Chapter 57: Chapter 6

MANDY

“Jace, you can’t be serious! Tell me you’re kidding! Where are you? You better be on your way to the office, Jace!”

“Relax, my favorite sister-in-law! Yes, we’re on our way to the office. We’ll be there in about an hour.”

I hang up the phone abruptly and turn to Nate. How could I not have known? Who is this girl? How did she grow up? How did we overlook the possibility of them having other children? I didn’t even know they were still alive.

My mind is a whirlwind of questions. What if she was in a terrible situation, and I was oblivious? What if I could have helped her? Nate must see the gears turning in my head because I’m jolted from my thoughts when Jessie and Jocelyn enter our office.

“Jace found his goddess, Jocelyn.”

“Oh, wonderful! What do we know about her? Anything?”

“She’s apparently my little sister. We share the same biological parents. They’re on their way here. I need to see for myself.”

We all sit in anticipation when the sound of the elevator dings. I spring up and dash toward the office door. I round the corner and see Jace, who raises his hands in a halting gesture.

“Mandy, stop. It’s been a hectic day and she’s overwhelmed. Can you please sit down before she panics and runs?”

“Jace, I promise I’ll stay back, but I need to see her first.”

I see a figure standing behind Jace. She has blonde curly hair and is about my height. I watch as he turns to her, speaking softly, and she nods in response. My heart pounds in my chest. Who is this girl? It’s such a coincidence that we have parents with the same names. She takes a deep breath and steps in front of Jace, looking up at me.

I instinctively cover my mouth and drop to my knees. It’s like looking in a mirror, except she has blonde hair. The same curls, everything. It’s amazing what two pregnancies can do to your hair.

Oh my god, the bruises and her clothes. I can see they haven’t changed, but this could have been me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nate, Jessie, and Jocelyn slowly round the corner and gasp. I slowly rise and approach her cautiously. I don’t want to scare her, and I can tell this is overwhelming.

“Sweetie, what’s your name?”

“Cami. Are you really my sister? I knew my parents had another child who was taken, but that was about six years before me. But my parents weren’t good with numbers.”

“That sounds about right. I think I’m about seven years older than you. Would you be okay if we did a DNA test, just to confirm? Either way, if you stay with Jace, you’ll be a sister anyway. God, Cami, I’m so sorry I didn’t know! If I had known…”

“It’s okay. I’m safe now with Jace. He’s the first person to even care.”

“Well, now you have a whole new family that cares.”

She wraps her arms around my waist as I envelop her in a hug. We stand like that for a few minutes before we separate.

“Why don’t we all go home for the day? We can talk more and get the tests ordered.”

She nods at me and we all head downstairs and get into our cars. Nate and Jace sit in the front while Cami and I sit in the back.

“Cami, can you tell me anything else?”

“I don’t know much, but my grandma might. She’s Toni’s mom.”

I stare at her as she pulls out her phone and dials a contact named Peggy.

“Cami, sweetheart, are you okay? Did you finally get away?”

“Yeah, Grandma, I did. I have some questions for you. Do you know anything about my parents’ first child?”

“Oh, thank God you’re okay! I’ve been waiting for this call for a long time. I know she was taken when she was very young. I was there when Toni gave birth to her in the hospital. She named her Mandy Rae Conner. I don’t know what happened after she was taken. I heard she was placed with foster parents, but I don’t know if she still has the same name. Why do you ask?”

“Because Cami is sitting right next to Mandy.”

“Oh, Jesus, Mandy, you guys found each other. Please, Mandy, whatever you do, don’t let her go back to them. I’ve tried to get her taken away all this time, but they were always moving. I couldn’t keep up with their moves. I even tried to meet up with Cami to get her, but the cops were always faster.”

“She isn’t going anywhere. Even if they tried something, they’d be foolish to. I’m married to Nate Maxwell of Maxwell Industries.”

“Oh, the Maxwells. Everyone knows them! Nate is the oldest of the kids, huh? He’s a handsome one. But how did you find Mandy?”

“Jace, the youngest, found and rescued her. Today, she started school at the same institution he attends.”

“Cami, darling, I trust Mandy to keep you safe. You’ll never have to go back to them. Once you’re settled, perhaps I can visit.”

“I think we’d both appreciate that. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She ends the call swiftly, nestling into me as I wrap my arm around her. I can’t envision a better situation than this. She’s safe, and she’s with me. Jace has found his goddess, and everything is falling into place.

