by Terri Osburn
Still in shock to have them standing before me, I could do little more than nod.
“She confirmed everything you said. About Mom having you when she was a teenager, to her leaving you seven years later.” Rubbing her brow, she added, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“No,” I said, barely holding back the tears. “That was a lot to take in. I get it. I’m just…” I looked at my brother, who had yet to say a word. “I’m so happy you’re here. I don’t know what else to say.”
“We’d like to get to know you,” Luke finally said. “If that’s okay with you.”
Okay? This was the best birthday present I would ever receive in my whole life.
“I would really, really like that.” Worried about the one person we all had in common, I asked, “Does Geraldine know you’re here?”
Cassie nodded. “She does. She isn’t happy, but she did admit the truth once I told her about talking to her cousin. I asked her to come with us, but she… didn’t want to.”
Hearing that statement didn’t hurt nearly as much as it would have a few weeks ago.
Happy beyond measure, I couldn’t stop staring at them. These were my siblings. My sister and brother. No longer thinking of myself as an only child was going to take some getting used to, but I looked forward to the day that this would feel normal.
“I’m not sure where to start,” I said to break the awkward silence. “I have so many questions, and I’m sure you do, too, but I have a couple more hours of work left.”
“No, you don’t,” said Miriam, storming back into the room. She shoved my coat and purse into my arms. “You’re off for the rest of the day.”
“But I—”
“I’m your boss and I say go home.” Eyes bright and pink lips curved into a smile, she said, “Go on. You all have some catching up to do.” In a whisper, she added, “Happy birthday, Megan.”
Now I was going to cry again. Wrapping my arms around her, I whispered back, “Thank you so much.”
Pulling away, she dabbed at her cheeks. “You’re making my mascara run.”
We laughed and poor Luke shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with all the crying. I didn’t blame him.
“My apartment is a few blocks away, but I walked to work today. Do you have a car?”
“We do,” Cassie said. “But we don’t want to put you out. If you’d rather meet someplace later…”
I couldn’t meet tonight because we were all having dinner at Dad’s house. The girls, including Becca’s Jacob, and Nessa with her daughter’s family. I’d met them a couple weeks before and Maddox was every bit as adorable as his grandmother described him. But I didn’t want to let Cassie and Luke out of my sight.
Then I realized they had to come to dinner.
They’d taken some convincing, but Cassie and Luke agreed to join my birthday celebration. Since it felt wrong to toss them into the full group on our first day of getting to know each other, the three of us had come to Dad’s house an hour early so he could meet them. They actually had quite a few questions for him, since he knew more about Geraldine than any of us. At least the girl she’d been all those years ago.
“She’s never told us any of these stories,” Cassie said as Dad wrapped up a tale about the time Geraldine had a yelling match with one of their teachers over a research paper. I gave him credit for only sharing stories that put her in a positive light. He certainly had plenty of reasons to do the opposite.
“Your mother was popular. Not a great student, but she never lacked friends. I couldn’t believe it when she agreed to go out with me.” Casting a quick glance my way, he added, “That night changed both of our lives.”
Not ready to go there, I said, “Tell them about her parents. I don’t even know much about them.”
Dad jumped into a number of stories about the Pendletons. My grandfather had managed a local grocery store and had been a church deacon. Geraldine’s mother had been a schoolteacher. Both of those facts I knew, but I never knew they lost a son.
“David was older than Geri,” Dad explained, “and joined the military right after high school. He was killed in the first gulf war.”
“How did I never know that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Your grandmother never got over the loss, so they didn’t talk about him to keep from upsetting her. David’s fiancé was the maid of honor at our wedding, but they never married because he was killed a few months later.”
“I’d really like to know more about him,” Luke said.
My brother had warmed up quite a bit once the three of us reached my apartment and started talking. To my delight, he relaxed even more when we reached Dad’s house. The twins told me about men coming in and out of their lives, but none ever staying for long. Other than the one who’d actually adopted them, but once he and Geraldine had divorced, she’d cut him off from the kids.
Though there was no blood tie between them, I hoped Luke and Dad might bond enough to offer him a hint of the father figure he might be longing for.
“I’m sure Jacqueline can tell us more,” I said, referring to the relative who’d confirmed my story. “Her mother was our grandfather’s sister, so she’s bound to have photos or something.”
“We hope so,” Cassie said. “We’re meeting up with her in a few days. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you came.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the front door, and I checked the clock. We’d been so engrossed in our conversation, I hadn’t realized it was so late. Dad welcomed the other dinner guests, who all knew that Cassie and Luke were there. I’d sent a text to make sure no one was surprised.
Lindsey arrived late, as always, which was ironic considering she was the fastest driver. But then, she had to drive fast because she was always late.
The weather was warm for mid-October so we moved the gathering out to the patio. Dad had filled the space with extra chairs once Nessa and her family started coming by more often. There was only one person missing, so when another knock came, I jumped from my chair.
“I’ll get it!” Ignoring the girls’ laughter behind me, I hurried through the house and swept the front door open. Before me was a giant bouquet of flowers. “How pretty.”
The bouquet shifted to the left as Ryan peeked around them. “Happy birthday.”
Heart fluttering as it always did when I saw him, I said, “Thank you.” Taking the flowers, I pulled him inside. “We’re sitting out on the patio. I think Cassie and Luke really like Dad.”
