Page 75 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer

“It’s okay,” I soothed her with my tone and the light circles I rubbed on her belly. “My uncle tried his best to make the holidays fun for me, but he’d been a bachelor his whole life. Decorating for the holidays wasn’t his thing.”

Harper turned in my arms, her hands sliding along and around my waist with a hug. “I’m sorry for the things you missed growing up.”

Not wanting to dwell on those sad aspects of my childhood, I changed the subject. “Thanks. What I love best about tonight is that I’m here with you.”

“Same.”

“And I got a chance to see some pretty spectacular, one-of-a-kind Harper original ornaments. I especially love this handprint reindeer that has your picture as the face.” I grinned while she playfully punched my arm.

“I can’t believe my parents put some of those in there. They were embarrassing.”

“Nah, I think they’re adorable.” I bopped her on her nose and laughed when she wrinkled it.

“You need glasses,” she teased.

I loved the back and forth happening between us. Grateful we could go back to a semi-normal existence after our conversation.

My phone ringing stopped me from responding. “Harper, I’m sorry, I have to get that. It's probably Uncle Theo He said he'd call tonight to firm up his travel plans.”

“Of course,” she pulled away. “Do you want some privacy to talk to him?”

“Not at all. We can sit on the couch and talk to Uncle Theo together.”

I pulled the phone out of my pocket, sat down next to Harper, and answered the video call. “Hey, Uncle Theo.”

“How’re you doing, son?”

“Good. I see you let your beard grow in again.” My uncle’s salt and pepper beard looked good on him.

“You inspired me.” He chuckled. “If you’ve got a second, I wanted to talk to you about Christmas.”

“Sure.”

“With it being a few days away, I figured we should firm up plans.”

“What time are you getting in tomorrow?” I was looking forward to all of us going to Harper’s parents.

“Are you sure you want me to come?” He gave me an understanding smile. “With everything going on there in Rhode Island, I’m sure you don't need a guest on top of it all.”

“No way. You have to visit,” Harper demanded with a smile. “Lincoln and I've been looking forward to seeing you." She poked me in my ribs. “Besides, with you here, you can tell us about when Lincoln was younger. Otherwise, my parents and sisters might decide to tell all my embarrassing stories to him."

Uncle Theo chuckled. “I have a few to share.”

I groaned.

Uncle Theo winked, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “I plan to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“That would be fantastic.” I loved the idea of my uncle being here.

“It’ll be so nice to finally meet you, sir.”

Uncle Theo winced playfully. “Theo is fine, Harper. The sir part makes me feel old.”

“You got it, s—I mean Theo. What time does your flight arrive? We could pick you up at the airport.”

“I’ll talk to the pilot in the morning, but most likely before dinner. And I’ll just have a car service pick me up. No need for the two of you to come out to get me.”

Harper’s tilted head and furrowed brow made it apparent she had no idea how much money we had. “Are you friends with the pilot?”