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“Everyone please help yourselves to the appetizers. Dinner will be served shortly out on the terrace,” Micah announced.
Pamela locked gazes with Faith from across the room and her eyes widened in surprise. Her cousin made a bee-line in her direction, pulling Rafferty along with her.
“Faith! I’m so glad you came!” Pamela said, opening her arms wide and pulling Faith into a tight embrace. For the life of her, Faith couldn’t remember her cousin ever hugging her. Not even when her parents had died.
“Of course,” she answered. “You said it was really important to have me in attendance.”
Pamela’s eyes hardened for a moment as she stared at Faith. It served as a reminder that nothing had changed with her cousin. She was just putting on a great act for Rafferty. Pamela was probably upset with Faith for saying Pamela had stressed the importance of her being here tonight, which only added to Faith’s questions about why her cousin had been so insistent.
“Well,” Pamela said in a light tone, “you know how deeply I value family.” Faith almost sputtered at the comment. Pamela was always at odds with her parents, barely had a relationship with her brother and had scorned Faith for most of her life. If she mentioned having a relationship with the Lord, Faith might not be able to hold her tongue. Pamela hadn’t walked through the doors of a church in years. It wasn’t Faith’s job to judge, but she wasn’t going to be co-signing on any of her cousin’s lies.
Pamela turned toward her fiancé and said, “Rafferty, I’d like you to meet my dear cousin, Faith. She came to live with my family after her parents died in a horrific fire.” Faith winced at the way in which Pamela matter-of-factly delivered the news about her parent’s deaths. Her cousin lacked empathy.
Rafferty smiled down at her. She stuck out her hand to shake it, eliciting laughter from Rafferty. “No handshakes here. We’re almost family.” Rafferty leaned in and pulled her in for a hug. Faith stiffened for a moment, not used to such affection from a stranger. She relaxed a bit and hugged him back, sensing that Rafferty Fitzgerald was a good guy. It shone straight from inside him.
“Okay, Rafferty,” Pamela said, tugging him back to her side. “We really should mingle with the guests.”
Rafferty nodded and winked at Faith. “I look forward to talking to you later. I want to find out all about Pamela’s exploits as a child.”
Faith smiled back at h
im, unsure as to what she could say about Pamela that would portray her cousin in a complimentary light. There honestly wasn’t much. She watched as Pamela and Rafferty walked away, hand in hand. For a moment she felt envy piercing her insides. Rafferty seemed so protective of Pamela. Faith had seen love shimmering from his eyes. What must it feel like to be showered with so much love? She wondered.
Faith felt someone touching her arm. She turned toward the woman in red she’d noticed earlier in the crowd of guests.
“Hey! I know you, don’t I?” Faith stared into the beautiful eyes of the woman standing before her. She radiated a warm, friendly vibe which made her less intimidating. It was hard to be in a room filled with so many gorgeous women. She always felt less than in comparison, which she knew was the root of her insecurities. Somehow she had to learn to move past her physical imperfections. She had to value her life more than constantly second guessing her scars.
Faith felt a strong sense of recognition, but she couldn’t quite place her.
The woman continued. “I think I’ve seen you at some conferences. You’re a teacher, right?”
“Yes, I am,” Faith said as the lightbulb went off in her head. She’d seen the woman before in a professional capacity. They were both teachers!
The woman introduced herself. “I’m Shayla Donahue. Nice to put a name to your face. We seem to be running in the same circles,” she said with a chuckle.
“I’m Faith O’Connell. Any relation to Micah?”
“Yep. I’m his sister. Matter of fact, I’m the sister of seven Donahue men. And they’re all scattered about this party.”
Faith gasped. “Seven?” she asked.
Shayla giggled. “That’s the usual reaction we get. Total shock and awe. My parents are pretty much saints. Hey Micah,” she called out. “Come and explain to Faith the dynamics of our family.”
Micah, who was standing a few feet away, made a bee-line to his sister. Once again, Faith was struck by his dynamic presence. It wasn’t just his amazing looks, she realized. He exuded raw charm and magnetism. He seemed to truly enjoy life and being in the presence of people. She felt a slight feeling of envy. What would it feel like to feel so confident in one’s skin?
Could his eyes be any bluer? And his teeth were pearly white. She hoped that she wasn’t staring, but she couldn’t look away from him.
His gaze met Faith’s. “Okay, so my parents were crazy enough to have eight kids. There’s myself, Shayla and there’s Daniel over there standing with my folks, Jude and Penelope. He’s the tall guy with the serious expression.” Micah swung his gaze around the room. “Caleb is right there with my gorgeous sister-in-law, Addie. And see that guy holding the adorable little boy? That’s Parker, the oldest of the crew and his son is Logan. The beautiful blonde is his wife, Cadence. And next to him is Jason.”
Faith couldn’t help but notice that both Jason and Caleb had brown skin. She thought it was fairly wonderful that they had a blended family. What fun this large, bustling family must have with all these members. She imagined her whole life would have been different if she’d had other siblings. She wouldn’t have had to walk alone through life so much of the time.
“And the one with the brooding expression is Heath. Despite how he looks he’s pretty happy these days. And last but not least is Nash. He’s standing by the threshold taking pictures, which you can find him doing on most occasions.” Faith could hear the pride ringing out in Micah’s voice. It was evident from the joyful expressions stamped on both Shayla and Micah’s faces that there was so much love amongst the Donahue clan.
Micah turned toward his sister. “Did you know Faith is Pamela’s cousin?”
Shayla’s eyes widened. “No. I had no idea.”
“I’m just meeting Rafferty for the first time tonight,” Faith explained. “He seems like a great guy.”
