by Amanda Renee
“Oh, dear,” Maeve whispered.
“Turns out I not only have a long-lost sister that I didn’t know about, she’s my twin. Wait, it gets better. Mom isn’t my mom. A woman named Ruby Jameson is my mother, and my father, my biological father, is a man named Darren Fox, not Walter Davidson.”
“Twins?” Maeve struggled to regain her composure. “What are you talking about?”
“Mom, please stop lying.”
“What is going on?” Steve demanded. “Abby, what are you talking about?”
She recounted the past week and a half to her parents in detail, in between her mother’s sobs and her father’s I can’t believe this. Somehow Abby managed to relay the entire story without shedding a tear or raising her voice.
“Abby, you don’t understand the situation at the time.”
“You’re not denying this?” Steve asked. “Maeve, how could you keep this a secret?”
“It’s not that simple.” Maeve’s voice rose an octave. “I never knew there were two girls. Walter never told me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me I was adopted?” Abby asked.
“Abby, Walter and I tried to conceive for years before we found out he had an extremely low sperm count. The chances of us having a child of our own were almost nil. Walter was not only devastated, he was embarrassed, and considered himself half a man for not being able to give me a child. We didn’t tell anyone we couldn’t conceive. We had talked about artificial insemination, but the thought of it bothered me. When Walter told me there was a single mom looking to give up her child for adoption as soon as it was born, Walter and I didn’t need to think twice.”
“It still doesn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you tell me I was adopted?”
“Walter and I had been away from home for two years. Nobody we knew would have known if I was pregnant or not. So to save Walter’s pride we told everyone I gave birth to you. When they asked why we never said anything during the pregnancy, I told them there had been so many complications I didn’t know if I would be able to carry to term and I didn’t want to jinx it.”
“That’s quite a background story you concocted, Mom.”
“I’m not denying that, Abby. When your father and I separated a year later, I truly felt you were my daughter. It was no different than if I gave birth to you. Nobody knew except for Walter and me, so I didn’t see any point in telling everyone. Yes, I kept it to myself, but it wasn’t for malicious reasons. I had planned on telling you one day, until Wyatt was born. I don’t know if you remember, but you were so upset when I told you Steve and I were expecting a baby. You wanted to know if we were going to push you out of the family since we had a baby of our own on the way. That’s heartbreaking for a mother to hear.” She brushed away tears. “After Wyatt was born, you still asked if we considered you part of the family. You would question your father if he loved Wyatt more than he loved you because Wyatt was biologically his. So, I decided it was best not to tell you that you weren’t biologically my child, either. Abby, you felt so alienated as it was.” Maeve sobbed. “I didn’t want to make it any worse for you. I thought I was doing the right thing. As a mother, you’ll do anything to protect your child.”
“This didn’t protect me, Mom,” Abby said.
“Yes, baby, it did. You went through life knowing you were a part of us, of this family.” She gestured to Steve. “And rightfully so. I don’t love you any less than I love Wyatt. Giving birth doesn’t make you a mother. Your family is who you choose to love in life and, Abby, I chose you. Wyatt happened, but I chose you.”
Abby’s entire body trembled. “That’s where you’re wrong. I never felt like I belonged. I always thought something was missing. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t look like either one of you. Not that I look anything like my sister who towers over me or my mother with her flaming red hair. But I do see a lot of myself in both of them.”
She collapsed onto the couch. Between the drive and the stress, she was exhausted. “I—I need to lie down. It’s been a long drive and I need to sleep for a while.”
Her mother tried to help her from the couch, but Abby shied away from her touch. Her legs shut down. She had never felt weaker in her entire life. She looked at her father. Without asking, he wrapped his arm around her and guided her down the hallway. Once in the guest room, he eased her onto the bed.
“Can I get you anything? Water, aspirin, a shot of rum?” He smiled.
Leave it to her father to add a little levity to the situation. Duffy jumped onto the bed beside her and threw his body across her lap.
“I just need a nap. It was a long drive.”
“Abby, for what it’s worth, I truly believe your mother when she says she didn’t know your sister existed. I’m not saying I agree with her decisions, but I do remember how you acted when you found out Wyatt was on the way.”
“So it’s all my fault Mom lied to me? Unbelievable.”
Her father sighed. “That’s not what I’m saying at all, and I think when you have a chance to calm down, take in everything your mother has said and you two talk some more, maybe you’ll realize she was truly trying to protect you.”
Abby sat on the edge of the bed for a long time after her father closed the door. She blew her nose for the hundredth time, waking Duffy. He looked up at her and attempted to lick her tears away.
Abby didn’t want to think anymore. Her body craved sleep, and as she laid her head down and closed her eyes, visions of Clay invaded her dreams.
Chapter Thirteen
Clay tossed his truck keys onto the counter beside the office lease he had signed an hour earlier. CT Investigations officially had a location in town above Cowpokes Western Wear. He didn’t know how long he’d remain an investigator once he started his alpaca ranch, but one thing was for certain, he needed a dedicated office space away from the house.
