“I can’t imagine how that must be for you.” Mara reaches over and gently squeezes my arm, giving me a kind smile.
“I have a daughter,” I tell them. “She’s going to be five in March.” I don’t look or make eye contact with any of them while I pull my phone out of my back pocket and scroll to a picture of Kendrix. I hand it to Mara.
“Oh my God,” she says breathily.
“Can we see?” another asks. I think her name is Dawn.
I nod, and they each pass the phone around. All of them have the same reaction. When I finally have my phone back in my hands, I take another look at my baby girl. I miss her so much. I can’t wait to wrap my arms around her tomorrow. Locking the screen, I place my phone back in my pocket and look up at them. Four sets of eyes are watching me closely. “Say it.” I smile, fighting back my anxiety.
“She looks just like him,” all four of them say at the same time.
Emotion builds inside me. I don’t want to break down in front of these women who I just met, but everything comes crashing in around me, and I can’t seem to stop it. I suck in a breath, trying to ward off the tears, but I lose the battle as they slide over my cheeks.
“We’re going down in the basement!” Mara yells into the kitchen. She stands and offers me her hand. I take it, standing as well. The other three are suddenly there, surrounding me. Together, the five of us make our way downstairs. “They won’t let the kids down here,” Mara explains. “They also won’t come down here. Not for a while. They’ll assume we’re in the craft room.” She points to a door down the hall. “Sit.” She guides our group to the huge sectional couch.
“Reagan, Ridge’s sister,” one of the women speaks and waves with a smile. “I know you don’t know us, Delaney, but I promise you we’re on your team. You can tell us anything and we’ll keep that shit locked tight.” She grins.
“Kendall.” Another smiles. “Ridge’s wife.” Without me having to tell them, they know it’s a lot for me to take on. Maybe it’s because they now know I lost my memory and they think I need it. Regardless, I appreciate it. And I think I’ve got them all down, at least for tonight. “You can talk to us. In fact, what’s your number?” She pulls her cell out, and I rattle off my digits. “I’ll text it to everyone, and we’ll send you ours. If you need us for anything, don’t hesitate.” The others in the group murmur their agreement and my heart swells.
“I’m glad he has you. Kenton,” I clarify. “I don’t remember my time with him, but I’m glad he has this support system.”
“What about you?”
I blow out a breath. “Well, my mother told me when I woke up, before I could remember anyone or anything, that the father of my child told me to take care of it. That he didn’t want me. She assured me he wasn’t worth my time or memories. She had me convinced that the reason I didn’t remember those few years is because of him. That he wasn’t a good guy and that my daughter and I were better off without him.”
“Holy shit,” Dawn says, and quickly smacks her hand over her mouth, making me laugh.
“Right? So, I come here after she begs me not to. My dad left the Nottingham Estate to me in his will. He passed about a year ago.” They speak their condolences, and I move on. I tell them the entire story about Mom not wanting me to come here. How she had me thinking that Tennessee was the state of the mean people—or the devil is more like what she wanted me to believe. I lay it all out on the table for them.
“Wow,” Kendall says, sitting back against the couch and crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t know that I have words for that. She couldn’t have been talking about Kent. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.”
“Yeah, he seems to be.” I go on to tell them about the day he first saw me and his reaction to me not knowing him, and then every detail since. “I didn’t realize I needed this, to talk about this until tonight,” I tell them. “Thank you for listening.”
“Of course.” This from Mara.
“What’s her name? Your daughter?” Reagan asks.
I don’t even try to hide my smile. “Kendrix.” I wait, letting it sink in. “My mother hated it. Still hates it to this day. She didn’t speak to me for days after she was born.”
“She knew.” Kendall points her finger at me. “That’s dirty.”