Page 38 of Fighting Happily Ever After

She shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. You said you grew up in Northern Canada.”

“I did. But I was born in Calgary. That’s all I know.” The color slowly returned to Stephanie’s face, the pallor replaced by rosy cheeks as she grew more excited. “I don’t really want to ask my mom.” She shook her head. “She gets sensitive about it and when I started starring in movies, she got really worried that details of the adoption would get out and people would come around, insisting they were my birth parents.”

“I could see that.”

“Right? It makes sense. But Mom always said she didn’t know much about my birth mother and she’d asked the agency, but the records had been destroyed in a flood a few years after I was born. I guess they weren’t on computers yet.” She shrugged. “And to be honest, I’ve never really cared all that much. But now…” Her eyes grew wide again.

Hergreeneyes. Hope and Faith’s eyes were blue, like their dad’s. But her mom’s… Was there any family resemblance?

Blonde hair versus fiery red?No.

Short and petite versus tall and curvy?No.

The feeling as though they’d all known each other forever?Yes.

Was that enough?

Faith shook her head slowly. It could be possible. It might be crazy enough to be actually true.

She laughed and Steph joined in.

“I think we need to go talk to Hope.”

“I don’t believe it.” Hope shook her head again. “I just don’t believe it.”

“Hope? Maybe you should lay down for a minute.” Faith had been watching her sister carefully, and she might be telling them that she wasn’t getting worked up but her face showed otherwise, and she was definitely not going to be held responsible for any high blood pressure issues in her pregnant and sick sister. No way. “You look a little—”

“Blown away?” Hope waved her away. “Because I am. Do you really think that you could be oursister? That’s so crazy.”

“Itiscrazy.” Faith worked hard to be the calm and somewhat reasonable one in the room. “Especially because we have no proof and no actual details about anything. Just because Stephanie was born in the same place on the same day and given up for adoption does not mean—wait a minute.” Faith turned to Steph. “What daywereyou born?” They hadn’t actually discussed dates, just the month and the year.

Stephanie beamed and turned to Hope, who was listening intently. “September 28, 1991.”

But her smile quickly fell away at Hope’s reaction. Faith watched as her sister’s face transformed, the excitement and hope replaced by disappointment and reality. “No,” Hope said quietly. “Our sister was born on September 2, 1991. Close. But…”

“I guess close doesn’t count when you’re talking about birthdays?”

“Not in this case.”

Stephanie’s shoulders had caved in and she looked as if she might crumple, so Faith moved to put an arm around her and hug her into her side. “It’s okay, Steph. It was totally farfetched, anyway. And it doesn’t change the fact that we’re all new friends, right?”

“No.” Steph shook her head and tried to force a smile. “But honestly, I let myself believe just for a second that I had a family who loved me. Sisters. And...”

“Hey.” Hope struggled to sit up. “Youdohave a family who loves you. And you have us. Just because the birthdays don’t line up, doesn’t change that we’re friends and we care about you. And heck, it’s close, right? Maybe if we can’t find our actual sister, we could just kind of adopt you in unofficially.”

Faith’s heart broke for the woman as Stephanie tried not to let her disappointment show. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never should have said anything. I didn’t mean to get everyone excited, and…well, I just didn’t think. And—”

“Hey.” Steph shook her head and in a flash, the frown was gone, replaced by the brilliant smile that had made her famous. “It’s not your fault,” she said. “It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s just…” She shrugged again and turned quickly from the sisters. “I think I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Of course.”

They let her go. Faith didn’t know her that well yet, but she knew enough to know that Steph would reach out if she wanted to talk. They didn’t speak until they heard the front door click shut downstairs.

Maybe it was the sound, or just something else inside her, that finally felt like too much, but Faith sat down hard on her sister’s bed and dropped her head against her chest. It had been a long day, but it wasn’t even noon yet.

“What’s going on with you?” Hope asked after a minute. “Because I know it doesn’t have anything to do with our long-lost sister. I just didn’t think you were that invested.”

“I’m not,” she answered honestly. “At least I wasn’t. But it would have been pretty cool if it was Stephanie, right?” She managed a smile, but Hope wasn’t buying it.

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