“Everything’s okay, girls.” Ryan turned and smiled at them, his voice instantly softening. “Me and Heather are just going to talk for a bit — why don’t you two head back outside and keep playing?”
I nodded toward Emma. “I’ll call you in a little while, baby.”
The girls exchanged a wary, uncertain look between themselves but didn’t argue, disappearing back out toward the yard.
“Come, sit down.” Ryan gestured toward the living room, his expression suddenly heavy, resigned. “I’ll tell you everything, Heather.”
We sat across from each other, and for a moment neither of us spoke.
“First of all,” Ryan finally said, “Jack and Mary didn’t have an affair. The reason Lily and Emma look so much alike is because they both take after their grandmother. My Mary — she was Jack’s sister.”
“Sister?” I shook my head slowly, certain I’d misheard him. “Jack never once
“Mary was a troubled kid growing up. The family cut her off completely. They didn’t even show up for our wedding. Jack was the only one who bothered to send a message at all, and even that was just to say he wouldn’t be coming.”
The room seemed to tilt slightly as Ryan’s words settled fully into place. Jack had a sister I’d never known existed. A sister who turned out to be Lily’s mother.
