Page 1 of Eleven of a Kind

CHAPTER1

Gabriel

“Excuse me?” My brows furrowed as my heart pounded out of my chest.

“I know you’re in shock, Dad,” she said.

“Do not call me that!” I pointed my finger at her. “I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but you’re lying.”

“Does the name Ariana Livingston ring a bell? And take your hands off me.” She jerked out of Stan’s grip.

When she said Ariana’s name, I froze.

“What do you want me to do with her, Dr. Kind?” Stan asked.

“Ariana is your mother?” I asked her.

“She was my mother. She died a month ago.”

I looked over at Conner, Nathan, and Sebastian as they sat at the table, staring at me with shocked expressions on their faces.

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“It’s okay, Stan. You can go back down to the lobby,” I said as a sickness tore through me. “You said your name is Riley?”

“Yeah.”

“Sit down, Riley. Can you guys give us some time?” I asked my cousins.

“Yeah, of course,” Conner and Sebastian said as they stood up from their seats.

“Can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?” Nathan placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Riley, I’ll be right back. Do you want anything?”

“I’ll take that bottle of water you dropped on the floor,” she said.

“I’ll get it for her,” Conner said.

Nathan and I stepped out into the hallway. “Trust me, cousin. I know exactly what you’re feeling right now,” he said. “Did you know her mother?”

“Yeah. I did.” I sighed as I ran my hand down my face.

“Okay. The best thing you can do is calmly talk to Riley and find out what’s happening.”

“I can’t believe this, Nathan.”

“I know.” He gripped my shoulder. “It’ll all get straightened out. I have to get back to my patients. I’ll see you later.”

I walked back into the kitchen area, and Conner and Sebastian patted my back before walking out.

“Listen, Riley. I have patients who are waiting for me. Are you here by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you get here?”

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