The Forever Girl (Wildstone, #6)(7)

Maybe it would catch up with her.

When she’d finally finished her manic nesting, she critically eyed the cabin. She’d done everything she could to make it look homey and inviting. Exhausted, she jealously eyed Roly and Poly, now snoozing in their fancy beds, but before she could even think about taking a nap herself, she heard a car drive up.

Her stomach jangled uncomfortably as she hurried out front in time to see Heather getting out of an old, beat-up two-door Civic. She was twenty-two now and had made it clear she no longer needed a big sister, but Caitlin couldn’t help but still see the sweet, terrified, neglected nine-year-old Heather had been when she’d first come into Caitlin’s childhood home. Her hair had grown out a bit, straight and blunt to her collarbone, still black, but with pretty metallic blue streaks. At the sight of her cute, petite self, Caitlin felt her heart melt as she rushed over. “You made it!”

Heather laughed. “Did I have a choice?”

“Nope.” Caitlin pulled her in and hugged her tight.

“Wow.” Heather patted her on the back. “Okay. Hi to you too.”

Caitlin didn’t let go. She couldn’t. This was her baby sister, and Michael would’ve been Heather’s age now, still Caitlin’s shadow, she was sure of it, but also being her backup boss.

“Um . . .” Heather patted her some more. “Not sure we can do this all day, so . . .”

Nope. Caitlin still couldn’t let her go, not yet.

Heather laughingly caved, hugging Caitlin back. “Okay, okay, all day it is.”

Caitlin gave a little snort to beat back the threat of tears and reluctantly released her. “I missed you.” To hide just how much, she peered into the empty front seat of Heather’s car. “Your text said your plus-one was someone named Sam.”

“Oh. About that . . .” Heather’s smile went a bit forced, the way it always had when she’d stolen food from the pantry to secretly hoard, even though Caitlin’s parents had made it clear that everyone in their house could eat as often and as much as they needed.

Heather pressed a lever on the driver’s-side seat so that it slid forward, then reached in and pulled out a little girl from a toddler car seat. “So . . .” Heather said softly, nervously. “This is Sammie.”

Caitlin’s mouth fell open. “A baby? You had a baby?”

“I big girl!” the “baby” said proudly.

Heather cupped the back of Sammie’s head and kissed her chubby cheek. “Yes,” she said, smiling at the little girl’s face. “You’re a big girl.”

Caitlin was still gaping. “You . . . had a baby.”

“I did.”

Caitlin absorbed this blow, and yes, it was a blow, because once upon a time, she’d known everything—every single little thing—about her people. That was what she did: she was the center of their universe and kept them all connected. It gave her purpose and made her feel important in a world where she often felt invisible. The truth was she needed to be needed by them.

And yet she was now so unnecessary that Heather had gotten pregnant and had a baby without a word. Feeling like she’d just been hit by a freight train, she swallowed hard. “Is Sammie’s daddy coming too?”

“No.” Heather reached back into the car for a duffel bag, which she slung over her shoulder. Her jeans were torn in a few spots, and not by design. The rest of her clothing seemed ragged too, and now that the shock was wearing off, Caitlin noticed that Heather’s face was wan and tight, and it made her heart hurt. “You’re . . . on your own? No baby daddy?”

Something crossed Heather’s face. Pride. “We’re not together, but we’re friends and he helps. I’m good, Cat.”

“But—”

Heather’s smile fell. “Please, can we save the twenty questions thing for later? I’m working on zero sleep and enough stress to take down a buffalo. If I lose it now, I’ll never find it again.”

“Sure,” Caitlin managed, trying not to take offense, because she did always ask way too many questions, but how was she supposed to help herself? These were her people and she wanted them back. Shelving that for the moment, she smiled at Sammie.

Sammie stared at her with the biggest brown eyes she’d ever seen, but didn’t return the smile.

Caitlin tried another smile, because seriously, everyone liked her, even cats, which, along with roses, she was allergic to. Being liked was kind of her thing.

But Sammie’s deadpan expression never changed.

“Don’t take it personally,” Heather said. “She’s just super shy. Probably because it’s been just her and me.”

Caitlin had a million questions, starting with why, if the baby daddy was around, had it been just Heather and Sammie? And also, why hadn’t it been Cat and Heather and Sammie? But just then another car pulled up the driveway. She and Heather turned in unison, but Caitlin was pretty sure she was the only one whose heart was suddenly threatening to explode from her chest, because Maze was getting out of the passenger seat, followed by a guy from behind the wheel. He reached for Maze’s hand and smiled down at her. “Ready, sweetness?”

Maze’s gaze had locked on Caitlin, face grim. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Hey,” Caitlin called out. “Weddings are fun, dammit!”