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“A daughter?” She understood the words he was saying at a basic level, but couldn’t seem to actually comprehend them. “Hope has... had... a daughter?”
Cal nodded solemnly, and the reality of it hit her like a punch to the gut. She had to sit down and took a few wobbly steps toward a nearby bench. Cal was right there beside her, his arm sliding around her waist to support her.
“Easy,” he murmured.
She couldn’t stop staring at the photo. Hope had a daughter. A daughter who was a virtual replica. A daughter who had reached out for help...
God. Her sister had left behind more than just memories and heartache. She’d left a part of herself in this world.
“Who is she?” Ellie demanded. “Where is she? Why hasn’t she come forward before now?”
“We don’t know yet. There’s no record of her.”
“But if the girl is Hope’s daughter and she told you Hope is missing now… that means... Hope was... is... alive somewhere. But how could she be alive? She hasn’t been seen in twenty years! She never touched her bank account after she disappeared, never used her credit card. This is impossible. This is—” Alexis called her name from the reception and she jumped to her feet. “Oh my God. I need to tell Alexis. I need to?—”
“Ellie.” Cal wrapped both of her hands in his, stopping her. “Take a breath. We all have a lot of questions and there aren’t any answers right now. And you don’t need to tell Alexis. This is her day. Let her have it without Hope clouding it.”
He was right.
Of course he was right.
God, she was shaking.
She looked down at their entwined hands, then back up into Cal’s earnest brown eyes. His grip was warm and firm, steadying. She wanted to lean into his touch, to draw from his strength and grounding presence, and because of that, she pulled away. She pretended she didn’t see the flash of hurt in his eyes.
Alexis called her name again. She sounded closer.
Ellie drew a fortifying breath and although it pained her to lose the connection to Hope, as tenuous as it was, she handed the photo back to Cal. “I should go.”
Cal nodded, but his hand lingered, brushing hers before he let her go. “Of course.”
As she walked back toward the reception, the laughter and music seemed distant and surreal. She found her sister at the top of the terrace steps looking out over the garden, her dress shimmering in the fairy lights draped around the winery’s patio.
She really was stunning.
Ellie had always felt plain in comparison, with her unruly curly hair and oversized glasses, but she could never hold her sister’s beauty against her. She loved Alexis too much. And now wasn’t the time to wallow in her insecurities. This was Lexi’s day, and she would do whatever she could to keep it happy and upbeat, despite the storm of emotions raging inside her.
“Hey,” Ellie said as she joined her sister on the steps.
“Where have you been?” Alexis asked, a line of concern forming between her brows.
Instead of responding, Ellie pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in the floral perfume that always reminded her of love and comfort and home. She forced a smile as they pulled apart.
Alexis’s concern only deepened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short when she spotted Cal in the garden below. A small knowing smile tugged at her lips. “Oh. I see.”
“Lexi, don’t start.”
“I’m telling you, give him another chance.”
Ellie scowled. “You know my feelings.”
“I know, and I’m sorry but in this case, your feelings are stupid. He’s a good man.”
“He defends criminals for a living. I could never date a man like that.”
“And I never thought I could date a man like Shane but look how it has turned out.”
“That’s different.”
