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“Viola, sit down,” Owen told her. “You’re right, we were different with Gabby, and maybe it’s time we help you understand why.”
“Owen, no,” Maggie said. “We promised that we wouldn’t tell anyone before Gabrielle and right now is not the time to tell her.”
“Would one of you please explain this to me? Why all the concern about Gabby? Dad I get it, she’s your precious little baby girl, but guess what I’m your daughter too. You used to bring home presents for us for no reason and they were usually pretty cool but the ones you got for Gabby were awesome, though she didn’t appreciate half of them, so why did you put her on some pedestal and refuse to take her off?”
“Maggie, I know we said we’d tell Gabrielle first but as you said she’s got enough going on right now, between me and the baby, we can’t put any more stress on her. Viola, if we tell you, you have to swear you will not say a word, and I mean not one word of it to your sister, not until she’s sure nothing will happen to the baby.”
“Fine I promise,” Viola said, “what is going on in this crazy house?”
“Come sit down next to me,” Owen said. “After you were born, your mother and I decided to have another baby.”
“Should have stopped at three,” she threw out.
“Viola,” Maggie warned. “As your father said, we decided to have another baby. When you were about two, I got pregnant but I had a bad miscarriage. I was in the hospital for a few days after it and it was touch and go at the beginning. When I regained my strength I asked the doctor if I could or should try again, he said I could that he didn’t foresee any issues with it, and I broached the subject with your father.”
“Eww, okay, so Gabby was your miracle baby, what’s so big about that?”
“Let us finish,” Maggie sighed.
“Before your mother came to me with her wish, I’d gotten a vasectomy. I’d nearly lost your mother and I couldn’t, I wouldn’t, go through that again.”
“Wait…then where’d Gabby…is Gabby adopted?” Viola asked confused.
“No, sweetie she’s not,” Maggie stated. “I went a bit crazy when I found out that your father had taken away the chance of us having another child, and I ended up doing something I’ve regretted for years, but it gave me Gabby.”
“You had an affair?” Viola gasped.
“It was one stupid night, with a man who was leaving the company I worked for, and as soon as it happened I knew it was wrong. I came home told your father who blamed himself for my mistake…”
“Then a few weeks later we got a surprise,” Owen said.
“I was pregnant and your father promised to love that baby the same as all of you. I didn’t feel like I deserved it and I didn’t take very good care of myself while carrying Gabby,” Maggie admitted. “She was six weeks early and so tiny, she had the darkest hair and these caramel eyes from day one, and we both fell in love with her instantly.”
“It didn’t matter to me that she wasn’t mine, because she was, she is,” Owen stated, “but we realized even when she was just a toddler that she felt left out, different and we swore that we’d do whatever we could to keep her from feeling like she didn’t belong.”
“So you’re telling me that Gabby’s only my half-sister and that’s the reason she’s so different from us? Holy crap…he was right.”
“Who was right?” Maggie asked.
“Oh what was his name…Ben, Len, Glenn, Finn? That’s it, Finn, we were dating when I was about eighteen, it would have made Gabby fourteen…he commented that she didn’t resemble the rest of us, but I’d always thought she looked a lot like mom…anyway, he asked if she was adopted or if you’d had an affair. I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea or the fact that he’d been studying Gabby enough to see it and I broke up with him. If I’d known he was right, maybe I wouldn’t be alone today. Yet something else that Gabby ruined.”
“Viola, that’s not fair. Don’t blame your sister for the way we handled things. She’s in a very vulnerable position right now,” Maggie said.
“If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me,” Owen told her. “Make up with your sister; don’t tear this family apart, please.”
“So she wins yet again,” Viola sighed. “Fine, I’ll make up with her, but you know she’s going to be pissed when she finds out.”
“She won’t find out from you though, will she?” Owen said firmly.
“I promise I won’t tell baby sister that she only half belongs…I’m joking, geesh, lighten up,” Viola laughed opening the door.
Wyatt moved quickly into the bathroom to hide as his mind raced about what he’d just learned. Apparently, Gabby wasn’t the only one who could keep a secret in this family. He waiteduntil he knew Viola had left and he could speak with Maggie and Owen. He knocked on the doorframe a few minutes later and walked into the room. “I was hoping to ask you something, Mrs. Simmons.”
“Wyatt isn’t it time you started calling me Maggie?” she said with a smile to her son-in-law.
“I suppose so,” he replied.
“What can we help you with or would you prefer to speak with Maggie alone?” Owen inquired.
