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Family. He used to barely be able to handle the Harts, but now, he was sitting here with a whole range of chaos, and he didn't feel like racing back to his truck and hiding out with his horses. So much had changed for him.
"When's the wedding?" Mira asked. "Did you schedule a date yet?"
Jacob grinned. "End of August. I'm going to send an email to both families to make sure it works." It had been a challenge to find a date when every Hart was in town without other obligations, without waiting an interminable time, but the end of August was looking good. He hoped the Stocktons were all available as well, because they were family, too, and non-negotiable.
Mira clapped her hands. "Yay! That's fantastic. We'll all be there."
Jacob smiled. "I know." And he did. He finally was able to allow the Stocktons into his life the way he'd let the Harts in. It had taken Phoebe and Annie, and the death of his father, to make it possible, but it had happened.
He felt like his life looked bright and hopeful and full for the first time.
He saw Dylan walk over and say something to Phoebe. She looked up at him, then she pointed to Annie and said something to Meg and Bella, who both nodded. She then hopped to her feet, and followed Dylan as he headed toward Jacob.
As they neared, Jacob tensed. This was it, he realized. Dylan had found Sienna, and he didn't want to tell Jacob without Phoebe being present.
Fuck. That couldn't be a good sign. "I think he found my sister," he told Chase and Mira. All the Stocktons knew about Sienna. Once Jacob had told his siblings, the word had spread, which had helped the healing.
Every Hart and every Stockton had regrets or shadows in their past, which meant they all understood. Their lack of judgment had helped Jacob begin to process his guilt for not being able to save his sister, but it still lurked.
Phoebe smiled at him and slid under his arm when he raised it to draw her against his side. "Hi, love." He took a moment to greet her, as he always did, no matter how recently he'd seen her. He kissed her, a kiss designed to remind her how much he loved her, that he would always be there for her.
It was the kiss he gave her many times a day.
She kissed him back, leaning into him for the brief moment they connected. She pulled back, gave him that special smile that still made his heart turn over. "We'll handle it," she said. "Together."
He nodded, and kissed the top of her head before turning to Dylan. "You found Sienna."
His brother nodded. "I did. Her name's not Sienna anymore—"
Jacob's heart stuttered. "She's still alive?" He'd thought for sure she was dead.
Dylan nodded. "Yep. Alive. And she's all right."
Jacob's arm tightened around his fiancé. "What do you mean, all right?"
Dylan smiled. "I mean, the man your dumb ass father sold her to was an undercover federal agent."
"What?" Jacob suddenly couldn’t breathe. "She's okay? She was never—" He couldn't even say it, the words that had haunted him for so long. The terror.
"Never," Dylan said. "The agent actually ended up adopting her. He changed her name, quit the agency, and went off the grid to protect her from Ivan."
Phoebe put her hand on Jacob's chest, and he breathed into her touch, trying to control his emotions. Sienna was all right. "Was he a good guy?"
"From all I can find, yeah." Dylan put his hand on Jacob's shoulder. "I got her current address a few minutes ago. I don't have any photos, and she's not on social media. She's completely low profile. But it's her."
Jacob closed his eyes. "What's her name?"
"Madison Vale." He held up his phone. "I just texted you her address. She's in Montana."
Jacob looked at Phoebe, and she grinned at him. "You want to call ahead? Or just show up?"
"She might not remember me." He took a breath. "I'm not going to go mess up her life. It's enough to know she's safe. I'm not going to burden her with her past, with me."
Phoebe sighed and looked at Dylan.
"What if she's not completely okay?" Phoebe said. "What if she needs help, and you don't go? You're going to walk away without even trying?" She caught his wrist. "Besides," she said gently. "You're the most amazing man I've ever met. You're my world, and Annie's world, and if you weren't amazing, we never would have agreed to spend our lives with you. So, if you can't believe in yourself, listen to how much I believe in you."
"And the rest of us," Dylan said with a grin. "Listen to your fiancée, Jacob. She's right. Don't you dare walk away from Madison. Even if she's fine, learning that the boy she probably dreams about and doesn't even know is real has never forgotten her will be good for her. We all need to not be forgotten."
