“Don’t be so sure. I’m your sister. He’ll know I’m on your side.” And afterward, win or lose, Sienna doubted he’d want to have anything more to do with her.
Teagan narrowed her eyes as she regarded her sister. “You don’t expect me to give up my interest in Watts Shipping because you want to hook up with Ethan?”
“No.” Sienna dreaded what Teagan would do if she thought Sienna was standing in the way of her plan. “I’m just being realistic. With what you are trying to do, there will come a time where I can’t be loyal to both you and him. And when that day comes, you are my sister. You know where I stand.”
* * *
The morning after Ethan received the notification from the genetic testing service, he swung by Paul’s cybersecurity company on his way to Watts Shipping. After dropping Sienna off at his grandfather’s house, he’d sent an affirmative response about connecting to his blood relative through the testing service and learned the person looking for him was his birth mother.
After receiving her name and email address, he’d composed a brief, cautious email and sent it, shocked at how his heart had pounded. While waiting for her response, he’d been unable to sleep. Thoughts swirled and bumped in his mind like koi in an overstocked pond. He’d considered how his mother and father would react. Paul was the only member of his family who knew Ethan was looking for his biological family. He hadn’t wanted to upset his parents with the search, knowing that they’d both take it hard. It wasn’t that they hadn’t been great or that he didn’t love them deeply, but lately he’d been hounded by this feeling that a piece of himself was missing.
Maybe it was because in the last ten years his grandfather had grown more and more agitated about his missing granddaughter, spurring Ethan to wonder if someone in his birth family was desperately searching for him. He hadn’t anticipated the turmoil of dread and eagerness that would erupt when he discovered they were.
“Sorry to drop by without calling,” Ethan said, taking a seat on the couch in Paul’s office. He accepted a cup of coffee and scrutinized his brother’s face. “Damn. You look really good.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I guess I’m still trying to get used to you looking so relaxed and...happy.”
Paul smirked. “Quite a change, isn’t it?”
Before Lia had come into his life, Paul had been completely absorbed in his business. Since falling for the free spirit, he’d shifted more responsibility to his staff so he could spend more time with his fiancée. Accustomed as Ethan was to his older brother’s serious nature, the way Paul smiled all the time these days, and knowing that Lia was the reason, gave Ethan a great deal of satisfaction. After all, she wouldn’t be in Paul’s life if Ethan hadn’t persuaded her to pretend to be their cousin in the first place.
“Honestly, it’s a shock that you’re in a good mood all the time.”
“It’s love. You should give it a try.”
Ethan shook his head. “You can’t expect me to settle down with one girl when there are so many out there looking for a good time.”
“I might’ve bought your too-many-fish-in-the-sea argument before I met Lia. But from the moment she entered my life, I knew that committing fully to the woman I love is the only way to go.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Ethan said dryly, concealing a flash of envy at what his brother had found with Lia. “But I didn’t come here to talk to you about your love life. There are a couple of things on my mind right now. First off, did you have any luck figuring out who sent the emails about Teagan?”
“No. Whoever it is covered their tracks very well.”
“Almost as if they knew that a cybersecurity specialist might be hunting them down,” Ethan put in.
“Do you think if we dig deeper into her background, we’ll find a lot of people who have it in for her?”
“Probably.” Ethan didn’t find it strange that a successful New York businesswoman had picked up an enemy or two. But was that all it was? Someone out to make trouble for Teagan?
“So, can we check into some of those people?”
“Already on it.” Paul gave his brother a searching look. “But all this is something we could’ve talked about over the phone. What’s your real reason for stopping by?”
“I got a different sort of email yesterday.”
“Another warning? Or some kind of threat?”
“Neither.” Ethan leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs, his fingers intertwined. “I submitted my own genetic material for testing.”
Paul sat back, understanding dawning. “You got a hit.”
“I got a hit,” Ethan echoed. “Last night while I was out to dinner with Sienna. She gave me some things to think about.”
“Such as?”
“How my reaching out to my birth family will impact the people who raised me and the brother I love.”
“If you’re worried that Mom and Dad will feel betrayed that you were curious about where you came from, don’t be. The minute we found Teagan we all understood what it’s like to fill the hole that’s been in our lives.” Paul paused and considered his brother’s expression. “Plus, it’s not as if you’re going to find anyone better than us.”
Paul’s unexpected humor made Ethan grin. “The best thing I ever did was invite Lia into our family. She’s had an enormously positive effect on you.”
“Typical Ethan,” Paul said. “Always taking credit for other people’s hard work.”
“So, you think Mom and Dad will be okay that I’ve done this?”
“I think they’ll support you in whatever you have to do. You know that.”
Ethan nodded. “I’ll tell them after my trip to Savannah.”
“What’s in Savannah?”
“My birth mother.”
“What?” Paul breathed, looked uncharacteristically staggered. “You found...”
