Page 151 of Merry Fake Bride

After the booming success ofJust A Sweet Thing, Faith’s been promoted to head decorator and we’ve opened three more bakeries in the city to keep up with demand.

My parents never have to worry about bills or insurance again.

Seeing everyone together warms my heart more than I can say.

Tilly squeals, reaching for the sparkling lights draped across the ceiling, and everyone’s attention is on us.

She becomes the star of the show as everyone seeks their five minutes with her and she soaks it all up like she’s fully aware.

She smiles brighter than any star, waves her little fists to the music, and takes her bottle without complaint as if she wants to show off to everyone around us.

Dinner is served. Kairo and I share a chicken while everyone else devours a ham.

We share stories of past Christmases, lament about the challenges of the year and how different things are from last year, and there are a few awkward questions about Kairo’s leg.

Luckily, Martin redirects by making a huge deal about his lost kidney.

Through it all, Kairo’s mother, Clarice, is a silent participant.

She eats and drinks without a word, smiles politely, and keeps to herself until the games break out after dinner.

We’re two rounds into making a drunk Martin catch a candy cane when Clarice approaches.

“She’s not too tired, is she?” Clarice asks, her lips pursed as she looks at Tilly resting quietly in my arms, fascinated by the twinkling lights above.

“She napped before dinner so she’s fine,” I reply politely.

“That’s good.” Clarice sucks in a short breath and then focuses on her purse. After rummaging around a little, she pulls out a parcel and hands it to Kairo.

“What’s this?” Apprehension fills his eyes as he stares down at the red wrapping.

“A present.” Clarice’s lips twitch into a smile.

Kairo and I exchange a glance, then he slowly unwraps the parcel.

Inside rests an off-white silk blanket with the initials K.S. stitched in blue thread on one corner.

“It’s your baby blanket,” Clarice says. “It took me a long time to find it among the storage. It was cut from a piece of my baby shawl, which came from your grandmother. I had it cleaned and the edges hemmed so it would be safe, and I thought you would like it. Not that I’m implying you should continue the tradition.” Her brows lift. “I just thought it would be a nice gift.”

Her words are careful and measured, another glimpse of how therapy is helping her.

It’s a sweet gift, all things considered, and Kairo looks stunned to see it again.

He turns it over his hands, smoothing his knuckles over the silk, and then he looks up at his Mom.

“This is a really nice gift, Mom. Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She waves at him with one hand. “Since selling the estate, I’ve found so many old things I thought were lost. We could… go through them together sometime. If you want to.”

She’s so different from the arrogant, snobbish woman I met last year.

The collapse of Silver Canopy ultimately garnered her a lot of public sympathy when it was revealed that Kairo’s father wasn’t asgoodas the world thought.

Kairo’s CFO, Ryan, ultimately revealed hundreds of company secrets in an attempt to reduce his sentence for fraud and numerous other charges.

Silver Canopy is no more, the Sycamores are free from Bernard’s shadow, and my family bakery is booming.

The world is a strange place.