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.I felt like I belonged at your place, with you and among your family.That’s what I really dream of.”“You’ll miss the work.The cooking.”She thought a minute.“I can always open a place in Elmwood.”“But the seafood is here.”“True.But there are refrigerated trucks.” She smiled.“And I can always experiment with corn.”He laughed then.“You’d be happy as an Iowa girl?”“I’ll be happy as your wife.And Meredith’s stepmother.”He hugged her.“She will be ecstatic.”“Let’s call her.”EPILOGUEMEREDITH OVERTURNED A BOX of toys and scrambled through the dollhouse furniture and Little People in search of her Christmas book.It would be Christmas in a few more weeks and she hadn’t read it for a long time.It wasn’t on her shelf with her other books, and it wasn’t under her bed.It had to be here.She sat down on the floor, and a cardboard box in the corner caught her eye.Some of her things were packed up, ready to move.As soon as her new room upstairs was finished being painted pink, she would move up there and have a bigger room with a big-girl bed.Her old room would be for the new baby.She opened the box and there on top was the Christmas angel book.She opened it and looked at the familiar pictures.Daddy and her new mommy, Starla, still said Starla wasn’t a real angel.But Meredith knew better.Ever since Daddy had married her and Starla had come to live with them, Daddy was happy.So happy he smiled and laughed and sometimes he even told her about her first mommy when she didn’t even ask.Daddy said it was okay to miss her, and that they would always love her.But he said it was okay to start to forget her sometimes, too.It didn’t mean they didn’t love her so much, it just meant she had been gone a long time and real people were easier to think about than gone people.Starla said Daddy’s smiles were special because they came from way inside and it had taken a long time for them to find a way out.Daddy said Starla’s smiles lit up the sky better than the moon or fireworks or anything.They were funny sometimes.And they both said Meredith was the smartest, prettiest girl ever.But they also said that they had loved her first and that even when the new baby came, she would still be their special girl.They would just have two girls to love then, ’cause the baby in Starla’s tummy was a girl, too.Meredith closed the book and carried it with her to find Daddy and her new mommy.They were in the kitchen, tasting something Starla was cooking, and Daddy was licking it from her fingers.“What are you making?”Starla wiped her hands on a towel and smiled.“A cake.”“The one with the chocolate chips?”“The very one you love.”“I might have to eat some ice cream with that.”Daddy picked her up and set her on a stool at the counter.“What’ve you got there?”“My angel book.Will you read it to me?”Daddy sat beside her and read the book.He took his time and used the voices he used when he pretended he was the people in the stories.She loved to hear her daddy read.Almost as much as she loved to hear him laugh.He got to the last page and looked at the picture of the family.“Look, Star.”Starla looked at the picture, too.Then they looked at each other.There was a daddy and a mommy and two little girls, just like always.Why did they look at it funny all of a sudden?Starla came around the counter and stood where she could wrap her arms around them both.Daddy hugged her and Meredith.“It’s going to be a very special Christmas this year,” Daddy said.“Meredith,” Starla said, “I think we’re going to find an angel for the top of the tree.”Meredith squealed with delight.“Are you sure we need to do that?” Daddy asked.“Why not?” Meredith and Starla chorused together.“Well, because I’ve already got my two angels right here.”The three of them laughed.* * * * *We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook.Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newslettersVisit Harlequin.comWe like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooksFollow us on Twitter: Twitter
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