Page 198 of Fame & Rhythm

The words hit harder than anything else today. My chest aches for her, and I step forward, ready to pull her into a hug…

“Annie Slade,” the nurse calls.

I freeze.

Ella squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head like she’s forcing the emotion back down.

Mum appears beside me, taking my hand. Together, we walk toward the door.

My family.

And Aston.

All of us stepping forward into whatever comes next.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Annie

After the testing, we said our goodbyes to Loretta, and she reluctantly agreed to have the results sent to our lawyer, who will contact us when they come in. Then we’ll meet together to receive them.

Knowing she’s paying for the testing makes me think she might not be all bad.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and maybe that’s exactly what I need to do with Loretta… not judge her before I actually get to know her. The testing wouldn’t be cheap, and if she really wants to know whether I’m hers, then she must be somewhat sure.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t waste money on false hope… right?

We head back to the manor, and Aston stays over again. Dad doesn’t even argue about him sleeping in my room this time. He seems to have gotten past the overprotective crap, probably realizing I need support more than he needs to flex his whole dad authority thing.

The next morning, we wake up to another letter.

From Loretta… asking if we can meet before the maternity DNA results come back.

We sit down and talk it through as a family. Mum is completely against it, but the rest of us agree to go ahead. In the end, we decide to meet her in a private botanical park, somewhere quiet where there’s no chance of paparazzi finding us. Hardly anyone goes there, which makes it the safest option.

She left her number, and Dad called to arrange a time.

We’re all going.

And honestly, it feels good knowing I have my entire family behind me… plus Aston, of course. His mum apparently freaked out when he told her and rushed straight over to check on mine, which says everything about their friendship. They really are inseparable.

Anna stays at the manor while we’re out, and Johnny comes over to keep her company. Mum insists it’s ‘just in case,’ worried Loretta might try something while we’re gone.

But I don’t buy that.

It seems like a lot of effort just to break in and steal something.

Mum, however, isn’t giving Loretta the benefit of the doubt like the rest of us. She doesn’t trust her, and she keeps circling back to the same question—If Loretta has known about me all these years, why come forward now?

It’s a fair point.

And one I plan to get answers to today.

We arrive at the botanical park, and Dad pulls the four-wheel drive into a car park. I spot Loretta’s rust bucket already waiting, and something strange settles in my chest.

She’s here.

My heart flutters, not racing, just beating a little faster. Aston holds my hand the entire time, and even when we step out of the car, he doesn’t let go.