“Breathe, Paige,” Carter urged. “She’ll be here.”
She hoped so. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure who needed her comfort and protection more, Jayne or her parents. The only certainty was that she had to tread carefully through this meeting. All of them deserved her best effort here. “Have I made a mistake pushing for this?”
“Not at all,” he assured her. “The three of them need a chance to meet.”
Paige pressed a hand to her chest. “My heart is racing,” she murmured. “I want to believe it will all work out.” She twisted in her seat again. “What if—”
“Breathe,” he said again. “It’s not your responsibility. You and Jayne can be sisters no matter what happens in the next few minutes.”
“But Mom—”
“She will manage, Paige. The three of you are close. You and your dad know what to watch for if Cora starts to slide into a depression. She has outside resources that she didn’t have before. Neither one of you will leave her hanging to cope with this shock on her own.”
The man had a way with words. “No, you’re right. We would never do that. I just worry that meeting Jayne will be a wedge in their marriage that they can’t get past.” She looked at him, seeking more of that reassurance she couldn’t find inside herself. “I don’t want to hurt her or Jayne. They’ve both been through enough.”
“Your parents have made it this far. Until a few days ago, you didn’t know anything was amiss. Your dad didn’t do everything right, but he’s not the actual bad guy here.”
Right again. That had been the hardest part in this entire mess, reconciling her dad’s imperfections with the man who’d raised her with such love and care. “I just want everyone to be happy.”
“I know.” He leaned over and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “You have such a big heart. It’s going to be fine. It doesn’t matter who your family is or how you were raised. Every person eventually has to choose their happiness. I’m hopeful that the four of you will find your way and be happy together.”
“I just love them all so much.” She had to stop and clear the crazy mix of emotions gathered in her throat. She had a sister and she desperately wanted her parents to love Jayne and feel that soul-deep connection to her that Paige did. “I want her to have a taste of what good parents are like. Mom and Dad have made mistakes, but do you think we can get over it?”
“You? You can make just about anything happen when you set your mind to it.” He winked. “If your parents are so great you shouldn’t be worried at all.”
“Ha. Leave it to you to drill down to the basics,” she said, smiling at him. The man was gifted when it came to settling her down. Headlights flared behind them as Jayne’s car rolled through the gate.
She rubbed her palms over her jeans. “This is it!” She hopped out of the door before Carter could come around. It felt as if her blood had gone fizzy and she had to work to stand still rather than rush forward and make sure Jayne didn’t flee.
“You ready?” Carter asked Jayne as she joined them at the front steps.
“Maybe?” She cringed. “Probably not, but I’ll stick it out.”
“Whatever you want out of this, that’s what I want too,” Paige blurted out.
Jayne took her hand as they moved up the steps. “I’ve already gained a sister. Thanks to the two of you, I don’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder anymore.”
Paige caught her hand before either one of them could ring the bell. “Carter got a call from his assistant,” she told Jayne. “Virginia, Yost’s secretary, is also singing like a bird. Apparently she kept documentation all these years so she wouldn’t go down alone if he tried to blame her. He’ll be in prison for the rest of his life.”
“Good.” Jayne stared up at the big oak door. “I’ll be your sister no matter what happens in there,” she promised.
“Same,” Paige replied. Though she was counting on her parents to make Jayne welcome. “And we’re never letting her dress us in the same clothes, right?”
As she’d hoped, Jayne laughed in that rusty way she had. “Definitely not.”
Carter pressed the doorbell, then stepped back and took hold of Paige’s free hand. “Both of you should take a breath.”
Paige didn’t know if Jayne managed it, but her breath stalled out when her dad answered the door. In his typical casual polo shirt and pressed khaki slacks, he tried to smile, but his eyes were full of guilt as he looked at Jayne.
She reminded herself of what Carter had said: Jack hadn’t known Jayne existed on the day he’d brought Paige home.
But when her dad looked at Jayne now, the bolt of grief in his blue eyes was so intense Paige felt it like a vise around her heart.
“Come in,” he rasped. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Come on in.” He stepped back and they paused in the bright light of the foyer. “Oh my...” His voice trailed off as he studied his daughters standing side by side. “Y-you two. My word. I mean I saw it on the surveillance footage. But the resemblance is uncanny. You truly are identical.”
Jayne stuck out her hand. “Jayne Salter. I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Coker.”
He held her hand in both of his for a moment, as if letting her go was a struggle. “Did you ever have someone to call dad?” Jack asked.
Jayne pressed her lips together. “No, sir.”
“Well let me extend that invitation right now. If it ever feels right to you, I’d be honored.”
Jayne shot a look at Paige. “You don’t even know me,” Jayne pointed out.
“I know Paige and she clearly loves you already,” he said. “That’s enough of an endorsement for me. Come on back. Cora will have my head if I keep you all to myself any longer.”
Paige watched Jayne’s eyes as she took in the house Paige had grown up in. The differences had to be astronomical and Paige fought off a wave of her own guilt. As Carter kept reminding her, she had no control over where she’d been raised, only where she wanted to go with this relationship.
Jack led them to the sitting room where her first conversation with Carter a few days ago had ended with her storming out in flurry of impotent grief. Too much had changed in just over a week.
Cora stood, staring first at Paige then Jayne. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t let them spill. Instead her mouth firmed and she set her shoulders. “I promised Jack I wouldn’t cry,” she said.
Carter held Paige’s hand tightly as she braced to protect her sister. None of this was Jayne’s fault and Paige would not allow her mother to imply anything of the kind.
“Easy, tiger,” he whispered at her ear.
“Mrs. Coker, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jayne extended her hand once more.
“Oh, you’re a sight!” Cora exclaimed. Ignoring the polite gesture, she gathered Jayne in a tight hug.
The bands of tension lifted from Paige’s shoulders and Carter’s grip relaxed as well. They were over the first hurdle.
Cora released a shell-shocked Jayne and held her at arm’s length, her expression stern. “Forgive me for leading with this, but if your mother weren’t already gone, I fear what I might do to her. Jack told me what happened, and I want you to hear this if nothing else. If we had any inkling about what Yost and that woman were up to, we would have moved heaven and earth for you.”