With All My Heart (A Devons Series)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

"Pain is temporary; quitting is forever."

Emma POV

  They all freeze.

   "What are you saying?" Nick says slowly.

   Hunter's eyes fill with an understanding that has me both relieved and even more nervous than before.

   Thea glances at her- my- brothers and then back at me. "Okay, so you're adopted. What does this have to do with us?" she asks, not unkindly.

   "I'm your sister," I say. "We're twins. Real twins." I tell them everything that Grama told me about how we were separated. When I'm done, I turn to a shell-shocked Landon and smile forcibly. "Guess there are two pairs of twins in the family now, like you wanted."

   Gabriel puts his hand on my shoulder and I relish the strength in the simple touch.

   Hunter, who's the first one to understand my whole story, starts nodding. "Makes sense, actually. Not that it mattered. We still treated you as a sister before, only now, blood ties us together too."

   Nick suddenly whoops and scoops me into a bear hug. "This is awesome!! I have another sister to annoy to death!!"

   I giggle and look at the others, waiting for their reactions. Landon is staring at me like I grew another head. He doesn't seem to be processing the news.

   Thea stares at me in complete shock, her mouth hanging open, not moving for what seems like an eternity. But when she finally closes her mouth, she squeals and rushes forward, capturing me in a huge, tight hug. "Welcome officially to the family of crazy!! We even acted like sisters before this. We got into a stupid fight and I'm so sorry. I am so so so so so so sorry! I don't know what came over me to act like such an asshat, sh*t-head, douche, asshole, f*--"

   I laugh, even though tears are pouring down my cheeks like waterfalls. "Okay, okay, I get it!"

   She hugs me again and then releases me. Gabriel immediately cups my face in his hands and wipes away my tears with his thumbs. "Are you okay?" he asks gently.

   "Yes!" I sob. "I finally have a complete family. I have siblings that care and I have my best friends back."

   "And me?" Gabriel's voice is teasing but his eyes are serious.

   "You..." I begin but then stop. Gabriel isn't my friend, he's more than that. But I don't know if I can call him my boyfriend yet. Are we even at that level yet? Or is that too soon?

   "You're my girlfriend," he declares loudly and the entire room goes silent.

   I squeal. "Really?"

   He laughs. "Oh, I forgot to send you the memo. It's not too late now, is it?"

   I kiss him in front of all my siblings and there is a collective gasp all around. "Absolutely not," I say softly, putting our foreheads together.

   Thea stares at us in shock. "You guys are siblings now. This can't happen. And don't you guys hate each other?"

   I grin at Gabriel. "Not since I found out that he's my foster brother as well. And he helped me out of my depression from when..." It's still too soon to mention Grama's death, so I leave that sentence hanging. "Why would I still hate him after that?"

   I kiss him again and then go to the kitchen to get some of the food that I prepared for my siblings. Thea follows me. "What will happen in school? Will we tell everyone?"