always tried hard, they weren’t competitive. They just enjoyed sports and spending time together.”

“Would he have gone into the family shipping business?”

“Oh yeah,” she quickly replied. “He was looking forward to it and I know my dad was as well. He’d been accepted to the Business School at UVA, and Dad had big plans.”

She shifted to face him again and with a scrunched brow, said, “You know what’s weird? Even now, I can’t believe they’re really gone. It’s like I just expect them to walk through the door, having been on a long trip, and greet me as they all pile back into the house.” Letting her breath out slowly, she shook her head. “It still doesn’t seem real and yet, my heart is so broken, I know it must be.”

Rafe held her, knowing she had lost the battle of hanging on to her tears, feeling his shirt becoming moist, her breath hitching several times. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, making soothing noises, allowing the emotions to flow from her.

As she calmed, she leaned back again, this time a tremulous smile dancing on her lips. “If they were here, I’d get to tell them all about you.”

Grinning widely, he nuzzled her nose before sliding his lips to hers. “And what would you tell them?”

“That I found a man…strong, hard-working, well read, smart, honest, true. A man so perfect, I could never have dreamed anyone better. And they would be so thrilled for us.”

Her words hit him, taking his breath away while filling his heart.