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Chapter Fifteen

Brady drove the van slowly up Primrose Lane as Chloe compared each house to the house in the newspaper photo.  Primrose was only a block away from the house where Nancy had grown up.  Surely, it made it quite easy for Sam Lennox to make all those evening visits to the Miller house.

"Geez..." she sighed in exasperation. "I didn't know that one street could be this long.  I mean, the entire state of Rhode Island isn't this big, is it?"

"Don't worry, Chloe... we'll find it."

Brady stopped the van at a stop sign as Chloe squinted slightly while staring at a house at the end of the street.

"Brady, pull over in front of that house down there..."

Brady did as instructed as Chloe rolled down the window to get a closer look.  She stared at the house for a moment and looked back at the photo.

"This is it... This is the house."

Brady leaned forward and looked at the picture she was holding.  "Are you sure?"

"Yup... add a few coats of paint and clean the yard up a bit, and we've found what we're looking for." 

Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the van.  Brady got out and met her in front of the van blocking her from walking up the path to the house.

"Whoa, slow down there... Don't go marching up there like you're storming the beach at Normandy."

Chloe groaned in frustration.  "Why not?  Might as well get it over with as quickly as possible."

"Okay, that sounds nice in theory, but do you have any idea of what you're going to say if Sam Lennox opens that door and stares you right in the face?"

Chloe cringed and looked at Brady with a frown.  "Well... no.  Not exactly..."

"Alright then... you need to calm down, take a few deep breaths and compose yourself.  Do not run up there like a crazy person."

Chloe sighed and closed her eyes.  She took deep cleansing breaths and tried to clear her mind of the nervousness she felt inside her.  She felt the tension subside as she opened her eyes and looked at Brady.  "You're right... I got all wound up... live wire here."

Brady nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, you shot out of that van like a cannonball."

"What am I going to do, Brady?  I've been imagining a moment like this for my entire life, but now that it's finally here... I don't know what I'm going to do."

Brady grabbed her hands and gave her encouraging smile.  "You'll be fine.  I just wanted to make sure you weren't freaked out and frazzled when you hit that porch up there.  Just say what's on your mind, tell the truth, and everything will be fine.  I'll be right there next to you the entire time."

"Good... I may need your backup."

Brady shook his head defiantly.  "No, I don't think you do actually.  You're not the kind of person who needs someone to do things for you that you can already do yourself.  You may feel nervous, but you have no reason to worry.  You've come this far already, and whatever you need to say will just flow out of you."

Chloe smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  "Thank you... I know that YOU are never at a loss words, I just hope that I'm not either."

Brady rolled his eyes and laughed.  "Yeah right, Chloe.  You always say exactly what's on your mind... I know you'll be okay."

Chloe took another deep breath and smiled.  "Alright then... let's go."

Brady smiled back and the walked up the path towards the house.  It was a large home, one might even say mansion, that was far more extravagant than the rest of the houses in this part of town.  The grounds and the home itself had been taken care of over the years, and it was obvious that it belonged to a wealthy family.  A silver BMW was in front of a garage that was separate from the rest of the home.

They stood on the porch and Brady squeezed Chloe's hand briefly hoping to give her an extra ounce of bravery.  She closed her eyes tightly and silently prayed for strength as she reached for the doorbell.  She rang the doorbell and stepped backwards to wait for someone to answer.  It felt like they waited an eternity, but was in all likelihood only about two minutes before someone opened the door.  The door opened and they came face to face with a sandy-haired man of medium height who looked to be in his early forties.

"Hello... can I help you?"

Chloe took a deep breath in and smiled.  "Yes... I'm looking for Sam Lennox..."

"I'm Sam Lennox... what can I do for you?"

Chloe looked at him in confusion.  "I uhhh... I don't think you're the one I'm looking for.  The Sam Lennox that I'm looking for was a friend of my grandfather.  Are you his son?"

The man nodded.  "Yes, Sam Lennox Jr."

Chloe paused as she realized that she was standing in front of a man who was her half-brother.  "Oh.  Okay.  Well, then... I must be looking for Sam Lennox Sr... Does he still live here?"

