I sank into the deep end of the pool and let the water caress my skin. It warmed me at the touch and sent a delightful shiver through me. Thomas waded in the water in front of me. There was very little space between us, only a few feet. Clearly Thomas thought that was too much, when he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him.

He wrapped his arms around me. Our chests glued together. His grip was gentle, but firm. I was in an unbreakable grasp. My face was heating up at our closeness so instead of letting him see, I turned and looked toward the beach hoping he couldn't see me blushing. Even though I was in a one piece he could still make me feel like I was more exposed than I actually was.

Slowly he backed me up until my back hit the hard cement of the pool wall. I gripped his shoulders and looked at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was taking in the outside of the beach house.

"Your aunt has expensive tastes in vacation properties, not that I'm complaining."

I followed his gaze around the structure of the house. "It's her job."

He looked back at me skeptically. "It's her job to take vacations?"

"Yep. She's a travel reviewer. She gathers information on travel destinations for some company and they compile it in those travel books you see in bookstores. All her travel expenses are paid."

Thomas smirked. "Maybe I should consider changing careers."

"Maybe we both should." His arms tightened around me and grinned. "What?"

"You look like an angel." He glanced above my head as if to find a halo there.

I snorted. "That's quite a compliment coming from you. Is Thomas Cavanaugh getting mushy on me? I didn't think that was your style."

He gave an amused smile. "First off, I'm not getting mushy. And second, in this light, you have a halo going on." His hand released me to draw a circle around my head then placed it back under the water around me. "It's the way you hair reacts to the light."

Surely enough, directly above us, there was an inset light in the ceiling of the patio that was shining directly on top of my head. I smiled. "Ah. I was wondering what happened to the Thomas I knew."

He pressed himself into me further. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." He leaned himself into me until his lips met mine. His teeth nipped on my bottom lip until I groaned. That seemed to be what he was waiting for and he chuckled.

I pulled back and gave him my best glare. "Don't tease. That's not very nice."

With a tilt to his lips he said, "Who ever said I was nice?"

"Good point." Laughing, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "No one would dare claim that."

His head rested in the crook on my neck. "No one," he murmured.

I felt his teeth graze my neck leaving a trail of tingles in his wake, all the way down to my shoulder. I shivered again.

"What's the matter, Liv?" he said without stopping. "Cold?"

He knew very well that wasn't it. I sighed and wrapped my legs around his waist. "You're bad."

"The worst."

He made his way back up to my neck again and then behind my ear and back down again. His hands gripped my thighs to tighten myself around him. Just as a moan escaped my lips, the kitchen light flicked on and Thomas and I separated quickly.

Anita was in the kitchen making her a cup of tea, clearly not paying any attention to us. I laughed anyway. That could have been very embarrassing. I dunked myself under the water and swam to the opposite end of the pool. When I came back up for air, Thomas smiled and came after me.

"You can run, but you can't hide."

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. Thomas and I parted ways to shower and get ready for bed. Well, he was getting ready for bed. I was getting ready to go talk to Anita. When I passed my Thomas's room I could hear him on the other side of the door talking to his brother about their dad.

It made me smile. I liked how much Thomas really cared, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Deep down there was a softness to Thomas that no one saw, except for the select few he allowed to see past his façade. Even I rarely got a peek at it.

A passed a couple more doors before coming to the one that concealed Anita's bedroom. There was some light music coming from the speakers of the TV when I knocked on the door. She opened it before I even dropped my hand.

"Hey," I said. "I was hoping you were still up."

"I would have waited," she smiled. "I was just getting ready to watch Outlander. That Jamie is a hot one." She winked and left the door open for me to follow her in.

I stopped to marvel at the room. Hers was much bigger than mine. A bigger bed, a bigger closet, a bigger bathroom and even had her own living area that I didn't have. I plopped down on the couch and watched the credits roll on some TV show Anita had just been watching.

"Cute pjs," Anita said setting down beside me. She muted the TV.

"Thanks." They were my new summer pajama's, a pale pink cami with matching shorts. They were covered in stars and moons.

"You're here earlier than I thought you'd be. Don't tell me you ditched Thomas for your dear aunt."

I laughed. "No. He's jetlagged and checking in on his dad."