“Her name is Carolina Gates.” His voice faltered on her name. “I’m heading down there Wednesday night to meet her.”
Paul was recovering his equilibrium. “I think you should tell Mom and Dad before you go.”
“What if it doesn’t go well with Carolina? Why upset our parents before I figure out if I intend to have a relationship with her?”
“You always keep a wall up between you and those of us who love you. One of these days you’re going to find out what a mistake that is.”
“Maybe.” Ethan bristled. Paul couldn’t stop himself from playing all-knowing older brother. “In the meantime, I was hoping you could do a little research on my birth relatives so I know what I’m getting into.”
“Of course.” Paul pulled out his phone and quickly typed something into it. “I’m glad you’re taking steps to protect yourself.”
“You know I’m always careful,” Ethan said while in the back of his mind crazed laughter erupted.
Who was he kidding? His behavior had grown more destructive over the last year. From lying to everyone about Lia being Ava’s daughter to keeping this enormous secret about his search for his birth relatives from his adoptive family and isolating himself in the process. And of course he was letting himself get far too involved with Sienna when he knew she didn’t have his best interest at heart.
“I can clear my schedule if you want company on your trip to Savannah.”
“I wouldn’t want to take you away from Lia.”
“Given the situation, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I was gone for a few days.”
While Ethan didn’t want to involve his family, Paul’s offer made Ethan realize that it would be nice to have company, someone he could talk to if things got a little too intense. Last night Sienna had demonstrated she understood what he was going through, having recently experienced a similar situation with her sister.
“Thanks,” Ethan said. “But I think I’ll
ask Sienna to come with me to Savannah.”
“Sienna?” Paul’s eyes narrowed. “But you barely know her.”
“True, but she’s already been through this with her sister and it’ll be easier to be with someone who isn’t emotionally involved.”
“I thought you didn’t trust her.”
How did Ethan explain his increasingly conflicted feelings about Sienna? “Not when it comes to helping her sister take over Watts Shipping, but I think in this instance, she’ll be helpful.”
And with the two of them alone in Savannah, they could more fully explore the attraction between them. Ethan was looking forward to that as much as meeting his birth mother.
“I guess you know what you’re doing,” Paul said, sounding like a skeptical older brother.
“If I don’t,” Ethan began with a dry smile, “it wouldn’t be the first time I ended up in over my head.” But until things blew up, he intended to have the time of his life.
SEVEN
Sienna sat on the back terrace, laptop open on the table before her, gaze riveted on the charismatic man heading in her direction along the garden pathway. If her sudden breathlessness was anything to go by, her attraction to him had only grown since last night.
“There you are,” he declared, a warm smile drawing her attention to the sensual curve of his lips. “I was looking for you.”
She closed her laptop and gestured to the chair beside her. He shook his head and held out his hand.
“Walk with me instead.”
Sienna couldn’t help the delight that spread through her as she took his hand. When he led her away from the house to the relative privacy of the pool house, she had a pretty good idea of what this was about.
“You got an email from your birth family.”
“My birth mother.” He pulled a folder out of his briefcase. “This was what Paul was able to find on her.”
Sienna stared at the thick file, wondering if the cybersecurity specialist had created similar dossiers on her and Teagan. As soon as the question popped into her mind, she knew the answer. Of course he had. And no doubt Ethan had read both. So, with all his questions about what she did, he’d already known the answers. Sienna felt the tiniest bit betrayed, but pushed the feeling inside. Given the Wattses’ wealth, they would’ve been crazy not to investigate Teagan and her adoptive family.
“Who is she?” she prompted, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Carolina Gates from Savannah, Georgia. Her family owns Gates Multimedia. My mother...” He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing as he grappled with his feelings. “She submitted the DNA test after finding out I was alive.”
Sienna gasped. “What? She thought you were dead? How?”
“She didn’t go into the details, but it sounds like she was seventeen when she got pregnant with me and it was a complicated birth. Long story short, she thought I died.”
Hearing the anguish in Ethan’s voice, Sienna gripped his arm. Part of her wanted to lend him support, but mostly she craved a connection with him in this emotionally charged moment.
“How could she not know?”
From his somber expression and the crease between his eyebrows, he was bothered by this same question. “She said she’d explain when we met.”
“How did she find out you were alive?”
“There was a nurse who knew that I’d survived. She died recently and left a letter with her lawyer for my mother, explaining what had happened.”
The whole situation sounded mysterious and Sienna worried that Ethan might be heading into trouble. “When are you heading to Savannah?”
“I thought I would go down there Wednesday evening and return Sunday. Would you like to come?” This last he said so casually that she thought she’d misheard him.
“I’m not sure I should. This is your first meeting with your biological family.”
“It would help if you were there.”
