“He’s actually a really great guy, and I completely understand why Jamie is so fond of him and looks up to him.”
“That’s great, baby,” his mother says, smiling warmly.
“One of things I found out from getting to know him is that he grew up in the foster care system. He became permanently stationed at a group home in Virginia and volunteered in a Big Brother Big Sister program as his senior project to graduate, and that’s how he met Jamie and Harper. He’s never met his parents. Doesn’t really know anything about them.”
“Okay. So what does that have to do with us?” his father asks, confused.
“I found out at the wedding that Dakota’s last name…” He stops, pausing, and looks at them. “I found out that his last name is Daughtry.” Charlotte gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. Greg just stares blankly at Aiden. Aiden sits back down on the sofa.
“And I also found out that all he knows about his mother was that she was from Atlanta since…that’s where he was born.” Charlotte gets up from the sofa, holding her chest as if she is about to have a heart attack.
“That…that can’t be. It could just be…a coincidence,” she says, a little breathless. Aiden shakes his head.
“I think this might be too big of a coincidence, Mom. Daddy had no brothers or sisters, so after Pappy passed away, Dad and me were the only ones to carry on the Daughtry name. How could he have that name…unless…”
“Unless…he’s my son,” Greg says softly, finally speaking up. Charlotte looks at her husband with wide eyes.
“Oh my goodness,” she says and keeps repeating it as Greg looks at Aiden.
“I never…I didn’t…She never told me anything,” he says.
“So you don’t think I’m crazy for thinking this, Dad? Could Dakota be your son?” Greg takes the longest breath he can without passing out. He runs his hands over his face.
“It is extremely possible that this boy is your half-brother.” Charlotte comes back over to the sofa and sits down. He looks at her, a deep frown on his face.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry that all of this has to come to the surface again. I know it took us a long time to be back in a good place. If you need some time to take all of this in, I completely understand.” Aiden looks at his mom, sadness in his eyes for her. He can’t imagine what she must be feeling. She swallows thickly and sighs.
“I am okay, Greg,” she says. “I made my peace with what you did a long time ago. If this boy is your son, I’ll accept him. It’s something we can get through together.” Aiden smiles at his mother, in awe of her strength, and his father squeezes her hand.
“Okay…” Aiden says. “First things first: I have to go home to Virginia and talk to Dakota. If he decides he wants to meet you, Dad, are you willing to come up and stay with me for a little while? Get all of this straightened out?” Daddy Daughtry nods his head.
“Yes, if Dakota decides he wants to figure it out, I will come.”
Aiden puts his hand on his father’s shoulder.
“Okay, Dad,” Aiden says. “Okay.
***
Aiden
“So you ready to talk about what that trip was about?” Casey asks once she and Aiden are comfortable on her living room sofa. He came back to Blue Moon in the morning and spent the day inside his own head, trying to figure out how he would be able to tell Dakota all that he had learned. Then he realized he needed some support from someone he trusted. Aiden kicks off his shoes and sinks deep into the sofa. He loves Casey’s warm home. The living room is modern but decorated in earthy tones, making it extremely cozy on nights like this when the spring rain made the air chilly. Casey leans her arm on the back of the sofa and lays her head in her palm looking at him sweetly.
“Yes,” he says, looking up at her. Casey smiles.
“Go ahead. I’m ready to listen,” she says.
Aiden takes a deep breath. “I was a lazy kid in school. I hated writing. It was the worst ever to me. I used to get in trouble all of the time for not finishing my writing lessons.”
“O…kay,” Casey says, chuckling.
“When I was in kindergarten, my mom asked me why I never liked practicing writing my name, and I told her it was because my name was too long. But my mom was always three steps ahead of me. She knew I was full of shit, so she just said well, we’ll make it shorter then. That way I couldn’t complain anymore.”
“So how did you shorten it?” Casey asks.
“My name was hyphenated. I had both my mom and my dad’s last name. I don’t have a traditional middle name. Shaw is my mother’s maiden name. It’s the name I have grown up with, but my full name is…Aiden Shaw Daughtry.” Casey’s smile fades.
“Daughtry?” Casey says. “But that’s…”
“That’s Dakota’s last name,” he says, finishing her sentence for her. “It’s also my last name, and it is also my father’s.”
“So…so wait…you and Dakota have the same last name?” Casey says, shaking her head in confusion.
