My Sweet Canadian Girl Ch. 10

"Your father said as much himself but he got real quiet when I reminded him he wasn't opposed to premarital sex when we were dating," she said. "You'll always be our youngest child and only daughter. You've grown into a beautiful woman who makes us so proud with everything you do. We love you and we want you to be happy. It might have taken your father a while to admit it, but we know Rick makes you happy. He was just putting on a show earlier; you know how he is about his rules. It was never fair but he can't admit he was wrong after being stubborn about it for so long."

"Thank you mom," Cassie said giving her mom a hug. I knew being able to share her bed with me was only a small part of what she was thanking her mother for.

"It was something I should have done a long time ago. Neither of you deserved what we put you through," she said to her daughter.

"It wasn't your fault mom," Cassie assured her.

"Some of it was. I let it go on for far too long," she said.

"That was dad not you," Cassie said.

"Haven't you learned how easy it is to get your way with a man who loves you?" her mother asked with a smile at me over her daughter's shoulder. "If not I can teach you," she added making Cassie giggle.

"She already knows," I said and Mrs. Dumont burst out laughing at me.

"You're a wonderful man for staying with our daughter through all this. A man like you is what I've dreamed of for my daughter since the day she was born," Cassie's mom said to me with a warm smile. "I'll see you downstairs in a bit," she leaving us alone in Cassie's room. I turned to smile at my wife and was puzzled to find tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Dickie," she said clinging to me with a tight hug.

"For what?" I asked.

"For saying we weren't married," she said with a barely audible whisper into my ear.

"Don't do this to yourself sweetie. I know how much you love me and how real our marriage is to us. What other people know or think means nothing to me," I said in a gentle voice. "Nothing," I repeated when she opened her mouth to say something.

"I'm going to make it up to you anyway," she promised with a naughty grin.

"I'd be a fool to argue with that," I said making her laugh. "What are you doing?" I asked when she closed her bedroom door.

"Just closing the door so we can change," she said smiling at me. "But save that thought for tonight, we have a new bed to christen."

After closing the door, Cassie stripped down to her bra and panties in such a nonchalant manner that I was left wondering if she had any idea how much watching her undress turned me on. Thankfully she selected a new outfit from our suitcase and covered up quickly or I might have attempted to break in the bed with her immediately. With her own clothes changed she gave me a puzzled look and asked if I wanted help. She'd packed for me and thus knew what clothes I had to choose from better than I did. I could have picked for myself but since I was hopeless at choosing clothes I thought she'd like me in this was an easy solution. The pair of shorts and t-shirt she handed me was a little surprising and I made her laugh when I asked how hot the fire was going to be.

When we headed back downstairs her parents were already gathered in the living room where the fireplace and Christmas tree were. Cassie wanted to have some hot cocoa and asked if I did too. I didn't have to say a word, my broad grin at the memories of sharing hot cocoa with my sweet Canadian girl as we fell in love spoke for me. She asked her parents if we could get them anything but they already had drinks and declined her offer. I stood next to Cassie looking around her childhood home and letting more memories come back to me. Her mother had already put all the dishes from dinner in the dishwasher but somehow my wife found something that needed cleaning as we waited. Kissing her softly on the neck as she rinsed the dishcloth, I told her it was just a small part of what made her such a wonderful woman.

We joined her parents when the cocoa was ready and immediately the warmth of the fire hit me. Cassie's father liked to sit in front of the fire to relax during the winter and it had been a part of every Christmas she could remember. It took me a moment to place the fragrant aroma that filled the room but I soon realized it was coming from their tall natural Christmas tree. We weren't permitted to have real trees in our apartment building due to fire concerns. That meant we'd have to wait until we had our own home to experience this smell of Christmas for ourselves. As I studied the tree, I looked at the ornaments closely and was sure a lot of them were hand made. Standing up and stepping close, I lifted one in my hand and Cassie's mother told me her daughter had made it before I could open my mouth to ask.

