“My mother, your grandmother, never told my father she was pregnant with me,” Mom continues, bringing her eyes back to me. “She met him while she was vacationing with her family in the Keys. It was a fling that only lasted two days. They never gave any details about each other. She only had his first name. She didn’t even know what state he lived in. Your great-grandparents helped her raise me. She was only sixteen. Baxter’s parents were our neighbors. Trudy’s family lived on the other side of Baxter, and Noah’s family lived across the street from us. Baxter and Noah were two when I was born. Trudy came a year after me. Growing up, the four of us were as thick as thieves.” Mom laughs. “You never saw one without seeing the other three.”
She pauses a moment and her stare drifts off across the room, a smile lifting her lips, as if she’s remembering a particularly fond memory.
After a moment, she shakes her head.
“Anyway, a few years after I was born, Baxter’s mother got pregnant again. Unfortunately, there were complications and she miscarried. Patricia ended up with an infection from the miscarriage, and she passed away a few weeks later.”
I look over at Baxter. His expression is once again neutral.
“When I was fourteen and Baxter was sixteen,” Mom says, pulling my attention back to her, “our relationship went from friends to something more.”
My eyes widen at that small bit of info. Mom notices and her hand tightens in mine.
“Your father and I loved each other deeply, Rayn. Please don’t think otherwise. It’s just that Baxter was my first love.”
I always thought Mom and Dad’s love was epic. So strong that there was no way they could have loved anyone else in a romantic way. I never knew her and Baxter were together before my parents were.
I nod. “Go on.”
“A couple of years after we started dating, Baxter’s dad and my mother started seeing each other. It wasn’t long after that they announced they were getting married.”
I gasp in shock, but don’t say anything. I have a clear picture where Mom is going with her story, but I still need her to finish it.
“Regardless of the fact that Baxter and I were seeing each other before our parents started dating, I’m sure you can imagine the scandal it would have caused if word got out we were still together, even after our parents got married. People weren’t as accepting as they are nowadays. My mother and Baxter’s father forced us to break it off. We were both devastated. I stayed mad at my mother for a long time for that. Your father and I got together our senior year of high school.”
“You’re step siblings,” I word it as a statement rather than a question.
Mom inclines her head. “Yes.”
I glance at Jamison and find him just as shocked as me.
“How could you have never told us this?” I direct my question at Mom and Baxter. “I understand not saying anything to anyone else, but we’re your kids, and this is a big deal.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Baxter inserts, entering the conversation for the first time. “You have every right to know, but there was no need to tell you until now.”
“Besides giving you all this information because it’s past time you knew, I’m also telling you so you’ll understand why being with Jamison is okay with the both of us. We know from experience what you’re going through. You can’t help where you find love.” She pauses a minute. “I’ve known for a long time that you and Jamison belong together. Quite frankly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long.”
Her eyes move to Reed, and she gives him a gentle smile before she moves them back to me.
“And Reed’s the center of you and grounds you both. If those two men are who you want to spend the rest of your life with and they make you happy, who are we to stop you?”
“They do make me happy,” I tell her. “They’re my best friends, in more ways than platonic. I can’t imagine life without them.”
“Then be happy with them. That’s all a mother can ask for.”
“Wow,” I say, looking from Mom to Baxter then back to Mom. “I can’t believe you’re step siblings, and that you two were together before Dad.”
Mom smiles and leans back against Baxter. He leans forward and kisses her cheek.
Jamison speaks for the first time. “How did Noah feel about it? I can’t imagine it was easy on him knowing you two had been together. Not to mention, you seeing them together and Noah seeing you with Mom.”
“By the time they started dating, I was already involved with Trudy,” Baxter says. “It was selfish because I was with your mom, but yes, it did hurt to see Olivia with Noah. I knew there was no future for us, so I forced myself to move on. I loved your mother, but at first it wasn’t the deep love I felt for Olivia. It built into that over time.”
“It was the same for me with Noah. It’s hard getting over your first love, but we both knew we had to. Noah and Trudy helped us with that. They knew the feelings Baxter and I had for each other. They knew the struggle we were going through. Luckily for Baxter and I, we both had two great loves in our lives.” Mom’s expression turns earnest as she gazes at me. “Please don’t ever think I regret being with your father. Still to this day, I cherish every minute I had with him.”
“Thank you for telling us all this.”
Mom and I get up at the same time and we hug each other tightly. She whispers in my ear, “Be happy, no matter how that happiness comes.”
“I will,” I say tearfully.
While I’m still shocked by this new development, all of my stress melts away.
Mom and Baxter only stay for a few more minutes. When Jamison closes the door behind them, he turns and his eyes immediately find mine. I stand with my back pressed against the couch as he begins prowling toward me. The look in his eyes has my stomach fluttering in the best way possible. Jamison has always had an intense stare, and right now is no different.
My heart begins to race, and I start panting, the need between my legs growing the closer he gets.
He stops with a couple of feet separating us.
“Reed,” he says without looking away from me, his voice a low growl.
“Yeah?” The husky note in Reed’s voice has my body shivering.
“Take Rayn’s clothes off,” Jamison answers, “and get her ready.”
Reed appears in front of me, blocking my view of Jamison. As he reaches for the bottom of my shirt, he grins his sexy grin. “With pleasure.”