Page 31 of So Much More
“I know you’re sorry, and I understand why you didn’t tell me the truth. But I wish you had at least told me about you kicking him out. When I was little, I didn’t need to know all the reasons why.”
Mom sighs. “Wendy, we were so young and so dumb—both me and your father. Neither of us had the first clue how to be a spouse or a parent.”
“I doubt anyone does until they do it, but I can’t fathom trying to figure all of that out as a teenager. Imagine Daniel or Ryan attempting to be a husband or a dad. Yeesh.”
“Don’t I know it? I adore your brothers, but they’re still boys and are, in many ways, completely clueless. But enough about them. Tell me about Randall.”
My lips automatically turn up into a smile. “It’s early days, and we’re taking things slow. He’s had some bad relationship experiences in his past, as have I, and we both want to try to do it right this time.”
“That’s a great idea. But him meeting your half-sister doesn’t seem to be taking things slow. That’s a big move.”
“Yes, but we’ve been friends for a while, and he knows me well. It’s not like we met each other yesterday. He cares about me, and he wants to make sure she’s not going to try to take advantage of me.”
“I like this man a lot already.”
“So do I.” I know she can hear the smile in my voice.
“I’m so happy for you, honey. You deserve a man who’ll treat you like a queen—like your dad treats me.”
“Thanks, Mom. Now, when and where is Randall supposed to meet Andrea?”
“She’s staying at the Lakeview Hotel downtown. She’ll be in town for a wedding, and the only free time she has is Saturday morning. She said she’ll be at the hotel restaurant eating breakfast between eight and nine.”
I jot down the details on the notepad by my phone. “Okay, how will he know what she looks like?”
Mom clears her throat. “It seems he won’t have any trouble picking her out.”
“And why is that?”
“Because she looks exactly like you.”
“Are you kidding me?” I’m not sure how I feel about this information.
“No, Jack said the two of you could easily be mistaken for twins. In fact, when she sent him a photo of herself, he thought it was you playing an elaborate joke on him.”
“So there’s no doubt she really is his daughter and not some con artist?”
“That’s what it sounds like. The man has some strong genes.”
* * *
“You two seem more like sisters than aunt and niece. I love that,” I say to Leslie’s aunt Starla and cousin Beckett over dinner on Friday night. The two came to visit from Missouri for the weekend, and Leslie invited me out for a girls’ night with them.
“We’re only ten years apart in age,” Beckett explains, “and I lived with Aunt Star for several years before I got married. In fact, if it weren’t for her, I might not be married, or I might have ended up with someone other than my husband, which would have been a tragedy.” She laughs, and I smile at how much she sounds like Leslie.
“So apparently Starla gives fantastic relationship advice,” I say, “if she helped both you and Leslie end up with the loves of your lives.”
“I didn’t always get it right with either of them,” Starla says. “And please call me Aunt Star. I don’t want you to feel left out with these two.” She points to her two nieces. “After all, you’re dating my niece’s boyfriend’s brother, so we’re practically family.”
“For a while there, Wendy was threatening to become my sister-in-law in a totally different way,” Leslie teases.
Aunt Star’s eyebrows raise. “Shannon?”
I can’t help but blush when I remember the way I fawned over Leslie’s twin brother when I first got wind of his existence and saw his picture. The man is exceedingly handsome, not to mention charming.
“Oh, yes,” Leslie says. “She even called him ‘Sexy Shannon.’”
“Hey,” I retort, “you hated when I called him that.”
