“Yes, he did. I just wish…”
Sloan lifted a brow. “Wish what?”
“I wish he didn’t feel so defensive when it comes to our family. I tried to explain to him how we are, but I think he’s feeling overwhelmed.”
Sloan laughed. “I can understand that. The first time Eden invited me to their family’s weekly dinners, I was definitely overwhelmed. I felt like I didn’t belong. They all had connections to each other, and I didn’t.”
“How did you get over it?”
“The Steele wives helped. Brittany, Stacy, Hunter, and Nikki all went out of their way to make me feel like I was a part of the group. And of course, Eden is a jewel. I love having her as a mother-in-law. She’s the best. So is Drew as a father-in-law.”
Sloan paused a moment and then admitted, “They’re nothing like my family. Dad is serving time in prison, and Mom has lost everything–their home, wealth, their businesses, and so-called friends. For the second time in her life, she was left penniless.”
Tiffany raised a brow. “The second time?”
“Yes. My mother’s family was very wealthy until they lost everything when Mom was fifteen. She scraped and worked odd jobs to send herself to college and swore she would never be poor again. She met and married Dad in college, and the two of them had the same idea about wealth building. They succeeded in building up their finances…then ended up losing everything.”
“That’s sad,” Tiffany said.
“Yes, and what’s even sadder,” Sloan continued, “is that she blames me for not marrying Harold, so Dad would have the money to pay off the men who were blackmailing him. Can you believe that? She refuses to accept that her husband committed a horrendous crime. Instead of placing the blame where it belongs, and admitting she would not have lost everything if Dad hadn’t done what he did, she’s still blaming me.”
Sloan rolled her eyes. “She won’t even talk to me, even though she’s living in a very nice condo that Mercury and I are paying for. She considers the place mediocre compared to the riches she used to have. Mom’s attitude makes me appreciate the Steele family more than ever. They are the best.”
Moments later, they were joined by Gannon’s wife, Delphine, and their three-year-old son, Euro. Tiffany thought it was pretty cool that, to honor Eden, all her grandchildren’s first names began with the letterE. In addition to Sloan and Mercury’s twins and Euro, there were Galen and Brittany’s twins, Ethan and Elyse; Tyson and Hunter’s son, Eastwood; Eli and Stacy’s son and daughter, Elias and Eloise, and Jonas’ son, Eldrick. All Eden’s grands had her green eyes.
“I can’t wait to have babies of my own,” Tiffany said, watching as Sloan and Delphine gathered up their kids to take them inside for their nap.
“And I can’t wait to have another one,” Delphine said. “Gannon and I want at least four kids.”
“Kids make Christmas special,” Tiffany said wistfully.
In a few hours, everyone would gather in the large courtyard at Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge for the Christmas tree lighting. According to Seth Bohannon, the lodge’s manager, the tradition was started by his grandfather more than eighty years ago, when the lodge first opened.
“So where is Gary?” Delphine asked Tiffany, smiling.
“He wanted to call his parents to wish them a Merry Christmas. It’s already Christmas in East Africa.”
Tiffany was disappointed that Gary hadn’t suggested that she be included in that call. It would have been nice to finally talk to his parents.
Pulling her coat tighter around her, she went inside with the others.
CHAPTER 24
Gary checked his watch. It was a few minutes before six. Reaching for his phone, he called Tiffany. “Hey, baby.”
“Gary, where are you? They will be lighting the tree soon.”
“Sorry, but I need to make an important call. One of the guys from the office texted and asked that I call him. He’s closing up everything until the day after Christmas, and evidently, something important came up. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay. They are serving donuts and hot chocolate afterwards. We will be here for a while, since the tree lighting ceremony will be followed by a decorative laser display. The kids are going to love that.”
“I bet they will. Were you able to get your dad to leave his room and come down?”
“Yes, both Mom and Dad are here. In fact, it looks like everybody’s here, so handle that phone call and hurry on down.”
“I will.”
Gary smiled as he slid into his coat. The Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge was massive, and its layout included separate areas for detached cabins, cottages, suites, and lodge rooms. All accommodations were spread wide across the mountain, providing a spectacular view of the surrounding areas. In addition to the floors, the lodge also had wings where some of the elevators operated sideways, as well as up and down. He knew Tiffany’s parents’ cottage was on the north wing. That meant he would need to take an elevator to the eighth floor and then use one of the side elevators to get there.
