Let It Be Me by Becky Wade (top young adult novels .TXT) 📕

church service, she’d chosen a tailored white shirt, bright blue blazer, cigarette pants.

A greeter handed her a bulletin, and she eased into a formal sanctuary. An orchestra lined the front. White-painted square columns rose to the soaring ceiling on either side of the stage.

She searched the congregants for a pink sweater in combination with a black suit. Where had they gone? She panned back and forth across the milling people, searching—

There. She made her way toward them and slid into the pew directly behind theirs. She sat slightly to the side of their position, so that when she looked toward the pulpit, a direction that would seem natural to those around her, the two of them fell within her line of sight.

The building buzzed with the sound of musicians tuning their instruments, talking, background worship music.

Leah was thrillingly close to Trina and Jonathan.

Trina had styled her blond hair the way she had in her Facebook photo, into a long, flattering bob.

For a man of fifty-seven, Jonathan had a full head of blond-gray hair, expertly trimmed. His suit oozed quality. She caught a hint of his luxurious aftershave.

Jonathan and Trina alternated between periods of quiet and periods of chatting in undertones. They’d been married a long time, and while she didn’t see evidence of fawning adoration, she did see evidence of rapport, companionship, respect. Her parents’ relationship had been tempestuous and transitory. The couple before her seemed to represent the opposite.

The service opened with worship music, and the congregation stood to sing. Near the end of the first song, Trina looked to the side, smiled, and lifted her hand in a gesture of greeting.

Leah followed the direction of her gaze—

A pang vibrated through her, because she recognized Sophie approaching. Closely behind Sophie, Sophie’s groom. And then a third person. . . . A young woman with long blond hair who resembled Trina strongly.

Father God, does Sophie have a sister?

Do I have a full-blooded sister?

Her lungs reminded her that she’d forgotten to breathe, and she pulled air into a tight chest.

Clearly, Trina and Jonathan had saved seats because the three newcomers easily made themselves at home in the pew.

Leah moved her lips as if singing, but for the remainder of the worship time, no sound emerged. The family before her commanded her full attention.

The blonde had to be a sister. By the looks of her, she was a few years younger than Sophie.

Leah thought of her lonely childhood . . . of all the times she’d wished for a sibling and imagined a blond-haired sister. It was almost as if she’d been implanted with knowledge of the sister biology had intended for her.

Did Jonathan and Trina have more children? For all she knew, they might have five kids. Seven kids. And every one of those children, other than Sophie, would be a full-blooded biological sibling of hers. They might look like her and think like her. Talk like her. Love math like her. Fail at sports like her. She couldn’t imagine the security of growing up in that type of homogenous family, because her own experience had been so different.

A minister prayed and made announcements. “Before we continue with worship, please stand and take a few moments to greet one another.”

The minister’s invitation provided her with a golden opportunity that felt like the culmination of five months of research, waiting, and soul-searching.

Sophie turned in her direction first, and Leah was taken aback by how much she looked like Dylan, with her fair skin and big brunette curls. She could see both her mother, Erica, and her father, Todd, in this woman who’d been born at Magnolia Avenue Hospital just minutes before Leah.

“Hi, I’m Sophie Robbins.” She offered a manicured hand.

Leah shook it. “Leah Montgomery. This is my first time to visit this church.”

“Oh? I’m so glad. Welcome! Here, let me introduce my family. This is my husband, Logan.” He was handsome in a money-buffed sort of way. “Abigail,” Sophie said, to gain the blonde’s attention.

The blonde smiled at Leah. Her eyes were hazel, not misty blue like Leah’s own eyes. But her face shape, height, and body type were all very similar to Leah’s.

“This is my sister,” Sophie told Leah.

“Nice to meet you,” Abigail said.

“You too.”

“And these,” Sophie continued, “are our parents, Jonathan and Trina.”

Her pulse darted into a sprint. Was there an alarm buried within parents that enabled them to recognize their child even if they didn’t know the child existed?

Jonathan and Trina shared parting words with the couple they’d been greeting, then faced Leah.

“This is Leah, a first-time visitor,” Sophie said to them.

“Thanks for joining us,” Trina said warmly.

“I just met your daughters.” Leah motioned toward Sophie and Abigail. “Do you have other children?”

“No, these two keep us on our toes.” Trina made a wry sound of amusement. “Do you live nearby, Leah?”

“A few hours away, actually. I’m just in town for the day.”

The opening notes of another worship song began. Jonathan gave Leah a polite nod before facing the stage.

No! She’d had so little time.

“Whenever you’re back in town, please stop by again,” Trina said.

“I’d like that.”

Trina swiveled to the front.

Trina exuded an elegant yet friendly vibe. Jonathan’s demeanor struck Leah as reserved, proper.

They had not recognized her.

Was she relieved or sorry?

More relieved than sorry. Her highest hope for today had simply been to see Jonathan and Trina. Meeting them had been a boon. The disappointment sifting through her was due only to the fact that their exchange had been so brief.

Be grateful, she told herself, resuming her fake singing. Jonathan and Trina had led her to Sophie, Logan, and Abigail. She’d learned things she hadn’t been able to learn in weeks of investigation. She’d learned that the Brooksides had two children, both daughters. She’d learned what her father and sister looked like. What their voices sounded like. Their manner.

Sitting side by side on the pew before her, they formed a clear family unit. She could sense the long history, ease, and affection between them. They probably had no idea that Sophie was not