Gainesville, Georgia—Mid-May, seven months later

“Happy birthday, dear Maya,” an inharmonic chorus sang. “Happy birthday to you!”

Cheering and clapping ensued as the birthday girl, who was turning one, bounced in her seat as her mother presented her with a small and pretty smash cake with a single skinny candle. 

“Blow the candle, Maya,” Rae, the girl’s mother, urged.

Dean, her dad, pretended to blow out the candle to show her how to do it. He had to do it a couple more times and was joined by his wife before the grinning girl attempted to blow out the candle. But not before she tried grabbing the lit candle first and sent the entire party gasping. Good thing Rae was faster than Maya and saved her daughter’s delicate hand. 

Chris Sullens stood among the Rowlands and a few of their closest friends. They hurrayed when the candle was blown, and Maya slammed her tiny hands into the cake and shoved a fistful into her mouth.

Chris grinned as he watched his best friend fail to keep the mess his daughter created to a minimum. In the end, Dean gave up and smiled at his laughing daughter, whose face was covered with buttercream.

“That girl has her daddy wrapped around her little fingers,” said Brandon Rossi at Chris’ side. 

“You should know. Yours have you wrapped around hers.” Chris smirked at Rae’s best friend, who had his wife’s three-year-old daughter, Ella, in his arms. 

Earlier, the girl had asked her papa to pick her up so she could have a better view of the cake-blowing event. While Brandon was technically her stepfather, nobody could deny the love and bond between the two. 

Ella cupped a hand over her mouth and whispered into Brandon’s ear. 

“Get me a big piece, ’kay?” He put her down, and the girl scampered to where Dean’s nephews stood, waiting for Rae to hand them plates of cake.

“Once they grabbed you, you never feel the same anymore.” Brandon’s eyes followed Ella’s path to the cake line, then lit up a little brighter. 

Chris spotted Callie, Brandon’s better half, who had anticipated their daughter’s move and met her there. He’d seen Brandon and Callie’s connection last year at his resort in Morocco. Unbeknownst to him, the two were childhood friends who hadn’t seen each other for fifteen years, and he’d played a part in their reunion. 

“You’re talking about the girl or the woman?” Chris asked.

Brandon glanced at him with a crooked smile. “Both.”

“Oh, yeah. You and Dean are both hooked.” Chris laughed. 

“You know when you find the one.” Brandon gave him a look that only a recently married person still basking in that fresh romantic glow had. They thought everybody else should find love.

Chris brushed it off with an eye roll. “The only thing I’m looking for is another great spot for my next resort.”

It was true. Chris had been busting his ass, making his life goal into reality. He’d established three world-class luxurious boutique resorts that offered spectacular views, customized services, and a one-of-a-kind experience. The latest one had just opened last winter in the mountains of Switzerland. 

“You never know where and when it’ll happen. I sure didn’t expect to find Callie again in the middle of a desert in Africa.” Brandon walked toward the large deck of their friends’ house. The whole wall of glass panels had been opened to bring in the view of lake Lanier.

The Rowlands lived on the quieter side of the popular lake in Georgia. Chris recalled the first time he’d visited the area. Dean had invited him to celebrate the winter break of freshman year with his family when he’d found out Chris had planned to stay in New York alone. He couldn’t appreciate the Rowlands’ warmth more.

“Did Dean ever tell you about the urban legends of this lake?” Chris deliberately changed the subject as he followed Brandon out. 

“The blue-dressed woman or the hands pulling down swimmers?” Brandon asked. 

“So you’ve been dared.”

“I believe in respecting the dead, so I passed.” Brandon smirked. “I don’t see Dean doing his morning laps in the lake.”

“You’re a smarter man than me, Brandon.” Chris chuckled. “I spent many breaks here when we were in college. We did some stupid stuff back then.”

“What?” Brandon made a face. “That doesn’t sound like the Dean Rowland we know.”

