Chapter Thirteen
Justin paced around the living room of the guest cottage, reminded of a similar meeting he had with his siblings last summer. When Izzy still lived here. At the time, they’d just found out that their father had cheated on their mother and the result of one of his apparently numerous affairs was a half-sister. She’d reached out to Dad’s attorney and asked for information about the family. His sisters wanted to meet this woman they’d never heard about, and he’d begrudgingly agreed.
And then nothing.... until a few weeks ago. Mr. Flemming had called. Rachel was ready to meet them. He hadn’t told the girls yet—too wrapped up in his own troubles to borrow more with a half-sister he wasn’t sure he wanted in his life. But he’d waited long enough. They deserved to know.
Just as he turned on his phone to check the time, Izzy bounded through the door, Freddie prancing happily on his three legs, beside her, on a leash.
He raised his eyebrow. His sister and her Jack Russell were quite the pair.
“What can I say? He missed the old place.”
“He’s a dog. As long as he has a warm bed and a full belly, he’s happy.”
Izzy scooped him up, cuddling him to her cheek. “That’s not all you are, is it, sweetie? You like to play ball and give kisses.” She chuckled as he did exactly that, his tongue darting across her mouth.
Before he could close the door, Serena burst through it. Thankfully she didn’t have any animals with her tonight. That might be a first. She was always begging one or the other of them to foster an at-risk animal from her shelter. He’d had any number of cats and dogs, and even a ferret one time. But he and Maddie had wanted to wait until Aiden was older before they chose a family pet. Taking care of a dog or cat would be a great way for Aiden to learn responsibility. Then their marriage headed in a southerly direction and an animal had been the furthest thing from his mind. Besides, why would he subject an animal to the upheaval he himself had escaped?
“Hey, big brother.” Serena stretched up and pecked his cheek. He didn’t know how the spunkier of his twin sisters always kept such a positive attitude, especially dealing with some of the saddest cases of animal neglect and cruelty. But Serena had a big heart and never let anything get her down. “Has anyone heard from Alexis? I texted her earlier and she didn’t answer.”
“She told me she was coming, but that was about it. Come to think of it, I haven’t spoken to her in a while. But I’ve had other things on my mind recently.” Like how he was going to fix a relationship that had skidded completely into the ditch. Working at the store with Maddie today had been great. Except for that one moment at the end when she got upset thinking about having a baby, they had worked together like they used to. If only Chris hadn’t interrupted before he could really kiss Maddie. It had been all he could do to not lock the door and make good use of the desk.
“Wow, big brother. What put that smile on your face?”
He hadn’t realized he was smiling. But if thinking of Maddie could make him smile, he had hope that he could bring the romance back into their relationship. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Before I forget, I have something I need your help with. Remind me to talk about it after we’re done.”
He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She would beg him to help with whatever project she had, he would protest, throw up any number of reasons why he couldn’t, and in the end, he’d be there anyway. Serena knew this about him. She should just put the events straight onto his calendar—it would certainly be easier. And quicker.
Izzy ambled into the living room from the kitchen where she had obviously helped herself to one of his beers. She tipped the brown bottle up and drew a long gulp, sighing as she lowered the bottle. “That’s good.”
“You don’t have your own beer at home?”
“Turnabout is fair play. You always drank my beer when I lived here, and I figured it was the responsibility of the host to provide the refreshments.” The humor in her voice wasn’t lost on him. Yeah, he’d spent his fair share of hours hanging out with Izzy before she moved in with Tanner. He’d been able to escape the strain in his own home and get a fresh cup of hi-test coffee or a beer at a time Maddie had forbidden it. Little had he known that this would end up becoming his house after all.
He checked his phone again. “I wonder what could be keeping Alexis.”
Izzy collapsed onto the couch. “Let’s start without her. Tanner is waiting for me to come home.” She waggled her eyebrows at the two of them and Serena giggled. It wasn’t like Justin didn’t know the reality of Izzy’s relationship with Tanner, but he didn’t like thinking about his baby sister all grown up.
