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Before she could even ring the bell, Case opened the front door and welcomed her.
“Fancy. It’s great to see you, baby.” He kissed her on the lips and ushered her inside.
“Are you sure about this? I think you should have told your parents I was coming here tonight.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Case said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly as he pulled her toward the drawing room. “My parents are in here.”
Case turned the knob on the door and pushed it open. Fancy walked beside him, her knees practically knocking together out of nervousness. She had no idea what to expect from Case’s parents. It would be so hurtful if they rejected her.
Lincoln was seated in a brown leather chair, a newspaper spread wide open in his lap. Barbara was reading a book, with her glasses perched at the end of her nose. They both looked up at the same time, shock widening their eyes as soon as they saw her at Case’s side.
Lincoln frowned at his son. “What’s going on, Case? Why are the two of you together?”
Case held Fancy’s hand tightly, as if he might never let it go. “Because we’re back together, Dad. And I brought Fancy here tonight as my date.”
Lincoln rolled his eyes. “Your date? Didn’t you already travel down this road once before?”
“Yes. And despite our past and our broken engagement, we still love each other. And there’s no one else we want to be with.” Case held his head up high as he addressed his parents.
“Oh Case. Fancy,” his mother said, making a loud sniffling noise. “I prayed that the two of you would find your way back to one another.” She jumped up from her seat and made her way over to them, stretching her arms wide to pull them both in for an embrace.
“Barbara, why would you pray for that??
?? Lincoln exploded.“Fancy put our son through the ringer. And she made him a laughingstock in all the gossip rags in Savannah.”
Fancy locked gazes with Lincoln Duvall without flinching. “Mr. Duvall, I love your son. I always have. One mistake in judgment doesn’t change that. I’m sorry if I disappointed you.” Although her words were heartfelt, she couldn’t stop her voice from quivering.
Lincoln met her gaze in an unwavering fashion. “Disappointment is putting it mildly, Francine.”
“Dad,” Case barked. “I’m not going to stand here and watch you rake Fancy over the coals. We’ve moved past what happened two years ago. And you will not rub her nose in her mistakes.”
“Case. I think you should take me home,” she said in a pleading voice. “I don’t want to stay somewhere I’m not wanted.”
“Lincoln Duvall,” Barbara drawled. “Do I need to remind you of your own past? Or should I say our past?”
“Barbara,” Lincoln said with a shake of his head. “Don’t do that. Do not bring up things that have nothing to do with this situation.”
“Why not? Because you don’t want to be shown up as a hypocrite? Because you don’t want your son to know that before you were engaged to me you were engaged to another woman. And that you proposed to me while you were still engaged to that other woman. And that we were the talk of the town for months and months.” She tapped her chin. “I seem to remember my parents being vehemently opposed to my marrying you. Have you forgotten all that?”
“Barbara,” Lincoln said in a tender voice. “I fell in love with you at first sight. I had to propose to you. My family wanted me to marry Petunia, but once I saw you, there was no way I could forsake what I felt for you. My engagement to Petunia was nothing more than a family arrangement. It had nothing to do with love.”
“And what makes you think that Case and Fancy can forsake their love?” Barbara arched her eyebrow in her husband’s direction. “One love isn’t worthier than another.”
Lincoln appeared to be flummoxed. He began to sputter, before going completely quiet. His ice blue eyes reflected surprise. He appeared to be deep in thought.
Barbara reached over and squeezed her husband’s hand. “It’s not right for us to judge Fancy. She’s a good woman. And like most human beings, she’s not perfect. She made a mistake.” Barbara turned toward Fancy and winked. “And like the rest of us, she’ll make more. If Case can forgive her and move on, who are we to stand between them?”
“Oh Barbara,” Lincoln said in a low voice. “You truly are my better half.”
“Amen,” Case quipped, earning himself a glare from his father.
Lincoln reached out and tweaked her chin. “Forgive me, Fancy. I hated seeing Case so broken-hearted and upset. No matter how old our children get, we still want to protect them against bumps and bruises and broken hearts.”
“I understand,” Fancy said with a smile. “Someday I hope to be as protective of my children as you are of Case and Charlotte.”
“I think it’s time to sit down for some dinner,” Barbara suggested, looping her arm through Fancy’s and leading her out of the drawing room.
Over filet mignon, au gratin potatoes and pear salad, Fancy got reacquainted with Case’s parents. By the end of dinner, it truly felt as if not a day had gone by since they’d all been together as a tight-knit group. If only Charlotte was here, Fancy thought. That would make this night sheer perfection.