Sam Jr. frowned for a moment before looking at Chloe again.  "I'm sorry, Miss... I hate to tell you like this.  But... my father passed away over 3 years ago.  I live here with my wife and children now."

Chloe took a half step backwards in shock, as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.  "I'm sorry to hear that... I..."

Chloe couldn't finish her sentence.  The weight of the situation had hit her and she fought to hold back the tears.  All of this work, all of this time and she would never get to meet the man who was her father.

"Well, it was all very sudden... I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't catch your name..."

Chloe shook his hand firmly.  "I'm... I'm Chloe Lane... this is Brady Black."

Brady nodded towards Sam Jr. as Chloe released the man's hand.  "Well, Miss Lane... you said your grandfather was friends with my father?"

Chloe nodded.  "Yeah... maybe you knew him.  Albert Miller..."

Now it was Sam Jr.'s turn to look shocked.  "You're Albert Miller's granddaughter?  Pardon my confusion, but I was fairly sure that Nancy and Craig never had any children."

Chloe bit her lip nervously before answering.  "Well... they didn't... exactly.  Nancy gave me up for adoption 17 years ago.  But... I live with them now, for almost 2 years.  It's a long story..."

Sam Jr. nodded knowingly.  "Well, I haven't spoken to Craig since 1991 or maybe 92, so I had no idea you existed."

"Neither did Craig... not until I showed up."

"And why are you here?  If you don't mind me asking, that is... If you didn't know my father, why would you be here looking for him now?

Chloe paused and tried to come up with an answer for Sam Jr.  She looked at Brady quickly, but he just smiled at her encouragingly.  Part of her wanted to tell this man everything, but she also knew how destructive the truth would be to Sam Jr. if he were to find out.

She took a deep breath before speaking.  "I... well, Nancy has told me very little about her past and her life in Newport... and... there are a lot of unanswered questions... so I..."

"Decided to go on a quest for the secrets of the past."  Sam Jr. interrupted her with a wink.

She smiled weakly.  "Yeah... sounds kind of like a bad plot for a movie, doesn't it?"

Sam Jr. shook his head sympathetically.  "Not at all... So, you thought that coming here and talking to my father might answer a few questions for you?"

"Something like that..."

"Well, maybe I can help you a little bit... I only knew Nancy in passing, I didn't really get to know her well.  But, Craig... I can tell you a lot of things about Craig."

"So... you knew Craig pretty well?"

Sam Jr. raised an eyebrow at her.  "Knew him?  He lived in this house from the time he was 12 years old until he left for medical school."

Chloe furrowed her brow and stared at him in confusion.  "He lived here?  What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Sam Jr. sighed before continuing.  "I guess those two really have shut Newport out of their lives.  Miss Lane, Craig is my stepbrother.  His mother married my father when my sister and I were in high school."

Chloe gasped and put a hand over her mouth.  She felt a wave of terror sweep through her body and her knees began to buckle underneath her.  Brady noticed her wavering and threw his arm around her waist to steady her.  She removed the hand from her mouth and stared at Sam in shock.

"Oh... Oh my God... I can't believe it."

Chloe shook her head in confusion and continued.  "Craig never talks about that.  I guess I don't really know anything about his family life.  I know that his mother passed away in 1991, but that's it.  He never mentions anything else."  Chloe looked at Brady.  "It's not in the diaries either, Brady.  Nancy never makes the connection in there about Craig... and...."

Sam nodded knowingly.  "Well, I'm not surprised.  Craig was never really happy here, or being a part of this family.  His real father left them before he was even born, and it left Beatrice to raise him on her own.  She married my father so she could have some stability in her life, and so Craig would be taken care of.  He paid for him to go to medical school, tried to give him the best, but they never did get along."

Chloe sighed sadly.  "So, Beatrice Lennox was Beatrice Wesley..."

"Yes... She passed away 10 years ago with a heart attack.  That was the last time I saw Craig.  I spoke to him a few times after that, but not for 8 or 9 years now.  He used to be close with my sister Laura, and even she hasn't heard from him in 6 years."

