Page 63 of Surrender
Nan let out a quiet breath through her nose. Her eyes lingered on Gwen, searching, measuring. But what she saw there made her soften.
She saw truth. She saw remorse. She saw a woman standing not just in love, but in ownership of her choices.
And she saw the way Keefe looked at Gwen, like he’d swim oceans for her. And how Gwen looked back at him the same way.
That warmed Nan’s heart, even if she wasn’t quite ready to say so.
“Well,” she said, her voice gruff. “You’ve got guts girl. I’ll give you that.”
Then she walked to the bar and poured herself a shot of whiskey. “You’d better be worth it.” Nan threw back the drink then gave Shamus a nod.
Gwen looked at Keefe, wide-eyed, and he grinned. “That’s her version of welcome to the family.”
Just as Gwen was about to sit back down, Shamus leaned closer and said softly, “If you’re ready… there’s someone else here who would like to meet you.”
She blinked, not sure how much more she could take. This had been an emotional rollercoaster if ever there was one.
“Your sister is here. She’s in the kitchen with her husband. They’re waiting for you.”
Gwen froze.
Her heart stuttered in her chest, then started racing. Her sister.
The word knocked the breath from her lungs.
Darcie.
Her throat tightened and her hands trembled. “She’s really here?”
Shamus nodded. “She’s here. And I think she’s just as nervous as you are.”
Gwen tried to keep her composure, but her eyes shimmered. She nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay.”
A moment later, Nan opened the kitchen door.
And Gwen came face-to-face with a woman who looked like her.
Not just similar but a mirror of the same soul.
Darcie stepped through the door, her long hair a deeper, richer red than Gwen’s, but her eyes—those sea green eyes—were exactly the same. The same shape. The same color. The same startling shine.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
Two women. Two strangers.
Two sisters.
And then Gwen let out a small, broken sound and covered her mouth with both hands as tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
Darcie’s eyes brimmed, but she smiled as she stepped forward.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m Darcie.”
Gwen nodded, unable to speak. Her voice had simply disappeared.
Darcie reached out and took her hands, holding them gently, grounding her.
“I think I’ve been waiting for you my whole life,” Darcie whispered.
