“You do nothing you’re not ready for,” he says. “But if you want to contact them … it’s safe to. They’re just two men who found out they have a brother and want to know him.”
My voice cracks. “A brother.”
Christian grins. “Two brotherrrs,” he growls in his terrible Scottish accent.
“Chris,” Vanessa warns.
“What?” He shrugs. “He’s got Scottish brothers. Let me have this.”
Everyone laughs softly, and the pressure in my chest loosens, just a little.
Charlie squeezes my hand. “You don’t have to decide tonight.”
“When you’re ready,” Sienna adds gently, “you have all of us right here supporting you.”
I look around the table, my chosen family who have carried me through every version of myself. And I whisper, “I think … I want to meet them.”
Charlie’s thumb brushes over my knuckles. Sienna beams at me, excitement sparkling in her eyes. Evan gives a single solid nod.
Jackson clears his throat, business-mode activated. “All right,” he says. “If that’s what you want, here’s how we do it.”
My heart kicks up. “Okay.”
“No direct contact from you yet.” He raises a hand before I can respond. “Not because you can’t. Because it’s my job to make sure you’re never blindsided.”
Charlie hums in agreement beside me, protective as hell.
Jackson taps the folder in front of him. “The PI who sent the letter, Patrick Hale, is legitimate. Licensed. Clean. Good reputation. So, I’ll reach out to him first.”
Vanessa leans forward. “And what do you say?”
“I’ll tell him we received the letter. I’ll confirm Derrick’s current name, location, and that he’s willing to open a line of communication and that you wish for them to contact you directly.”
My stomach flips. “And then?”
“And then,” Jackson says gently, “they will contact you, and you can take it from there. Have as little or as much as you want with them.”
I exhale, shakily, this is happening. “So, I don’t have to … cold-call two Scottish lords tomorrow morning?”
“I mean, you can if you want. They are reaching out to you because they want contact. We don’t have to go through the PI,” Jackson explains.
“We found their information last night,” Sienna reminds me.
We did, and I’ve been obsessing over it all day, scrolling through their timelines.
“You won’t have to do anything alone,” Charlie whispers beside me. I look up at the stoic hulk of a man beside me, and I’m so thankful for him.
“What happens if they … um … don’t like me?” I ask.
“How could they not like you, you’re fricken awesome,” Sienna adds.
“They will love you, just like we do,” Christian states.
“I mean … all this?” I say, waving my hands over me.
“What, being a stylist?” Vanessa asks.
“No, he means being fabulous,” Christian corrects her.