But all of his sisters were adults. And so was Rachel, the woman who was asking to meet them.
“I guess you’re right. Serena can catch her up later.” It’s not like they wouldn’t discuss it anyway. Despite the concerns they had expressed about Alexis recently, Serena and her twin were still close.
Justin sank into the chair beside the fireplace. Izzy had always said this was her favorite place to sit and read a book or just relax, and he could see why. Mom had done a good job when she’d decorated this room. He was thankful she hadn’t already re-rented the cottage to tenants after Izzy had announced her engagement to Tanner. Having this option had made his decision to take a break from his marriage that much easier. But who knows? Maybe it shouldn’t be that easy to separate, or whatever it was he and Maddie were now.
Either way, it was done.
And it wasn’t just good for him. There were noticeable changes in Maddie since he’d moved out. Some of the shadows that haunted her had lifted, and she smiled a lot more. And she’d come into the store today. That was a huge step. They hadn’t had much time to talk about their marriage and what needed to heal, but maybe they’d have a chance for that tomorrow at dinner. He may not have been back except to pick her up for their date, but that didn’t mean he didn’t drive by almost every day, parking down the street and staring at the windows. He knew each night when Aiden went to bed, the pale blue light in his bedroom window going dark. If only Justin could be there to tuck him in.
He hadn’t spent enough time with Aiden since he moved out. That was something that had to change.
“Justin?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.”
The door swung open and Alexis made her way into the cottage. She was moving slower than she normally did. She’d never had the same level of energy and enthusiasm as her twin, but the differences between her and Serena had become significant. Alexis didn’t look good. Her eyes were bloodshot and shadows haunted them. Like she wasn’t sleeping. Much like he had looked when he and Maddie were struggling to get pregnant.
He crossed the room and pulled his sister into his arms. She stiffened for a minute and then relaxed. He leaned close and whispered so only she could hear. “Everything okay?”
She nodded against his chest. He didn’t believe her. Not for one minute. But he couldn’t borrow more trouble than he could handle right now.
“I was just getting ready to talk about my phone call with Mr. Flemming.” He returned to his chair and Alexis perched on the couch next to Serena. Serena threw her sister a glance, and Alexis tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. The twins had always been able to communicate without words, ever since they were little. It was clear that Serena was as concerned about Alexis as he was.
“Is Rachel ready to meet with us?” Izzy practically vibrated with excitement. She had been wary at first, like all of them, when they’d found out they had a half-sister. But she’d come around. Justin still wasn’t sure about meeting this woman, but this wasn’t his decision to make alone. It affected all of them, including Mom.
“She called Mr. Flemming a couple of weeks ago. She’s finally ready. Turns out she’s taking classes at UPenn and comes into the city several times a week.”
Izzy sat up taller. “A couple of weeks ago? And you’re just now telling us?”
He shot Izzy a look and she shrunk back. He’d had some other stuff to deal with recently, and she knew it.
“Sorry.”
“When does she want to meet?” Alexis’s question surprised him as she had been the one most wary of meeting their half-sister. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with Rachel when they’d first heard about her. “And what about Mom?”
Izzy jumped back into the conversation. “Mom already knew about Rachel. Dad always said that if she came asking about us, that Mr. Flemming was to give her our information. He left it up to her whether she wanted to reach out. We owe it to Rachel to meet her, don’t you think? Aren’t you the least bit curious about her? I know I am.”
Alexis just shrugged. She’d always said she felt lost in their family, that as the youngest and a twin, she never had an identity of her own. Now add in another half-sister, and he couldn’t blame Alexis for being cautious. But it wasn’t like Dad was around anymore to divide his time with their new-found sister. Shoot, from the way Mom told it, Dad hadn’t seen Rachel since right after she was born. That had to hurt. He couldn’t imagine if one of his parents had written him off like that.
That was why it was so important for Aiden to know that Justin was still in his life, even if he wasn’t with Maddie. But Justin wasn’t ready to give up on his marriage just yet.
