Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
Delaney
Where would she go?
I see the frantic expression on Bennett’s face, and my own heart practically beats out of my chest. He goes one way with Leia, and I go the other. Wren couldn’t have gotten that far.
Rounding the back of my parents’ house, I continue down to Levi’s small coach house, and the sound of sobs calms the beating of my heart. I peek around the corner of his house to find Wren huddled on the back stoop, knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them with her head buried, crying.
Bennett comes along the other side, obviously hearing what I did, and I put my hand on my heart, silently asking if I can be the one to talk to her. He nods and disappears around the side of the building.
“Wren,” I say gently so she doesn’t run again. I sit down next to her without touching her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She shakes her head.
This is so unlike her. She usually owns her feelings so well. She always speaks what she feels, so this must be worse than we thought.
“Okay, you don’t have to.”
She cries harder, her back racking. My hands itch to comfort her, but at this point, I think she’d push me away.
“Why does she have to have my daddy? He’s all…” More tears fall from her eyes. “He’s mine.”
“I’m sure it’s hard sharing his attention.” My hand reaches out, but I retract it when she picks up her head.
“She gets a daddy and a mommy, and now I have to share him and everyone else. They’re my family.”
“I get it. I do, Wren. This situation is hard. I think it was all exciting in the beginning to find out your best friend turned out to be your sister.”
“Half sister,” she corrects.
I inhale deeply because she heard that from someone, and I wonder who it was. My bet is one of the kids at school before it let out, or she overheard someone in town gossiping.
“Regardless, she is your sister, and your daddy is her daddy.”
“Yeah, and she gets both of you, and I only have half of a daddy now.”
I slide a little closer. “You have a full daddy. He loves you both, and as far as you only having a daddy, I would like that to change.”
“How?” she asks, tears still in her eyes.
I wrap my arm around her back and rest my head on top of hers. “I would love to be your mommy. I know you have one already, and I would never try to replace her, but I’d like to be an extra one.”
She lifts her head, so I lift mine, our eyes meeting. The surprise she’s reflecting back to me says I did a shit job of making my intentions clear to her.
“I love you, Wren, like you’re my own.”
“That’s just because you love Daddy. Johnny said that’s what happens. Women fall in love with daddies, and they pretend to love the kids until they don’t love the daddy anymore.”
Fuck you, Johnny.
“That’s not true for me. Sure, I would’ve never gotten to know you or grown to love you had I not fallen in love with your daddy first, but I want all of us, all four of us, to be a family.
I want us to support and love one another like a family.
Blood doesn’t bond people together. It’s your heart that does that.
I think the four of us are pretty great together. ”
She rests her head on the back of the house, her tears having subsided a little. “But I’m the odd one out. You three are a family, and I’m only Daddy’s.”
My heart squeezes painfully. “There is no divide. It is four of us, and that’s it. You live with Jensen and Nash, right?”
She nods.
“And you love them both?” I arch an eyebrow.
Wren nods again.
“But Jensen is the only one related to you. Nash is the family you chose.” I let her think that over for a moment before I speak again. “The way I see it, there is no half or full. It’s just family, our family.”
She catches her breath, still taking deep breaths. “You really want that?”
I run my hand down her hair. “Want what, honey?”
“To be my mom?”
I smile and cup her cheek. “More than anything.”
“I’ve never had one before,” she says quietly.
Tears well in my eyes. I wrap my arms around her and bring her into me.
“Oh, Wren, I want to braid your hair in the morning, I want to read you bedtime stories, I want to hug you good night and give you a pep talk before school when you’re nervous for a test. I want to be your cheering squad and your psychologist. I even want you to be sassy to me in your teen years.
I might leave driving lessons to your dad though. ”
She tilts her head up to look at me. “That sounds nice.”
I push back a strand of her hair sticking to her forehead, “I think so too. So, yes, you have to share your daddy, but Leia has to share me with you because you are mine.”
“Yours?”
I nod. “Forever. I love you, my sweet, spirited daughter.”
She smiles, and I hug her tightly.
Bennett comes along the side of the coach house with Leia in tow. “Can we interrupt? We feel like this is the time for a family hug.”
I draw back and wait for Wren to answer. She nods, and Leia comes in fast, wrapping her arms around Wren’s neck. Bennett squats, his eyes on me with a smile of pure joy as he completes our family hug.
“I’m sorry, Leia. I’m happy you’re my sister,” Wren says.
Leia squeezes her neck harder. “I know. I love you, Wren.”
“I love you too.” Wren looks at each of us. “All of you.”
We all cling a little tighter to each other.
I feel so blessed to have come here during the worst time of my life and found exactly where I belong and who I belong to.