Page 113 of Take This Heart
Her eyes land on Ava.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
Behind her, the rest of the brothers arrive. Camden, Dylan, and Noah spill out of Noah’s truck. Ava doesn’t flinch under their stares. If anything, she seems steadier now. But then Everett appears, walking slowly toward us. His face is pale and he looks like he ages ten years in ten seconds.
“Dad—” Goldie says, rushing to help him the rest of the way.
But Tully stares at Everett and it’s the most anger I’ve ever seen from him, even off the ice.
“Dad, Ava is saying some outrageous things,” he says.
Ava’s voice shakes and she tilts her head toward Everett. “Tell them the truth. Tell them how you kept the truth from them all these years.”
Goldie turns to her dad, confused. “Dad, what is she talking about?”
He looks at her and then at each of his sons. He looks heavy. Like he’s been carrying this weight so long, he’s not sure how to unload it without shattering everyone.
“I was going to tell you tonight. I wanted to tell you as soon as I suspected, but I wanted to be sure. Once it was confirmed, I wanted all of you together when I did…” He takes a deep breath. “Ava is your sister.”
No one breathes.
Goldie’s eyes fill with tears. “You…had another child?”
“No, Ava is…your mother’s daughter.”
“Dad, what are you saying?” Noah asks, stepping closer to his dad. “Mom had an affair?” There’s disbelief and hurt in his voice.
Everett exhales, his shoulders sinking. “No, your mother would’ve never done that.”
Ava scoffs and my jaw clenches as I will her to shut up with my stare.
“Your mom went out with Bruce Granger briefly in high school. She was sixteen and she got pregnant. When she told Bruce about it, he said they were too young, his parents would disown him, and he gave her money for an abortion.”
“That’s…not what he told me,” Ava says.
Everett continues, “Instead of getting an abortion, shewent to a house for young girls in Rhode Island, and as soon as she had the baby, she was given up for adoption. Your mom never even got to hold you…which broke her heart, up until the day she died.” He looks at Ava when he says those last words and I can tell they hit her hard.
She looks confused and she’s shaking. If I weren’t so upset with her, I’d feel sorry for her.
Everett moves closer to Ava and bends slightly so she’ll look at him.
“It was the one thing your mom never got over. She wrote you letters,” he tells her. “After you came to the house the other day, I started looking for them. I think they’re at the Summit house, but I’ll find them and give them to you.”
Ava swallows hard.
“So you knew about this all these years?” Noah asks.
Everett turns toward Noah and nods, his eyes glassy. “Before your mom and I got engaged, she told me everything. She carried so much grief and guilt about it and she wasn’t sure I’d want to be with her anymore if I knew the truth. It didn’t change anything for me. I wanted to look for her child, but since she had agreed to a closed adoption with no contact, she knew she wouldn’t be able to find her daughter. But then all these DNA websites came about…and she really wanted to try.”
“How did you find out?” Camden asks Ava.
“23andMe,” she says, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Goldie stares at Ava and then her eyes find mine like she’s just realizing I’m here. The color bleeds from her face.
“And you’ve known all this time,” she says softly.
She backs away like she’s been hit.
