Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

M ia was dressing Daisy when she heard car doors slamming on the driveway. She closed her eyes, trying to keep her nerves from overtaking her entirely. She had been both looking forward to and dreading this moment; she couldn't wait to see Sibby again, but she was pretty sure that she was going to face some intense questions. She knew how protective Kyle's siblings were of one another. She didn't want them to think less of her because she had fallen in love with their brother while compromised.

Plus, she wasn't sure how they would feel about the relationship that had blossomed between her and Kyle. It wasn't something she'd expected to happen, but now she could not imagine her life without him in it. He was so good with Daisy and the baby was comfortable in his arms. What else could she ever ask for? She pulled the warm, burgundy corduroy overalls up on the little girl and buttoned the two straps at her shoulders. She reached for white cotton socks from the dresser draw under the changing table and slipped them onto Daisy's kicking feet. After she brushed the fine, blonde curls on her daughter's head, she said, "Well, sweetheart, we've stalled long enough. Time to go say hello to everyone."

Mia gave herself one glance in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door and satisfied that she looked pretty put-together in an outfit that had no baby puke stain on either shoulder, she left the bedroom and went downstairs. She could feel the cold air rushing in through the open front door as suitcases and bags of groceries were shuttled in from outside. Just as she reached the landing, Sibby appeared.

"Mia! You look great. And look at Sarah. She's grown in the last month! I can't wait to catch up with you," Sibby said, coming in for a brief hug. Then she turned her attention back to the bevy of activity around her. "Conor! What are you doing? Bring the cooler directly into the kitchen. That stuff needs to go into the freezer right now!"

Mia stepped back and watched the frenzy around her. She looked for Kyle but didn't see him. "Can I help, Sibby?" she asked tentatively.

"Come into the kitchen. I'm sure we can find something for you to do!" Sibby replied as she pulled off her heavy down coat and hung it in the entry hall closet. "There is a ton of stuff to put away. I hope the fridge isn't too full."

"Well, actually…"

Sibby interrupted her. "Hang on a sec, Mia. Geoff," she yelled, turning to her harried husband. "Where are the boys? Don't leave them outside alone. The ocean is right behind the house, you know."

"They need to learn about that at some time," Geoff teased her.

"I'm not in the mood for your games, dear. Just make sure that they stay out front or come inside."

Mia watched as the other woman directed the traffic around her like a seasoned pro. She had clearly taken on the role of commander-in-chief of the family and everyone else carried out her orders without complaint. Just then Sibby turned back to face Mia.

"C'mon. I want to hear all about what you think of the Cape and how you and Kyle kept yourselves busy out here off season. Not much to do, is there? None of the local shops are open, are they?" She put her hand on the small of Mia's back and led her down the hallway into the kitchen. Once there, they found Colleen trying to organize the mess. There were bags on every available surface. Mia put Daisy in her seat and began to empty out the large shopping bag closest to her, keeping busy. The last thing she wanted to do was fill Sibby and her mom in on just how she and Kyle spent their free time; she knew that Kyle planned on telling his family about them, she just didn't want to be the one to do it.

Mia started to pay attention to the groceries in front of her. There were bags marked "stuffing mix," which seemed odd to her. It looked like a sack of salad croutons packaged as something else. It didn't feel familiar. There were glass containers filled with marshmallows, fresh chestnuts, and ruby red cranberries. Those three things didn't seem to belong in the same meal, and she had no idea what Sibby or her mother intended to do with them. There was a huge turkey wrapped in brown butcher paper and the first thing Sibby did when they entered the kitchen was wrestle the bird into the refrigerator, rearranging everything inside to make enough room for the star of the meal. Mia realized that she would just have to watch and learn, because this Thanksgiving Day dinner was way out of her league.

"Tell me, Mia. What do you think of the Cape?" Sibby asked as she organized what needed to go in the pantry versus the increasingly crowded refrigerator.

"It's beautiful here," Mia replied. "I love being on the ocean. Sarah does too." She was careful to use the name for her daughter that Sibby would recognize. She didn't know just how much Kyle would share with his family, but she didn't want to give anything away.

"Have you felt safe enough up here, away from the world?" Colleen asked.

Mia smiled. "Yes. Kyle has made sure to isolate us. We've been in our own little bubble."

Sibby looked up at her and in that moment, Mia knew that she could see the truth.

"You like my brother, don't you?"

Mia could feel the blush spread from her toes northward toward her face. She simply nodded.

"Well, he could do worse, Mia. I know that you're still confused about your past, but I'm thinking that you've left no one behind. Your heart would tell you if you did. You're a woman of good character. I pick up on these things, I'm never wrong."

"She's right, Mia," Colleen replied with a nod. "Sibby's always been a good judge of character."

"I appreciate that. All I can say is that I'm relieved. I was worried that you both might think less of me because I fell in love with Kyle. I mean, my situation isn't exactly normal." The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Love? Not just attraction?" Sibby questioned, pulling out two large bunches of celery from a bag and put them on the counter. "That's a whole different level of involvement." Mia thought that Sibby was trying to think of the right thing to say next.

