"Youaremy kids," Sam said fiercely.
Chase made a choked sound, stood up, and hugged Sam hard. Lola wiped her first tears away, then didn't bother with the rest; there were too many to catch, anyway. Finally, Chase mumbled, "But you know what I mean," into Sam's shoulder, and the older man nodded.
"We can't not tell them, though."
"Oh, God, no," Chase croaked. "I'm just going to get a ration of shit about 'we always knew you were his favorite' and things like that."
Sam, indignant enough to make Lola laugh through her tears, said, "You were not!"
Chase put Sam back a bit, grinning at him a little wetly. "No, I know. You always liked Stephanie best."
"I did not!" Sam paused. "I likedEllenbest. She always made my coffee right."
Chase managed another wet coughing laugh and hugged Sam again. "No, you didn't. Although yes, she did. She still makes a mean cup of coffee."
"No, I didn't," Sam agreed, muffled in his son's shoulder. "I love all of you kids with all of my heart. I would have wasted away to nothing without you."
"And then there wouldn't be a happily ever after with Lola," Chase said hoarsely. He stepped back, wiping his eyes and smiling lopsidedly at Lola. "Sorry. I'm a little overwhelmed."
"Sam and I have been welling up constantly the past few days," she assured him. "You're more than entitled to a few tears of your own."
"God." Chase wiped his eyes again. "So when is this DNA technician coming over?"
Sam shrugged. "I don't expect them to be here this afternoon, although who knows? Garius said he'd send someone as soon as he could."
"Great. Okay, good. Enough time for me to pull myself together." Chase glanced toward the dining room. "And tell the others. Dad, is it all right if I go talk to them myself? I feel like this is a sibling thing."
"Yes, of course. Lola and I will get dressed and meet you in the dining room in a while."
Chase nodded, gave Lola another crooked smile, and maneuvered around the couches as he headed toward the back of the house, although he stopped as he reached the huge fireplace that made up the great room's back 'wall.' "You know it wouldn't really change anything?" he asked carefully.
"Of course," Lola said gently. "You're already a family, Chase. That's obvious. I'll still be a new person in your life. But it would do my heart so much good to know that my baby found his way to a family that loved him as much as your father and siblings love you."
Chase said, "Thank you," with a smile that made him look about half his age, and disappeared toward the kitchen.
Sam came to sit next to Lola on the couch, arm around her shoulders so he could kiss her hair. "That was very brave. I told you, you're the bravest person I've ever known."
"It was what he needed to hear," Lola whispered. "And it was true. All of it. Iwantour baby to have found a family who loved him. If that family happens to have a biological connection nobody expected, that's wonderful. But what really matters is that he grew up safe and happy and loved. I want that more than anything else, Sam. I really do."
"I know." He kissed her hair again, and despite his promise to Chase, instead of leading her upstairs, he sank back into the couch with her and held on. "It's all going to turn out okay."
CHAPTER16
Two afternoons later,a crisply-dressed woman of around forty appeared on the doorstep with a briefcase that proved to house a small, ultra-modern DNA testing kit. "Doctor Jacinda Reynolds," she said with a firm handshake, first for Sam, then Lola, and finally for an unusually tongue-tied Chase. "The Gladiator Foundation sent me. Is there somewhere we can set up?"
When Chase failed to answer, Sam said, "The library, I think. Let me show you the way," and tucked his arm into Lola's, leading them all to the library. Chase trailed along behind, evidently too nervous to talk, and sat on the least comfortable couch in there, watching Dr Reynolds with wide eyes. She was, Sam thought, a striking woman: tightly curled black hair worn in a short crop, deep brown eyes, and cheekbones that would still be fabulous when she was ninety. She wore a skirted business suit in royal purple, with a cream blouse and gold jewelry, and Sam rather thought Chase wasn't just stricken with nerves, but appreciation. That was good: Chase spent far too much time taking care of Sam, and not enough taking care of himself.
"How long will it take to get the results, Dr Reynolds?" Sam asked curiously as she set up her kit. It was much smaller and more elegant than he'd expected, although truthfully he didn't know what hehadexpected. A portable laboratory, maybe. Something with beakers and swirling glass tubes. Very pulp horror, now that he was actually thinking about it.
The corner of Dr Reynolds' mouth turned up. "About ninety minutes."
"Really?" That was the first word Chase had managed since she arrived, and it was spoken in tandem with Sam and Lola.
"I assumed it would take days, or weeks," Lola said, astonished. "And also, I have to admit I was expecting something…larger." She gestured at the tidy setup, and this time Dr Reynolds smiled a little more.
"The Gladiator Foundation has some very advanced technology. But even a run of the mill laboratory can turn results around in a couple of hours, assuming they don't have a backlog and do have the right equipment. If you'll open your mouth?" she said to Sam, who did. She swabbed the inside of his cheek, then did the same to Chase. "Give me a few minutes," she suggested. "Let me get the program running, and then I'd be delighted to accept that cup of coffee you were about to offer me."
That was directed at Chase, who blinked as if thunderstruck, then hastily said, "Yes, coffee, of course, would you like—yes, you just said you would. Let me…I'll…" He cast a nervous look at Sam, who smiled as beatifically as he could and offered Lola a hand up from the couch.