“Yes, and it freaked me out when you mentioned it to me. Especially because my father has no living relatives, no siblings, no parents, nothing. So you can imagine my confusion.”
“So what does this mean? I mean, does that mean Dakota might be related to you in some way?”
Aiden nods his head. “That’s why I went to visit my parents. He’s not just related to me, Casey…” Aiden takes a deep breath. Casey sits up on the sofa, her attention completely on him. “Dakota might be my brother.” Casey’s mouth drops open. She stares at Aiden for several seconds. Aiden rubs his face with his hand.
“Your brother!” Casey shouts. “But that…that would mean your father…”
“Cheated on my mother at some point in their marriage. Yes. That’s what I went to confirm. I told my parents everything.”
“And what happened? Did they freak out?”
“They were shocked but…really, all they want is answers. All we know is that Dakota was born in Atlanta, exactly where I grew up and exactly where his mother was from. For all we know…my father’s mistress could have had a child and did not disclose that information to my father.” Casey shakes her head.
“This is crazy, Aiden. This is beyond crazy. This is like an episode of Days of Our Lives or something.”
“I know,” he says.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to tell Dakota, and if he agrees that the coincidence is entirely too much, my father agreed to come to Blue Moon and get a DNA test. Find out if Dakota really is his son.”
“And then what?” Aiden shrugs.
“I don’t know…I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there.” There is silence for several seconds. Casey scoots closer to Aiden and lays her head on his chest. He wraps his arm around her, snuggling her close.
“Well…I’ll be there every step of the way,” Casey says. Aiden smiles.
“Thank you,” he says. “And thank you for giving me my space to figure this out.” Casey nods.
“Of course. That’s what…girlfriends do…so I’m told.” Aiden chuckles, not remembering ever hearing her say that title out loud before.
“Well, I’m glad I’ve got a good one,” he says. Casey looks up at him, smiling. “I’m glad you are in my life,” he says seriously. Casey’s smile fades slightly, not recognizing that look on his face.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Dakota
“Hey, Aiden,” Dakota greets when he opens the door. He lets Aiden in without hesitation, and they walk into the living room.
“I actually wanted to talk to you if you’re not busy.” Dakota shakes his head.
“No, I’m not busy at all. Have a seat. Want some iced tea? I just made a pitcher.” Aiden nods his head.
“Sure, thanks.” Dakota leaves the room for a few seconds. Aiden sighs heavily and removes his light jacket, tossing it on the loveseat behind him and sitting down on the long sofa, gathering his th
oughts and the speech he had been practicing the entire drive over. Dakota returns like lightning. He sits down beside Aiden and takes a long sip of his tea.
“So what’s up? Is everything okay?” Aiden sets his glass down on the coffee table and scratches his head.
“I don’t…really know,” Aiden says. Dakota’s eyes narrow slightly.
“What do you mean?” Dakota asks.
“I have…something to tell you, Dakota. And it is going to sound completely insane. But I just need you to hear me, okay? Just hear me and then we can go from there.”
Dakota nods his head, now feeling a little anxious. “Okay,” he says.
“I went to visit my parents a couple days ago. I needed to talk to them and get some closure on a few things.” Dakota sits back against the couch; the curiosity on his face tells Aiden he should continue. “I found out, or well…confirmed that my dad cheated on my mom when I was younger. She put him out when I was a kid for a long period of time, which I remembered, but I never really knew why. He had an affair with a woman that lived in our town. In Atlanta. That’s where Harper and I grew up.”
Dakota nods his head, knowing that fact. “I’m sorry to hear about that, Aiden.”
“It’s okay. I mean, my parents obviously got through it. They’re still together and everything.”
“Yes. They sound like great people. Jamie always spoke highly of them when he would visit.”
“That’s great. They love Jamie,” Aiden says.
“So…why are you telling me this?” Dakota asks. This was all too hard, but he knew he just had to get it out.
“I found out at the wedding that your last name is Daughtry,” Aiden says.
Dakota nods his head. “Yeah. So?”
“So…that’s…that’s my last name too,” Aiden says softly.
“What? I thought your last name was Shaw.”
“It is. It’s hyphenated. I just never used Daughtry. I hated writing it as a kid.”
Dakota sits up. “So we have…we have the same last name?” he asks. Aiden nods his head.
“Not only us. You, me, and my father. Daughtry is my father’s name,” he says.
Dakota stares at Aiden for several seconds. He looks away. He looks back at Aiden again. “Daughtry is a…a common name?” Dakota asks, suddenly feeling like there’s not enough air in the room.