“He’s a risk taker, that one. He wouldn’t be where he was without being fearless. He just learned to better calculate the risks and ROI. The only time I saw his instinct and brain fail him was with Rae.”

A knowing smile emerged on Brandon’s face. “When it comes to women—the right woman, that is—you gotta lead with your heart.”

They both turned to look at Dean and Rae, who were still busy tending to their daughter and handing out pieces of cake. They exchanged glances and grinned, remembering their scheme to get their friends back together. 

“We did good.” Brandon gave Chris a self-congratulatory nod.

“Yeah, we did.”

______________

After a full afternoon of family gathering and celebration, the rest of the party finally left. The young parents had proceeded with their evening routines with their respective children to bring them down from the sugar high and ready for bed. Blessedly alone, Chris had helped himself to a serving of Dean’s whiskey collection and sat on the deck, enjoying the peace. 

He might be a people person, but he appreciated a quiet time after a full day of socializing. It was always wonderful seeing Dean’s parents and siblings. They were like his second family. They were always happy to see him, more than his own father would, sadly enough. Whenever he saw George Sullens, they always argued about the responsibility Chris had continuously balked at—the leadership of the Sullens hotels.

They used to be tight—Chris and his father. He remembered when he’d been old enough to read, his father had taken him to their flagship hotel in Boston and inspected every detail of the operation during one of the busiest times of the year. His father had told him even if they were the owner, they needed to know how to do every single job in the hotel. It was a lesson Chris had continued to follow.

Today, his father could barely look at him without a trace of disappointment on his face.

“Need a refill?” Dean showed up with a little tea tray and set it on the coffee table.

Chris gauged his glass, then got up. “You sit down. Let me play bartender tonight. You guys hadn’t sat down all day.”

“Thanks. Make mine a double.” Dean settled himself on the sofa. 

“Maya’s asleep?” Chris asked as he poured his friend’s favorite bourbon into a tumbler.

“Nope. She’s tired but too excited to sleep. Rae’s reading her another book. Hopefully, she’ll fall asleep soon.”

“She’s a riot, that one.” Chris handed Dean his drink. He saw Brandon and Callie approaching. “Can I entice you with a little nightcap?”

Callie eagerly nodded. “I’ll try some bourbon.”

While Chris fixed the drink, the couple sat across from Dean on the other sofa. Brandon eyed the teapot.

“Is that for Rae?” he asked.

“Yeah. Chamomile, ginger.” Dean nodded. “There’s plenty. I brought out two cups.” 

When they were settled with their drinks, Dean said, “Thank you all for coming down.”

“Wouldn’t miss the little munchkin’s first birthday,” Brandon said. 

Chris seconded the sentiment. 

“When are you leaving for Paris?” Dean asked Brandon and Callie. 

“This coming Thursday,” Callie answered. “We’re staying there for the summer.”

“I’m glad we get to see you all before you leave,” Dean said. “I need your advice. We have a situation.”

All three of them looked at Dean, attention alert. 

“What’s going on?” Chris asked. 

“Do you know Rae’s family background?” Dean asked Callie. 

“Rae and I exchanged life stories over a bottle of wine over the holidays,” she answered.

“What’s the situation?” Brandon leaned in. “She mentioned something earlier, but we didn’t get to talk yet.”

“She didn’t want to taint Maya’s birthday.” Dean continued, “A lawyer contacted and informed her that her father passed away.”

There was silence all around. None of them knew how to respond to that information. Rae’s father had abandoned her and her mother when she’d been really young and pretended she didn’t exist. 

“How does she feel about that?” Brandon asked.

Dean shrugged. “Conflicted. On the one hand, he was never a father to her, but on the other, he was her father.”

Chris understood that even if he had some kind of a relationship with his father—a dysfunctional one.

“Why did the lawyer contact Rae?” Brandon inquired. “The man never bothered with her while alive. Why have a lawyer reach out to her when he’s dead?”

