Sorry about the typos! I haven't read through to take any out.

I'm also thinking about ending this story soon, what do you all think? It's funny because what I had initially planned to happen never really did, so I feel weird trying to steer the story towards the ending I've already written.

-shrug- I ish so confuzzled!!

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"Where is my daughter? Leah! Where are you?" Groaning at the sound of my mom's shrill voice I burrowed deeper into my blankets, feeling Devyn's arm tighten around me comforted me more than he would know.

"Leah? Oh my god, it's like a prison up here...why is my daughter sleeping in the attic, and who is that?" Sighing loudly and in annoyance I flicked the covers back from my body and pulled myself to rest on my forearms. Did my mother not take into consideration that I was extremely tired and not in the mood for drama?

The glare I sent towards her seemed to stop her in her tracks and she hesitated a few moments, "Leah? Is that you? Oh my poor darling!" Rolling my eyes I moved into a sitting position, swinging my legs over the edge of my bed, my feet resting against the wooden floor.

"Mom! Seriously? What the hell are you doing here? I'm fine, you didn't have to fly all the way out here just to see if I was still alive." Devyn put a hand against my shoulder, it didn't comfort or calm me down like he had probably hoped. Strangely it fuelled whatever anger I felt towards my mother, now Devyn was going to see what I was really like on a bad day.

"I came to make sure you were okay and weren't being treated like a slave, don't you remember what I said before you left? I had to make sure that you were fine." I remembered well what my  mom had told me before I had left California, it echoed in my  mind and made me snort. It seemed so ridiculous what she had warned me about back then that I couldn't  believe I had come to Montana thinking about all of that.

"Well as you can see, I'm fine so why don't you go back to California or New York...or where ever you flew in from. I don't need you here!" At that I felt Devyn's hand tighten a little around my upper arm, which drew my attention to his face.

"Leah, calm down." Though he was only trying to help, Devyn had no idea of mine or my mom's past or even our relationship or lack of.

"Stay out of this Devyn, no one asked you to butt in." The words came flying out of my mouth before I had time to process them, the instant change in Devyn's expression had me reeling back in shock as I scrambled to say something...anything that would tell him how sorry I was.

But he didn't give me time, he let go of my arm and stormed from the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Refusing to look at my mother I sat there as everything sank in, the fact that I had more or less told Devyn to shut up, that my mom had seen it and that she was still standing there.

"I'm sorry Leah, I didn't realize you would like living out here....like this. I'll leave you here in peace until you call me. But I didn't just come out here to make sure you were healthy and happy, there is something else. I've been keeping it a secret for a long time because I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't know how you would react. Will you hear me out?" Looking up at my mom then I nodded, what else could I do? My ankle looked like it had been replaced by a grapefruit, a big purple one.

"Sure mom." She gave me a tentative smile and sat herself down on my bed, beside me.

"It's about everything that happened between Declan and I when we were younger...we were never actually married. I've been married to a man named Alfred Munroe since the age of eighteen, we were expected to marry and my own mother convinced me that he and I would grow to love each other over time. But Alfred never loved me, though he did want a legitimate heir that would inherit his family company. I gave birth to Peter Munroe at nineteen, by then I hated Alfred so much because I knew he had been sleeping around...he still did after I gave him an heir." In the pit of my stomach I felt something like dread begin to build as I listened to what my mom had to say, none of it was comforting. I didn't want to listen to anything else she had to say but forced myself to sit through it as it would give me more answers than I had ever had in the past.

"After walking in on him sleeping with another woman for the upteenth time I snapped, I brought tickets for Peter and I to travel down to California to Alfred's families holiday home. It is where you grew up, though I've added things to the house over the years and improved its value. Anyway, while I was in California I met Declan, he was away from the family ranch exploring the world and I daresay I fell in love with him. We started having a fling and I ended up falling pregnant with you. When you were two years old Alfred decided to see what was keeping me in California...he came into the holiday home on your second birthday and created quite a scene...Declan left after that and never looked back. I was heartbroken but Alfred was willing to take me back, though he didn't want anything to do with you aside from giving you his surname. It was so hard leaving you that first time that I realized I would need to be a little colder and distant from you, I apologize for that." My mom's voice broke when she said that, focusing on her face I realized she was crying and I grabbed her hand. Even if I was still angry with her the woman was still my mom, though the story she was telling me disturbed me more than I cared.

"I uh...when I returned to New York I realized I was pregnant, the baby was Declan's but I hoped and prayed that Alfred would assume the child was his. He had stopped sleeping around almost as soon as I returned and we began sharing a bed, so it was a logical thing to hope for. When Caleb was born he looked almost exactly like you, but Alfred had never seen you as a baby so I convinced him that Caleb was a true Munroe." Okay, that was a curveball I hadn't been expecting, Caleb was my brother and not my cousin? It would explain why my mom liked bringing him down to visit with me when we were children, but I wondered if Caleb had known he didn't belong to Alfred?

"Does Declan know about Caleb?" My mom laughed at the question, I didn't see the funny side of things and frowned. How could she laugh at such a time? But I guess holding in secrets for so long drove a person crazy.

"He does...well he certainly does now. Caleb insisted on coming with me when he heard you had gone missing in the wildfire, Peter is here too." I didn't know how to feel about Peter and Caleb suddenly being downstairs, it felt like a swarm of butterflies were suddenly in my stomach and a lump had formed in my throat.

"What about Alfred? Was he upset when you all abandoned him?" I said it with such spite and loathing that I almost didn't recognize my own voice.

