Here goes. She had to tell her sister—there was no escaping it unless Charlotte wanted to drop the whole thing. Never find her birth father. Never tell her biological siblings of her existence. Just let the whole truth die right along with her mother. But it wasn’t in her to do that. She wanted to know them.
Sure, she had Emerson, and she loved her dearly. But she also had family out there who shared her DNA. How could she not care about that? Want to know them? Want them to know her?
“Charlotte?” The word held an edgy note.
She focused on her sister, whose arms were crossed, body rigid. But maybe she’d be happy for Charlotte. It wasn’t every day you discovered you had a family you didn’t know about.
Charlotte cleared her throat. “The articles had been clipped over the years. They were about Gavin and Cooper Robinson. Mom apparently saved them anytime they made the papers—Gavin during his baseball days and when he opened his business. The articles about Cooper were published when he was running for sheriff. Stuff like that.”
Emerson gave her head a shake. “That’s weird. Why would she save those? We don’t even know them. And what about the medal?”
“It belonged to the man in the photo. You can see he’s holding it.”
Emerson glanced down at the picture. “So what are you saying, Charlotte? Who is this guy?”
“He’s... he’s my biological father.” Charlotte gestured toward the articles. “And those are my siblings.”
Their gazes held for a long-drawn-out moment. Charlotte’s heart galloped in her chest, possibly looking for a greener pasture. Or maybe just wanting to make an escape.
Emerson’s lips tightened. “Wow, that’s... I don’t know what to say. You never really talked about him.”
“That’s because I didn’t know anything about him, other than he’d served in the Gulf War. Mom didn’t like talking about him, and I didn’t want to make Dad feel bad.” Charlotte leaned in. “I know Patrick was my father. He was the one who washere, the one who raised me. No one can ever replace him.”
Emerson arched a brow. “Not even Jeff Robinson? Isn’t he likethe epitome of the perfect family man?” Emerson tossed the photo on the table. “Sounds like you have a ready-made family, Char.”
“That’s not Jeff Robinson in the photo. That’s what I assumed at first too. But it turns out Lisa Robinson was married before Jeff came along—to Gavin and Cooper’s biological dad.”
Emerson seemed to curl in on herself. “They have a sister, too, don’t they? That doctor who started the clinic?”
“Avery—but she’s Jeff’s daughter. So technically she’s Gavin and Cooper’s stepsister. She’s not related to them, or me, by blood.”
Emerson’s laugh was bitter. “Well, neither am I.”
“Emerson.” Charlotte’s eyes burned with tears. “You have to know you’re my sister in every way that counts. I’ve never thought of you as a stepsister. And I don’t believe you think of me that way either.”
“That was before you had a real family.”
“Youaremy real family. This doesn’t change anything between us. You’ll always be my sister and I’ll always love you.”
“This is why you hired Gavin to build that stable.”
“He’s the only builder in town.”
“You wanted to get to know him better.”
Charlotte weighed her words. “Of course I’m curious about him. How could I not be? But I also don’t want to charge into their lives like a bronco and make a big mess. Or hurt anyone. I need to tell my biological father first and give him a chance to break the news to his kids. But I don’t even know who he is, much less where he lives.”
Emerson stood and paced over to the bookshelves, shoulders stiff. “Why did you hide this from me? You should’ve told me as soon as you found that envelope.”
“You’re right, I should’ve. But we were grieving Mom, and I didn’t even know what I would do with the information, if anything.”
“And now you’ve decided to pursue this?”
Charlotte huffed. “Please try to see it from my perspective. What if you just discovered who your mom was and had a chance to know her?”
“I don’t care to know my mom at all.”
Charlotte’s heart squeezed tight. Emerson’s mother had abandoned her shortly after she’d been born. Charlotte stood and approached her sister. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. Trust me when I say it was her loss. She missed out on a lifetime of loving you. I actually feel sorry for her.”