She looked concerned. "Why? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's just been through some stuff. But I know that's not why you asked me here."

She picked up the remote and switched off the TV. "You're right, it's not."

I raised my eyebrows as I got comfortable. "So, is this the part where you finally tell me what's been bothering you or am I going to have to pull it out of you?" I teased.

She smiled, but it was light. "No, nothing like that. I'm going to tell you. I just want you to be prepared first."

"So it's that big, huh? I mean, I knew it was, but...are you sure you want to tell me?"

I didn't want her to feel forced to tell me even if she felt she had to. She was my aunt and I loved her and I didn't want to see her so worried over this.

She nodded. "I'm sure."

I turned my entire body toward her, tucking my legs underneath me. "Then I'm your ears and here to listen." I held up my empty hands. "See, I didn't even bring my cell phone."

She smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate the lengths you've gone to."

"Anything for my favorite aunt." I grinned at her.

She looked down at my neck. "That necklace really looks beautiful on you."

I picked it up. "Thank you."

Anita sighed and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She picked them up and started to fidget with a ring on her left hand. "I always meant to tell you this sooner, but the time never seemed right. And now your eighteen years old and probably going to hate more because of it."

I frowned. "What are you talking about? I could never hate you."

Her eyes filled with sadness when she looked at me. "I hope that's true, but I can understand if that you do. I wouldn't blame you."

"Now you're starting to scare me"

"I know and I'm sorry. I really don't know how to start this, how to say the words that is going to change your world forever."

My stomach dropped. "I don't think there would be anything to soften a blow of that magnitude. It's probably best to just get it out in the open."

I hated being in suspense like this. Whatever this secret was, it had tortured Anita for most of her life and now it was torturing me as well. I needed to know it before it ripped her apart.

She took in a slow, steady breath, and started. "The after my sixteenth birthday I found out I was pregnant." She paused a moment to let that sink in and when I gasped, she nodded. "I know."

"You were pregnant? But...my mom never told me that. Neither did grandma and grandpa. No one has for that matter."

"It wasn't really something I wanted known."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

"Andrew and I had been dating for a year and when I told him he was scared- almost as much as I was. We were both so young and still in high school. Neither one of us were prepared to be parents."

I felt my blood pulse. "So what did you do? Did you get..." I couldn't finish my own sentence, because I couldn't even fathom it. Anita wouldn't have done that, would she? Then I remember, of course not, I have the picture of the baby in my- Anita's locket. I reached up to take the heart in my palm.

"We gave her up- our little baby girl." Anita was looking at me with so much love at that point that it sent shivers through me. Her eyes were trying to convey a much deeper message.

"I can't even imagine having to do something like that. I am so sorry Anita." Suddenly a thought occurred to me. "Wait. If you had a baby then that means I have a cousin out there somewhere." I perked up. "What happened when you gave her up? What kind of adoption did you have? Do you know who adopted her?"

When Anita didn't say anything for a moment, I blushed. I was asking way too many questions at once. "Sorry."

She smiled. "The adoption was open and I've been part of her life ever since that day I handed her over to her new parents in that hospital room."

My jaw was hanging open in a very unattractive manner. "All this time, you've had this secret life that no one knew about. Did anyone know?"

She reached out and grabbed my hand. "My parents and my sister are the only ones who know about the adoption and now my daughter."

"And me," I added. "Don't forget about me."

And then Anita gave me patient look and that's when everything started to come together. The locket she gave to me. The secrecy around my mom. "I really don't know how to start this, how to say the words that is going to change your world forever," she had said. I swallowed and I was positive she could hear it. My heart thumped a little harder and a little louder. However, despite all of this newfound information my brain was refusing to believe it.

"Anita," I began. "Who were the people that adopted your daughter?"

She gave me a pitied look. "I think you already know that."

That answer wasn't good enough so I pressed on. I needed to hear her say it to me. I needed to hear it. "What is her name? Tell me her name."

She looked me dead in the eyes and smiled. "Olivia. Her name is Olivia. Her dad picked it out."

I gasped. It was like my whole world had dropped out from under me and now I didn't know how to get my bearings straight. I gripped the side of the couch and stared at her.

"Olivia," I repeated softly.

