her to go.” He waited a heartbeat, then added, “Or you can go inside and talk. It’s up to you. Whatever you want.”
Her mouth felt insanely dry, prompting her to lick her lips. She felt silly, but this was Lang, and she knew he’d understand. “You’ll stay with me?”
His smile held reassurance, and a promise. “I’ll be right by your side.”
That helped so much. She nodded. “I guess I should invite her in, then?”
“Might be a good idea to hear what she has to say.” His gaze searched hers. “You deserve an explanation.”
“Yes, I do.”
With a nod, Lang stepped to her side again.
Charity stood there, one hand still resting on her rounded middle, anxiety tightening her face. It was such an uncommon expression for her. Usually her sister was full-steam-ahead without a single doubt.
Not this time.
Hope cleared her throat. “Would you like to come up?”
Relief loosened Charity’s entire posture. “God, yes.” She looked around again. “I didn’t see a way to get there, though.”
“The stairs are inside the garage.” Knowing nothing about pregnant women, Hope asked, “Will stairs be a problem for you?”
“Not at all, but I can’t promise I won’t huff, and I’d dearly love to put up my feet.” She made a face. “My ankles swell.”
Something warm and familiar unfurled inside Hope. It was recognition of things she’d lost. An easy camaraderie with her one and only sister.
It was...love. Sibling love.
A new wash of emotion sent more tears trailing down her cheeks. God, how she’d missed her sis.
She hadn’t dwelled on it, not for a while now. What would have been the point? Bitterness was still there, but now it was more of a shadow than a sharp pain.
Trying to sort out the stew of conflicting emotions, Hope led the way into the garage and up to her small apartment.
Lang hadn’t been in here since the day he, Corbin and Ivey had helped her move. Tonight, she’d planned to invite him inside, but these were very different circumstances than she’d initially anticipated.
Though the sun hadn’t yet set, Hope flipped on a light to chase away the shadows and gazed around with pride.
It was a small space, but she’d made it her own in numerous ways. The furniture was for her comfort. The colors were to her liking. There were no personal photos, but she’d hung eclectic, affordable, textured art pieces that pleased her each time she gazed on them.
“How nice,” Charity said as she looked around. “This looks like you, Hope. I like it.”
The praise shouldn’t have mattered...and yet it did. “Make yourself at home. I’ll get us drinks.” Always in the past, she and her sister shared icy colas. She paused at the kitchen counter as a thought occurred to her. “Can you have cola?”
“No caffeine.” Sinking onto the sofa, Charity put her feet up on the poof footstool and sighed. “It isn’t good for the baby.”
“I have water or orange juice?”
“Water would be great. Thanks.”
Lang sat on the edge of a chair, elbows on his knees, his fingers forming a steeple. “You and Hope share a similar look.”
“More so before I got so big,” Charity said easily. She touched her hair. “I’ve always worn my hair shorter, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hope in makeup.”
“She doesn’t need it.”
Charity smiled. “No, she doesn’t. She’s always been naturally pretty.”
Before that could go on, Hope returned, handing a can of Coke to Lang and a bottle of water to Charity. “When are you due?”
“Three weeks, and I’m beyond ready. There are days when I feel like I might pop.” She took several long drinks of the water, then grimaced. “Mind if I use your bathroom? It was a long drive here.”
This was all so strange. She, Hope Mage, was entertaining her own sister as a visitor. “It’s there by the stairs,” Hope said, then watched as Charity hauled herself inelegantly from the seat.
Once she’d disappeared behind the door, Hope turned to Lang.
He slowly grinned. “Threw you for a loop, didn’t she?”
“Completely. I haven’t heard even a squeak from her since I left home so long ago. No calls, no cards. I assumed they’d all written me off.”
“Or maybe they’re just too proud to come after you. People do really shortsighted things, honey.”
“But for her to just show up here? Pregnant? I don’t know what to think.”
“Want my impression?”
Because her own thoughts were so muddled, she nodded.
“Coming to you face-to-face was a lot harder than a call, and a thousand times more sincere than a card. She made