“I…suppose. But…it seems a little too common in this situation,” Aiden says, his voice shaking.
Dakota gets up from the sofa and starts to pace the room slowly.
“So…so what are you trying to tell me here, Aiden? What does…what does all of this mean?” Aiden stands up, feeling like he needs to move.
“I think it means that…we could be related.”
“Related?” Dakota asks.
“I think it means that my dad could be your dad too.”
“So you are telling me that…you are trying to say that…you and I…” Aiden walks around the coffee table and stands in front of Dakota, stopping him from pacing the floor.
“I’m telling you that we might not just be related, Dakota. I might be your brother.” Dakota looks at Aiden. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He sees Aiden’s face one minute and then the next minute the world is completely black and all he can hear is the faint voice of Aiden calling out his name in alarm.
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Acknowledgements
First and foremost I would like to thank Limitless Publishing for taking a chance on a young new author. This has been my dream since I was ten years old, and I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you for your guidance and patience as I start this journey.
To my parents, thank you for giving me a big, crazy, loving family and allowing me to always be myself. You never questioned me when I wanted to spend whole days in the library or when I walked around with construction paper all day jotting down stories. Thank you for always being there for me.
To my siblings, thank you for always making me laugh. Thank you for never asking me to be anyone but me. I love you to the moon and back.
To Sarina Bowen, you have been the biggest influence on me. You’ve taught me so much, you’ve answered all of my crazy questions, you’ve encouraged me, and I don’t think you know that you made me laugh at times when I thought I never would again. Your friendship is invaluable, and I could not have gotten to this point without you.
To Nikki Sloane, thank you for telling me to go for it. Your positivity and encouragement helped put me at ease at times when I was overwhelmed with starting this journey. You’re simply the best.
To Megan Erickson, you were the very first person I sent my query blurb to and you were so patience and kind while I worked it out. I never would have taken the next steps without your encouragement. Thank you. I owe you unlimited Tom Hardy photos. LOL.
To ML Preston, you are absolutely amazing. Thank you for being with me every step of the way. I love being your PA and learning together, but I love our friendship even more.
To my BFF Nichole Wolford, you are the cheese to my macaroni, my partner in crime, and the person who has always believed in me from the moment we met. Your friendship is so important to me, and I would not have been able to keep writing if it wasn’t for your kind words, encouragement, and FB sticker battles. You’re amazing, and I love your face off.
To the Wolford Family, thank you Mamabear, Papabear, Tashabear, and Ronnie for being there for me when I had no one else to turn to. Your generosity, your love, and your support have meant so much to me. You’ll never know how much spending time with you, laughing, eating, camping, having Harry Potter movie marathons and YouTube binge sessions saved my life and kept me going when I didn’t want to anymore. I love you very much.
To Austin, thank you for all of your support. I couldn’t have finished writing my novel if you didn’t sacrifice yourself so that I could stay home and write. Thank you for telling me every day that I could do it. Thank you for listening to me whine and vent when I wanted to give up. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for allowing me to love you. No matter where life takes us, I will never regret you. You are the greatest inspiration for a book boyfriend a girl could ask for.
To Sara, my Sarbear, thank you for being you—all of your knowledge, your talents, and your patience. You are amazing, and I am so grateful to have you in my life as a friend, mentor, and fellow book nerd.
To Jacqui Michener, for being such an amazing friend to me, for helping me open up and be more confident in myself. You teased me constantly for being such a Harry Potter-loving nerd, but you never asked me to be anything else. Our differences have made our friendship that much stronger, and I am my best self because of you.
And last but not least, thank you to all of my book friends for being so supportive of this new chapter in my life. I’m living the dream, and I am so honored to have you with me.
About the Author
Keyanna is a simple girl living in mostly fantasy worlds. She’s been writing since she was 13 years old, jotting down full length stories on construction paper and reading them to her childhood friends for entertainment. She’s a self-proclaimed dork extraordinaire and a library card carrying book nerd taking mental residence in the Wizarding World, coffee in an IV, collecting movie stubs like memories, and constantly contemplating what life would be like if she were one of the Avengers. Her hobbies include TV, sushi, Facebook, and incorporating movie quotes into
everyday conversation.
Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/keyannabutler
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https://mobile.twitter.com/keyannabauthor
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Maybe Forever (Missing Pieces Book 1) Page 15