“It’s up to us. Mr. Flemming gave me her cell phone number. She said to contact her when we’re ready to meet. At this point, I’ll do whatever you guys decide.”
“I say we meet her. I still can’t believe we have another sister,” Serena said.
“I agree. It’s been long enough,” Izzy added.
Justin’s gaze landed on Alexis. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and glanced at her twin before adding in her own two cents. “Whatever you guys think is best.”
He hurt for his sister and whatever demons she was dealing with right now. Of all of them, she seemed to be the one who’d struggled the most to find what she wanted out of life. It was something their Dad had tried to instill in him from an early age. Shoot, Justin may never have been a professional baseball player if it hadn’t been for Dad. There were many nights it was just the two of them in the backyard, Dad lobbing fly balls over and over until Justin collapsed from exhaustion. But by the time Justin was a teenager, Dad didn’t play catch anymore. Dad barely made it through dinner without passing out drunk.
He had been at his worst when the girls were little and Justin tried as hard as he could to protect them from his tirades. It didn’t always work.
“Should I text her now? Or maybe call her. I have no clue what the proper protocol is for reaching out to the sister you never knew you had.”
“Text,” Serena and Izzy shouted in unison.
Well that was that. He swiped his thumb across his screen to turn on his phone. He’d already saved Rachel’s contact information, afraid he would misplace it before they could meet. He started typing. This is Justin Harper. Mr. Flemming gave me your information. My sisters and I would like to meet you.
Justin slid his phone back on the table. “There. I’ll let you guys know when she answers.”
Izzy leapt up from the couch and Freddie circled her feet, barking and nipping at her ankles. “So that’s all?”
Justin chuckled. “Yes, that’s all. You can go back to your fiancé now.”
“Thanks, big brother.” She rushed over and threw her arms around him and was out the door before he could even catch his breath.
“I’m going, too. See you later, Serena.” Alexis scooted out the door before either of them could say anything. Serena stared at her twin’s departing backside until the door closed behind her. She just shook her head.
His concern grew. “What’s going on with her?”
“I don’t exactly know. For once, she’s being secretive. Even with me. That’s what worries me. At least she’s visiting with Mom a lot. Hopefully she can get Alexis to open up and tell her what’s going on.”
“I hope so, too. So, what’s this favor you need from me?”
Serena tucked her hands between her knees and waggled on the couch. “I’m having an event at the shelter and I could use your help. Well, honestly, I’m hoping that both you and Maddie can come.”
“Serena, don’t meddle.”
She raised her right hand. “I’m not meddling. I promise. I just need more adults for my foster day.”
“You’re having an adoption open house again?” As best as he could tell, Serena’s burden was always lighter after she invited the town out to the shelter to visit with the animals. But it never took long before her kennels and stalls were full again.
“Not exactly. This event’s a little different. We’re calling it Foster to Foster. Tanner hooked me up with an agency in Philadelphia. They’re bringing out some of their foster kids to play with the animals.”
“I don’t know, Serena. I’m not sure Maddie will be up to it.” The last thing he wanted was for Maddie to be pressured into something she wasn’t ready for. Not after they had made so much progress already.
“No worries. I’ve already texted her. She’s in.”
“Hold on, Maddie’s okay with it? She hasn’t been able to handle being around other kids recently.” And given how she teared up at the mere thought of them not trying to get pregnant while they were separated, he was surprised she hadn’t put up more of a fight.
“She said she’s fine. That she’s excited.”
“Then you should have just told me when and where to show up.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?” The grin on her face grew.
He had another opportunity to spend time with Maddie. It wasn’t exactly a date, but he would take it. The more time they spent together doing normal things, just being a couple, or as close to a couple as they could, given the circumstances, the better chance they had of healing their marriage.
Serena threw her arms around him. Again. “Thanks, Justin. I knew I could count on you. This is going to be great. And you watch. You and Maddie will be back together in no time.”
“I told you, no meddling.” He had trouble adding rebuke to his tone. His family might be all up in his business, but at times like this, who else could you count on?