Page 74 of Christmas in Paradise

Every time I see Aunt Heidi, she seems to have more trouble walking, but today she almost rushes toward the dessert table where Grandma and Charly are. Grandma drops Charly’s hand, more focused on her own little girl than the one she just met.

“Look, Daddy!” Heidi says as she and Grandpa pass Hope and me. “Look at all the cake!”

Everyone in the room watches as Heidi stops and scans the entire table before pausing at the wedding cake.

“Is this for me? Did I make it?” She looks around, still smiling, but obviously confused, especially when Pete returns her smile with a sad one of his own.

“You bet it’s for you!” Grandpa grabs a plate and knife, rushing to bring Heidi back to the memory of him being her daddy.

Charly edges between Grandma and Heidi and says to Grandpa, “Can I have cake?”

Heidi looks down, her confusion growing. “Britta? Why is Britta wearing glasses?”

“I Charly,” Charly answers, smiling wide. “I like cake.”

Heidi returns the smile. “Me too!”

“Here, sweetheart.” Grandpa hands Heidi a plate with a hefty slice of cake on it, then another smaller piece to Charly.

“I got it,” I say to Hope before rushing to help Charly with the plate.

“Let me help you, Heidi.” Grandma tries to take Heidi’s plate, but Heidi jerks it away from her, nearly launching the cake into the air.

Heidi quickly picks up the cake with her hands and takes a bite at the same time I reach Charly. With cake still in her mouth, she looks at me. A flash of understanding crosses her eyes, but it’s too fast for her brain to catch it.

“I know you.” She stares at me and takes another bite.

I don’t break eye contact, hoping for the fog to clear—even for a few seconds—so she can remember me for the first time in months.

Then it happens. Her whole face lights up brighter than Main Street will next week.

“We made this!” she yelps. “But where are the bride and groom?”

She turns in a circle looking, I assume, for someone in a big white dress.

I send Grandpa a nervous glance before stepping closer to Heidi and putting my arm around her shoulders. “Adam, Evie, Zach, and Georgia are getting married, but not today. Next week. This is our practice cake.”

Heidi nods and takes another bite of cake. “Adam and Zach both? Did I know that?”

“You’ve been busy. It’s easy to forget,” I say to her, but I’m looking at Grandpa for his reaction.

“You made this cake?” He asks in his gruff voice that still scares me a little.

I hesitate, but then I nod. I don’t want to confuse Heidi even more and I love that she remembers this used to be our thing.

Adam and Zach approach, and Adam says, “Hope said she’d found a baker. She didn’t say it was you.”

“I didn’t want you to know. I was worried you might think she hired me… for other reasons besides my baking abilities. But, yeah, if you’re both okay with it, I’d love to make the wedding cake. Some of my best memories—” Adam pulls me into a hug so tight I can barely finish my sentence. “Are baking with Aunt Heidi.”

By the time all the words are out, there’s another pair of arms squeezing the air out of me. Fairly sure it’s Zach.

“Of course, it’s okay. Better than okay,” Adam says with a sniffle that might be tears.

“And, dude, we all know how talented you are.” Zach squeezes the last bit of air out of my lungs. “The only weird thing about it is you trying to keep it a secret.”

He loosens his hold enough for me to register something wrapped around my legs. The only thing I can move is my eyes, so I can barely see the little arms holding my knees.

But then I hear Charly’s voice. “I like hugs.”

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