"I had no idea..."

"Well, obviously Craig and Nancy don't reveal anything to anyone.  You had no idea about us, and I can tell you that I had no idea you existed either.  As far as I knew, Craig said many many times that he never wanted to have children."

Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows.  "Do you know why that is?"

"I don't know... he always said that he was afraid he would turn out just like his father and end up being an absent father or a bad father or something.  That's a pretty ridiculous theory, if you ask me."

Chloe nodded understandingly.  "It is... Craig is a good man, and he's been very good to me in the past 2 years.  And, believe me, he didn't want to be a father to me or anyone, but he has been... closest I've ever had to one."

"I'm not sure why he never told you all of this himself, or why Nancy wouldn't tell you.  But, that's between all of you, and it's really none of my business.  I just don't understand why Craig and Nancy have so much hatred of their lives here in Newport."

Chloe looked downward at her feet and sighed.  "I think I'm beginning to understand..."  Sam looked at her in confusion, and she attempted a weak smile.  Chloe was still in shock, but things were becoming clearer to her. 

"Well, I've been curious for awhile... What have those two been up to all this time?"

"We live in Salem, Illinois... My mother has a radio show, and Craig is the Chief of Staff at the hospital."

"Then... Craig is not your father?  I notice you refer to Nancy as your mother, but you only call him Craig."

Chloe paused and shook her head.  "No... he's not.  My mother... was raped by someone... I don't know who he is." 

Chloe cringed as she lied to her newly discovered half-brother.  She just didn't have the heart to ruin how Sam Jr. might feel about his father.  The man was dead and buried, and Chloe decided not to air the dirty laundry to a son who probably had no idea what kind of a man his father really was.

Sam Jr. nodded sympathetically.  "I'm sorry to hear that.  Let's see, you said you were 17, right?  I believe I was in Europe around that time.  I know that Craig and Nancy had a break-up around that time, but since I wasn't here, I didn't even know that she was pregnant."

"Nobody did.  She hid it from everyone and then she went to Boston when she began to show."

"Well, I hope you can find whatever it is you're looking for.  I wish I was a bigger help."

"No, no, no.  You have been very helpful.  Thank you so much for talking to me."

"Not a problem... if you do me a favor."  Sam Jr. gave her a friendly smile.

"Sure..." Chloe nodded.

"Please... tell Craig that his family here would like to hear from him.  I know that we're not blood related, but Laura and I still would like to keep in touch with him."

Chloe smiled back at him.  "Absolutely...  I'll make sure he gets the message.  Anyway... I think I've taken up enough of your time... Thanks again... it really means a lot to me."

"Are you sure you don't want to come in and have a cup of coffee or something?"

Chloe shook her head.  "Noooo... no thank you.  We need to go.  This has all been very enlightening.  By the way, where is your father buried at?"

"He's buried in the family plot at Greenbriar Cemetary.  It's not hard to find.  There's a big stone monument with the name Lennox on it."

Chloe nodded and shook his hand again.  "Thank you, Mr. Lennox... I appreciate that."

He smiled and let go of her hand.  "You're welcome, Miss Lane, Mr. Black... Take care."

Brady nodded in his direction as he closed the door to the house.  Chloe turned around and he followed her down the stairs to the sidewalk in front of the van.  She leaned against the side of the van with a sigh and shook her head in confusion.

"Brady... I can't even believe it..."

Brady stepped towards her and gave her a quick embrace.  "I know... I bet you didn't think you'd get this many answers in less than 15 minutes."

Chloe chuckled softly and sighed again.  "Hmph... Answers, and maybe more questions too.  But it kinda is beginning to all make sense finally.  Nancy never told him about the rape because she knew what the consequences would be.  Not just from Albert, but she knew that it would tear Craig's family apart too.  Craig had never had a real family of his own, and she didn't want to take his stepfamily away from him."

"So, to save Craig's family... she sacrificed her happiness and yours."