My wife still got shy about the silliest things, but with her parents urging she came over to give me a tour of the tree. There were ornaments that were twenty years old, if not older, that she and her brothers had made as young children. They were all charming in their own way, though it was the more recent ones Cassie had made that continued to draw my eye. I knew about her artistic talents with a paintbrush and canvass but there were hand painted ceramic ornaments, wooden ones with intricate carvings, and even one made of sparkling metal that glistened with the twinkling lights on the tree. My amazement prompted her to tell me about the art classes she taken for years as a child, something she hadn't mentioned until now. She blushed when I said they were beautiful and beamed a smile at me when I asked if she'd make some for our tree next year.

It was time for Cassie's mom to show us the gifts they'd received now, another Christmas tradition that Cassie looked forward to. Mr. Dumont leaned back in his rocking chair near the fireplace and told me it was okay to take a nap if I wanted since he fell asleep most years himself. His wife gave him a blank stare but couldn't keep from smiling when her daughter giggled and reminded her it was true. Cassie sat right on the floor to get a closer look and positioned herself in front of me to lean against my legs. Her mother handed her some of the gifts to examine for herself and she turned to let me look at them too.

Once we'd seen them all Cassie shook her father's leg and asked if there was anything else. He opened his eyes and smiled, then said he'd be right back. Cassie started to tell me the story of another family tradition at Christmas time. Her father always saved one special gift to his wife for the day after Christmas. He said it was because he wanted the last gift her gave her that year to be the one she remembered most. Cassie's mom scoffed at that and told her version of the story explaining that it all started with their first Christmas as a married couple when he'd forgotten to buy her the set of dishes she wanted for their first holiday meal. Their guests weren't coming until the next day so he got up early to go buy it and claimed he'd had it all along and had simply forgotten where it was hidden. For the thirty years since, he'd been doing it every year as if it was always part of his original plan. Mrs. Dumont smiled the whole time she was giving me her side of the story and I knew she loved him for it regardless of how the tradition had started.

"I got both of you a gift this year," Mr. Dumont said as he came back into the room with a small gift-wrapped box in each hand.

"You didn't need to get me anything dad," Cassie said, though we could all tell she was touched.

"No I didn't, but it's another way of saying how sorry I am. I promised myself the day you were born that I'd do anything to stop a man from hurting you but never imagined it would be me who hurt you the most," he said in a pained voice.

"Oh dad," Cassie said sniffling. "I know your heart was in the right place."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe," he said looking at me over her shoulder. "After I talked to Rick today, I'm satisfied that he feels the same way. I'm sorry to you too my darling," he said to his wife.

"I know," she said taking the place in his arms Cassie had just vacated.

"I've got over thirty years of stupid things to be sorry to you for. How you've put up with me is a mystery I'll never solve," he said.

"You're being too hard on yourself," she said.

"There's no excuse for me trying to force you to choose sides between your daughter and husband," he said. It looked like she was about to say something but he stopped her. "If you hadn't made me invite them and told me you'd leave with them if I drove them away then nothing would have changed. I finally realized I was already close to losing my daughter and that there was a whole lot more to lose."

"Marcel," Cassie's mom said with a voice that cracked. "You know I could never leave you. I feel horrible for even suggesting it."

"We've been together so long that you're stuck with me now," he said making her smile through her tears. "You said what you needed to in order to make me see what I was doing to our family. You're the only one who could have fixed the mess I'd made of this."

"I never get tired of cleaning up after you," she said making him laugh.

"I've made you both sad again now," he said.

"No dad these are the good tears," Cassie said smiling at her father. As if needing the comfort of my touch suddenly she sat down next to me and leaned close. My arm fell into place around her shoulder automatically and her father smiled at us looking genuinely pleased at how close I was with his daughter.

"I don't want any more sad tears in this house for a long time," Mrs. Dumont said.

"Neither do I," he said echoing her sentiments. "Now are my two special girls going to open their presents?" he asked.

"You first Cassie," her mom said with an encouraging smile.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked her mother.

"No but I'm anxious to see," she replied. All eyes focused on Cassie as she unwrapped her gift and pulled out a small jewelry box. I got to see what was inside the same time she did from my seat next to her and knew immediately from hours of experience I had in shopping for jewelry that this was an expensive gift.