"Alfred passed away two weeks ago honey, the other reason I came out was that I hoped you might be interested in moving to New York with Caleb, Peter and I? But seeing and meeting everyone that was so worried about you, I think that the move will be harder said than done. The invitation is there, you can stay here or come to New York." California was the first place that came to mind when I thought of home, I was loyal to that place despite not having a real family there.

"What about the house in California? Can I not go back there?" My mom pursed her lips together, reluctant to answer the question or at least buy her more time to come up with an excuse.

"The house was left to Peter, I'm not sure what is going to happen with it but I'm sure it will be sold in the next few months." My heart sank at the thought that I might never be able to return to that house in California, where all my childhood memories were...where everything was.

"Can I think about it mom? This is all a lot to take in and I've upset Devyn too, so yeah?" I finished lamely, the look my mom gave me said all that she wanted to say.

"Sure you can. Can I ask you something? Are you really happy here? With your father and Trisha? Are they treating you well?" It was okay for my mom to ask those questions, she had most likely thoughts that I had been living locked away and only fed bread and water.

"Yeah mom, Trisha is really nice and has been teaching me so much. I work out with the horses in the barns, one time I was left to do everything by myself and ended up getting sun-stroke or something and they made me stay in bed for two days! It was ridiculous, I couldn't stay in bed that long." My mom laughed at that, she had known how restless I could get after I dislocated a shoulder during one of my rides.

"I'm glad, would you like to come down the stairs? I can help you? I think your boyfriend might have stormed out of the house." Devyn most likely had stormed out of the house, I couldn't blame him and would need to apologize later.

"Sure mom, I'd like that...I'll need to apologize to Devyn when I see him next." I sighed as my mom stood and helped me up from the bed. Leaning on her a little it took us both an extra few minutes before we got comfortable enough that I could walk and that she could support some of my weight.

"And I will need to apologize to Declan and Trisha, I was abominably rude when I walked in." Laughing all the way down the stairs I stopped laughing and walking when I saw Caleb leaning against the wall at the bottom of the steps.

"Hey sis, heard you laughing all the way down the stairs. I take it things are okay with you and mom?" Letting go of my mom I hobbled towards Caleb, he met me half way, wrapping his arms around my shoulders tightly as he lifted me off the ground for one of the biggest and tightest hugs I had ever experienced.

"We're okay Caleb, you know I always thought you were my brother but I didn't want to seem weird and say it. Where's Peter?" Caleb put me down and laughed, he and I really looked like twins more than the average brother and sister. His blond hair was a little lighter than mine but our eyes were the same shade of blue, our noses were almost identical to Declan's and we both had dimples in the same place.

"Peter is in the kitchen eating with Declan, do you call him dad? I knew Alfred wasn't my dad but I still called him that so it's going to be weird to call some other guy dad." I hit Caleb when he joked like that.

"He isn't just some guy Caleb, he's our dad and yes...I've called him dad, just not to his face." It was true, in my mind I had been calling Declan 'dad' for  some time but I had never spoken it out loud. I guess with Caleb around now I could ease into saying it and not give everyone a heart attack at the same time.

"Okay, okay chill! Want some help into the lounge? Or kitchen? Your boyfriend stormed off outside, he didn't even shake my hand...can you imagine that? A rude person?" Punching Caleb again I worried a little, was Devyn actually that angry at me that he'd avoid everyone else?

"You're rude all the time, I'd make you carry me down the stairs but you look a little too skinny to hold me up." Caleb laughingly helped me down into the kitchen where a few people were gathered, including Peter.

"Leah, you okay?" Declan asked, standing from where he had been sitting at the kitchen table.

"I'm okay...dad." For a few minutes Declan looked like he hadn't heard me but then a broad smile broke out across his face and he came towards Caleb and I. We looked at each other and smiled before turning back to Declan.

"Trisha? May I speak with you outside?" My mom seemed nervous as she fidgeted with her blazer, Trisha stood from the table and they both walked out onto the porch. I bet Trisha wasn't expecting what my mom was about to say to her, I never would have ever thought my mom was capable of giving an apology.

I sat in the seat next to Peter so that he, Caleb and I could all talk. It turned out I did remember Peter, but only small snippets here and there and nothing particularly clear enough to talk in depth about.

"So, have you decided where you want to live? Mom doesn't know it, but I'm giving you the house in California...but you don't have to move back there. You've got family here and you've got family in New York, you don't have to live alone again." I didn't know what to say to that, it wasn't an offer for the house in California, it was a statement...so I could go back whenever I wanted? Use it for its intended purpose?

"I really like it here, I have family and they show me how to do things and my marks at school will be a lot better. Even just going to school those last two weeks, I could feel myself actually learning. Ya know? But, I might have to come to New York from time to time for shopping trips and what not. And then maybe we can have Christmas in California, or holidays in New York from time to time?" Caleb and Peter both nodded at my idea, I was relieved they didn't shoot them down like I have expected.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I wouldn't mind getting over to California a bit more, I'm not sick of New York but people grate on my nerves a lot. That's a great idea, why don't we do Christmas in California every second year, Leah every other year you have Christmas here and Thanksgiving in New York with us? That way you can have your shopping spree AND good food." Caleb looked at Peter when he mentioned food, maybe Peter appreciated food more than the average person. He didn't look like he overate, but mom had said that he had been in the kitchen eating.

"Okay that sounds great!" Not sure what Declan and Trisha's plans were for Thanksgiving I agreed to my brothers plan, after all it's not every day I got to plan gatherings with family.