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Yvonne claimed the chair next to him. “You don’t have to worry about that, Pop Pop. You’re going to live forever.”
“Ah, you sweet lass.”
“So what does her name mean?” Yvonne asked. She and Leo hadn’t made the name’s meaning a deciding factor in their choice. In fact, they’d debated names, agreeing on nothing, right up until she had gone into labor and he’d driven her to the hospital.
Yvonne had been freaking out about their lack of name when “The Heart Won’t Lie” came on the radio. She and Leo had both said in unison, “I love this song.” It was an old one, a classic duet with Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.
Leo had looked at her, and she’d laughed. “Reba?” she’d asked, as he nodded.
And that was it. Three hours later, Reba was there. With them.
“It means ‘captivating.’”
Yvonne smiled. “That’s sort of perfect. She’s been captivating us since the second she was born.”
“She has indeed. Speaking of which, do me a favor, my sweet Vonnie. Grab that picture frame from the table and put it back in the right spot. My hands are full at the moment.” As he spoke, Pop Pop smiled down at his great-granddaughter, looking at her with so much love, it took Yvonne’s breath away.
She rose and went to the table, gasping when she saw what was in the frame. “Pop Pop!”
“I thought it was time I updated your picture. The previous one was of you in that cheerleader uniform with Sunnie at the police/firefighter charity basketball game. Your life has changed a great deal since then.”
Yvonne ran her finger over the picture, smiling.
“Your mother snapped that one the day you brought Reba home from the hospital. The second I saw it, I knew it was the one I wanted for the frame.”
Yvonne hadn’t seen this picture before, but she was definitely going to ask Mom for a copy. In it, she, Leo, and Vince were sitting on the couch, Reba in Leo’s arms. He was gazing at his new daughter in wonder while Vince sat next to Yvonne, the two of them looking at each other and laughing. She could recall joking about what an overprotective father Leo was going to be, with Vince remarking that he was grateful to have been a boy. Leo had simply ignored their teasing. Too captivated by Reba.
Yvonne put the picture back on the wall, studying all the photos that hung there, amazed to consider how much their family had grown in the last few years.
Pop Pop came and stood next to her. “So much love and happiness on that wall.”
She nodded. There truly was. “When I first started dating Leo, I told him I was going to teach him how to live life like a Collins, was going to give him advice that would show him how to be happy.”
Pop Pop directed her attention to her family’s photograph again. “I’d say you were successful.”
Yvonne shrugged. “I don’t know. A wise man once told me friendship was just as important as love. Sometimes I wonder…” she teased.
Pop Pop narrowed his eyes. “You’re a minx.”
“You were right, Pop Pop. The friendship Leo and I shared all those years has given us a strong foundation for the love. It’s made everything between us perfect.”
“Friends to lovers truly is magic.”
Reba made a quiet sound, drawing their attention once more.
“I could look at her for hours,” Yvonne confessed, neither of them taking their eyes from the beautiful baby.
“Another gift from God,” Pop Pop said at last, looking at Yvonne.
She kissed her beloved grandfather on the cheek, the two of them returning to the chairs, sitting together.
“Captivating,” she murmured, as she looked from Reba to her dear Pop Pop.
* * *