Picking up the phone, he dialed Shane’s number.
“Hey, man. What are you and Lexi doing tonight?”
“Nothing,” Shane said. “Did you feel like going to Slater’s?”
“Not tonight. I need to ask you a favor. Remember when you offered to help me with the house?”
“I do,” Shane said. “You ready to accept?”
“Yes, and I could really use some help from you and Lexi tonight.”
“We’ll be over shortly.”
A few minutes later, Clay had a similar conversation with his parents. Once everyone had arrived, he spent the next hour recounting what happened when he was in the ATF.
Afterward, Clay’s entire body felt lighter. He no longer had to keep the secret. Sometimes a story is so painful that even when you want to share it you can’t, because the words alone cut through you. If it hadn’t been for Abby, Clay doubted he would’ve been ready to tell any of it. Not surprisingly, his family and friends understood his reason for not opening up sooner.
While Lexi and his mom went grocery shopping, his father and Shane offered to open all of the boxes and look through them first to see if there was anything of Ana Rosa’s in them, agreeing to set them aside for Clay to go through later. Clay didn’t want any distractions from cleaning out his dining room and finally unpacking his house.
His parents left sometime around midnight, and Lexi followed shortly after, but Shane, his best friend, with a beer in hand, stayed and continued to help him through the night.
Clay stood back and admired the completely empty dining room.
“I really appreciate this.” He slapped his friend on the back. “I don’t know how I would’ve done this without you.”
“We’re not finished yet.” Shane crossed the room and tugged the cord on the blinds. For the first time since Clay had moved in, golden light from the sunrise filtered through the window and onto the oak floor.
“This is the first time I’ve seen
that floor,” Clay said. “It’s not half bad.”
“With a little refinishing, it will clean up nice,” Shane added. “The bones of this house are really solid.”
“Eventually I’ll get a dining room table.”
“Eventually, my ass,” Shane said. “As soon as Mayfair’s opens we are driving into town and seeing what we can do to furnish this place. And don’t give me any crap that you can’t afford it because it’s my housewarming gift three years later.”
There was no sense in arguing with Shane. “Thank you. And thank your wife for that massive shopping trip she took with my mother.”
“Thank her yourself,” Shane said. “Now that you have food in the house, we expect to be invited over for dinner.”
Clay braved a glance at the kitchen. He remembered the easy way Abby had fit into the room, even when it had been a disaster with case files everywhere.
“You miss her, don’t you?”
Clay nodded, afraid if he opened his mouth he might actually say Abby’s name.
He had tried calling her after he had leased his new office space and had been greeted with a voice mail full message. He had sent one text, but when that didn’t receive a response, he’d decided to give Abby the time she needed. That and the fact that he’d called her home in Charleston and her brother had told him Abby was in Pennsylvania attempting to sort through this mess with her family.
“Have you thought about flying out to see her?” Shane asked.
“I don’t even know when she’ll be home.”
“Doesn’t she have a job to go back to?”
“I don’t know anymore. She’d been leaning toward Dance of Hope when the hospital board called to say they had approved her animal-assisted therapy program. She hadn’t made a decision when I last spoke to her, but after everything that happened, I can’t see her still wanting to move here.” It was one of the fears Clay had had from the moment he found out Ruby was Abby’s mother. “Has your mother talked to her?”
“Not that I know of, but if she did, and Abby asked her to keep it quiet, she would never tell me.”
Clay thought back to the day Kay had offered her a job at Dance of Hope. He tried to compare it to the day Abby received the phone call from the hospital. Her reactions weren’t even comparable. She was in shock over one and had cried during the other.
He cleared his throat and met Shane’s eyes. “I know this is going to sound horrible of me, but some days I wish I had kept what I found to myself.”
“You say that now, but you wouldn’t have been able to live with it.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right, but you can’t deny how much easier things would be today.”
“Clay, go to her. Don’t let the woman of your dreams slip through your hands. It’s obvious you’re in love with her. So find her and tell her.”
That afternoon, after Shane and Clay set his new salvaged wood trestle dining table and mismatched padded dining room chairs in place, which Lexi assured him were all the rage, he stood back and admired the view. He had to give the woman credit. The burgundy-and-brown Southwestern area rug pulled everything together the way Lexi had said it would.
Relieved to have normalcy in a room that once held so many dark memories, Clay booked a flight to Charleston. Excited to share the changes he’d made with Abby, his nerves ramped up at the thought of seeing her after the way they had left things. He didn’t know how long he’d have to wait for her to come home, but he’d be there when she did.
* * *
ABBY LEFT HER PARENTS’ house before sunrise and turned onto her own street well after sunset. It had been another long drive, and as much as Abby loved her Mini Cooper, she was sick to death of being in it.
Slipping her key into the lock, she opened her front door. Home. She was finally home, and it felt foreign to her.