Sibby stopped unpacking the groceries for a minute and looked directly into Mia's eyes. "You know, Kyle's been through a lot himself. I'm sure he told you all about what happened at work."

"He did. He told me that he's been forever changed by that night. I think he has nightmares about it. Sometimes I hear him shouting out in his sleep." When she realized what she just said, Mia put her hands up over her mouth.

"It's okay, Mia. You're an adult and so is my brother. None of us thought that you'd live like monks here together. We just figured it might not have happened yet, you know, this thing between you two," she said with a smug smile.

"I think Kyle was worried about your reaction as well as what your parents might say." She glanced over at Colleen who was busying herself at the sink, then continued, "but it's not like he took advantage of me. I was…I am, a willing participant in our relationship."

"My brother is not the ‘taking advantage of a woman' type," Sibby replied. "As a matter of fact, the one and only time he had his own heart broken was when his fiancé walked out on him, and we needed to pick him up off the floor."

"Sibby!" Colleen said sharply.

"Oh…well, that's a piece of his life he hasn't told me about," Mia admitted.

"Then I'll say no more. It's not my story to tell." Sibby squared her shoulders as if to shake off the tense bit of conversation. With a smile she said, "For now, help me bring some of this downstairs to the second freezer. We've run out of room here."

"Oh. About that. I've sort of filled it."

"Filled it? With what? Was there a sale on something at the market that you couldn't leave behind?"

"Not exactly. I've been baking. It seems that I still don't recall who I am, but I do remember how to bake. I hope that's okay."

"If you made anything with chocolate in it, it's more than okay. Let's go see what goodies you've stored away."

Mia lifted the baby out of her seat and followed Sibby down the steep basement steps, feeling relieved about one thing – neither of these women seemed at all upset at the thought of Kyle being involved with a mysterious woman who could not remember her own past. She liked both now even more than before.

As they moved the last of the cars into the oversized garage, Kyle asked his brothers and his dad to join him for a quick walk on the beach. Geoff was already down at the shoreline with the boys, the baby in a carrier strapped to his chest, running them around to relieve the excess energy they'd accumulated on the ride from Boston. Once they were gathered, Kyle began the conversation he'd reviewed in his head. He had to tell them what he knew about Mia. He had no real choice. He needed their help.

"I'll make this quick," he began. The sun was struggling to peek through the clouds, and it was both windy and cold on the beach. "I know the truth about Mia's identity. I just haven't told her yet."

"Why not, brother? She deserves to have the truth, especially if you have it." Conor said.

"It's complicated. I found Sarah's identity first. And the child's name isn't really Sarah, by the way. It's Daisy."

"Sarah's identity? What do you mean?" his father asked.

"I found an Interpol bulletin about a missing child. It seems that she was abducted from London by her ‘maternal parent,' which is what they called Mia. Except that they used her real name – Maeve Byrne."

"Interpol?" Tim asked, his eyes widening. "Kyle, man, you've got to call this in."

"Not so fast, Tim. I have an odd feeling about this. I've gotten to know Mia and I think that she must have had a good reason for taking her daughter out of Europe. I keep hoping that she'll remember on her own. Her memory has started to come back. It's strange, but she can recall how to bake a whole lot of different things. We think that maybe she was a baker in her former life."

"Great, Kyle. Maybe she's the King's crumpet maker. You still have an obligation as a law enforcement officer to notify the proper authorities."

Kyle felt the wind whip around them. It was freezing cold, which intensified his feeling of dread. "Listen. I didn't have to tell you all what I know. I think that Mia is very close to having her memory return. Let's give it the weekend and reconvene. There's no reason to ruin the holiday."

"No reason to ruin the holiday? Brother, do you hear yourself? You're almost clear of one investigation that almost cost you your job. Do you really need more trouble?" Tim asked.

Kyle pulled himself up to his full height and said, "Full disclosure. I'm in love with her."

Kyle watched the faces of the men he held closest to his heart fall.

"What did I tell you about getting involved with the single mother, Kyle?" Conor asked. "You've dug yourself quite a hole, haven't you?"

"Conor!" their father replied. "Hold your tongue!"

The assembled group all turned to hear what their oldest member had to say. "No one of us is qualified to judge what Kyle's done here. He says he loves this woman, then respect it. The heart wants what the heart wants, plain and simple." Then he turned to Kyle and put a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me son. I know I can't tell you what to do, but you know what's right. We're all in it with you, whatever you need. But you get this weekend, and this weekend only. Come Monday morning, if nothing's changed, we'll have a very different kind of discussion."

Kyle nodded his head. He knew his father was right. As the group made their way up the dune toward the house, he turned back to them and said, "And just so you know, Mia's sleeping in my room with me. Please, let's just leave it there. No additional comments are necessary."

They silently walked back to the house, and Kyle felt like there was a giant clock ticking over his head. Monday would be here soon enough. He just prayed that was all the time Mia needed to remember everything.