After that awkward introduction, Hailey must’ve thoughtfuck itbefore she enveloped me in a tight hug, muttering how relieved she was that I’m in one piece and we’d finally met.
Her eyes were misty when she pulled away from the frozen-in-place, stiff, stick-like person—me.
It’s been so many years since anyone embraced me for anything other than a regulation birthday hug that my nervous system reacted by seizing up. I’ve never been a hugger.
Probably because I wasn’t showered with affection as a child... or later in life.
I shouldn’t complain about my childhood. My adopted parents were proper. They raised me well, though they never hugged me, weren’t proud of my achievements, and didn’t smile at me daily like the parents of my friends.
For years, a gnawing feeling of not belonging plagued my mind. It amplified when Mom got pregnant.
I was eight, and once my brother was born, I noticed the difference in the way we were treated. At first, I thought it was because he was a baby. He needed them more than I did.
After all, lots of my school friends complained about their younger siblings stealing the spotlight. It wasn’t until my twenty-first birthday, when my parents admitted I was adopted, that I saw the difference for what it was: I wasn’t theirs. They raised me, but I wasn’t blood.
When I moved out of their house, the day after they told me I was adopted, they stopped calling. It was me who visited, but I could feel I wasn’t welcome. After a short while, I stopped reaching out. They didn’t want me in their life anymore. They had fulfilled their duty and crossed me off their list.
I haven’t seen them in three years...
Hours upon hours in therapy helped me work through my emotions, and only once I’d accepted I was lucky for landing with a non-abusive family did I decide to find my biological mother.
Another six months passed before I discovered her name and address. Three more before I found out she was dead. I learned I have a half-sister but couldn’t locate her anywhere.
Desperate for information, I reached out to Vaughn. He was surprisingly easy to find. The moment I introduced myself, standing on his doorstep in Ohio, tears filled his eyes.
He knew I existed, but respected his wife’s wishes to let me live my life without their interference. I later learned she’d tried to reach out on numerous occasions but was turned down by my adopted parents.
Vaughn invited me in for a cup of tea, but I ended up staying for a few days, learning about Mom while telling him my story. He reached out to Mom’s parents and helped me better understand why she gave me up days after I was born.
When Hailey hugged me inScarlett, I regretted not asking Vaughn more about her. I focused on my biological mother, glossing over my half-sister.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have—”Hailey said, pulling away from my frozen body.
“No, it’s okay. I just didn’t expect you’d be excited to meet me.”
“Are you kidding?”Koby chuckled, winking at me out of Hailey’s view.“You’re all we’ve heard about for almost three months, firecracker.”
Carter poured us a glass of wine each, not passing on the opportunity to kiss the crown of Hailey’s head.“We’ll give you until we’ve figured out our plan of action, and then I’m taking you girls home. Bianca’s staying with us tonight.”
Hailey beamed at him, mouthedthank youand pecked his lips. The four men promptly slipped out of the office.
I expected a few mind-numbing, textbook, getting-to-know-you questions, forced chuckles, and a lot of thumb-twiddling, but Hailey’s not shy. Quite the opposite. She’s open, lively, and the sweetest person I’ve come across in a long time.
She admitted she knew everything Ryder had dug up about me, but even with my life history ingrained in her mind, she asked question after question, genuinely thrilled to learn more.
My cheeks were red most of the time, embarrassment the prevailing feeling twisting my insides. I hadn’t put much thought into meeting Hailey. I hadn’t thought about her at all, and I was ashamed that while she wanted to know everything about me, all I did was parrot her questions right back.
My obvious lack of interest wasn’t as mortifying as Hailey’s lengthy apology halfway down her wine glass.
“If I’d known about you sooner, I would’ve done everything I could to find you,”she admitted, avoiding my eyes for the first time since the guys left.“I’m sorry, Bianca. I—”
“It’s not your fault. You weren’t even born when Mom left me. You couldn’t have known.”I reached out to squeeze her hand, the gesture surprising me more than Hailey. I’m not an affectionate person. Consoling others doesn’t come naturally.“I admit, I didn’t give any thought to meeting you. I was so fixated on finding out why Mom gave me up that it didn’t register I had a sister when Vaughn told me about you.”
“It’s okay, I get it.”
“Do you?”I chuckled, swigging the rest of my wine. I was beginning to remember why I don’t drink.“Don’t let me off the hook so easily. You’re excited and I... it’s a bit surreal, you know? The last three months of my life have been crazy. Give me a few days, okay? I’ll come around, and next time I see you, I’ll be the one asking questions.”
The smile that lit up her pretty face warmed me up like nothing has for years. Maybe having a sister, the first person who seems happy to have me in their life, is what I need? Especially since Hailey’s already protective of me despite our relationship being less than two hours old.
