Megan paused then added, “Deena felt Sid had been upfront with her in the beginning, but he was a good man. If he found out where she and his child were, he would have done the honorable thing and married her. She didn’t want him to make any sacrifices for her and their child. She felt it best that he didn’t know how to find them. However, she wanted Sid to know about his child just in case, one day, when Matt got older, he wanted to seek out his father.”
“That’s similar to the reason our mother didn’t tell our dad about us,” Casey said softly, glancing at her two brothers.
Matt asked, “Although he went by the name Sid, was his real name Sidney?”
Cole nodded. “Yes. He was Sidney Roberts. Why?”
“Because Sidney is my middle name.”
“And Matthew was Uncle Sid’s middle name,” Clint said, thoughtfully.
No one said anything for a minute, and then Clint added, “Chester always believed Uncle Sid had a child out there.” At Matt’s questioning look, he explained. “Chester worked as Uncle Sid’s cook, housekeeper and his confidant for years. He’s still with us, and we consider him part of our family. I can’t wait to tell him about you.”
Matt drew in a deep breath and said, “I never knew the identity of my father and never asked Mom. No discussion of him ever came up…except…”
“Except what?” Dominic asked.
“The day before she died. She asked if I wanted to know who he was, and I told her no. By then, I was a senior in high school and felt I didn’t need him in my life since he hadn’t been there before then.”
When the room went silent, Megan Saxon said, “Deena made me promise if you ever wanted to know, I’d tell you. You never asked, Matt.”
Alisdare glanced over at Deena. “I take it you were named after your grandmother?”
“Yes, I was.”
When the room fell quiet once again, Deena Caulder decided to inject positivity into the awkward silence. With a huge smile on her face, she said, “Just think, Dad. We have cousins we didn’t know about. Isn’t that wonderful?” She reached out and affectionately touched Clint’s, Cole’s and Casey’s hands. “I’m so glad Dad and I finally got to meet you.”
“We’re glad, too,” Casey said, smiling, but fighting back tears. “Your mother was right, Matt. Our Uncle Sid was a good man. He and our mother were close, and he provided a home for us on his ranch. We understand how you might be feeling, Matt. For years, we thought our father was dead, but Mom told us the truth on her deathbed when we were adults. We had lived all that time not knowing our dad, Corey Westmoreland.”
Deena tilted her head and stared at Alisdare. “You’re a Westmoreland, too. Does that mean we’re related, as well?”
Alisdare smiled. “No, we aren’t related. Sid Roberts was the triplets’ mother’s brother. I am related to them through their father, Uncle Corey. He’s my grandfather’s brother.”
Her smile widened. “Good. I’m glad we’re not related.”
Alisdare returned her smile. “I’m glad, too.”
Chapter Two
Later, Matt was finally able to grab a few minutes alone without being surrounded by Westmorelands. Once word had spread of his relationship to the triplets, it seemed every Westmoreland in attendance felt the need to introduce themselves. Because he was Dominic’s best friend, who was brother-in-law to Quade Westmoreland, Matt had known the Westmorelands living in Atlanta for a few years—namely, Quade’s brothers and cousins.
Tonight, the other Westmorelands, mainly those living in Denver, made sure he understood that when you were related to one Westmoreland, you were claimed as kin by them all. For a man who’d spent most of his life pretty much satisfied with raising his daughter with the only people he’d considered family—Dominic and his wife, Taylor Steele, and his godparents, Marcello and Megan Saxon—he wasn’t used to the dynamics of a vast family.
And the Westmoreland clan was vast. So much so that he’d heard there was a section of Denver known as Westmoreland Country, where most of the Denver Westmorelands lived. Being part of a huge family was something he’d never imagined, nor wanted. He liked his small family just fine. However, after tonight, all that had changed. He found it almost too overwhelming.
He glanced to where his daughter stood in a group of Westmorelands. Obviously, Deena didn’t find it overwhelming. Just the opposite. She seemed to be in her element. Had she grown up longing for more relatives, but he hadn’t known it? That couldn’t be it, since, thanks to Dominic’s wife, Taylor, Deena had grown up close to the Steele family. But then, for his very outgoing daughter, who was the opposite of her father in that respect, it could be that the more family, the merrier.
He noted that one of those Westmorelands—Alisdare—was at his daughter’s side and had not left that spot since they’d been introduced. And there seemed to be interest on both sides. Although she was only twenty-two, Deena was fairly smart when it came to men thanks to Matt’s guidance. She knew the pickup lines and the games some men played. His daughter had never shown real interest in any guy before—the one she dated in college for a good four months didn’t count. Given that Deena lived in California and Alisdare Westmoreland worked at the FBI office here in DC, he wondered how this would play out.
Marriage to Deena’s mother, Rhonda, had been a disaster, leaving him unwilling to ever marry again. The only good thing that had come from their marriage was Deena, a daughter Rhonda had walked away from without looking back. In his twenties, he had taken on the role of mother and father with the help of Dominic and his godparents. For a while, he had even lived in one of the cottages on Marcello and Megan’s huge estate, so those nights when he worked late at the office, Dominic and his parents helped care for her. They had been his village.
Matt took another sip of his wine and glanced around the room. Most people hadn’t left, but they were out on the huge veranda, seeing the colored lights darting across the Potomac River. A display Quade had arranged in celebration of his wife’s birthday.
At least one person hadn’t rushed toward the veranda to see it. Specifically, the very attractive woman who’d caught his eye the moment he’d arrived at the party. She was gorgeous.
There was something about her that had immediately snagged his attention in that moment before Quade and Cheyenne had greeted him and Deena. Afterward, before he could check her out further, he had been confronted by those triplets about his resemblance to Sid Roberts.
He’d thought the woman’s petite and curvy figure, the mass of dark brown hair that flowed to her shoulders, and striking features on caramel-colored skin were totally stunning. Then there was her outfit: a long, printed skirt that flowed to her ankles, paired with a fringed shawl to match and a pretty green blouse. The cognac-colored suede boots gave the entire ensemble a sophisticated look.