First Surrender (Chance Encounters #3)

Epilogue

Jackson

“ A re you ready to look?” I ask Nat while we’re standing in the kitchen. It’s been a month since she and Dec have been back home. He started school a few weeks ago and we’ve established our new normal.

“I’m ready as I can be, I guess. Read it for me, I can’t look.” She takes a deep breath and palms her belly.

She hasn’t taken one of those tests yet, but neither of us has been shy about our eagerness to have a baby. She insists that it might take a few months depending on ovulation but it doesn’t stop me from taking her every chance that I get. Many of my lunch breaks are spent bending her over this very countertop while Dec’s at school.

She closes her eyes as I open her DNA test results, scrolling until I find the ethnicity breakdown. I’ve been sitting on the results for a while now and she’s finally ready to tackle whatever information comes forth.

“Natalie Halstead, you are… German, Finnish, and Persian.”

She gasps. “Persian? How much?”

“About 16%. The other European stuff is greater but it’s a mix. Persian could explain the dark hair and dark eyes.”

“Yeah, it could.” She smiles brightly, looking at me with relief. “That’s so cool. I’ve never made any Persian foods… I should look up some recipes!”

All I can do is smile at her. This woman is so special to me. I’ll never be able to express how much I needed her in my life. Nothing I’ve ever done compares to sharing these experiences with her.

My plans for our proposal are set. She’s clueless and I’ve never been more excited about keeping a secret from someone.

I’ve planned a private five-course meal to be served in one of my mother’s favorite gardens. It’s on a rolling estate not far from here. She still brings up its vast rolling meadows and elaborate fountains on her good days. I know Natalie will appreciate the personal touch and the family connection.

Sienna already offered to help Dec decorate the house after we leave so he can be a part of the celebration when we return home. He doesn’t know it, but I’m asking him to be my best man.

“What about possible matches?” She asks suddenly, her worry returning over her test results.

I scroll down to familial matches but the page stops short. “There aren’t any. There are a few possible census connections but nothing that looks real. If you have family out there, they aren’t in this database.”

“Oh, thank God.” She laughs again and I can’t help but gravitate toward her. I plop her up on the counter so I can wrap my arms around her easier. “Thank you for helping me do this,” she whispers sweetly.

I kiss her gently, fully intending to take it further until she pulls back. “Wait, what does yours say?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t look.”

She sticks her hand out motioning for my phone to look at my results. She scrolls for a few seconds, finding what she needs and I watch her eyes go round.

“Jackson…”

“What?”

“You have a match.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“It says you have a possible sister. A half-sister.”

I snatch the phone out of her hand frantically, making it tumble over in my palm. Natalie clasps her hand over the screen before I can look again. “Take a deep breath. Don’t panic. Whatever happens, we’ll do it together. Remember?”

I nod briefly before looking at the match screen, but seeing the name associated with the account makes my blood run cold. “Montgomery.”

“What?”

“Her last name is Montgomery.”

“So?”

“That’s the Governor’s last name.” Natalie’s hand covers her mouth as she gasps.

If this woman is truly my half-sister then the current Governor would be my father…

My mom wasn’t making up the affair, I just never believed her.

Until now.

Thank you for reading!

The next book will take us to Second Chance Sanctuary and the rugged mountain man, Lochlan Dane. You’ll find out just how deep the chip on his shoulder goes and why he prefers life among the bears.