Chapter Thirty-Seven
Waiting for the DNA test results was going to make Jesse insane, he thought after two days had passed without a word from the lab.
He would barely be able to function until he had confirmation that Carolyn was his sister.
Because he wanted it to be official before he told anyone, he hadn’t yet answered the text from Sam asking how it was going.
His phone buzzed with a text from Carolyn. Could we meet for lunch today? Just us?
Yes, of course. Where?
She gave him the name of a restaurant and suggested they meet at twelve thirty.
I’ll be there.
Since Memphis was still asleep, he went to the lobby to get coffee and something to eat. He felt like a zombie, wandering through life looking like a functioning human when his every nerve was on full alert as he waited for proof of what he already knew to be true.
Carolyn was Jordan.
He’d known it the second he’d first laid eyes on her, and she’d confirmed it when she’d called him by name after not having seen him for twenty-six years.
She’d remembered their grandparents’ dog’s name, something she never could’ve known if she hadn’t been there to love that dog with her whole heart and soul.
She’d loved him like that, too, and he had to believe her heart remembered that.
He took coffee and a muffin upstairs to Memphis, who was just waking up when he returned. She was so adorable first thing in the morning, with her mass of curly hair and rosy cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said when he handed her the coffee and muffin.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Pretty good. I slept straight through for the first time.”
“That’s great news. No pain?”
“Not bad enough to wake me up.” She glanced up at him. “Did you sleep at all?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Jesse…” She patted the bed next to her. “Come sit with me.”
He didn’t want to sit or sleep or talk or do anything other than get the official word that Carolyn was indeed his sister. But because he loved Memphis, he kicked off his shoes and sat next to her to drink his second cup of coffee.
“Carolyn asked me to meet her for lunch.”
“Oh, Jesse… That’s wonderful.”
“Don’t get too excited. She might want to tell me to fuck off with this nightmare I’ve unleashed on her life.”
“She won’t do that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“When we were sitting at the table with her and Kane, she never took her eyes off you. The whole time, she was laser-focused on you. She knew you. She knows what you told her is true. Now it just has to be proved to Kane and the rest of their family.”
“Remember when I said I didn’t want to look into her at all until I laid eyes on her and got a sense of whether it was her?”
“I do.”
“I’m worried about the people who raised her finding out that I’m here and doing something desperate to preserve their lies.”
“Since you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, I looked into her family.”
“Wait. You did?”
“It was a long ride to Kentucky. I was bored.”
“Wow, that’s nice,” he said sarcastically.
“What? You said six words the whole time, which I totally understood, but I had to keep myself busy. I wanted to be ready for whatever we might encounter here.”
Smiling, he shook his head. After working with her for years, he shouldn’t be surprised that she’d put her mad investigative skills to work for him. “You’re too much. What’d you find out?”
They were staying about fifteen miles from Lewisburg, at the closest hotel they could find.
“She’s the only child of Alberta and Miller Cooperton.”
“What’s their deal?”
“He’s an engineer at the local electric company, and she’s a homemaker who’s active in her church and volunteers for a number of community organizations.”
“I wonder if she’s doing that because she has a guilty conscience.”
“Keep in mind that the Coopertons may also be victims of this crime.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
“We don’t know how they came to have her, and until we do, we need to reserve judgment about people that Carolyn probably loves.”
“Don’t be rational. It’s annoying.”
She laughed. “One of us needs to be. And you need to be careful about how you approach her family situation with her. She may feel more loyalty to them than to you after all this time.”
“Yeah, that’s depressing but true. It occurred to me as I stared up at the ceiling all night that even once we prove she’s Jordan—”
“Which we will.
“But even when the test comes back conclusive, it’s not going to change anything for either of us. She has her life, and I have mine, and…”
“Jesse… This’ll change everything for both of you, as it should.”
“How so? She’ll go back to her husband and kids, to her business and her life, while I go home to DC and eventually return to work like nothing has happened.”
Memphis put her coffee on the bedside table and turned to him, wincing at the movement before placing her hand on his face to compel him to look at her.
“For the first time in all these years, you’ll know where your sister is.
