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Reynolds opened the car door for Waverley a couple hours later.
“It was so nice to meet you, Waverley,” Avery called to them as she and Conner packed Lola away into their car. “And don’t forget, coffee on Tuesday. We’ll swing by to pick you up.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Waverley said a moment before Reynolds shut the door and went around to get inside.
He’d known that his family would put Waverley at ease and that she would have nothing to be worried about, and he’d been right on both counts. But it had been another thing entirely to see how well Waverley got along with his family.
She’d laughed and joked with his brothers as they tried to explain what was happening on the game on TV, she’d bonded with his mom as they washed the dishes after dinner, let Lola sit on her lap and eat dessert without worrying about getting her dress dirty, and even become fast friends with Avery, ironing out plans to hang out with her, Poppy, and their other friend, Meg, in a couple of days.
She’d blossomed, no doubt, and it had been incredible to see.
“Your family is wonderful,” she said, waving to Conner and Avery as they pulled away.
“They’re all right.”
“No one cared about who my family was or what I did for a living. They were so down-to-earth. And I’m still in shock that your sister is dating some big baseball star. Now, help me understand something. You and Conner. Did I hear right when you said you were only five months older than him? How does that happen?”
She’d been paying attention. “We’re stepbrothers.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Wait. Stepbrothers? Then who is…” She seemed embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It’s really none of my business.”
He shrugged, keeping his attention on the road. “It’s okay. My mom died when I was three. Conner’s mom split with his dad when he was the same age and met my dad. They got married and Landon came barely a year later, followed by Poppy, and finally Tyler.”
She was quiet. “I’m sorry, Conner. I had no idea. That must have been rough to lose your mom at such a young age.”
“No more painful than you losing yours.”
She considered that. “Maybe, but unlike you, I was blessed to get fourteen years with her. Fourteen years of memories to remember her by.”
“Yeah, but I also was lucky enough to have Kim come into my life to fill that void. Always treated me just like her own. And I didn’t make that easy. Not in the beginning. Conner and I fought over everything. But in time, even he became just like a brother.” He glanced over. “Now here’s a little mind bender to think on. Conner’s dad, Paul, was married to Avery’s younger sister Beth. Biologically, Conner is her half brother and Avery is her aunt.”
Her forehead crinkled as she thought about that for a minute. “Wait. Say that again.”
He repeated it, and after taking another moment, she nodded. “Wow. That’s a lot. But it’s a sweet ending. Even though Avery and Conner lost someone so close to them, they were able to come together and be there for each other for Lola’s sake.”
“I wouldn’t paint it quite so cheery,” he said, grinning wryly at the memory. “They hated each other for a long time, going back to their first meeting at the wedding. Guess it goes to show you that opposites really can attract.”
“And now they’re going to be a family. What a great story. All of it. It’s like a triumph over tragedy, dating all the way back to your dad not letting his loss stand in the way of finding love again.” She sounded so wistful now as she gazed out the window.
He hadn’t really thought about it like that. “How old were you when your parents split up?”
“Four.”
“And neither of them found someone else?”
“Not as far as I know. Growing up, I used to wish that they had. My father especially. It would have been nice to have had a brother or sister to help take the focus off me and my failures.”
“You’re hardly a failure, Waverley. Marrying a guy who turned out to be a lying, cheating crook is not on you.”
“Someone should tell my father that. Now your dad? He seems lovely. So warm and kind, not to mention pretty easy on the eyes,” she said, turning to grin at him.
“Thanks, I’ll be sure to mention that to him when I see him next. Although I couldn’t really say whether he’s easy on the eyes or anything, but I can say that he’s always been supportive of me and my brothers and sister growing up.”
She nodded. “Right. It couldn’t have been easy to have a kid going into law enforcement. I bet it shook him up when you got shot.”
He glanced over at her, trying to remember if he’d mentioned this to her before. “How do you know all of that?”
She smiled smugly back at him. “You’re not the only one who can do a little digging. Besides, the bit about your time as a cop is on your very brief, very boring website. Which reminds me… I know someone who helped us revamp the foundation’s website a couple of years back who, if I give her a call, I’m sure she’d give us a great rate if you wanted to do some updates. Pretty it up a bit. It’s kind of bleh right now.”
