She wasn’t an Anderson.
She looked up at Ryan for confirmation. “I’m a Grant? I’m Buddy Grant’s daughter?”
When Ryan nodded, Meg’s stomach lurched.
That made her Amber’s half sister.
Visibly uncomfortable with Meg’s tears, Ryan had snuck out to work on the dock. Ben was in Denver checking on patients. When Casey walked into the kitchen, Meg tried to hold it together but failed. The dam burst.
“I’m sorry, Meg.” Casey held Meg in a tight hug.
Torn between betrayal and absolute love for her sister, she held on tight. “How could all of you lie to me like that? Does everyone in town know but me?”
“No, only a few people outside the family know, but others may have suspected. It was a long time ago, no one even thinks about it anymore. Keeping it from you seemed the kindest thing to do.”
“To think that Amber is as much a sister to me as you are makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Okay, now you’re just pissing me off.” Casey squeezed tighter and whispered, “It makes no difference. We’re family. That’s all that counts.”
Meg accepted the tissue that magically appeared and blew her nose. After a few more minutes of embarrassing blubbering, Meg pulled it together. “Do you think Amber knows?”
“She found out when you guys were in high school.”
“She talked to you about it and not me?”
Casey crossed to the sink to pour a glass of water while she stalled. Meg didn’t think her sister was going to answer the question, but as Casey handed over the glass she said, “I’d cornered her to let her know how I felt about her sleeping with Randy and breaking you guys up. We exchanged a few . . . choice words. Eventually she admitted her mother had just told her the truth, so she stole Randy from you out of revenge.”
The vision of her sister going after Amber on her behalf would have made her smile any other day. “But that doesn’t make any sense. What do I have to do with what our mom did with Amber’s father?”
“Amber was hurting and wanted you to hurt too.”
“It’s weird Amber never brought it up in all of our fights over the years.”
“The affair, your father’s death, and having to see you around town destroyed Amber’s mother. She was never the same person after that. Amber knew it’d embarrass her mother even further if everyone knew.”
“But now that I know her kids are my niece and nephew and Haley’s cousins, I should probably talk to her about it. God, this sucks!”
Casey leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms. “No one has to know you know. Including Dad.”
Her father, who wasn’t her father. What was she going to say to him when she saw him next? “Ryan said Dad fought Grandma and Grandpa to keep me. Why would he do that? He doesn’t even like me.”
Casey shrugged a shoulder. “Who knows with Dad? But he honestly loved Mom. He turned into a different person after she died.” Casey shook her head. “Do you have any idea how much you look and sound like Mom? Even some of your mannerisms are similar to hers. I think you remind him too much of her, and it’s painful for him to be around you sometimes.”
Yeah, well, you’d think he’d have gotten over it by now.
She recalled the picture Haley found in the attic. Even her own daughter had mistaken Meg for her mother. “I wish I’d never found those files. I’m not sure what to do, Casey.” She slumped onto a kitchen chair.
“Take some time and think it through. Ryan and Ben won’t say anything.” Casey crossed the kitchen and laid a kiss on the top of Meg’s head. “It’s up to you, but it can just be our secret.”
People keeping secrets is what got her into the mess she was in now. In a blink of an eye, her whole identity had changed. She had an entire new half family. And Grandma wasn’t really her grandmother. Aunt Gloria and Uncle Brewster weren’t her family either. She’d been an orphan since the accident and didn’t even know it.
But what killed her were the lies. Her whole freakin’ life. Being honest was the only thing that felt right.
No. One thing felt right. That Zeke was her great uncle. That, she liked. A lot.
Her sister whispered, “We’re still family, Meg. Nothing’s changed because you found those files.” Casey sat down in a chair across from Meg and took her hand. “Why don’t I pick Haley up from Grandma’s so you have some time to work through this? I’ll keep her all night, if you like.”
“Yeah. That might be good. I’ll call and check on you guys later.”