"I know. My father has gone on and on about you," he said.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Erika should be here somewhere too," he said and looked over his shoulder. "But come in."
We both walked inside, and Josh called for who I believed might be my half-sister. Soon a dark-haired young woman came down the stairs smiling. She had darker hair than me and Josh, but still those same blue eyes. I lifted my hand to say hi, but just as she reached me, she enveloped me in a tight hug that almost crushed my bones.
"It is so nice to meet you!" Erika said, before pulling back and taking me in. She was taller than me too. "I can't believe I have got a sister that is queen."
That made me laugh, and Josh did too.
"Come, come! Our parents are waiting."
"Wait? Parents?" I asked, as Erika took my hand and pulled me with her.
I looked back at Dominic and Josh, miminghelp, but they just smiled, as they began to follow us. Erika pulled me further into their house until we came by a big living room. She opened the wooden double doors, and as we came in, I saw Aaron and whom I believed was his mate, sitting on the couches talking. They both stood up, as we came inside, but I stopped Erika from dragging me over there. I hadn't really had much time to look at Aaron at the party, because he had made me a little uneasy. He had been staring at me so much, it had freaked me out, but just like I looked like Josh, I definitely took after my father too. His mate, though, had dark hair and green eyes. My eyes shifted to her, and my father saw that.
"This is Mary. My mate," he said, looking a bit uneasy.
I didn't know what to say or to think, because I didn't know what she was thinking. She knew about me, or she would have looked more shocked, but did she hate me? Did she hate my mother? Did she want me gone? I had so many questions, but then she smiled sweetly at me.
"It's nice to meet you, Lara," she said, in a calm and sweet voice that I didn't believe sounded fake.
"Thank you," I said. "It's ... it's nice to meet you too."
"Come sit," she said and even gestured for me to sit beside her.
I looked over my shoulder, seeing Dominic. He nodded to the seat, and we both went to sit on the couch, Erika and Josh sitting down beside their father. Aaron and I looked at each other and it quickly started to become awkward, so I tried breaking the silence.
"I didn't get to say thank you for your help saving me," I said.
"No need. It was the least I could do when I didn't ..."
I knew what he was talking about. Dominic had said they had both discussed some things about me, and my father knew I hadn't grown up in the best place.
"I don't blame you for that," I said. "Not now that I know you didn't know I existed."
"I should have," he said.
I shook my head, and then felt Dominic's arm around me. I looked up at him and smiled. He always felt so safe and like a rock to me. It calmed me a lot.
"If you want my forgiveness," I said and looked at Aaron. "You got it."
He looked at me shocked, and I saw Josh and Erika turn to him and smile.
"Thank you, Lara," he said, sounding so sincere, as if that was truly what he needed. "I do hope to get to know you more in the future."
I looked at the ground. It had taken quite a lot for me to come here. While I, of course, had always wanted a father that wasn't a jackass or in huge debt, I had learned family came from many things, and now I had a new one.
"Let us start with today," I said and looked at him again.
He nodded, accepting that.
"However you would like this to go, I am fine with," he said.
"Well, should we get something to eat then?" Erika suggested, probably feeling the tension in the room too.