Lauren's POV
I chewed on my lip nervously as I waited for someone to answer the door. Its been a month since I met the Cimorelli sisters. Girls that just might be my sisters. I try to distain myself from them but that didn't really work, when Dani keep coming by whenever she felt like. I wanted to be close to them yet at the same time I wished I never met them. Meeting them made everything real, it wasn't as easy to pretend that what my grandmother told me wasn't true. I have been avoiding coming to their parents' house in fear of meeting the rest of them. I didn't want to meet the people that might just be my parents. I didn't want them to like me. I didn't want them to see me and see themselves or the daughter they lost.
Dani had been bugging me for the last week to come over telling me that her parents would be gone for a few hours with her younger brothers so I didn't have to worry about it being a full house seeing she knows about my anxiety. I ran my fingers through my hair smiling when I heard Dani fall on the other side of the door. She opened the door fixing her hair. "Hey Lauren" she smiled brightly at me.
"hey Dani, did you just fall?" I asked raising a brow at her.
"umm no" she shook her head shifting her green eyes around refusing to meet my eyes. "come in" she moved aside so I could come in. "where is Bella?" she asked leasing me to the living room.
"my mom took her to the zoo" my eyes were drawn to the wall covered in photos of all the Cimorelli children. I could help but stare at the photo of Lacey. All I saw was my parents perfectly mixed together into this little girl. My fathers light brown hair and my mother bright blue eyes.
There was a scar on her chest peaking out of the top of her shirt. "That's Lacey" Dani said standing next to me. "She passed away when she was four, she was sick a lot. that's what Christina told me I was too young to remember her" I nodded my head taking her hand in mine seeing the tears in her eyes. "I don't know why I am crying" she wiped her tears with her free hand. "I didn't even remember her"
"not knowing or not remembering doesn't invalid your pain" I squeezed her hand. "I have siblings I never got to meet." I have siblings that will never know me fully because that means sharing this secret that will destroy everything. What if I tell them and they hate me for keeping it from them or what if this is all just in my head and we do a DNA test and comes back that the are not my family and I put them through hell for nothing?
"don't cry Lo" she pulled me into a hug. I jumped in her arms hearing her front door open. "hey its probably just my mom she must have forgotten something" Dani said rubbing my back before letting go. I quickly shifted my eyes meeting a woman who I look way too much like. I pulled out of Dani's arms dropping my stare to the ground.
"you must be Lauren" Lynne's voice filled my ears. I shifted my eyes up for a moment meeting her caring eyes. "I have heard so much about you"
"I-it's nice to meet you meet you Mrs. Cimorelli" I stumbled over my words chewing on my lip.
"please call me Lynne" she held out her hand for me. For a moment I thought about shaking her hand until I remember my fingers. I balled my hands into fists trying to hide my crooked fingers.
"I-I umm" I shifted my eyes around the room trying to find something to ground me. Dani walked over to her mom whispering something to her. Lynne's smile dropped from whatever Dani told her.
"in this house we don't judge anyone on how they look" she held out her hand again. "when you are here you don't have to hide who you are" oh yes, I do. I stared at her perfect hands before slipping my right hand in hers. The crooked fingers must be from their dad's side. "is it okay if I give you a hug it looks like you could use one?" I nodded closing my eyes. Her warm arms wrapped around me holding me close to her. Could this woman be my mother? No I have a mother already. This isn't my family.