His husky-voiced admission made her ache to support him. But it wasn’t her place. They barely knew each other. Yet each moment in his company deepened the connection between them. At least on her end. She’d never been in love, but surely this is what it felt like to fall for someone.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Ethan persisted when she didn’t give him an immediate answer. “But you’ve been through this with your sister and since you have so much experience dealing with the whole meeting-the-birth-family thing, I thought maybe you’d understand what I’d be going through.”
Although Sienna would never claim to know everything about Ethan after such a short acquaintance, she recognized that asking others for help wasn’t something he did easily or at all. Obviously, meeting his birth mother entailed more emotional upheaval than he wanted to go through alone.
“Wouldn’t you be better off bringing one of your own family?”
“Honestly, I like the idea of having a neutral party along. I’d be afraid if I asked anyone from my family that they would make it all about them.” He caught her gaze and held it. “You haven’t done that with Teagan. I could really use your company.”
Sienna didn’t think he would’ve asked her without feeling an actual need. She told herself not to be flattered. She was a logical choice given everything he just explained. But the trip might be a good opportunity to see where their connection might lead.
“If you think it would be helpful then I’d be happy to go with you.” Sienna paused. “Let me run it past Teagan first. After all, she’s the reason I’m here in the first place.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to take you away from your sister. But if you could not mention anything about my birth mother. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to tell my parents yet.”
“I understand perfectly.” Sienna recalled their mother’s devastation when Teagan announced that she’d been searching for her blood relatives. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
Since Teagan had made plans to go out with the Shaw twins after work, Sienna knew she wouldn’t run into her sister at the house and reached out by phone.
“Ethan invited me to go with him to Savannah for a long weekend,” she announced when Teagan answered, aware that her voice reflected how excited she was by the prospect. “I thought it sounded like fun.”
She expected Teagan to grill her about the trip. But even if Ethan hadn’t specifically asked her to keep the reason for the visit secret, Sienna wouldn’t have mentioned anything about going to meet his birth mother. This was something Teagan would love to use to stir up turmoil between Ethan and his family.
“He wants to take you out of town,” Teagan said, her voice filled with glee. “That’s perfect.”
Sienna’s radar went on full alert. “What do you mean perfect?”
“Just that I know you really like him,” Teagan replied, her breezy tone giving nothing away. “And it seems as if he’s into you, as well.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” Sienna hastened to assure Teagan. “He invited me along because he thought I might be interested in seeing a little bit more of the South.”
The excuse sounded incredibly lame to her own ears, but what did it matter if her sister thought Sienna and Ethan were running away for a romantic few days? Except that Teagan was obsessed with the top position at Watts Shipping and would use any means to sabotage Ethan’s chance. Including her sister.
“I think he’s interested in seeing a little bit more of you.” Teagan’s sly glee tainted what could’ve been a supportive declaration. “And if you can keep him there longer, please feel free. The less time he’s around, the more time I have to convince everyone I’m the best one to run the company.”
There it was.
Suddenly, Sienna’s eagerness to go away with Ethan dimmed. She hated being caught between her sister, whom she loved, and the man she was eager to get to know better.
“What scheme?” Teagan countered. “All I’m looking for is an opportunity to show everyone at the company what I can do without Ethan’s years of experience overshadowing me.”
Sienna rubbed her temple where a painful hammering kept time with her heartbeat. “Have you been up-front with Ethan about your interest in being the CEO?”
“Why?” Teagan scoffed. “So he can block me at every turn? The direct approach isn’t going to work and you know it.”
Teagan’s determined words warned Sienna that any argument she might make would fall on deaf ears. Her sister had decided on a course of action and she would see it through to its bitter end.
“I still think you should say something to him,” Sienna grumbled, aware that she was wasting her breath.
“I’ll think about it,” Teagan said, her tone saying she’d do no such thing. “Meanwhile, keep him nice and distracted in Savannah for me. And be careful. If he finds out how you feel about him, he’ll use that to turn you against me.”
“Ethan isn’t like that.” But even as the hot denial left her lips, she wondered if that was true. How far would he go to secure the CEO position? Was he as ruthless as Teagan? Willing to use any means—anyone—to achieve his goals?
“I’ve talked to people,” Teagan countered. “He’s exactly like that.”
Knowing it was fruitless to dig for information about her sister’s supposed sources, Sienna murmured something noncommittal before ending the call. She sent Ethan a quick text indicating she was free to go, and then turned her attention to what she might take with her. She’d replaced her battered suitcase with a brand-new set of luggage that would accommodate her recently expanded wardrobe.
Sienna opened the armoire and regarded her newly purchased clothes, wondering what she should take. Teagan and the twins had encouraged her to buy things that were perfectly suited for the climate and highlighted her curves. Yet she still felt a little bit like an imposter when she wore them. Teagan believed that fashion made the woman and had been badgering Sienna for years to adopt whatever look was trending.
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