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“Do you want to talk about it?”
I could say no if I wanted to. He wasn’t pushing me to tell him anything, and I appreciated that a lot. But I had to get it off my chest, and Brent was someone I knew well enough to be comfortable with. Especially after what we had been doing lately.
I told him what Morgan had said about Zoe and that there had been a third sister. “We were separated for the adoption to make placement more likely.”
“That makes sense, but it seems terrible to split the three of you up.”
I had to agree. What had happened that my birth mother hadn’t been able to take care of us? It was a question I had never needed answered before. I’d been happy with my mom and the home I’d grown up in.
“Do you want to meet her?”
“I do,” I said. “I don’t want to go through life knowing I have a sister and not have any contact with her. But I’m not ready yet. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”
Brent took my hand. His hand was large and warm when his fingers wrapped around mine. The gesture was so caring and simple, it made me want to cry. He was being there for me. This wasn’t work, and this wasn’t our new sexual relationship. I was uncharted territory, something he was under no obligation to do. But I appreciated having him here with me. I needed someone to lean on right now, and he was being a saint.
I had always thought he was hot, but this was different. This was kindness and compassion. I was getting to know a side of Brent I hadn’t seen before, and I knew I was in trouble. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him.
“There’s time,” Brent said. “You didn’t know about her for twenty-three years. Taking the time to think about it won’t change things. You will still have a sister, rather you’ll be more ready for it later.”
I nodded. “You’re right,” I said. He was being logical about it, open-minded when I couldn’t be. I took his advice because it was the best thing I had to go by right now.
Chapter 14
Brent
The meeting with the PI had gotten to Rena. I could tell by the way she was quiet and serious. We split up to go to our separate rooms and pack. Once I was done, I went back to her room and knocked on the door. She opened, and I followed her inside. Her clothes were on the bed, and she hadn’t packed anything at all.
“Talk to me,” I said, sitting down in the love seat in the corner. I was good at approaching something logically. I had found out through experience that voicing something made it easier to work through. Somehow, putting something into words made the true emotions come out, and that was what I wanted to do for Rena. I didn’t like seeing her so down and distracted.
“I can’t stop thinking about what must have gone through her head,” she said. “To give up three children? All in one go? And to have them separated is unfathomable. I mean, I guess I get it. It’s hard to get three babies adopted together. But did anyone think about what it could mean in the long run?”
I nodded, letting her talk. I understood her questioning; this was a lot to process.
“I mean, if I put myself in the same shoes, falling pregnant now would kill me. So I guess I would do something similar,” she carried on. “But it’s not the same being on the receiving end.”
“Do you want to meet Zoe?” I asked. “You know you don’t have to. You could let it go and move on with your life as if none of this ever happened.”
“I could,” Rena admitted. “But I will always know now. This happened and even if my life won’t be any different if I ignore the facts, they’ll still be in my head. And I don’t think I’ll be able to live with that. I can’t just push something this big away and pretend it never happened.”
I didn’t answer her. I let the silence stretch between us so she could fill it herself. It was the best way for her to sift through her thoughts and emotions. I was only here to be an ear.
“Maybe I should talk about it with my mom again. Maybe she’ll have advice for me.”
“That’s a good idea,” I offered. “But at the end of it all, you need to do what feels right for you.”
