Page 7 of Eleven of a Kind

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Thanks.” A small smile crossed my lips.

“So, it’s just you and Uncle Grayson?”

“Well, not exactly. All of my cousins, their wives, and their kids live on this stretch of the beach. I have a question for you. What last name did your mother give you?”

“Yours. She named me Riley Renae Kind.”

“It’s a beautiful name,” I said.

“Gabriel!” I heard Jenni’s voice shout from downstairs.

“Who’s that?” Riley asked.

“That would be Jenni. Upstairs, Jenni,” I shouted.

“There you are.” She walked into the bedroom and stopped when she saw Riley. “I heard.”

“Riley, this is Jenni.”

“Hey.” Riley gave her a small wave.

“Oh my gosh, you are beautiful.” She smiled. “She has your eyes, Gabriel.” She glanced at me.

“Yeah.” I tucked my hands into my pants pockets.

“The guys are meeting down at the beach. Let me take her and introduce her to the girls and the kids.”

“Riley?” I looked at her.

“Sure.” She stood up from the bed.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Jenni held out her hand. “Go talk to your cousins, Gabriel. They’re waiting for you.”

“The whole family knows?” I asked.

“Of course.” She walked out of the room with Riley.

I went downstairs, grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator, and headed down to the beach. When I got there, all of my cousins and brother stopped talking and stared at me.

“You okay?” Shaun asked.

“Not really. This is unbelievable.” I sighed as I sat down and twisted the cap off the bottle.

“I know.” Nathan placed his hand on my shoulder. “Trust me. I know exactly what you’re feeling.”

“Is she really yours?” Simon asked.

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure.” I tipped the bottle to my lips. “Ariana gave her our last name.”

“Damn.” Simon shook his head. “I can’t believe this. Did you not know what a condom was fifteen years ago?”

“It broke. Listen, I’m going to need your help with something.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“She ran away.”