She climbs off my lap and picks up some pebbles. I give her the space she needs to process what she’s able to, even if she has no idea how this will impact her life.
She’ll probably never see Sean again and now has to deal with someone new coming into the fold.
I’ve learned over the years never to rush Leia. She’ll talk when she’s ready.
Ten minutes later, she tosses a pebble. “Does that make Wren my sister?”
“Yes.”
“Her mommy died.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know she never met her?”
“I do.”
Another pebble drops in the creek.
“That’s sad. I can’t imagine not having you.”
I have to push back the tears. “I can’t imagine not having you.”
She throws the last pebble and walks back over to me, sitting on the rock next to me. I try not to read too much into the fact that she didn’t sit on my lap.
“Do I have to live with him?” she asks.
“No. Eventually you might want to spend some nights there, but that’s way down the line.”
“So Mrs. Owens is my grandma?”
I nod again.
“I haven’t met Wren’s dad.”
“He wants to meet you.”
Her face turns toward me, alarm flashing in her eyes. “He does?”
“Yeah.” I hope one day she doesn’t hate me for the decisions I made back then.
“Okay,” she whispers, not looking at me.
My heart lifts with relief that this part is over. Sure, we have a long way to go, but she knows the truth now.
God, I hate it when Levi’s right.
Chapter Thirty-One
Bennett
My parents are big on weekly family dinners, so I figure I’ll just tell everyone tonight, then take Wren for a long walk around the lake on the way home and tell her that her new best friend is actually her sister.
“Hello!” I call when Wren opens the door to my mom and dad’s place.
Mack, Lottie and Brooks’s dog, saunters over, and Wren falls down to her knees, giving him a hug. I didn’t even think about using Mack, but he might be my tool to get Wren out of the house.
“Hey, why don’t you play with Mack outside?” I say, tossing the tennis ball at her that’s always covered in drool.