Chris studied Brandon. The usually easy-going musician/artist had a scowl on his face. As Rae’s best friend, it was understandable that he was angry for her. 

“Apparently, he left her something in his will,” Dean explained. 

“Seriously?” Brandon scoffed. “Finally, an acknowledgment?”

Dean nodded. “In the form of a two-hundred acres of land on an island off the coast of Maine.”

“Holy shit,” Brandon exclaimed. 

“There’s more. It isn’t just land. The family estate includes a working farm and an inn.”

“You forget the part where it’s equally passed down to his three living children.” Rae dropped next to her husband. 

They were so intent on listening to Dean that they didn’t see her come in.

“Hi, sweetheart. Maya is down?” Dean asked his wife. 

Rae nodded and poured her tea. “Yes, thank god.” She glanced at Callie. “Did Ella fall asleep okay? You got everything you need?”

“She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.” Callie smiled. “And yes, we’re good.”

“Rae, I’m sorry about your dad,” Brandon said gently. “I know he wasn’t there for you, but it’s still a loss.”

Rae gave him an appreciative smile. “Thanks, B.”

Since she was sitting near him, Chris reached out to squeeze Rae’s hand to convey his condolence. Brandon was right. However shitty that father of hers was, he was still her father. Of all of them, Chris understood that well.

“Go back to the bit of land your father left you,” Brandon urged Rae.

“Two hundred acres with real estate isn’t just a patch of land,” Chris pointed out. “That’s significant. You and each of your half-siblings get a third?”

“There are stipulations,” Dean added. 

“I don’t want it,” Rae stated stubbornly before Dean could elaborate. “I don’t want anything from him. They can take it all.”

Dean took his wife’s hand to calm her. “You can relinquish your inheritance in three years, not before, as your father stipulated.”

“Why three years?” Callie asked. 

Dean shrugged. “We don’t know.” 

“Why would this man suddenly acknowledge his estranged daughter and force her into a co-landownership with siblings she doesn’t know?” Brandon questioned. “Damn. They must’ve gotten one hell of a shock at that will reading.”

“My siblings wrote me,” Rae said. “It’s a brief letter inviting me to see the land.”

“Brief is a nice way to put it,” Dean scoffed. “Short, curt is more like it.”

“Can we see it?” Chris asked.

“Sure. There’s nothing personal in it.” Rae went to retrieve the letter and came back with a small envelope. She handed it to Chris. 

Chris took out a note size paper folded in half. With a flick of his fingers, he straightened it and read. It was short. He thought it was more business-like than curt. If he’d found out he had a half-sibling he had no idea about, he’d be more curious and excited. But that was him, an only child who had wished for a sibling almost every birthday. He couldn’t tell what this Rowan fella was about from the letter alone.

He handed the note to Callie so she and Brandon could read it. 

“Are you going there?” Callie asked.

Rae drank her tea, then exhaled slowly. “I don’t know. This news is wreaking havoc inside me. I don’t know what kind of welcome I’d get if I went. These people are strangers to me.”

“But you’re good with strangers,” Callie reminded.

Rae smiled, appreciating her words. “I don’t usually have this much baggage with strangers.”

Suddenly, a sinister thought occurred to Chris. Though he tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, growing up wealthy had built a sense of caution in him. There were a few occasions when kids at boarding school had only befriended him because of his family’s name and wealth. 

“I find it curious that they contacted you now.” Chris exchanged looks with Dean. His friend’s gaze’s sharpness told him he had the same thought. 

“What do you mean?” Brandon questioned.

“Why now?” Chris continued, “Rae is an accomplished woman. A simple web search will show everything she’s done, from travel channels to books. She’s reached a high level of visibility. And now, she’s also—”

“Married to a billionaire,” Brandon finished Chris’ sentence.

Chris pointed a finger to the musician that he was right on the nose.