Anita nodded.

I shook my head. "But that can't be. My parents...my mom. She would never keep something like that from me. She would have told me."

"We thought it was for the best to keep you in the dark until you were old enough to handle the truth."

"So everyone just lied to me my whole life? That was best?" I was surprised to my anger rising in my voice.

Anita started to look concerned. "We didn't lie; we just neglected to tell you the truth."

"There's a difference?" My eyes fell to the floor as I tried to process this. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could this be happening? It was like some weird dream I couldn't wake up from. My eyes snapped back to Anita and that's when I started to take in her features and compare them to mine.

"We don't look as much alike as I thought a mother and daughter would."

She looked sad. "That's because you got majority of your features from your dad, Andrew."

That caused me to pause. That's right. Andrew. I had forgotten all about him in this. Not only was Anita telling me my mom wasn't my mom, she was also telling me my dad wasn't my dad. My heart dropped and it was already hurting for him. My dad. My poor, sweet dad.

My eyes started to water. I would have never known I was adopted. Not from him. He has always been such a kind, loving father. Sure he wasn't around a lot, but I have never doubted his love for me. Not once. And now suddenly, he's not even my dad anymore.

I shook my head of the thought. No. That's not right. Blood does not make up a family. It's love and who is always there for you. That's who your family is.

"I can't believe this," I said.

Anita didn't bother hiding the pity in her eyes. "I know. And maybe I shouldn't have told you. Maybe I should have let go on living unaware of this whole thing, but I couldn't do that to you. No matter the pain it brings you, it has always been your right to know."

"At least you're telling me now," I mumbled. "That's something at least." I wiped the welling tears in my eyes before they could spill over onto my cheeks. I hated to cry, even if it was within my right.

"Please don't be mad at me, Olivia. I only did it to give you everything I couldn't and I feel like I did that. You have two loving parents, a brother and a sister, and a crazy aunt who you mean more to than she can say."

"And you feel like you couldn't love me as much as them?"

"I had just lost the love of my life and I didn't feel like I could do much of anything. I felt useless as a mother. I didn't want you to have a broken mother and no father and an unpredictable life, Olivia. I wanted you to have so much more. But yes, I did love you. I have always loved you, more than I have ever loved anyone. You an Andrew have been my world even if he isn't here anymore."

And just like that, another blow. My dad...my biological dad, who I've never known and would never know, is dead. I pulled the locket out of my hands and opened it. Now that I knew everything, I had to look at him again. Really look at him-through new eyes for the very first time.

He was wearing that bright white smile I'd looked at over a dozen times. He was young a boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen, looking at the camera, with blonde hair that hung freely in his startling blue eyes. His smile was the infectious kind, the kind that made it nearly impossible not to smile too.

Anita and I sat in silence for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only minutes. When enough time had passed that I felt like I could talk without the risk of breaking down I spoke, but it was quiet, even to my ears.

"Tell me about him, about everything. "

She looked relieved, like maybe she had been waiting for this moment. Hoping I wouldn't be so mad that I wouldn't hear her out.

"Andrew and I didn't know what to do after I told him. But our parent's were furious when they found out. Told us we were throwing our lives away. I cried- already considering giving you up. You deserved are parent you could be proud of. And we weren't them. We were just two lost teenagers still trying to figure out who we were."

Her eyes began to water. "Andrew was in agreement with me at first. He felt like you deserved the best of everything in this world. He wanted to give you the moon. But all he could do then was give you the best parents he possibly could. And then we started looking. We talked to adopting couples who wanted a child, but couldn't have them or felt like their health wouldn't allow it. There were so many of them. So many.

"We even had a couple picked out and allowed them to come with us to my first ultrasound. They were so excited, but I just wanted it to be over. It was painful knowing what we were doing. Andrew held my hand through the whole thing and after the appointment we cried. We cried because we knew after hearing your heartbeat that day in doctor's office, we couldn't give you up, not anymore. It was like you were so real, like you were actually there. The next day we told the agency we decided not to give up after all."

I just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

She continued. "I was two months pregnant then. Everyday Andrew and I would make plans about the future, because we knew what we wanted now and that was you and we were going to still do everything to give you the best life possible.

