Sierra joined her husband’s side. “I am so excited to have a sister. I want to learn everything about you.” She beamed at Misty with eyes just as kind as her husband’s. “I wrote you the letter because my husband started and stopped about a thousand times. We didn’t want to frighten you away, but really wanted you to know that we couldn’t be happier that you have been found. You’re family.”
“Thank you,” Misty was finally able to say. It probably sounded lame, but no other words would come out. She was too choked with emotion.
“We don’t expect you to do much talking,” Damien said. “We were waiting for you to get off the flight, and when the ambulance showed up, I nearly had a heart attack and joined you in the back. We came right over, and I have a doctor here who’s a friend, and he let me know where you were. I just couldn’t rest until I knew you’d be okay. If you’re up to it, then we’ll just sit with you for a while.” His words tumbled out as if from nervousness.
“I’d like that,” Misty replied, her trembling body finally relaxing. Why had she been so anxious? There was nothing to be afraid of. Yes, they might not end up being the best of friends, but maybe they would grow close. Maybe she’d really found a family who would love her. And who would want all the love she was so willing to give away.
“Good. You are so beautiful, just beautiful,” Sierra said. “Your eyes are the exact same as Damien’s. It’s amazing.” She sported a wide grin on her face as she looked from Damien to Misty and back again.
Damien grinned too. “My eyes have always been my favorite feature. Now, I know why. I must have somehow known that they were a connection to you,” he told Misty, making her practically glow.
“I’ve always liked the color of my eyes, too,” she said, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She didn’t normally like anything about herself — and on the rare occasion that she did, she never admitted it.
“It must be some sibling telepathy or something,” Damien said, making Misty smile again.
“Thank you for inviting me here, for wanting to meet,” Misty said. “It was a very nice plane ride.”
“Well, until the part where she passed out,” Bryson piped up.
“Yeah, that must have been hell on you, actually seeing it,” Damien said, turning toward Bryson for the first time. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on Misty that I’ve been rude. It’s been a long time,” he said, sticking out his hand.
“Yes, it has. It’s good to see you, Damien.”
“You, as well.”
They all chatted for a while — maybe an hour. Misty didn’t know. Time had ceased having any meaning, and she didn’t want the night to end, even if she was stuck in a sterile room on a hard bed. Despite everything, she’d never had a more perfect night, not even when she met Brad Paisley; nor had she ever laughed so much. Her stomach was actually developing a cramp.
“Which room is it? Are you all incompetent? I have a relative to visit.”
All heads turned as a loud voice echoed down the corridor and Damien jumped up. “I’d better save the nursing staff,” he said with a chuckle. “Joseph, down here,” he called out from the doorway.
“Well, there you are, boy,” Joseph called back, and then Joseph was standing before her again. Oh, my. She’d forgotten in just a few days how intimidating he was, standing well over six feet tall with shoulders that seemed to stretch on forever. Luckily, the well-trimmed white beard and mustache softened his appearance. “I don’t understand why it took so long for someone to call me. I was waiting for little Misty to arrive, and then I get a phone call saying she had an incident on the plane. It was like pulling teeth to get any information,” he said, his voice lowering as he approached her bed.
“Joseph, she’s Magnolia for now,” Damien said with a meaningful look.
Joseph’s tone quieted. “I’m sorry, Magnolia. I won’t make that mistake again,” he said, and he seemed honestly grieved over his mistake. Mistakes like that could cost everything they’d done to protect her.
“I’m fine,” she said. All this fuss was beginning to make her uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to scare you with all my bluster. I was just worried, that’s all,” he said as he scooted Bryson out of his chair and took a seat. Bryson laughed at the old man’s antics.
“Everyone is fussing over nothing. I just…got dehydrated is all,” Misty said, not wanting them to know she’d panicked at the thought of actually meeting her brother face-to-face. She was grateful when they let her get away with her half-truth.
“It’s never nothing when you have to go to the hospital,” Joseph told her, “but they will take real good care of you here. If not, they have to answer to me, and I’m not pleasant to deal with when I’m unhappy.” He issued that warning just as the doctor walked into the room.
“I can vouch for that, Joseph,” the man said.
Joseph chuckled and leaned back. “How’s our girl doing?”
“Her vitals have improved greatly. She’ll be ready to go home in the morning.”
Everyone breathed a lot easier.
“It’s good to see you still do a fine job here, Carson,” Joseph said, and he stood up and patted the doctor on the back.
Misty’s eyes were growing heavy, but she was afraid that if she went to sleep, they’d all disappear and she’d lose them forever. It would be so much more painful now that she’d had a taste of what having a family was all about.
“My patient is exhausted and clearly having a difficult time keeping awake,” Dr. Carson said, “but I can see she’s far too polite to say anything, so I’ll say it. You head out and let her get some rest, and then you can pick her up first thing in the morning.” The doctor’s words earned him disappointed looks from both Joseph and Damien. But as they turned to look back at Misty, it was more than clear that the doctor was right.
“It’s okay,” Misty said weakly.
“We’ll go and let her rest,” Sierra interjected firmly. “Then we’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.” She leaned down and hugged her new sister-in-law.
“Fine,” Damien conceded. Then he surprised Misty by also leaning down and pulling her into his arms for his own hug.
It took all she had not to cry again. She refused to, just refused to, until they left the room. After all, they’d seen enough of her crazy emotions for one day.
“Fine, I suppose,” Joseph grumbled, then embraced her briefly but with surprising gentleness. “We’ll bring you to the place tomorrow and take good care of you while you recover.”
Then, just as quickly as they’d blown into the room, the three were gone, taking the doctor with them. Bryson also leaned down as if to leave, but she clutched his hand in hers like a vise to prevent him from going away, too.
He probably wanted to visit with the others, she thought, but she couldn’t seem to command her hand to let his go.
She held herself together for longer than she thought she could, but when Bryson looked into her face and then rubbed his hand along her cheek, she began to unravel, her body shaking with the emotion she’d been trying to suppress.
“It’s all right, hon. This meeting has been a long time coming. No one will think you’re weak if you shed a few tears,” he said, and that was all it took.
Her dry eyes prickled, and then she watched as Bryson’s face blurred, and then the tears welled over and rushed down her cheeks.
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay,” he vowed. He slid into the bed next to her, careful of her I.V. as he pulled her gently into his arms.
Bryson held her close as she sobbed out her relief, as she let go of all the anxiety she’d been carrying. And as she let go of the last walls around her heart and let him in.
When sleep finally took her into its sweet embrace, she had nothing left to give — she’d let it all go and now the fate of her love was in Bryson’s strong, capable hands. Meeting her family, knowing she belonged had opened her emotions up in ways nothing else could have.
Now, she was willing to hope, to dream, to want! She loved Bryson; now she just needed to be brave enough to tell him. She tried to without the words, by holding him tight.
It was up to him if he wanted her love for more than a night or a week. She wanted him forever.
Chapter Eighteen
“You’re not going to have another anxiety attack on me, are you?” Bryson asked as they rode in the back of the Jaguar that Joseph had sent to pick them up.
“I can’t promise anything. Look at what we’re being driven in,” she said with a nervous smile.
“I just want to give some warnings before you see the…um…house.” He was unsure whether the Anderson mansion, with its high towers and stunning stone walls, could be called a house
“I’m fine. They’re just people, right? It’s not like they weren’t born the same way I was. They are people. Okay, really wealthy people, but people all the same. I can do this.” Who was it she was trying to convince — herself or Bryson?