Page 28 of Lee

“Do they move you around a lot?” Rori asked as Lee unbuckled the baby.

“Not now. But when I first started out, I was assigned to fill holes.”

Lee scooped Shiloh out of the car seat and held her close to his chest. She waved a little fist, and Lee bent his head closer to her so she could bop him on the cheek.

As he stared down into her wide brown eyes, Lee wondered if Charli knew her adopted daughter’s medical history.

Did she know details about Shiloh’s parents that Shiloh might want to know some day? Would she give her that information? Would Shiloh actually want to know about the people who brought her into the world?

Lee hoped that whatever decision she made, she’d be at peace with it. Unlike how unsettled he felt. But that was because he wanted more information, and no one was giving it to him.

That lack left him with so many questions and a feeling that he was a stranger to himself. A stranger in his own body.

It wasn’t that he planned to abandon the Halversons. That wasn’t it at all. They would always be his family, but he needed to know where he came from. He needed to be able to tell any woman he got serious with that he knew his medical history and there were no concerns to be shared.

Looking up, he found both Charli and Rori watching him. Rori’s expression was unreadable, but his sister’s was soft and indulgent.

“You’ll make a great father someday,” she said.

“If that’s what God has planned for my future. And if not, I’ll just enjoy my nieces and nephews.”

“Seems we’re getting another one every year or so.”

“Up next, Janessa or Kayleigh.”

“Maybe.” Charli looked skeptical. “I actually think it might be Aria.”

“Really? So soon?”

“She loves being a mom, and I think she’d like to have her kids fairly close together.”

“And you and Blake?”

Charli laughed. “For now, we’re quite happy with our three.”

“Do you have brothers and sisters, Rori?” Charli asked, turning her attention away from Lee.

“Yes. I have six siblings.”

“Really? That’s cool.”

“I guess,” Rori said with a shrug. “However, I’m not really close to them since they’re my half siblings. Four are my mom’s and two are my dad’s.”

“Wow. Where do you fall in the order?”

Rori paused, then said, “It’s kind of confusing. My parents were never married to each other, so of my mom’s kids, I’m the middle. She had two kids before she had me, then she got married again and had two more. My dad also got married and had two more after me.”

“And you’ve just moved to Serenity?” Charli asked.

“Yes. I came to cat-sit for my mom and fell in love with the area. I wouldn’t have been able to make the move if not for this job, though. So I’m very grateful that Cheryl gave me a chance at the clinic here.”

“Well, it sounds like it was a good thing for her, too.”

Rori glanced at Lee before looking back at Charli. “I hope it’s turned out okay. She’s cutting back on her hours, so I guess she trusts me to do the job.”

“She does,” Lee assured her.

The information Charli had drawn out of Rori made Lee more curious about the woman. It sounded like her family life was complicated, and he wondered how she’d dealt with it.

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