"Although we received a lot of stares and laughs behind our backs nothing could dampen the happiness that we were going to have you. We still hadn't figured everything out yet, but we knew we would eventually. After our parents saw that we weren't backing down from our decision, they started coming around. Andrew's parents then decided they wanted to be part of everything. My appointments, planning the baby shower and being there when you were born. Everything. We were thrilled. Mom and Dad were the last to finally accept our decision. Even still, everything was perfect.

"But," she said, he voice starting to break. "Just when everything was finally starting to come together, it all fell apart, just like that." She snapped her fingers. "The day after our high school graduation, he was driving to my house on his motorcycle to see me, excited to tell me he found us a place to live and we could move in immediately, when a truck struck him in the side after the driver ran a red light. It killed him instantly.

Oh. No.

"The medical staff thought it would comfort me to know it all happened so quickly, but it didn't help. In the end he was still gone and I was here alone, pregnant. The love of my life, gone in an instant."

The wetness that slipped down my cheeks startled me. I hadn't realized I was crying until the tears dripped down my chin onto my arms. I reached up to wipe them away.

"I-" My voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I didn't- I didn't know."

She looked at me sympathetically. "I know, sweetheart." She wrapped her arms around me. "No one talked about him anymore after that. Probably because of me, because I couldn't handle it. I'd fall apart at the mention of his name. I didn't know until the day you were born that I would give you up."

The surprised me. "You didn't plan it?"

She swallowed. "Your mom and dad showed up at the hospital the day you were born to see you and they gushed over you. Your mom said that you were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. And I agreed. You looked just like him. You had Andrew's hair and his nose and even the shape of his face. And all I thought of was him when I saw you. I cried the entire time I held you. The doctors told me it was probably just postpartum depression, but I knew they were wrong. It was something much more than that.

"I knew he would want to be there that day to see you and he would have loved that you looked so much like him. My heart was broken. Tina came back again later that night by herself so that she could talk to me alone. She was worried and wanted to know if I was sure I could handle being a single parent. I didn't have any answers. I didn't know if I could do anything. So Tina made me a promise that she would be there for me as much as possible. She had just gotten married and moved in with your dad and they had this big house and even offered to let me move in with them and take care of me. And that's when I realized my sister was already a mother, only she was without a child. She lived to take care of everyone. Especially me, even though I never wanted that. My whole life she has tried to take care of me and guide me and I've fought her every step of the way. Except that day. When she offered me all of those things, I accepted them, expect not for me, but for you. I knew she could give you what I never could, stability and a large loving family. When I told her what I wanted her to do, she was shocked, but after that there was joy. Real joy. She didn't even try to talk me out of it. She told me I could come over and visit you as much as I wanted. I could still even move in and help out with you and be there for you in a different way, if not as your mother then an aunt. I know I couldn't though. That would hurt me even more. You can call my decision weak and or selfish, but I was just a girl, Olivia. A very young girl with a barely supporting family who still looked at me with disappointment and with a child who didn't have a father. You deserved so much better and I feel like I gave you that."

"I understand," I said. But that didn't mean it hurt me any less. Knowing the truth didn't make this thing any easier.

"Andrew's parents were so hurt devastated over their son's death they moved not even a month after the accident happened. They haven't forgotten about you though. Oh they still love you very much, Olivia. It's just been hard on them. They wrote to a year later asking how you were and wanted me to send them some pictures and even asked if they could come visit you, but I had to tell them what I did. Thankfully they understood, but it was like another loss in itself. They didn't want to confuse you or come barging into your life so they settled on being in the background. I sent them pictures and gave you birthday gifts from them and even sent them the videos I had taken of you over the years so they could see you grow up even if they couldn't be there for you."

"And where are they now, my grandparents?" I asked her. "Where did they move to? I could go there. I want to meet them now."

"That's not necessary."

I frowned, "Why not?"

She smiled, but only slightly. "Because they came back. About eight years ago."

I blinked back surprise. "They came back home? To Andrew's home? To your home?"