“Who wouldn’t?” he asked, sliding off his coat and tossing it over a chair. I’d introduced the two men in my life at the beginning of the month, and they’d hit it off immediately. Talk had turned to the stock market and safety nets, and I’d zoned out almost immediately. Nearly two hours later, they’d still been going.
Incidentally, Fletcher had never found much in common with Dad, and they’re rare discussions had been awkward at best.
“I can’t wait for you to meet them.” In the kitchen, I opened a cabinet above the stove to get a vase and struggled on my tiptoes but still couldn’t reach.
“Let me.” Ryan stepped up beside me and retrieved the vase with no problem.
I turned and we were close enough for me to feel his breath on my cheek. “Thank you,” I said, my voice coming out as a whisper.
His lips curled up in that way that made me dizzy. “Anytime.”
We stayed there, inches apart, until he said, “The flowers aren’t the only present I brought you.”
I tugged on the front of his shirt. “I told you not to get me anything.”
“And I ignored you.” Setting the vase on the island, he pulled a small box from his pocket. We were barely a month into knowing each other so there was no way the man had gotten me a ring. And yet, my heart bounced around my chest as he held up the little black box. “Happy birthday, Megan.” Mouth dry, I stared into his eyes for several seconds, not sure what to say. “Open it,” he urged.
Le
tting out a shaky breath, I took the present and slowly lifted the lid. There, on a bed of cotton, was a beautiful gold necklace.
“You got me a Squirtle necklace?”
“I had to order it, and it almost didn’t come in time. That’s why it isn’t wrapped. I just got it today.”
I slid a fingertip over his shiny gold nose. “He’s so cute. I can’t believe you did this.”
“I know how much you like him. And you said you lost a necklace you used to wear all the time, so I figured I’d get you a new one.”
How did I get so lucky to find this man?
“Will you put it on me?” I said, pulling the bauble from the box. Handing it over, I spun around and pulled up my hair. A second later, the necklace fell into place, but before I could let my hair down, warm lips kissed the back of my neck. I shivered as heat crawled up my cheeks.
“Do you like it?” he asked, dropping his chin onto my shoulder as his arms slid around my waist.
Pressing my hands over his, I sighed. “I love it.” I nearly added and I love you, but it was far too early for that. Even if I knew to my core that it was true.
“I’m glad.”
“Megan, where did you go?” said Becca, stepping into the kitchen. She stopped when she spotted us, causing Jacob to run into the back of her. Spinning back around, she pushed at his chest. “Back outside. Go. Go!”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “Becca, it’s fine.” She was gone before I got the words out. “We aren’t doing anything.”
“We could be,” Ryan whispered in my ear.
That was for later.
“These flowers need to be in water.” I slid out of his arms. I filled the vase in the sink and arranged the flowers after giving them each a quick trim. “They’re beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” Ryan took my hand and pulled me against his chest. “Have I told you that I really like you?”
That settled it. This was the best birthday ever.
“I really like you, too.”
We didn’t join the others for several more minutes, and when we did, a hush fell over the group. I pretended my lips weren’t swollen from kissing the man of my dreams as I settled in to celebrate my birthday with the people who meant the world to me.
To celebrate with my family.
Thank you so much for reading Not Playing Fair. I hope you enjoyed the story, and that you’ll post a review to let other readers know how you feel. If you want to make sure you don’t miss the next book in the series, which will be wedding photographer Donna’s story, hop over to Amazon now and pre-order Not the Best Man!
Acknowledgments
I’m having so much run writing these stories set in my old stomping grounds of Pittsburgh. My family is still there so I get to visit every now and then, and the charm never fades. If anything, the city is even cooler now than it was when I left more than twenty-five years ago. (Yes, I’m that old, and the only reason I moved south was because we had three blizzards in eighteen months. THREE!)
I need to thank my family for answering random questions at all hours of the night, and my sister for going to a Pirates baseball game with me so I could do a little research. Sadly, I got to the end of the book and realized I’d forgotten to send the characters to a ball game. Keep an eye on the rest of the series because I will be doing that eventually.
Special thanks goes to librarian Beth Zovko, who was nice enough to give me an impromptu tour around the West End branch during my summer visit. If you’re in the area, I highly suggest visiting this library. It’s small but the history seeps out of every corner.
Thank you, as always, to my writing buddies who help me brainstorm and regularly talk me off of various cliffs. Maureen Betita and Kim Law, thank you! And to my editor Kimberly Dawn ,who has saved me from looking bad so many times. I couldn’t do this without her.
Last but never least, the readers. You all keep me going and I can’t possibly convey how much I appreciate you. I am beyond blessed to get to write these books for a living, and it’s thanks to you that this dream has come true.
Also by Terri Osburn
Find them all here
The NOT Series
Not You Again
Anchor Island Series
Meant To Be
Up To The Challenge
Home To Stay
More To Give
In Over Her Head
Christmas On Anchor Island*
*coming Oct 2021
Ardent Springs Series
His First And Last
Our Now And Forever
My One And Only
Her Hopes And Dreams
The Last In Love
Shooting Stars Series
Rising Star
Falling Star
Wishing On A Star
Among The Stars
Stand-Alones
Ask Me To Stay
Wrecked
Awakening Anna
About the Author
Terri Osburn writes contemporary romance with heart, hope, and lots of humor. After landing on the bestseller lists with her Anchor Island Series, she moved on to the Ardent Springs series, which earned her a Book Buyers Best award in 2016. Terri’s work has been translated into five languages, and sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. She resides in middle Tennessee with four frisky felines and two high-maintenance terrier mixes.