“You too.” I shook her hand and then her husband’s. “Both of you. Thank you for agreeing to meet here where Gwen loves to play.”
“Phillip Barringer. And that little girl is our…” He trailed off, his voice cracking. “Granddaughter.”
“That’s her. Gwen Sarah Porter.”
Sarah gasped. “That’s her middle name?”
I nodded. “Simone might not have told you about her, but she obviously cared for you enough to include you in your granddaughter’s name.”
Sarah sniffed, and Phillip put his arm around her. “I can’t believe we didn’t know. I hope you believe us. We never would’ve missed out on… Look at her. She is beautiful.”
Gwen squealed as Charlotte pretended to get hit with the swing. Gwen was into play kicking right now, and this was no different. Charlotte flailed her arms, her brown curly hair going in every direction as she played with my daughter.
“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You might’ve missed some moments, but you’ll get all the new ones,” I said, watching as their eyes filled with moisture.
“You want to go meet your grandparents?” Charlotte said, her voice carrying over the park with the breeze. “They look super nice. Hey, what should we call them? Gigi and Geepaw are taken, so you gotta come up with supercool names.”
“Oh yes!” Gwen clapped and waved. “They are here! For me! Do you think they’ll like me?”
“Honey, they are going to love you.” Charlotte got onto her knees and brushed my daughter’s hair behind her ears. I loved how she always met Gwen at eye level, speaking kindly to her and never making her feel small.
“Who is that with her?” Sarah asked softly. “She’s so good with her.”
“My future fiancée, Charlotte.”
Sarah smiled. “I’m so happy you have someone, and someone who clearly loves Gwen. I hope you know, Hayden, that Phillip and I want to be a part of Gwen’s life for the long haul. I know it’ll take some time to trust us, but we’ll be here. We aren’t going away. You’ve clearly done an awesome job with her. She’s lucky to have you.”
I nodded, the emotions swelling in the back of my throat. “Thank you for saying that.”
“Are you my grandma?” Gwen walked right up to Sarah, her nose scrunching as she grabbed Charlotte’s hand. “Lotte said I have to come up with a name for you. I have a Gigi already.”
Sarah crouched down, mud getting on the hem of her pants, but she didn’t seem to care. “I am your grandma, and this is your grandpa. We can go by many names. Grandma Sarah, Grandpa Phillip…”
“Sarah. My middle name is Sarah.” Gwen grinned, her slight shyness disappearing. “Gwen Sarah Porter.”
“I know! You have a wonderful name.”
“Thanks, Grandma.” Gwen tugged Charlotte’s hand down as she attempted to whisper. “Can I play with them?”
We all heard, and Phillip chuckled. He lowered himself too. “Your dad told us you love the swings. Could you show us how high you like to go?”
“Yes!” Gwen let go of Charlotte’s hand and held it out to Phillip. “Come watch! Watch me!”
“She called me Grandma.” Sarah’s eyes watered as she shared a look with Phillip. Gwen just had a gift of bringing people together, and my chest swelled with pride. My daughter was fearless and kind.
“Yes, come on, Grandma. My Gigi takes forever too sometimes.” Gwen held out her other hand to Sarah, who took it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte.” Sarah smiled at her and then focused on Gwen.
The three of them walked toward the swings, leaving Charlotte standing next to me. I put my arm around her, holding her close and breathing in her comforting perfume. “Thank you for being here.”
“Hayden, there is nowhere I’d rather be than with you and Gwen. Look at how happy she is!” Charlotte rested her head on my shoulder, squeezing around my middle. “Sarah and Phillip look smitten with her. I mean, can you blame them? Gwen is the cutest thing in the world.”
“I like them.” My voice came out gruff, but I didn’t care. Charlotte was my person, the one I could show feelings to and express what I felt without judgment. Since falling in love with her and being open about it, things just fell into place, like my life needed her in it to make sense.
“They seem so genuine,” Charlotte said.
I sighed, content watching Simone’s parents play with my daughter. It was strange. Simone had called me yesterdayand thanked me for letting her parents meet her, which was silly. Simone still didn’t get it. I’d never keep people out of Gwen’s life who wanted to be in it. I just had to trust them, and I didn’t trust Simone.
