Page 41 of Key West Promises

"And Joanna?" Chelsea asked. "Where does she fit in all this?"

"She's…" Gretchen took a deep breath. "She's actually been more understanding than I deserve. She's the one who encouraged Sarah to be open to meeting Kaitlyn. She said secrets had already cost both girls too much time."

"That must have been hard to hear," Chelsea observed. "Another woman being more generous than you could be."

"Everything about this is hard," Gretchen admitted. "The thought of facing Jeffrey again, of watching him with both his daughters while I stand there knowing I’m just as much to blame for keeping them apart…But I can't keep making choices based on my pride. That's what Mom did and look what it did to us. We missed out on so many years together."

"We need to think about Sarah too," Leah said practically. "She's sixteen—this is huge for her. What did Jeffrey say? How did Sarah take it?”

Gretchen shrugged. “Surprisingly well. I don’t know if it’s being young and not seeing the drama in it all or…”

“Or maybe she likes the idea of having a sister?” Chelsea asked. “I mean, far be it from me to put my two cents in but…”

Everyone stared at Chelsea as if she had two heads.

“You without an opinion?” Leah teased.

“Very funny. I mean it, haven’t any of you wondered about that possibility?” She looked at Kaitlyn. “And, what about you? I know you’re upset with your parents over this, but what does it mean to you to have a sister? I remember a time when you used to beg your mother to have another child.”

Gretchen’s face lit up. “That’s right. I remember you not only begged me to have another baby, but you also insisted it be a girl because you wanted a sister.”

Kaitlyn shook her head. “Mom, that was years ago. It’s not that I don’t want Sarah in my life. I’d like to get to know her, but it’s not the same as growing up side-by-side, sharing everything together. We missed out on that.”

Tess, ever the optimist, looked around the room. “Aren’t you all tired of focusing on what you don’t have instead of the gifts you’ve been given? Hasn’t being around the families at Paradise Harbor House taught you anything?”

They all sat in silence at Tess’s words, and Kaitlyn walked over to her aunt and wrapped her arms around her. “You’re the wisest one in the room, Aunt Tess. What would we do without you?”

Tess laughed and Kaitlyn turned to her mother. “I guess we shift our attention to the logistics of how we do this.”

“Maybe we start small? Coffee or lunch, just Kaitlyn and Sarah at first?"

"With support nearby," Tess added. "But not hovering. Give them space to find their own way."

"I'm scared," Kaitlyn confessed quietly. "What if she hates me? What if she blames me somehow for disrupting her perfect family? What if—" She stopped, swallowing hard. "What if Dad loves her more? He stayed for her, after all."

"Oh, honey." Gretchen ran to her daughter. "Your father's choices were about his own weakness, not about either of his daughters' worth."

"Tell me about her?" Kaitlyn asked after a moment. "Sarah? What did Dad say?"

"She's been following your social media the last couple of years," Gretchen said softly. "Apparently, when your father told her, she already knew. Don’t ask me how. I’m guessing the internet had something to do with it.”

Kaitlyn suddenly felt a weight lift from her shoulders. “Really? What did she say?”

“She’s just as angry with Jeffrey as you are. My guess is she’s going to be excited to meet you. I think you can stop worrying about whether she’s going to like you. Based on what your father said, Sarah thinks you’re a rock star.”

The mood in the room changed with this news. Kaitlyn was still angry at her mother, and it had been a long time since she'd felt anything but resentment toward this entire situation. Now, for the first time, something else crept in—curiosity.

“She really said that?” Kaitlyn asked, her voice quieter, less defensive.

Gretchen nodded. “She did. And I think…I think she’s been waiting for this as much as you have, even if you didn’t know you were waiting.”

Kaitlyn exhaled, staring down at the floor. “I don’t know what to do with that.”

“You don’t have to do anything right away,” Chelsea said gently. “Take a breath. Let it settle.”

Leah, ever the pragmatist, leaned forward. “We should still talk about what happens next. If Sarah’s already been following you online, she probably has a version of you in her head. This first meeting should be about making space for reality, for both of you.”

Kaitlyn glanced up, hesitating. “I think I’d like to meet her. But I don’t want a whole family circus around it. No big, dramatic setup.”

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