"Oh dad," she said in hushed voice. "These are beautiful," she said gushing over the pair of gold earrings he'd given her.

"What is it? I can't see," her mother said.

"Here," Cassie said bringing them over to show her mother.

"They're beautiful," she agreed. "They'll look great on you but everything looks great on my daughter." I almost mentioned how much I agreed but held myself in check. The less they knew about the physical attraction between us, the better.

"Thank you dad," she said beaming a smile down at her father.

"Do you like them? I made sure they can be exchanged in case they're not what you want," he said.

"I love them," she said kissing him on the cheek. "Open yours now mom," she said taking a seat next to her. From my place on the love seat across from the sofa they were sitting on I saw smiles on all three faces and wished I had a camera to capture it.

"Any hints?" she asked her husband.

"Just open it and tell me if you like it," he said. The box she unwrapped was a larger rectangle jewelry box meaning a necklace or maybe a bracelet. I couldn't see what was inside from where I was so I watched her face as the lid was opened.

"My goodness," Cassie's mom said with a surprised expression on her face.

"You like it then?" he asked.

"You know I've wanted a pearl necklace forever," she said smiling at him. "I almost bought one for myself so many times but I kept hearing your voice telling me they were for old women."

"They still are, but you're old enough to have one now," he said making her shake her head with a smile that didn't dim.

"He thinks he can get away with that because we have company but he's this close to sleeping on the sofa tonight," she said holding her fingers less than an inch apart.

"He's just teasing mom," Cassie said.

"I tease Cassie about being older than me too," I said without thinking.

"I'm not older than that old grouch!" she said but she was smiling at me as she said it and we all laughed at her mock outrage.

Cassie came back over to sit next to me and cuddled into me as her parents shared a kiss. Mrs. Dumont looked beyond happy sitting next to her husband and smiling across the room to her daughter and I. If someone had tried to convince me yesterday that Mr. Dumont could be so loving and charming I never would have believed it. I thought about what he said of forcing his wife to choose between him and their daughter. It was a relief to know his acceptance of me had healed the strained relationships in this close-knit family. Since moving to Vancouver to live with Cassie, I'd learned to dread special occasions that brought her family together. Now I was looking forward to my first chance to come back to the family home for a celebration with everyone present.

Together her parents asked us questions about me and I was happy to let Cassie answer for the most part. As I listened to her glowing words I wondered if she honestly believed half of what she was saying about me. The moment she paused to beam a smile at me and kiss my cheek, I was sure she felt her words were understated if anything. Her father was keenly interested in my career, asking plenty of questions when the subject came up. He didn't want to come right out and ask how much I made or how substantial the savings Cassie had told him about was but in the end he seemed satisfied that Cassie and I were financially secure.

Mrs. Dumont, or Kathleen as she was already urging me to call her, was far more interested in the stories that showed my loving devotion to her daughter. My rejected job offers were out in the open now and they made Cassie recall our first few weeks together in Vancouver. She told them about the night we went dancing after her last exam. Cassie was filled with guilt over taking me away from my home that night but I was able to comfort her, easing her caring heart that always worried about the people she loved. They didn't even know Cassie had started painting again until she told them about the graduation gift I gave her. I could see how happy hearing I'd helped renew her artistic spirit made them in their smiles. Smiling at my wife as she told them about the surprise party for her birthday, I realized she could talk about me all night and probably would if someone didn't stop her.

"I know it was you who pleaded with my family for me to talk to her that day and leave you out of the conversation," Mr. Dumont said looking at me. "I realized that day I was wrong about you but it still took until now to admit my mistakes. At the time I couldn't believe someone I'd treated so badly would do something nice for me."

"It was nothing," I said shrugging.

"It meant everything to me," her father said.

"And me," Cassie said squeezing my hand.

"Getting to talk to my daughter on her birthday was the happiest day of the year up until today," he said.

"To be honest sir, I did it for her," I said looking at Cassie.

"I know that but it doesn't mean we both didn't need it," he said smiling at me.

"We've spent all evening talking about you Rick," Cassie's mom said. "You must have questions about our daughter."

