Page 26 of Gideon

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Gideon

I was cookingdinner when Laney approached me. Her expression was serious.

“I can’t promise I’ll stay here,” she began. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. When you go to Iran, please… be careful.”

“Laney, I’m always careful,” I said, pulling her into my arms. “Please stay. We have something good here, and I want to see where it leads.”

“The thing is,” she said hesitantly, “we’re so different. I was raised completely differently than you. What if there’s something wrong with me? I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“We’re more than friends, and you know that,” I said, my voice soft but firm. “Making love to you—it wasn’t just physical. It went straight to my heart. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I hate that I have to leave, but please be here when I get back.”

“Raven told me our dad might visit,” she said, her voice trembling. “He didn’t say for sure, but Raven also told him he had a granddaughter. I’m scared. I haven’t had a family since Iwas eight, and I don’t know if I can meet him. What if he doesn’t like me?”

“Laney, everyone loves you. If your dad visits, he’ll love you too. And your siblings—they’re good people. You’ll get along with them. They might even be on their way here right now.”

“What?” Her eyes widened. “Do you think they’re coming now?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but Georgia told me that when she found out about her family, they showed up the same day. She even cried when she told me about it—though she’d had about three beers before Raven took the last one away. Georgia has a bit of a drinking problem… or at least Raven thinks so.”

“Raven’s probably worried for no reason. How old is Georgia?”

“She’s about twenty.”

“Why was she drinking if she’s only twenty?”

“That’s exactly what Raven asked her. She just said it was ‘no big deal.’ Apparently, she was sitting alone on the beach, drinking her beer.”

“That’s sad. Does she live at home with her mom?”

“No. She moved out when she was sixteen. Raven wanted her to live with him, but she said he was too strict.”

“Why would her mother let her move out at sixteen?”

“She remarried when Georgia was ten and had a couple more kids. Georgia became the built-in babysitter. I’m sure you’ve heard stories like that before. Maybe you should stay here and see if Georgia shows up. It might be good for you to meet your sister.”

“How do you know so much about Georgia?”

“I live next door to Raven. Between him and Georgia, I hear a lot.”

“What about my brothers? Do you know anything about them?”

“I know Travis is a Navy SEAL, and Ronald runs a horse ranch. He’s twenty-seven, so you two are close in age.”

“Where’s his horse ranch?”

“Oklahoma.”

“You should ask Raven more about them,” I suggested.

Before I could say more, Haley ran into the room. “Did you say I have an uncle with a horse ranch? Mom, wehaveto visit! I love horses. Remember when we used to have a horse in Oklahoma? We used to ride it before… before Grandpa took us.”

“Haley, don’t call that man Grandpa,” Laney said sharply. “He was an evil monster. Your real grandpa is coming to visit. He has a three-year-old daughter—your aunt.”

Haley’s eyes lit up. “Can she play with me?”

“Yes, sweetheart, she can play with you.”

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