Page 70 of Sweet Surprises

“You were scared,” Charlotte said simply.

“It felt too easy,” he heard himself admit. “And I already sank one young woman’s dreams. I couldn’t drag you down with me too.”

“What are you talking about?” Charlotte asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

“Did you see her?” Tag said quietly. “Her mother was talented like that too. And she threw it all away because she loved me.”

Charlotte’s brow furrowed, and she looked even more confused. But Tag didn’t have time to find out why, because Jess Dansen was approaching them, a big smile on his face.

“You must be incredibly proud of your daughter,” he told Tag, clapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks so much for encouraging her to participate.”

Tag had to chuckle at that. Olivia had agreed to work on the play only when she was afraid he would start her back on regular sessions with the child psychologist in Burlington. It hardly felt fair to call it encouragement when Olivia probably felt like it was practically blackmail.

“She clearly takes after her mother,” Jess went on fondly. “You know I always offered Iris the lead in the community theater productions, and she always turned me down.”

“What?” Tag asked, brought out of his own thoughts by the other man’s strange suggestion.

“Oh, yes,” Jess said. “She was the most talented actor we had, but she always asked for bit parts or character roles so she wouldn’t have to miss so much time with her family.”

Tag imagined Iris taking on those bigger roles, making a name for herself, even conquering Broadway.

“She could have done anything she wanted,” Tag said.

And Jess’s two-word reply said more about his wife than Tag could have imagined.

“She did.”

23

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte’s eyes were on Tag as he took in Jess’s words.

Before either of them could say anything else, another proud parent interrupted to get the director’s attention, and he turned away.

But Tag stood frozen for a long moment, as if the other man’s simple observation was forging new pathways in his mind, rewriting the history of his marriage, and maybe even lifting some of the guilt he had felt for all these years.

“Charlotte,” Olivia cried from the doorway, squeezing past a crowd of community members waiting to congratulate her, and wrapping her arms around Charlotte.

“You were incredible,” Charlotte whispered in her ear. “Your mom would have been so proud of you.”

“Wereyouproud of me?” Olivia asked, pulling back to look Charlotte in the eyes.

Charlotte embarrassed herself by bursting into tears. She pulled Olivia back into her arms for a fierce hug.

“Yes,” she told her when she had her breath back. “Yes, I’m so proud of you, honey. You were so unbelievably good.”

“Dad,” Olivia breathed, looking up at her father.

Tag held out his arms and she let go of Charlotte to go to him, her eyes closing as her cheek pressed to her father’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” Charlotte heard him murmur. “And I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Olivia,” Chance yelled, barreling toward them from where he had been with his cousins and grandparents.

Olivia let go of her dad to greet her little brother, as well as her cousins, Nick and Cal, her grandparents, and a few people Charlotte didn’t recognize.

“All that anger she feels,” Tag said softly to Charlotte.

---