Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
THREE MONTHS LATER
E lla
“Has Graham heard from his aunt yet about the wedding?” Jenni asked as I stood on the platform in my wedding dress.
“No. She would have responded by now. The wedding is in two weeks.”
“He’s better off without that woman anyway,” my mom said. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The door to the changing room opened and my Grandma Barb stepped out in her dress.
“Oh, Patsy. You look beautiful.” She stared at me.
Jenni’s brow arched as she and my mom looked at me.
“It’s me, Grandma. It’s Ella, not Patsy.”
“Don’t be silly, Patsy.” She grabbed hold of my arm. “I told Henry last night that I was pregnant.”
“What did he say?” I played along.
“He is so excited. Patsy, I’m so in love with him. He said we’ll move to Los Angeles, get married, and be a happy family. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him. I wonder what gender the baby is. What do you think? Boy or girl?”
“Boy.” I smiled.
She stared at me momentarily with narrowed eyes. “Who are you marrying again?”
“His name is Graham,” I said.
“Come on, Barb,” my mom spoke, taking her hand. “Sit down for a while.”
“Don’t you dare touch me!” My grandmother’s demeanor changed as she yanked her hand out of my mother’s. “If you think for one second Henry loves you, he doesn’t. And he will never know about that child you’re carrying. I’m pregnant with his four sons, and he would never abandon us.”
“I think she’s remembering Shaun’s mom,” Jenni whispered.
Grandma Barb took a seat in the chair and cupped her face. Suddenly, she looked at us.
“Ella, darling. Why are we here again?”
“To make sure our dresses fit for the wedding, Grandma.”
“That’s right.” She stood up.
My mom and I dropped Grandma Barb at home before heading to my house.
“Thank God for Curtis,” my mom said as we walked through the front door of my home.
“I know, but I’m afraid it might be too much for him to take care of her full-time. I suggested that he hire a home care nurse to come and stay with her so he can do things for himself.”
Later that evening, the front door opened, and Graham walked in.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight.
“Tough day?” I asked, kissing his lips.
“Yeah. Dr. Ashley and I lost a patient today.”
“Oh, Graham. I’m sorry.” I hugged him.
“Thanks, babe. Are we going down to the bonfire tonight?”
“Yeah. Some of my family is already down there.”
“Go save me a seat, and I’ll join you after I change.” He kissed me.
I grabbed a couple of beer bottles from the refrigerator and headed down the beach.
“Hi, sweetheart.” My dad smiled. “I heard you had an eventful day with your grandmother.”
“Yeah. Just a bit.” I twisted off the cap of my beer.
“Where’s Graham?” My Uncle Conner asked.
“He’s coming.” I smiled.
A few moments later, Graham joined us. While we were talking and laughing, we noticed a guy walking through the sand toward us.
“Hey, man. This is a private beach,” Shaun said.
“Which of you are Sam, Stefan, Sebastian, and Simon Kind?” he asked.
“The four of us are.” Simon pointed. “Who are you, and why are you asking?” He stood up.
“My name is Grady. I’m not sure how to put this, but I’m your half-brother.”
The beach went silent for a moment.
“Oh, shit.” My Uncle Conner chuckled.
“Excuse me? You’re a kid,” Simon said. “I don’t know what you’re after, but I suggest you get off our property.”
“We share the same father—Henry Kind.”
“Why not.” Sam threw his hands up.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Sebastian ran his hand down his face.
“How the fuck old are you?” Simon asked.
“Nineteen. My mother is—was Darlene Quinton.”
“Quinton. How do I know that name?” Stefan said.
“She used to work for us,” Sam said.
“Wait a second. Isn’t she one who was just gone one day? Right before Dad retired?”
“Yep. And when we asked Dad about her, he said she quit and moved to San Diego without notice,” Sam said.
“Now, we know why,” Shaun said.
I stood up, walked over to Grady, and stared at him closely.
“Yep. He’s a Kind,” I said.
“I’m sorry if you guys think I’m lying,” he said. “I’m not.”
“Other than our little genius and Kind detector, what makes you think we share the same father?” Simon asked.
“My mother talked about him a lot throughout the years. She would notice an expression on my face or how I said something and tell me that I looked and sounded just like my father, Henry.”
“You do realize that’s a bad thing, right?” Simon ran his hand down his face as he sat back down in his chair.
“And you decided to seek us out the second you turned nineteen?” Stefan asked.
“Wait a second. Nora is eighteen,” Sam said.
“Who’s Nora?” Grady asked.
“Our sister,” Simon spoke with irritation. “I’ll ask you one last time, kid. Why are you here?” Simon asked.
“My mother told me that my father had other children and that she left him because of it. But she lied. When I was cleaning out her things?—”
“Did she pass away?” Stefan asked.
“Yes. Three months ago. She went in for a routine surgical procedure and ended up developing a blood clot. It broke off and traveled to her lungs. The doctors did everything they could, but it wasn’t enough.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said to him.
“Thanks. As I was saying. I was cleaning out her things when I found a small box in her closet. Inside the box were pictures of her and my father. I never knew what he looked like because she told me she burned all his photos. With the pictures was a letter from our father to my mother. He told her to take the one million dollars he transferred to her account from his company funds and use it to take care of and raise me. He told her to move back home to San Diego and never contact him again. He said his family could never find out. He also forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which his lawyer drew up.”
“Do you have a copy of this non-disclosure agreement?” Shaun asked.
“I do. Back in my hotel room, along with the photos and the letter. And you are?”
“Your other brother, Shaun Kind.”
“My mother didn’t mention your name.”
“I hadn’t met the family yet, so she didn’t know anything about me,” Shaun spoke.
“Wait a second.” Sam held his finger up. “Did you say that the one million dollars came from the company’s funds?”
“That’s what the letter said. It’s all in there.”
“This is crazy,” Graham leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“This is the norm around here.” I glanced at him, tipping the bottle to my lips.
“Hey, Simon?” Nora walked over. “Grace and Milo are still out, and I need to run to the store. Can I borrow your motorcycle or car?”
“When did the shop say yours will be ready?” he asked.
“A couple of more days. Hey.” She smiled and gave a small wave to Grady. Who are you?”
“Apparently, your brother,” Simon said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Nora asked.
“You’re Nora?” Grady asked.
“Yeah.” Her brows furrowed. “Are you really my brother?”
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Nineteen.”
“Oh my God! I actually have a sibling who’s only one year older than me? Thank you!” She put her hands together and looked up at the sky.
“Go to the store, Nora!” Simon said. “In fact, take your newfound brother with you and get to know each other or something.”
“Cool. Come on, Grady.” Nora grinned.
“But, I’m not finished?—”
“You’re finished, Grady,” Sebastian said. “The family needs to talk about this situation privately.”