“I thought it was suspect,” Dean said. “According to the lawyer, Neal Kelly died after a sudden cardiac arrest in October last year. Rae received the notice only last week. Why did it take them that long to reach out to her?

“They said it took them a while to deal with the estate while his family was mourning. Then, it took them another while to find the right Rae Allen,” he finished.

“I officially changed my surname name on paper, though I keep Allen professionally,” Rae reasoned. “We moved to Georgia, but my business is still in New York.”

“You don’t find them reaching out to you a tad suspicious?” Brandon asked her.

“I don’t know what to think,” Rae answered. “If anything, I regret that they contacted me after he died. I wish…”

Rae trailed off as tears suddenly streamed from her eyes. She quickly wiped them off with her fingers. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d held nothing else about my dad.”

“Sweetheart, he was still your father.” Dean gathered his wife in his arms. “You’re entitled to grieve him even if he didn’t deserve sympathy from you.”

Brandon reached out for Rae’s hand from across the table and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, Rae. We’re bringing more negativity to an already upsetting situation. Perhaps we should give your dad and half-siblings the benefit of the doubt.”

“From what we could tell, it seems your dad had kept them in the dark about your existence,” Callie added. “They’re probably as confused as you are.”

“That is a possibility,” Chris admitted, though somehow he doubted it.

Callie added, probably hearing the skepticism in his voice, “We won’t know their real intentions until you meet or talk to them. Being cautious is one thing, but I’ve learned that people often surprise you.”

Rae looked at her best friend’s wife with a small smile. “That’s true. I should probably meet them and check this property my dad unloaded on me before I decide anything.”

“Not in your condition, Rae,” Dean said with concern. “You heard what the doctor said.”

“Wait. What’s wrong?” Brandon questioned. 

“Nothing serious,” Rae assured everyone. “I’m pregnant.”

“My goodness, congratulations!” Callie exclaimed.

“Thanks.” Rae smiled. “It’s early yet, but because of what happened with Maya’s early birth and a few other test results, my doctor recommended that I take things easy in the first trimester.”

“That means no globetrotting or anything stressful,” Dean added. 

“It’s just a trip to Maine, hon,” Rae argued. “A flight and a ferry ride. That’s all.”

“You know it won’t be a simple visit. It will take a mental toll, and this isn’t the best time for you to deal with that,” her husband countered. He looked at their friends and asked for support, “Tell me if I’m wrong here.”

“Dean has a point.” Brandon grimaced in agreement. “How are you feeling?”

“I get tired much easier with this one. And the nausea is worse than with Maya,” Rae admitted. “But I worked throughout my first pregnancy—”

“And you can still do that, but a stressful trip may not be the best right now,” Dean insisted. 

Chris suddenly had an idea. “I could go in your stead and scout the place for you.”

Everybody’s eyes trained on him. 

“This is what I do,” Chris explained. “I can assess the estate and give you the lowdown from the ground. I’ll get a feel of what your siblings are really after. So you won’t get a shock when, or if, you decide to come.”

“You’d do that for me?” Rae looked at him. 

“Of course. I already have a break plan and will be going up to the Cape anyway,” Chris explained.

“That time of the year again, huh?” Dean said knowingly.

Chris nodded with a resigned smile. “Yup, been summoned by my dad for our annual pretend-to-be-a-happy-family week.” 

“Sound like you’re looking forward to it,” Brandon teased.

Chris scoffed but added to Rae, “I’d be happy to go up to Maine for you. Brandon would do the same if he wasn’t leaving for Paris.”

“Absolutely,” Brandon agreed. “But Chris would know better what to look for when it comes to properties and the like.”

Rae took Chris’ hand. “Thank you, Chris. You have no idea how this lightens the weight on my heart. I don’t know how I feel about suddenly having siblings.”

“Rae, like you always say, we are your family,” Chris reminded her. “If these people want to claim you as family, they’d need to pass through us first.”