Free Acceptance, The by Bernadette Marie

She’d called him in the middle of the night to help her deal with her feelings. She could certainly allow him a moment of pity.
    “Three years in the life of a man is not that long, Tyler. In a few months the pain you think you caused will not be relevant. In a year it’ll be a slight sting. In three more years—nearly forgotten.”
    “You don’t understand. I come from this perfect family and I’m not perfect.”
    “Again, I’d despise you if you were. I cannot imagine your family is perfect. No family is perfect.”
    “Mine is,” he said very matter-of-fact.
    “What a compliment to them that you think so. But I can guarantee you they aren’t.”
    He cupped her face in his hands. “Sunday. Dinner. Are you up for a crazy night?”
    She raised her hands to his wrists. “What does that have to do with your family?”
    “Everything. I want you to meet perfection.”
    Courtney swallowed back the tears—the excitement—the fear. “You want me to meet your family?”
    “A woman who drops her scarf for a good smelling man to pick up and spends the worst day of her life kissing that man shouldn’t be afraid of one dinner with his family.”
    “Right. I’m not afraid. I’ll meet your family.”
    He stepped in and brushed a kiss on her lips. “I should warn you that…”
    Courtney lifted her fingers to his lips. “Don’t warn me. You’ll just get me worked up if I think there is something that is going to happen. I’ll be fine. You met my family and survived.”
    He chuckled as she pulled her fingers back. “I’m thinking I’ll need to meet them again. Our introduction wasn’t one of great timing and when they realize you spent the day with me and not at their house, they’ll probably change their mind about me.”
    “No they won’t,” she quickly answered. She wasn’t about to let her parents turn on Tyler. He’d been nothing but gracious. And they weren’t the only ones who lost Fitz. She’d lost him and she would mourn and hurt much longer than either of them she was sure. If she needed Tyler in her life then she’d have him.
    Courtney stepped back. “C’mon, let’s go upstairs and find those items I wanted.”
    She held out her hand for the handrail that should be within a few feet of her. When her hand came to the newel post, she began her way up the stairs.
    “Just turn on whatever lights you need to. I’m a tad bit oblivious to its need,” she said and he chuckled from behind her.
    At the sixteenth step, which she’d counted a million times, she turned left down the hallway to Fitz’s room. With her hand on the wall she felt for the door, turned the knob, and pushed it open.
    Courtney stepped in and heard the switch of the light as Tyler stepped in behind her.
    “Baseball player, huh?”
    “Yes. A good one too.”
    “I can see that. There has to be fifteen trophies in here alone.”
    She nodded and stepped in further feeling her brother surrounding her as she did.
    “He held the record for home runs during high school.”
    “Impressive. My cousin was a semi-professional ball player. His room didn’t look much different.”
    “Which cousin?”
    “Christian, Christian Keller.”
    She turned her head toward him. “Pitcher.”
    Now he laughed hard. “You know who Christian Keller is?”
    “Because of Fitz. We used to go to the games.” She couldn’t believe the connection. “You have quite an impressive family tree. A baseball player, a country music artist, an oil heiress, and you…heir to Benson, Benson, and Hart.”
    The air in the room grew thick and she knew she’d crossed the line. But she waited for him to make a comment. The pain of the passing moments before he spoke was agonizing.
    “I guess you’ve done some research, huh?”
    Courtney let her shoulders drop. “I’m sorry. I hope you understand my unique position. I needed to know who it was that comforted me so much that day.”
    “I understand it, heir to the Fitzpatrick Financial