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“I’m not even a little surprised,” I tease.
As soon as we’re buckled in and I put my truck in drive, Corbin turns to me with an expression she inherited from our mother.
“You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
I scrub a hand over my stubbled cheek and lean back in my seat, one hand on the steering wheel. “Hadley and I met fifteen years ago in a hotel lobby after our flights from New York were cancelled because of a snow storm. We spent the night together. It was a good night. A night I’ve thought about many times over the years. Her family isn’t like ours. Basically the opposite, actually. She’s here in Tennessee because she needed to get out of the toxic environment she and her daughter were in. She was married, now she’s not. Her ex-husband is still involved in Brooklyn’s life and it sounds like he’s a decent guy.”
“Is Brooklyn yours?” she asks bluntly, like only a sister can.
“Nope.”
She seems taken aback by my answer, sitting quietly for a few seconds. “Really?”
“They did a paternity test. Besides, the timing is off. Close, but off.”
“She kind of looks like Mom.”
I glance over at Corbin to see her watching me. “Similar features, but it’s not like they’re unique features.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not sure yet,” I tell her honestly.
Corbin reaches across the console and grips my forearm, giving me a quick squeeze before releasing it.
“Thank you for telling me.”
I nod, still staring out the windshield.
Tonight went in a direction I didn’t expect. Sure, I knew Naomi would say yes to Brock’s proposal but seeing Hadley again? Never in a million years would I have guessed it.
I don’t allow myself much time to dwell on it, though. We have celebrating to do for Brock and Naomi.
Inside Mom and Stone’s house, though, everyone seems to have a different plan.
After everyone bombards me with questions that I’m not in the mood to answer, Stone pulls me out to the chairs on their back deck. He pops the top off a couple beers, handing one to me and motions for me to sit down.
“Your mom was asked to be on a Granny basketball league.”
I choke on the beer I was just drinking, the frothy liquid dribbling down my chin and down onto my shirt.
“Warn a guy next time, will ya?”
Stone chuckles. “How’s one supposed to warn someone about something like this?”
I cough a few times and swallow down another glug of beer, hoping it’ll calm my throat a bit.
“Granny basketball’s a thing?”
“Apparently. She couldn’t decide if she was offended or flattered because she’s the youngest one on the team and they said they needed her.”
“So is it okay if we all start calling her Granny?”
“If you want her to wash your mouth out with soap you can,” he adds with a laugh.
I start laughing. Hard. Because Leah Lake-Montgomery might be a lot of wonderful things but athletic is not one of them. Soon Stone and I are laughing so hard we’re wiping tears from running down our faces and unable to catch our breath.