“Abby!” Wyatt bounded down the stairs, causing Duffy to bark and spin in circles. “You’re here.” He gave her a body-engulfing hug. It was strange to think of her and Wyatt not sharing a single strand of DNA. He was her best friend, and though she knew he hadn’t changed, their relationship felt awkward.
“I don’t know what to say.” Tears formed in Abby’s eyes.
“Don’t say anything,” Wyatt said. “Nothing’s changed between us. I still love you as much as I did before you left. You’re still my sister regardless of who our biological parents are. None of that matters.”
“I know.” Abby nodded, regaining her composure. “Hey, at least the truth is out there and there are no more secrets looming over me.”
“I want to hear everything about your sister and Ruby, but there’s someone here who needs to see you first.”
“Who?”
“Me.” Clay appeared at the top of the stairs. Duffy ran up to greet him.
“How did you know I’d be getting home tonight?”
“I didn’t,” Clay said as he descended.
“He’s been here for a few days,” Wyatt said, stepping back to give them space.
“I knew you’d come home eventually. Care to take a walk with me?”
Abby stared up at the man she’d missed desperately during the past week.
“Well, since I did tell you I’d like to show you around Charleston, I guess it’s only fair. Besides, after sitting for seventeen hours, Duffy and I definitely need to stretch our legs.”
Clay gently entwined his fingers with hers. Tightening her grip, she enjoyed the warmth of his hand. Leading him outside, they walked toward Waterfront Park along the Cooper River.
“How did things go with your parents?”
“My stepdad never knew any of it and my mom, well, that was rough at first. We talked and talked until we hashed everything out. I don’t agree with her not telling me about the adoption. Especially when it comes to medical records and hereditary problems. I don’t love my mom any less and I certainly don’t hate her. I’m confused and I have so many tainted memories now.”
“Tainted how?”
“When I think back to certain events or birthdays, they always felt off. It was as if something was missing and I never could put my finger on what it was. Now I understand why. It’s going to take some time.”
“I’d like to stand beside you while you sort through it.” Clay’s voice soothed her. She’d almost forgotten how good he sounded. He stopped walking and turned her to face him. “I love you, Abby. I should have told you that the night I made love to you. Hell, I should’ve told you before.”
“I love you, too, but I don’t know if you can ever get past what happened with Ana Rosa.”
“I think if it hadn’t been for you, I may not have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll never know what would have been if I’d done things differently all those years ago. I’ve lived in the past for too long. I’m ready to move forward. You won’t believe the changes I’ve made to the house.”
“Changes, huh?”
“I leased the office above Cowpokes, and that’s the new CT Investigation headquarters so my clients no longer have to meet me in luncheonettes.”
“Headquarters?” Abby grinned. “Pretty snazzy.”
“I’ve also thought about hiring other investigators, leaving me free to run the alpaca ranch I intend to start in the near future. And I cleaned out the dining room with help from Shane, Lexi and my parents. My house is officially unpacked and I have a brand-new dining room table, compliments of Shane.”
“You have been busy.”
“Oh, and a houseful of food and cleaning products.”
Abby laughed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you’d made changes.”
“I also realized none of that means anything without you by my side to share it. And I understand completely if you don’t want to move to Ramblewood. I’d be willing to move to Charleston
, if it means having you in my life and as my wife.”
“Are you proposing?” Abby never thought she would hear Clay say he’d give up his life in Ramblewood for her. “Before you answer, what would you say if I told you I called Kay on the way home and accepted her offer?”
Clay’s handsome face broke into a grin. “What about the hospital here wanting to work with you on an animal-assisted therapy program? You’d give up that opportunity?”
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but after a few phone calls back and forth, the hospital agreed to hire me on as a consultant instead. I’d have to fly into Charleston once a month for a day or two.”
“Fly? Abby Winchester doesn’t fly.”
“No, but Abby Tanner does, if it means getting home to her husband sooner.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands. “How does New Year’s Eve sound? Because I can think of a million ways to decorate the inside of Slater’s Mill. We can have this really cool barn—”
Clay stopped walking and knelt down on one knee in front of her, Duffy joining him by his side.
She grabbed his shoulders. “What are you doing? That couple over there is trying to take a picture of the Pineapple Fountain and you’re in the way.”
“Why don’t we make this official?” Clay said as he removed a black velvet box from his pocket.
Abby’s limbs almost went weak when she realized what Clay was about to do. Sure, they had just talked about it, but this...here, in front of the crowd of people that had begun to gather around them...was a dream come true. Clay opened the box, and met her gaze. “Abby Winchester, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes.” Abby dragged him to his feet and kissed him. “I will.”
Duffy barked and the mass of onlookers applauded. Slipping the ring onto her finger, Clay grinned. “A perfect fit.”
“You know, you’re an excellent private investigator. Not only did you find my sister, you found me a husband, too.”
“Just doing my job, ma’am.” Clay dipped his head toward hers. “Just don’t ever ask for a refund. You’re stuck with me forever.”