"Yes, they did. And it's like nothing has changed there. It was so hard to go back there to see them. His room is like a shrine, nothing out of place. They haven't touched it since the day he died, only going in there to clean it. I couldn't even go in it. It was like stepping back in time and if I just waited in there long enough I'd see him walk back through the door like did so many times before. I couldn't disappoint myself like that. I just-"

She began to cry. I grabbed her hand as she wiped the tears away. "Hey. It's okay. I understand. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. There is no time limit on grief."

"I thought about trying to get you back, you know, after you turned four. I was much better off. I had a job and a husband and this huge house with all kinds of room for you," she said with a grin, but it only lasted a second before it turned back into sadness. "But then I saw you with your mom and dad and how happy they looked just having you in their lives and I knew I couldn't do that to them, so I chose to stay away."

"That's why you stopped coming around?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I tried. I really did. But just being there with them, with you, you were just this one big happy family and it hurt me that I would never be part of it. Not really."

I frowned. "I never knew this. I never knew any of this."

She nodded and sniffed. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that and I want to give you this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"What's this?" I took it from her.

"It's an address in Pasadena. It's about a little less than an hour from here."

I glance at the writing on the paper. It looked to be an address."Is this..."

Seeming to know what I was going to ask, Anita nodded. "Yes. That's the address to your grandparent's house. That's the biggest reason I invited you here this summer. You deserve to know them and you deserve to know your dad. But that's up to you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Is that-is that where he is? I mean, where he's..." I swallowed. "...buried?"

"Highmark Cemetery on Elmwood Street. It's just above their house."

"How can I get to know him?" I stared down at the paper like it held some sort of secret code.

I could see Anita start to grin out of the corner of my eye as she wiped away her remaining tears. "You're a smart girl. Everything you need to know about him is in that town in Pasadena- our hometown. In his house, in his school, in his friends. His story is there and everything he left behind."

No. I knew that wasn't true because he left her behind, and she wasn't there. "Except you."

"I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere. Not until you have your answers. I promise you that much at least. I'll help you with whatever you need. I'll help you fill in the blanks.

"But you won't come with me." It wasn't a question, it was a fact.

She shook her head ruefully. "I can't Olivia, at least not yet."

"But you might?" I asked hopefully.

She shrugged. "You never know. Life never fails to surprise us."

"Thank you for this." I moved the paper between my fingers. "Even though you can't go with me, I understand. I just hope you don't let your grief hold you back forever. You should be able to think about him without it being painful."

She looked down. "And someday I might. Just not today."

I sighed and stood up from her couch. "Okay then. I guess I'll go think about this a while. And I think maybe I should call my mom."

Anita looked worried and stood too. "Olivia, don't. Don't drop a bomb on her like this over the phone. You should be face to face when you talk to her about this."

"I wasn't going to tell her. I just need to her voice because suddenly I realize how much I miss her."

The worry eased from her features, but was now replaced with sadness. "Of course you do. I'm sorry. Go call your mom. I'm sure she misses you too."

I folded up the paper and gripped it in my hand. "Good night, Anita. See you in the morning?"

She stepped forward hugged me. I hugged her back, but something about this hug was different. Maybe because it was different. I wasn't just hugging my aunt anymore, I was hugging my mother. I still wasn't sure what to make of that yet. I had a lot to process. She gripped me tighter. So tight I thought I was going to break."Good night, Olivia. I'll see you in the morning." She finally let go and smiled. "Shane is bringing breakfast." I blanked at the name. I'd almost forgotten completely about him. "He'll take you to Pasadena if you decide you'd like to go tomorrow."

I frowned. "Why would he do something like that for me? He barely knows me."

She looked taken aback like she hadn't expected the question. Then after a second her features smoothed into understanding. "Because, Olivia, you're his niece and he'd love to do help you get to know his brother."

---------------------------------------------------

Author Note:

So....that happened. It's a lot to take in I know, but this is only the beginning. Olivia still has a lot to learn about her dad and it's going to take the help of her Aunt (or mom), Thomas, her uncle and her grandparents to help her figure it all out. It's going to be an adventure. Get ready for the ride. :) I am very excited to get started!

What did you think of the chapter?

Please comment, vote and follow.

P.S. I'll be looking for the actors who will be Olivia's Aunt and Dad so be on the lookout for that. I'm also open to suggestions. Hopefully I'll have that information for you by the next update. Thanks for reading!