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Laura turned from the stove and broke into a bright smile, leaving the women to come over to greet us. “I’m so glad you made it, honey! Everyone’s so excited to meet you.”
Balancing the pie precariously in my hand, I gave her a one-armed hug in return. This at least felt a little more natural. Maybe just because I’d seen her a few more times than I had everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, the first time she’d asked to hug me had been awkward as fuck. We’d met for coffee one afternoon, just her and me. I’d told her a little about my childhood and growing up with Tyler. I’d done my best to play it cool, but she was very perceptive, so she’d managed to put two and two together.
It had been upsetting for both of us, because I knew that her one hope for me had been that I’d had a good life with a loving family. That giving me up had been the right thing to do. She was such a good talker though, and a really amazing listener, which meant we were able to talk it all out. At the end, she’d asked if she could hug me and I’d said yes. The feel of her arms around me, such a mom hug, had almost brought me to tears.
After that, the hugs felt easier. So here we were.
“Can I introduce you to my sisters? And Ethan’s mom?”
“Sure. I mean, yes, that would be great.”
All three women were waiting patiently, smiling at me
“Scarlett, this is my sister Becca. And this is Diane, her twin.”
Becca stepped forward eagerly. “It’s so wonderful to see you, sweetheart. Can I…Can I hug you?”
Oh shit. Could I do this? I really wasn’t the hugging type, and all of this was already fucking with my mind. I wanted to run away, but because I was too chicken shit to just say no, I’d rather not, I said, “Um, sure. Of course.”
I had just enough time to plonk the second pie on the counter before she was wrapping her arms around me. To my huge surprise, her hug was comforting, like being cuddled by the kind of aunt who always snuck you extra cookies. I found myself relaxing slightly as I returned the hug. “It’s great to meet you, too.”
Diane was next, her hug just as warm and genuine as her sister’s. “We’ve heard so much about you. I’m just thrilled we get to be part of your life now.”
I could tell she meant it, which had my throat clogging up and my eyes stinging a bit.Jesus, don’t lose your shit now! It’ll be so awkward!Part of me still couldn’t quite believe this was all real - that I had this whole other family who seemed to genuinely care about me. I blinked back the tears that threatened, giving Diane a shaky smile. “Thank you. I’m really glad to know you both.”
“And this is Ethan’s mom, Nancy.”
She pulled me into a surprisingly strong hug, but I noticed she was shaking a little as she held me. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, dear. Welcome to the family.”
“I brought a couple pies to contribute,” I said, gesturing to the pies. “Hopefully, they’ll go well with the rest of the food.”
“Are you kidding?” Becca smiled. “We can never have too many pies in this family!” As she whisked the pie away, I felt a tiny surge of pride.
Laura was standing next to the back door and, if I wasn’t very much mistaken, was feeling just as nervous as me. “How do you feel about meeting a few more people?”
“Uh, yeah, fine, of course.” I didn’t mean to do it, but as we walked through the back door and down the steps, Rhett’s hand wasright there.So I grabbed it, holding on like it was my only lifeline in a raging sea of my own panic.
The yard was packed with people - more than I could easily count - and a dull roar of chatter filled the air. For a split second, I considered turning around and bolting right back inside the house. This was too much, too overwhelming.
But then Laura cleared her throat, and all eyes turned towards us. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet, Scarlett.”
It was like being thrust into an alternate reality where I was the long-lost princess finally returning home. Only this was no fairy tale - this was real life, and I had no idea how to process it all.
Laura gave my arm a reassuring squeeze before stepping forward to begin making introductions. One by one, I was presented to aunts, uncles, cousins, and what felt like a small army of second cousins. Each new face brought another warm hug, another kind word of welcome.
“We’re so happy you’re here.”
“It’s so good to see you!”
“You look just like your mom!”
It was all amazing, and really lovely, but I was way too fucking introverted for this. Trying to be discreet, I eased closer to Rhett, huffing out a breath of relief when he put his arm around me and pulled me in. Seriously, he was definitely my emotional support billionaire these days.
After everyone had said hello and introduced themselves, a weird, awkward quiet fell over the crowd. Like, now the big job was done, they’d all met me and now no one knew quite what to do with me. Awkward as fuck.
I stood there, feeling shy and unsure of what to do or say next. But then a little girl - maybe five or six years old - detached herself from her mother’s side and ran over to me.
“Are you really my cousin?” She gazed up at me with wide, curious eyes.