***

CAMI

Chatting with my grandma leaves me feeling reassured that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Everything led to being discovered today by Jace, and now I’m sitting next to my sister.

We drive for an hour and pull up to some large iron gates. A man with a gun slung over his back approaches the driver’s side and starts conversing with Nate. I gather his name is Jesus, and after some laughter, he points to the shack and the gates swing open.

As we drive through, down a long driveway, a massive estate comes into view. I glance around to see guards everywhere, casually chatting as if they’re protecting royalty.

Mandy notices my wide-eyed expression and pats my knee. I just stare at her, then back at the house, not even realizing the car has stopped until Jace opens the door. I hadn’t fully grasped how enormous these guys are—Nate, Jessie, the guards, and Jace. It’s like some sort of caveman convention.

I step out of the car, standing next to Jace, when I hear someone shouting from behind him.

“Jace, where is she? Where’s my future daughter-in-law?”

“Mom, please, calm down.”

I can’t help but chuckle as I peek around Jace to see her. She halts her run and covers her mouth with her hands. I release Jace and approach her with a small smile. She immediately envelops me in a hug, and I instantly feel at home. A man who looks just like Jace emerges and introduces himself as Caden.

“Jace, honey, I put all her things in your room. I wasn’t sure where else to put them.”

I glance at Jace, confused. He just smirks back at me and takes my hand, leading me inside. If the exterior was impressive, the interior of this house is mind-blowing. Where do I even start? There are stairs, staff members bustling about, guards patrolling inside and out back. I follow him, taking in the sights as we approach an elevator. Wait, there’s an elevator in this house?

We step in as it dings and ascend to the third floor. Exiting, we turn left and walk down a hallway to a large door. He grins at me and swings the door open. My jaw drops as I step inside. It’s like I’ve walked into a beach house. I turn to Jace, tears welling in my eyes.

“Once we’re settled, I’ll take you to the beach for a week.”

I just stare at him as he walks past me, gesturing for me to follow. He opens a door to reveal a massive walk-in closet filled with women’s clothes in bags on one side, shoes in every color, and a plethora of purses. I touch everything, as if I’m in a dream that I’ll wake up from any second. I’m still in awe when he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Cami, you’re my queen now. My goddess. You’ll be treated as such. Anything you want is yours. Shopping? I’ll take you. Dining out? I’ll take you. A weekend getaway? Just say the word. During school breaks, if you want to visit another state or even another country, just say it.”

I turn to stare at this man, shocked. He takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom, opening the door to reveal a plethora of women’s bath products. Candles, bath bubbles, body washes, bath fizzies. I just stand there, stunned.

“Why don’t you take a long bath, change clothes, and then we can have dinner downstairs.”

“Jace, this is all so overwhelming. Can we just eat up here tonight? It’s been a long day.”

“Of course, Cami, if that’s what you want! I’ll go get us some food. Take a bath and change into something comfortable.”

“Jace, I’m just nervous. I have a lot of scars from cutting when I’m stressed. I don’t know if it’s something I can just stop.”

“If you want therapy, just say the word. I’ll take you and sit with you if you want. Don’t ever feel afraid or embarrassed. My mom was rescued by my dad and my brother Nate from an abusive boyfriend. Nate rescued Mandy from an abusive boyfriend and found out she was pregnant by him. My sister, Jocelyn, was kidnapped by a psycho and rescued by Jessie.”

“What happened to the abusive boyfriends and the psycho?”

“They were shot and killed. I can’t say what will happen to your parents, but if they cause trouble, it will likely end the same way. Maybe talking to the girls will help. They all have scars for one reason or another.”

“I can’t think about this right now… I’m going to take a bath.”

I watch him leave, then dash to the closet to grab some new underwear and a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. I hurry into the bathroom, start the water, and survey my options. There are so many, but I choose the vanilla lavender combo and pour in some bath bubbles. Once the tub is full, I turn off the water, quickly strip, and ease myself into the water.

The sensation is unlike any other, and my body instantly relaxes. I’m so relaxed that I don’t hear Jace enter and sit by the tub until he startles me by chuckling.

“Jace, give me a heads up next time you sneak in!”

“Sorry, Cami. I ordered a pizza to be delivered and brought up by the staff when it arrives. We can sit and watch TV. If you want to sleep in here, you’re welcome to, and I can take the couch. Or if you want a different room, we can choose another one and have your things moved.”

“I like your room. It’s peaceful. But I don’t want to make you sleep on the couch. It’s your room, after all.”