Chloe nodded sadly.  "I guess so.  I don't know if it was the right decision, but it must have seemed like it at the time."

Chloe felt a few warm tears fall down her face.

"Chloe... she had no idea what would happen.  A lot of children go to good homes when they get adopted.  Maybe she figured anything you got was better than all the dysfunctional crap she had to go through here."

"Maybe..." Chloe sniffled and wiped a few tears away.  "She did what she had to do, and I understand.  I finally understand, Brady."

"What exactly do you understand?"

"That it's all kind of pointless, don't you think?"

"Pointless?  You mean we drove 1100 miles to discover that everything is pointless?"

Chloe shook her head in disagreement.  "No, that's not what I meant.  I mean... you were right before... when you said we have to let go of the past.  I mean, I know all of this information now... but what does it change?  It changes nothing.  I have more knowledge now, and more understanding of the situation but it doesn't change the relationships in my life."

Brady nodded and took her in his arms.  "Are you sure about that?  I mean, don't you think you'll feel differently about Nancy now?"

Chloe leaned out of the embrace and looked at him.  "Yes and no.  It doesn't change the fact that Nancy does care about me... And, deep down I care about her too.  It doesn't seem like it because I have all this pent up anger and frustration, but she's my mother, of course I care about her.  It doesn't change that, it just makes it easier to understand her... easier to say that I care about her.  You love who you love... the past can't change that... nothing can.  You see what I mean?"

"I don't know... I think so..." Brady looked at her like he only half understood.

Chloe sighed and gave a serious glance.  "Brady... it's like... think about your dad, okay?  There are a lot of things about his past that you probably don't know.  And, there might be things that happened that were bad or wrong or something that you just wouldn't like to hear.  But, would it matter?  You'd still love him anyway, right?"

Brady nodded vehemently.  "Of course I would... I think I see what you're saying.  So, is that how you feel about Nancy?"

Chloe nodded and smiled.  "I think so... I have to leave the past behind.  She did what she thought was best, and just because it didn't work out that well doesn't mean that I need to hate her anymore.  Believe, I don't want to hate her... I never have... I just couldn't let go of the pain."

"And now you can?"

"I think so.  People make mistakes... and you have to move on.  We all make mistakes.  None of us are perfect... but we try to do the best we know how.  It just doesn't always work."

Brady looked at her with mock amazement.  "You mean... I'm NOT perfect?"

Chloe laughed and shook her head.  "Perfectly delusional, maybe.  I mean, you've done some pretty rotten things, Brady Black... But, I still..." Chloe hesitated at what words would come next.  "...kinda like you anyway." 

Brady frowned at her sarcastically.  "Geez... thanks... you're no angel yourself, you know."

Chloe chuckled and winked at him.  "You know something? I think we are both in need of some serious psychotherapy."

Brady cringed and laughed.  "You're probably right..."

Chloe looked at him with one raised eyebrow.  "Probably?  Oh no... *definitely*..."

"Well... now that you've had your grand epiphany right here on Primrose Lane... Which, by the way, you should have had a long time ago when *I* was the one who told you to leave the past where it belongs..."

"Hey... I wasn't ready for the epiphany then.  Now... it's an informed epiphany instead of an uninformed epiphany.  One of those can be hazardous to your mental health.  "

Brady laughed and rolled his eyes.  "Mmm-hmmm... that's just your clever way of getting out of telling me that I've been right this entire time."

Chloe shifted nervously.  "Well... maybe... Okay, yes... I just don't want to hear 'I told you so'... But, yes you were right about everything.  About letting go of the past, and the pain and everything... but as much as I generally trust what you have to say, I think I had to realize that for myself."

Brady grinned at her.  "Well, as long as we admit that I'm right... Where do we go from here?"

"Well, I can't exactly talk to my father, can I?  But, I think I have another idea."

Brady smiled and kissed her quickly.  "Well, then... hop in... and point me in the right direction."

Chloe smiled back at him.  "After lunch.  All that library research made me hungry."

Brady let go of her and they got in the van to search for a place to have lunch at.

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