“Your siblings and especially you Nicholas would have tried to talk me out of it. You were with me before Summer was born when I went and saw your grandfather on his deathbed and had that dreadful conversation where I said that I basically turned myself from nothing into the man I am today as well as the husband, father, and patriarch that I have become. I may not have forgiven him when you were with me but there was one person I was able to forgive before it was too late and that was your grandmother Cora. She did what she had to do with me after your grandfather left her and the three of us with nothing.”
“You’re right that I was there, Dad. When you left the room after having that fight with my grandfather, I told him that you were a better father to Victoria and me than he was to Uncle Matt and you. I also said that you were a better husband to Mom than he was to my grandmother Cora. How were you able to forgive her if she died before we were born?”
“She died after Victoria was born. She spent the rest of her life at the ranch with your mother, Victoria, and I. Victoria was the only grandchild that she saw during her lifetime and we would take Victoria over to her all the time. Anytime your mother and I wanted to have alone time, she gladly watched Victoria. She died before Matt and I found each other again and before you were born, Nicholas. She was happy that I had started a family and doted on Victoria. The one thing that Matt and I haven’t done yet is look at the wills of both of your grandparents because we don’t know what they’re going to say.”
“Why did you choose my middle name to be Christian?”
“Your mother and I may have named Victoria after me and you after her but I wanted you to be named after me as well so that is why we picked Christian as your middle name.”
