Chapter 2
The Montgomerys
Jeremiah glanced around the room. The christening had gone beautifully, and the twins had slept through it all.
After the church service, he and Thea had prepared a feast, and everyone was now well-fed.
He’d told Thea about the letters he’d received from Edwina, and she agreed with his decision to inform the family about them in person, while they were all together.
She was sitting close to his side with her hand in his, and he appreciated the support.
Everyone, except for Thea and Logan, was surprised when he mentioned they would be holding a family meeting.
If Logan had mentioned the letters to his wife Claire, she wasn’t letting on.
Logan had been the last of his kids to marry, which wasn’t surprising.
He’d always felt responsible for the others, and it wasn’t until each of his younger siblings had settled down, married, and found happiness that he thought it was time to find some of that same happiness for himself.
Like Lance, Lyle, and Carrie, Logan had chosen well.
A bonus was that Claire was Lance’s wife Asia’s sister.
It wasn’t often that two sisters found two brothers worthy of their love.
Jeremiah glanced around the living room.
And speaking of his youngest son, Lance…
He and Asia were sitting on the other sofa with their eighteen-month-old son, Leland, in his father’s arms. Jeremiah wasn’t sure Lance would ever tie the knot again, after two failed marriages.
On top of that, his bestselling novel, The Playa’s Handbook, which spoke to the benefits of being a player, made him a persona non grata among many women’s groups around the country.
Asia, also a bestselling author, had written a book about how women could deal with “no good” men like Lance.
Somehow, through all the fireworks, the two had decided they loved each other, which proved that opposites could attract.
Lyle and his wife, Monique, were sitting at the dining room table with their daughter, Lyla, who had been born in June.
His second son had always been the quiet and reserved one.
He barely spoke unless he had something to say.
He’d been the most studious of the three, after deciding at an early age that he wanted to be a heart specialist. Jeremiah had known for years that Lyle had a thing for Monique, who had been the sister of Arnie Olivier, Lyle’s roommate in medical school.
He’d spent the summer with the Oliviers one year, and had gone on and on about Arnie’s beautiful little sister in his letters.
Unfortunately, she had been a lot younger than Lyle.
He hadn’t wanted to test the strength of his friendship with Arnie by telling him he had a thing for his young sister, so he’d let it go.
But, as fate would have it, Lyle and Monique had run into each other a couple of years ago.
Over the summer in Hilton Head, the two decided they were meant to be together.
And from the looks of things, they’d made the right decision.
Their baby Lyla had been born barely a year after their marriage.
Last, but definitely not least, he looked over at Carrie.
His baby girl. She and her husband, Connor, were stretched out on the floor with their identical twins ─ who looked like their father ─ on a blanket.
Jeremiah and Jeremy, who were born in late April, were to have been christened in June.
However, that had been put off by the arrival of Lyla.
The entire family had traveled to Texas to be there for the birth of another Montgomery.
So, the christening had been rescheduled for August. Unfortunately, Jeremy had come down with a bad ear infection, and a month later, Jeremiah had teething-related issues and was drooling all over the place.
Everyone had been holding their breath that today would go off without a hitch, and it had.
Carrie and Connor had chosen Logan, Lyle, and Lance as godfathers, and Asia, Monique, and Claire as godmothers.
“So, Pop, what’s this meeting about?” Lance asked curiously, drawing Jeremiah out of his thoughts.
Releasing his wife’s hand, Jeremiah stood and reached for the packet he’d placed face down on the coffee table. “I received this in the mail this week.” He pulled out the envelopes. “There are six letters, one for each of us,” he said, moving around the room to pass them out.
“Who is it from?” Carrie’s husband, Connor, inquired.
Jeremiah wasn’t surprised that Connor, a former cop who owned a private investigative firm, would ask. Obviously, everyone who had received a letter was wondering the same thing, since all eyes were on Jeremiah.
He spoke. “The letters came from Edwina.”
Both Carrie and Lance threw their letters down on the coffee table, as if they contained poison. “What does she want with us?” Lance asked in an angry voice.
“I think you need to read the letter and find out,” Jeremiah said.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass, Pop,” Lance replied.
“I’m with you there, bro,” Carrie agreed.
“She’s dying of pancreatic cancer,” Lyle said.
Everyone turned to look at him. He was silently reading the letter.
“How many ways can you say good riddance?” Carrie asked, a sharp edge to her tone.
“Not enough,” Lance answered.
Jeremiah didn’t say anything because he understood the resentment his youngest two offspring must be feeling. Carrie had been mistreated and sexually abused while in her mother’s care. And Lance had never gotten over their mother’s abandonment.
“I’ve done what she asked of me, which was to make sure you got the letters. What you do with them is up to you.”
“Surely you don’t think we should give a damn, Pop,” Carrie said.
“You four are adults. You can make your own decisions,” he responded.
“Did she ask you to come see her, too?” Lyle asked as he got up and crossed the room, tossing his letter on the coffee table beside Lance’s and Carrie’s.
He nodded. “She did.”
“Are you going?” Lance questioned.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
The room got quiet, and then Carrie said bitterly, “I bet she’s not even dying. It’s just a ploy to manipulate us.”
“She’s dying,” Jeremiah said. “I had Reverend Holland call the prison to speak with the chaplain there. What she wrote in the letters is true. She has less than eight months to live.”
“And again, I say, good riddance,” Carrie snapped.
“I second my wife’s position,” Connor said.
Jeremiah wasn’t surprised. Connor had met Carrie when she’d hired him to find out who was trying to blackmail her. During his investigation, he’d discovered all the abuse his future wife had endured. “Like I said, it will be your decision, Carrie,” Jeremiah said.
“You said there were six letters, Pop. But there are only five of us. Who’s the sixth letter for?” Logan asked, although Jeremiah had already told him about it. Jeremiah glanced at his firstborn. “It’s for a man named Silas Kingston. Edwina asked that I find him and make sure he got his letter.”
“Who’s Silas Kingston?” Lance asked.
Jeremiah didn’t know any other way but to come right out and say it. “Mr. Kingston is the father of Edwina’s fifth child.”
Ignoring the loud gasps sounding around the room, he continued, “She gave birth to a son less than two years after Carrie. Edwina doesn’t even know her son’s name. She deliberately got pregnant and then offered the baby to Kingston for a price. He paid her and took the child the day it was born.”
Seeing the shocked faces, he finished by saying, “That means somewhere out there, the four of you have a brother.”