Page 27 of Where Sea Meets Sky

“Don’t just shout at her, we should let her in.”

“I’ll do it!”

A moment later, a grinning pre-teen with long blonde hair opened the front door.

“Hi,” she said, extending her hand for a handshake. “I’m Sam. Nice to meet you, Cousin Faith.”

“Hi,” Faith said a little breathlessly, shaking Samantha’s hand. She hadn’t been expecting to be greeted by a kid, and the surprise was a bit of a relief. Samantha’s warm, cheerful energy helped make her feel at ease. “I’m happy to be here.”

“We’re glad you’re here,” Alexis said warmly, stepping forward and beaming at Faith. “Welcome to the Owens family homestead.”

A young man with messy dark brown hair and a crooked smile who she hadn’t met before—at least, she didn’t remember meeting him—snorted with laughter and offered Faith a handshake. “Hi, I’m Dean. I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since I heard legends of your arrival.”

“Legends?” Faith echoed nervously. She wondered if Vivian, Alexis, and Julia had been so surprised to see her that they’d made her sound like some kind of strange person arriving in Rosewood Beach. But she convinced herself a moment later that wasn’t true, considering the friendly way Dean was grinning at her.

“I’m Hazel.” A woman with wavy dark blonde hair and blue-green eyes gave Faith a hug. “I’m Samantha’s mom. Welcome.”

Faith felt her heart skip a beat. So far, they were all being incredibly welcoming, but she hardly knew what to do with herself. She felt overwhelmed by being surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces at once, and she was at a loss for words. She thought to herself that it was crazy that she could feel in full command of the space in a courtroom or even at an office party, surrounded by high-profile professionals, but feel so lost in a cozy home surrounded by family members.

There were even more people sitting on the couches in the living room, who were looking at her and smiling. There were three other men and another woman, all of whom looked friendly, and Julia, who was sitting in an armchair and frowning slightly at the floor. Faith’s heart sank a little when she saw her cousin’s expression, and she wondered if Julia’s frown had anything to do with her. Had she made Julia uncomfortable in some way?

One of the men was holding an adorable toddler, and he handed her to Julia with a smile.

“Hang onto Macey for a second, would you?” he asked Julia.

Julia brightened when the toddler settled down on her lap for a snuggle, and she looked up at Faith and grinned at her. Faith let out an internal sigh of relief, realizing that Julia’s expression must have been about something else.

“Hi, I’m Cooper,” the man said, walking up to shake Faith’s hand. “I’ve been really excited to meet you. I’m Julia’s fiancé, and that little bundle of joy over there is my daughter Macey.”

“She’s darling,” Faith said, finally feeling as though she knew what to say.

Vivian came into the living room, wearing a pink and white striped apron and smiling broadly. “Dinner’s just about—oh, hi, Faith!” She hurried across the living room and gave Faith a hug. “Have they all introduced themselves yet?”

“Almost.” One of the other men, who had a beard and kind gray eyes, waved to her. “I’m Jacob, Hazel’s boyfriend.”

“I’m Noelle, Dean’s girlfriend,” said a lovely woman with light brown hair and a bright smile. “We’re so excited you’re here!”

“And I’m Grayson, Alexis’s husband,” said a polished-looking man with ash brown hair. He seemed to still have a bit of a city air about him, and he was wearing a gray blazer with his dark jeans. Faith noticed in that moment that everyone’s wardrobe choices seemed to be all over the place. Dean was wearing jeans and a hoodie, Noelle was wearing an oversized sweater with leggings, Alexis was wearing a comfortable maternity dress, and Julia was wearing dark slacks and a royal blue blouse. She felt a ripple of relief as she realized that her fashion choices definitely fit right in.

“Hi, everyone,” Faith said, smiling and managing to sound less breathless. “I’m glad… well, thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course.” Vivian grinned at her. “Just give me two more minutes, and dinner will be all ready. Grayson and Hazel, would you help me carry the dishes out to the dining room in a second here?”

“You got it!” Hazel scampered over to her mother and Grayson stood up with a smile.

Faith glanced curiously at the card game they’d all been playing. She felt a little bad about interrupting them at it, but they all seemed perfectly content to put it on pause for a while. She was struck by what an affectionate, close-knit circle they seemed to be.

Could I ever fit in here?she wondered.In the same way the rest of them do? Is there room for me?

“Come on, let’s go into the dining room right away,” Samantha said, as if the house was her own personal creation and she wanted to show it off. “I helped set the table. We used these antique blue glass dishes Grandma has. It looks really nice.”

“Sure. I’d love to see it.”

Samantha led Faith into the dining room, and everyone else followed. Faith gazed around her with interest as they passed through the house. Just like the outside, it gave off an aura of having been well used and well loved, and she noticed how clean and tidy it was.

“It’s a beautiful home,” she said to Alexis, who was walking beside her.

“You’ve been here before,” Alexis said with a twinkle in her eyes. “Do you remember any of it?”

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