Chapter 2 Gutted #3
Duncan’s statement from earlier floated through my mind. “He thought I was dead.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“That’s what he went to find out. In the meantime, know this. If he couldn’t have you, he didn’t want anyone else.”
“I felt the same way. Still do.”
“Good, because you need to be prepared. Duncan won’t waste any time going after what he wants. And what he wants is you and his kids. My guess is he’ll be at your doorstep the second he rolls back into town tomorrow.“
“Now I’m nervous.”
“You have nothing to fear with him. He’s one of the best men I know. Just do me a favor? Don’t be too hard on him, but also don’t cave too easily. Make him sweat a little.”
I cracked a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be his friend?”
“Yes, but I’m yours too.” She sobered. “You deserve to be happy. You both do.”
She kissed the side of my head, then left me to my thoughts.
And, oh boy, there were a lot of them. First and foremost, Rogan and Reagan.
My babies were smart. If they hadn’t already figured out something was going on, it wouldn’t be long before the questions started.
The problem was, I didn’t know how to answer them.
What I did know was I couldn’t hide away in the bathroom any longer.
It was time to face the music. And by music, I meant my brother.
After splashing a bit of cold water on my face, I went in search of Finn. Luckily, all I had to do was follow the sound of giggles to the living room. Finn and Way had the twins between them, tickling them mercilessly, while my sister, Shannon, looked on with a smile.
Shoot.
In all the chaos, I’d completely forgotten about Shannon.
We’d only just discovered her existence a few weeks ago when I received the results from one of those mail-order DNA tests.
Finn and I used to joke about possibly having another sibling since our father had a hard time keeping it in his pants––pun intended.
Color me surprised when it turned out we actually did.
She’d flown to Huntington earlier in the morning from her home in Texas to meet us in person for the first time. Lord, what she must think of me.
“Mommy, save me,” Reagan squealed when she saw me.
All eyes came to me, giving Rogan the distraction he needed to wiggle free from the tickle-fest. He jumped off the couch and took off at a dead run, his bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors.
Even though I braced for impact, he still knocked me back a step or two when he slammed into me at full force.
“Home base,” he yelled, wrapping his arms tight around my waist.
“No fair,” Reagan pouted.
“Ro, what have I told you about doing that?” Finn scolded. “You’re going to hurt your mother one of these days.”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s okay, Love.” I ruffled his thick brown hair.
Waverly pushed up off the couch. “All right, munchkins. Let’s go clean up the mess you made in Uncle Finn’s office.”
“Oh man,” Rogan complained, but his sister took a different approach.
“Aunt Way?”
“Yeah?”
Reagan twisted her fingers around each other nervously. I grinned, knowing exactly what she was going to say before the words left her mouth. My girl rarely missed an opportunity for dessert, even if she had to come out of her shell to ask for it.
“If we do a good job, can we have more cake?”
Waverly stooped down, bopping her on the nose. “Great idea.”
“Yes.” She pumped her fist in victory, making us all laugh.
The twins took off up the stairs with Way and Shannon on their heels, leaving me alone with my big brother. Finn patted the cushion next to him, an invitation I took a step further by cuddling into him the way I did when we were younger. His arm circled my shoulders as I buried my face in his side.
“How’s your hand?” I eventually asked.
“Sore,” he grunted. “The guy’s jaw is made of stone.”
“You can’t just go around punching people, Finn.”
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Waverly. I have no regrets.” Minutes passed. “What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea.”
“Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back.”
“Thank you, Finn.”
“No need to thank me, Sloane. I’m your brother. It’s what I do.”
The extra dessert hadn’t helped when it came to getting the twins settled for bed.
It took two and a half rounds of story time before their sugar high took a nosedive.
Unfortunately, sleep didn’t come quite so easily for me, or at all really.
After tossing and turning for the better part of the night, I ended up in the kitchen at four in the morning, trying out a new recipe for cinnamon buns.
Baking was an escape, a way to quiet my restless energy.
It took precision and patience, both of which were eluding me at the moment.
After pitching the second batch of disastrous buns into the trash can, I gave up.
It was no use. My mind was cruising down Overload Highway without any brakes.
Seeing Rogan––er––Duncan again was just the cherry on top of my massive poop sundae. It was all getting to be too much.
A couple months ago, my dad was diagnosed with renal failure.
The doctors started him on dialysis with the hopes of a kidney transplant in the near future.
I was tested, but sadly wasn’t a match. My father vehemently refused to tell Finn since the two of them got along about as well as oil and water.
Understandably, I was upset, so when Mom mailed me a DNA test, I presumed she was simply trying to cheer me up.
There was too much going on in my life to think about it again after I spat in the provided test tube and sent the kit back in.
Finn was in the process of relocating his company, Lachlan Industries, to Huntington while also dealing with a stalker situation.
As his chief financial officer, the plan was for me to join him once everything was settled.
In the interim, the kids and I went to visit my mom in Tennessee.
We were there for about a week when I got the results from the DNA test via email.
I must’ve stared at the words “half sister” for days on the website before the shock finally wore off.
Contacting Shannon was strange, to say the least. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for us to get over the initial awkwardness of the situation.
We spent hours talking on the phone, getting to know one another, and even made plans to meet face-to-face.
Everything was going great, until one afternoon I mistook Mom’s phone for mine.
What I read in the text thread between my parents made me sick to my stomach.
Not only had they known about Shannon, they’d used me to find her, all in an effort to get a dang kidney.
It was obvious my father didn’t give a crap that he had another daughter, not when he used the phrase “spare donor” with such callous disregard.
The longer I read, the more my blood boiled.
When I reached the last text––which was time-stamped from the night before––I saw red.
Mom promised to have the twins tested if all else failed.
My twins.
My babies.
F that!
I packed up the kids and drove straight to Finn.
That all happened a few weeks ago and I hadn’t spoken to her once.
In hindsight, it wasn’t my finest moment, but I abhorred confrontation.
Eventually, I wouldn’t have a choice. Her nonstop calls and unanswered messages would continue to pour in until I pulled up my big girl panties and did something about it, or worse, let Finn handle it like he threatened.
Needless to say, my plate was overflowing.
When the last of the baking dishes were cleaned, I poured myself a cup of coffee, added a splash of cream, then curled up on the living room sofa.
Looking around, I took in my surroundings.
It was nice, but it didn’t feel like home.
Probably because it wasn’t. One thing escaped me during my impromptu move, signing a lease on a house.
As luck would have it, Finn had perfect timing.
He asked Waverly to move in with him within days of our arrival, which left her cottage empty and available.
It wasn’t exactly what I’d always dreamed of, but it would do until I found something more permanent.
Taking a sip of French roasted deliciousness, I closed my eyes and allowed the stillness of the early morning to seep into my weary bones.
The tranquility wouldn’t last long, not with two seven-year-olds.
Rogan and Reagan were early risers. Even when they were babies, their internal alarm clock wouldn’t let them sleep much past six thirty, as if doing so meant they’d miss out on whatever the day had to offer.
Soon enough, they’d blast through my peace and quiet, bringing wave after wave of unsuppressed energy with them.
I needed another cup of coffee…or ten.