The McRae Series 01 - Twelve Days Sam and Rachel

tears.
    "I'm sorry. Here I am thinking of me and my holidays, when—"
    "It is a holiday. Today. Let's think of that," Rachel suggested.
    "But—"
    "Let's," she said. "Or even better, how in the world did you keep all these problems from me and from Dad and everyone?" That part absolutely fascinated Rachel.
    "That's not the point," Ann said.
    "Maybe not for you," Rachel said, but right now everybody in the world was sticking their collective noses into her marriage.
    "The point is that marriage is hard. You don't just give up," Gail said.
    "I'm not giving up," Rachel insisted. "And right now, I'm going to find my husband."
    She thought she should probably try to rescue him from the same treatment she was getting. She saw him being cornered as often as she was, and she could tell from the knowing look in his eyes that they were hearing the same things. Right now, her father had him at the foot of the stairs.
    She made her way, as fast as she could, to Sam's side, just in time to hear her father say, "I think I said a lot of things over the years that you didn't deserve. That day at the hospital, especially."
    "What?" she asked, surprising them both. "What did you say to him?"
    "Rachel, don't," Sam said.
    "No, I want to know. Daddy, what did you say to him?"
    "Something along the lines of him not doing his job, not doing what he promised me he would—which was to take good care of you and that baby."
    "Oh, Daddy," Rachel said, then looked to Sam, who stood there staring back at her father.
    "I'm sorry," her father said.
    "It wasn't his fault," Rachel said.
    "No," her father said. "That was a father talking, a father who was scared he was going to lose his little girl and thinking he'd failed her somehow. I thought I hadn't done enough to keep you safe and happy, little girl. It's hard for a man to let his daughter grow up. To give her into the safekeeping of another man. I don't think any father thinks the man who wins his little girl's heart is good enough for her, but I should have gotten over that a long time ago. It's been obvious to anyone who wasn't blind that you love Sam and that Sam's loved you for a long time."
    He turned to Sam and stuck out his hand.
    "You've worked hard, made something of yourself, and I know you've been good to my little girl. After twelve years, I guess it's a little late to welcome you to the family. But I'm proud of you, Sam. Proud of what you've done here to this old house and to this town. And I don't think you're the only one who needs to hear that."
    Rachel didn't know what he planned to do, but before she knew it, he'd dragged her and Sam a third of the way up the stairs, where they could see everyone in the front part of the house and everyone could see them.
    Her father had a glass of spiced cider in his hand. He called for everyone to be quiet, then raised his glass and announced that he had a toast to make. He talked about how happy he was to be there, to have all his friends and family around him, how blessed he felt. And then he turned to Sam and Rachel.
    "To my little girl, whom I love dearly." He raised his glass. "I'm so proud of her, for all that she does for our family and for this community. I can't imagine where any of us would be without her. Especially her husband and my new best friend Zach, and his two sisters."
    He leaned down close and kissed Rachel's cheek. "This is what you were meant to do, little girl."
    And it was. She realized that there wasn't anything she'd ever done in her life that gave her the kind of satisfaction that came from taking care of the people she loved. For so long, she'd honestly thought she was just drifting along, following where life led her, but in truth, she'd done exactly what she should have been doing. She'd been taking care of everyone. It was the only thing she could have done.
    And these children... Zach was standing there grinning at the bottom of the stairs, and Emma was standing by the fireplace watching with an eagle eye as Rachel's fourteen-year-old niece held Grace. Her father was right. This was what she was meant to do. This felt better and more important than anything she'd ever done.
    "I love you, Daddy," she said.
    He winked at her as he addressed the crowd again. "And to my little girl's husband of twelve years. I was just thinking of how nice it is to be in this house on this day. The place where my wife and her sisters grew up, a place that holds so many memories. I don't think the house ever looked as good back