“What happened back then?” she asked their still images. “Why do I have two half sisters you’ve never mentioned or acknowledged? And why did I have to find out about them the way I did?”
She nibbled at her bottom lip as she tried to remember any telltale signs—whispering, the sense that her parents were holding back or hiding something important, any strangers in her life—from when she was a child. She’d been racking her brain ever since she’d learned about Reagan and Lorelei, but she couldn’t come up with a single thing that seemed odd or unusual.
Maybe her parents were superior actors. Or they’d simply forgotten anything they didn’t care to remember, put it behind them and moved on. After all, when she was born there’d been no internet, no smartphones, no DNA companies like 23andMe. Her parents probably never dreamed that technology would eventually reveal what they’d hidden, even if they both kept their mouths shut.
That was another thing. Were they both in on the secret? Had they made a pact between them? Or was it something only one knew and the other might not be pleased to find out?
There were so many possibilities. Maybe she wasn’t related to either one of them. But if she was adopted, where did she come from and how did she wind up in their family?
The sound of a car outside sent a prickle down Serenity’s spine. When the engine went off, she cast a final glance at the photos of her parents and the siblings she’d grown up with and squared her shoulders. This was the point of no return. By welcoming Reagan, Lorelei and Lucy into her life, she could wreck relationships that were dearer to her than any others, especially because she was doing it without consulting her parents.
But she didn’t feel she could consult them—not until she had a clearer understanding of what might have happened. She was afraid it might split them up or send one of her siblings into an emotional free fall. And yet, turning a blind eye to what she’d discovered wasn’t an option. Ignoring what she’d learned wasn’t sustainable, not for someone like her who had to face the truth head-on. She made a living uncovering dark secrets.
So, for better or for worse, she, Lorelei and Reagan were going to get to know each other and try to figure out how they were related. Maybe once they started to delve into the past they’d find a string they could tug on that would unravel the whole story.
Before she could reach the main entrance downstairs, she heard the distressed voice of someone trying to console a crying child.
The child had to be Lucy.
Bracing herself—as much to meet her new family members as against the cold—Serenity opened the door just as Lorelei and her daughter came hurrying up the steps, gripping the railing tightly so they wouldn’t fall while sheltering their faces from the wind and snow.
“Lucy has to go to the bathroom,” Lorelei announced without preamble.
Serenity drew a steadying breath. Based on the photographs she’d seen, she wasn’t surprised but Lorelei looked just like her. It was uncanny, unsettling. “Down the hall, on the right,” she said, quickly stepping to the side.
Reagan took longer to reach the porch because she’d grabbed some of the luggage, which was smart. It would only be harder to go out later, when it was colder and darker and the vehicle could be buried in snow.
“I’m glad you made it safely.” Feeling awkward at finally facing someone who was closely related to her—and yet a complete stranger—Serenity reached out to take one of the suitcases Reagan carried.
“That one’s Lucy’s,” Reagan told her. “Lorelei will have to go out and get her own. This was all I could carry.”
“No problem.” Serenity had known that coming face-to-face with these two people might be difficult, but she hadn’t anticipated that this moment would feel quite so surreal. Although she didn’t want to be obvious, she let her gaze sweep over Reagan several times. The visual proof made everything in the DNA report undeniable. “How was your flight?”
Reagan seemed reticent. Was she feeling the same emotions? The shock and betrayal, as well as the excitement engendered by such a strange situation? Serenity couldn’t have felt more odd if she’d come face to face with an alien from outer space.
“Better than the drive here,” she replied.
Serenity got the impression Lucy had significantly contributed to the difficulty, so she didn’t press any further. “Well, fortunately, that’s behind you, and I’ve got a fire going in the living room upstairs.” Hoping to cover nervousness with politeness, she waved Reagan in ahead of her and managed to wrestle the door shut despite the howling wind. “Whew! I can’t believe it’s storming like this in May.”
Small talk. When there’s so much more to say...
“Just my luck.” Reagan dropped her own luggage, which looked far more expensive than what Serenity had seen of Lorelei’s so far. “Wouldn’t you know it, the weather in New York was nearly eighty degrees when I took off from La Guardia.”
“Hopefully this will blow through. The weather this time of year is normally beautiful.” Serenity couldn’t stop watching her and noticed that Reagan couldn’t quit staring, either. “Are you hungry? Did you have a chance to eat after you landed?”
It took Reagan a moment to respond. They were both transfixed. “Yeah, um, sorry. It’s just...well, you know. You look so much like me. So does Lorelei.”
“The situation is definitely...unique.”
“Right. We knew that coming into it. But you asked if we’ve eaten. Lorelei had a meal packed for Lucy, and she and I just grabbed something out of a vending machine.”
“Then you must be ready for something more. I brought groceries. I thought I’d make broccoli cheddar soup for dinner.”
“Sounds delicious.”
The conversation once again fell by the wayside as they stood and gaped at each other.
“I can’t believe I’m related to you,” Reagan said, her voice barely a whisper. “But I have to admit—it’s like looking in a mirror.”
Serenity didn’t know whether to hug her or not. It hadn’t been a possibility when she’d walked through the door carrying so much luggage, but now they were both empty-handed. “Except that my hair’s a lot longer than yours.”
Another meaningless statement made because of nerves and self-consciousness...
“Are we doing the right thing?” Reagan asked with a degree of trepidation. “I mean...this is kind of a risk, isn’t it?”
That answered the hugging question. They were going to be open and honest with each other, not pretend to feel emotions they didn’t yet feel. “I have no idea,” Serenity replied. “But even if we aren’t, I have to know how this happened. Why it happened. And why no one ever told me. Don’t you?”