When you close your eyes at night, you won’t be wondering if she’s alive and safe or dead and buried somewhere that you’ll never find her.
You’ll know where she is and who she’s with, and that will give you peace you haven’t had since you were a child. ”
“You’re right, as usual. It’s just that I want to go back in time and take back all the years that were stolen from us.”
“You can never do that, but what you can do is make the most of the years you have left by spending as much time with her as you can.”
“Her husband will never go for that.”
“I spent an hour with her, and I can tell you that she’s not the kind of woman who will tolerate him telling her what to do. She’ll want to be with you as much as you want to be with her, and the two of you will make that happen.”
“You sound so certain. What if she tells me at lunch that while she realized the story I’ve told her is true, she doesn’t want me in her life?”
“She’s not going to say that.”
“What if she does?”
“Then you still go home with the peace of mind that comes from knowing she’s alive and thriving in a life that she loves with people she loves who also love her.”
He squeezed the hand she’d wrapped around his. “Thank you for the perspective.”
“Of course. I have another question.”
“What’s that?”
“The two of you are victims of a crime. What do you plan to do about that?”
“I’m going to talk to her, and then I’ll update the FBI on the latest developments. I have what I want and need. Figuring out what happened and why will be their problem.”
“Jesse Best, I think that’s the healthiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
He pulled a face as he looked at her. “What does that mean?”
“I assumed the next step would’ve been to let the investigation consume you, which wouldn’t have been good for you. You’re too close to it and too emotionally involved to be objective. I thought I’d have to nudge you toward the FBI, but look at you! You got there all on your own.”
Jesse shifted onto his side so he could wrap his arm around her. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
“I am smart, and I get you. I know how you think and understand the thirst for vengeance. But it wouldn’t be in your best interest to investigate this case. You’re a victim, and you need to be treated as such by law enforcement.”
“I hate that word. ‘Victim.’ Most of the ‘victims’ I’ve met are the strongest people in the world.”
“Then that word suits you because you’ve had a very successful life and career despite being the victim of a heinous crime.”
“My career has been successful. The life, not so much, until recently.”
She gave him a coy look. “What happened recently?”
He brushed the hair back from her gorgeous face. “I let myself love someone for the first time since I lost Jordan, and that’s what finally made my life successful.”
She released a deep sigh as he kissed her. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I’m sorry it took you being nearly killed for me to get my head out of my ass.”
“I hate to think that being nearly killed may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to me—and us.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Well…”
“Thank you for sticking around long enough for me to see what was standing right in front of me for all that time.”
She started to unbutton his shirt. “What time is your lunch?”
He put a hand over hers to stop the unbuttoning. “Twelve thirty.”
“That’s in three hours.”
“I’m aware.”
“What do you suppose we should do with three hours to kill in a hotel room?”
“You’re not ready for what you have in mind.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“I hate to point out the obvious…”
“Don’t you dare pull rank on me when we’re in bed together, mister.”
“That’s Chief Deputy Marshal to you, Deputy Marshal.”
Her scowl made him laugh. “Never mind, then.”
When she would’ve turned away from him, he held her tighter. “I’m playing with you, and you know it. You’re the boss of me in all the ways that matter, and if you say you’re ready to get back to business as usual, then let’s go.”
“That’s more like it. Get naked.”
“You’re sure, babe?”
“It’s either going to be with you or some guy I find to do the job—”
He growled as he kissed her and then did as she requested and got naked. This would be the first time since her grievous injury and the first time since he admitted he loved her. “Will you tell me if it’s too much or you’re hurting—”
“You’re always too much, Marshal Best, and nothing hurts except for this one ache I can’t seem to manage.”
Smiling, he said, “Let me see what I can do about that.”
Jesse walked into the restaurant Carolyn had chosen, feeling energized by his morning in bed with his love. He’d never been more thankful in his life than he was to see Memphis returning to robust good health after a scary near miss that he couldn’t even think about without going weak in the knees.
Thinking about that, however, beat worrying about whatever Carolyn was going to say to him. As he slid into a booth, he tried to formulate a plan for what he’d do if she told him she didn’t want anything more to do with him.