"Plenty," I said with a grin, this was the opportunity I'd been waiting for. "I'd love to see her old pictures."

"Mom no..."

"Our family photos or her paintings?" she asked ignoring Cassie's protest.

"Both but the photos first. I haven't been able get that one of her with the fish out of my mind and can't wait to see more," I said.

"That's from her very first fishing trip with me," her father said proudly. "She hooked it herself but I had to help her reel it in. I told her before we left that she had to hang on to her rod tight when she caught a fish and did she ever. That was the biggest fish I caught all year."

"The biggest I caught you mean," Cassie said smiling at him.

"We sent it in to the local paper and they printed it on the front page," Kathleen added.

"She didn't tell me that," I said.

"No because you weren't supposed to know, just like your not supposed to see my old pictures," Cassie said with her cutest pout.

"The first night we were in LA she sat down with my mom and they went through three big albums full of pictures," I said just in case she might be starting to convince her mom not to show me.

"Is that true?" her mom asked.

"Yes," Cassie said with downcast eyes.

"Didn't we teach you to always be fair?" she asked. "Come over and sit with us Rick, I'll be right back with the pictures. Cassandra's lucky we've already had dessert or she might be going to bed without any."

The way Cassie smiled at her mother, I figured that was an idle threat left over from her childhood. It was hard to imagine Cassie doing anything that deserved punishment, even as a child. By the time her mother returned, Cassie and I were on the sofa waiting for her and her husband had moved back to his rocking chair after placing a fresh log on the fire. Cassie's shyness and modesty had vanished once more just like it always did around me and the people she loved. I'm sure that in her mind there couldn't possibly be anything worse in those photo albums than the scar on her knee she showed me on a morning that seemed like a lifetime ago. That's how I divided my life now, the part before I met Cassie that I barely thought about anymore and everything that happened since.

Nothing could have prepared me for the very first photo I saw. There was Cassie's mom, holding her newborn baby girl, looking enough like her daughter to leave me stunned. I'd spent countless hours trying to picture the joy on Cassie's face when she got to hold our baby for the first time and suddenly there it was. All I could do was stare and when they tried to turn the page I stopped them to stare some more. Cassie was beautiful; they both were, but even as a baby Cassie had blue eyes that I couldn't look away from and hair so fine and fair it looked like you could blow it right off her little head. Until that moment I'd been sure that I wanted boys over girls but now I couldn't help but hope we were blessed with a girl that looked just like baby Cassie. Seeing the effect her baby pictures were having on me, she ceased her halfhearted protests and nestled herself closer to me.

Each page we turned brought another treasure from my wife's childhood to my eyes. There were a series of her as a newborn posing with her two older brothers. The pictures of her celebrating her first birthday with a cake a big as she was made me laugh. Far too soon we were past her baby pictures and looking at the ones of her as a toddler. I could imagine her running down the hallway staggering on her chubby little legs, giggling as her mom followed behind her. Her hair was long enough to clip now and she wore the cutest outfits, her face never without a smile. The one of her crying as she got on the bus for her first day of school was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking and Mrs. Dumont needed a moment as she brushed away the tears that came with the memories. The page after that one had a photo of Cassie and her father playing with her dolls. I couldn't resist telling the story Cassie had told me and instead of getting angry or embarrassed, Mr. Dumont said he had enjoyed every moment of it and was already looking forward to doing the same with his granddaughter Madeline.

The first album ended just before Cassie started junior high school. As she grew older I could see more and more of the beautiful woman she'd become in the pictures we were looking at. Seeing her in a swimsuit at the beach when she was a teenager made me feel uncomfortable. Every single picture of her was beautiful but the word sexy came to mind when I saw that series. It was a helpless and lecherous feeling. I was with her now and loved her with all my heart but I shouldn't have been thinking about her in this way at that age should I? Mrs. Dumont sensed my discomfort and came to my rescue by telling me about the college-aged men who would hit on Cassie back then. True or not, it made me feel better about myself. Then I caught a glimpse of the memory-fueled rage in Mr. Dumont's eyes and I was certain it must have happened at least once.