final commission and rubbed my temples. I still had a few other things I needed to do, but maybe I needed a break more. I hadn’t taken one since losing Marshall. I had been cognizant of that decision, telling myself that I needed to focus on work so I knew I had a path for my career and what I needed to sustain myself. It had been on that checklist for new widows, after all.
And I had relished the plans and organization so I didn’t have to think about making any choices beyond the major ones pushing at me. Only I hadn’t taken a break.
I needed to stop getting lost in my head and focus on what to do. Meaning I needed to figure out if this Madison truly existed, and if she was Marshall’s. And then, what would I do afterwards? What could I do? Would I give Marshall’s parents some money so they could do with it as they saw fit? Would I give it to Madison—this anonymous child that I had never met?
I wasn’t sure, but I needed to figure it out. Meaning, I needed answers. And I knew the people I needed to talk to because they would know what to do to help me—and how to look it up. I glanced down at my phone. The time had come. I went to my computer, opened my video conferencing app, and dialed in.
Six faces stared at me, hard lines, strong jaws, dark hair, and my eyes. My brothers looked at me from their respective places, some already in Texas for work, the others still on active duty around the world.
“Hey there, little sister,” Evan said, and I smiled.
My parents, for some reason, had decided to give us all names starting with E. I was Eliza, and then there was Eli, Evan, Everett and East—twins—then Elijah, and Elliot. I was the youngest of them all, and the fact that I had six older brothers meant that I hadn’t had a fun time of it in high school. There had been no real dating for me, no guys over to just hang out as friends. I had been one of the boys because of my brothers, but I’d also been on the sidelines.
Maybe that was why I had fallen for Marshall so quickly. Because he was the first person who saw me for me and not as simply one of the Wilder siblings.
The only girl of seven, but I couldn’t imagine my life without my big brothers.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked in his usual gruff manner.
I sighed. “There’s a few things I need to tell you, and I could use some help. I need you to let me get through this first and go through exactly what I need from you before you get all growly and overprotective.”
“That intro doesn’t bode well,” Evan said softly.
“Just hear her out,” Elliot said after a moment.
I let out a breath. “It seems Marshall might have a daughter.”
They all burst out with curses, and I held up my hand. Thankfully, they understood, and I continued. I told them about the brunch with my in-laws, what I had heard so far, what little more I knew, and what Clarence and Beverly had asked for.
“So, they want money,” Elliot, my youngest brother, said.
I nodded. “They do, and I don’t know what I want to do.”
“You don’t have to do a damn thing,” East said.
“I know. I don’t even know if any of this is real. I don’t know that it’s not just a ploy for money, even though they have enough themselves. I don’t know anything. I want to know something. And that means I need your expertise.”
Eli nodded. “You know I have friends in the PI business, I can get that done.”
I bit my lip. “I just feel weird asking anybody else.”
“Do the Montgomerys know?” Evan asked.
I nodded, and then I froze. “Yes, but they aren’t in the know when it comes to ferreting out information like you guys.”
“I feel so special.” East snorted.
“You should feel special. In all reality, I just need my big brothers to listen to me and help me figure this out. Is the girl real? Is she Marshall’s? And what should I do if she is? If this child is Marshall’s, and my husband did indeed cheat on me for however long during our marriage, what do I do then?”
“You don’t have to do anything,” East added.
“I know I don’t have to. What if I need to? Let’s