chapter 6:

      That night, Courtney had stayed true to her word to be civil to everyone, and they’d all marathon watched a television show—minus Aunt Sophie, who’d fallen asleep in the reclining chair. Courtney was the first to wake up the next morning, and when she checked her phone, there was a text message from Brett. She smiled when she saw that he’d sent it exactly at midnight.

      HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Can’t wait for you to get back home so we can celebrate. Wish I was there with you, but I hope you’re having a good time in California, and remember to call me if you need anything... I miss you!

      She texted him back immediately, even though he was probably still asleep.

      I miss you and wish you were here, too. So much. I’ll see you first thing when I get home <3

      She slid out of bed, making sure not to disturb Peyton and Savannah, grabbed her Kindle and tiptoed upstairs to the kitchen. The birds chirped outside, and she brewed some chai tea in the Keurig, glad to have time to herself. Despite her insistence that no one should make a big deal about her birthday, no one ever listened. There was always so much pressure to have the perfect happy day.

      Well, Mom was usually a wreck on her birthday—which made sense now, since she was grieving for Britney—but Peyton and Savannah tried to make the day all about her. Courtney hated it. Her perfect day would consist of doing nothing but reading an incredible book.

      She’d situated herself on the couch, Kindle in hand, and was blowing on her tea when Aunt Sophie emerged from her room. Courtney would never get used to seeing how sick Aunt Sophie looked, especially since she was Grandma’s twin. Her wrinkled skin, sagging circles under her eyes and the wool hat she wore to hide her lack of hair made her look at least fifteen years older.

      “I heard someone walking around, and given the time, I thought it might be you,” Aunt Sophie said, settling into her favorite recliner. “Happy birthday. Is that chai tea I smell?”

      “Yes,” Courtney said. “This one’s nearly cooled off enough to drink, and I haven’t had any yet. If you want it, I can brew myself another.”

      “That would be lovely,” she said. “Thank you.”

      Courtney handed the tea over, afraid Aunt Sophie’s hands were shaking so much that she might drop it. Once she saw that she wouldn’t, she went into the kitchen to get another cup. The Keurig had it ready in less than a minute, and she brought it back into the living room.

      “I’m glad I was able to help you and your sisters work through your argument yesterday,” Aunt Sophie said, sipping on her tea. “You’ve had quite a few changes to adjust to in the past few months, haven’t you?”

      “My entire life has changed,” Courtney said. “I’ve been trying to make the best of it, but recently I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore.” Realizing how intense that sounded, she tried to smile and shrug it off. But it was too late. The words hung in the air, waiting for an explanation.

      “And you truly don’t see yourself forgiving your mom and grandma?”

      Courtney took a deep breath and stared into her tea. “I don’t want to still be mad at them,” she said. “But right now, I don’t know how not to be. Especially today, when I should be celebrating my seventeenth birthday with Britney. I should have been remembering her every year at this time. But because Grandma and Mom lied to me, I didn’t even know she existed until a few weeks ago.”

      “Your grandma and mom were wrong not to tell you about her,” Aunt Sophie said. “I told them for years that they needed to, but they never listened.”

      “Thank you,” she said. “That means a lot.”

      “But they did what they did because of love,” Aunt Sophie said, her voice stronger than Courtney had heard so far. “They thought that by not telling you about Britney, it would spare you from wondering what life would have been like if she’d lived. It’s a pain your grandma and mom have experienced every day.”

      “But Britney was my twin,” Courtney said. “Keeping her from me was selfish. If I’d never found that baby book, they might have never told me about her, and then I never would have known the truth.”

      “Very true. But you did find that baby book, and now you do know the truth.” Aunt Sophie lifted her mug to her lips and took a sip, her hand shaking. Courtney prepared herself to jump out of her seat in case she dropped it, but her aunt managed to place it back on the armrest and hold it steady. “At this point, what’s in the past is done. Being angry at your mom and grandma won’t change that. Ever since Thanksgiving, when you and your sisters left early and refused to speak with them, they’ve been beating themselves up over it. Savannah was right to worry that your mom would return to drinking—your grandma and I worried about it, as well. We were so grateful when Savannah offered her forgiveness.”

      “I know you wouldn’t believe it after hearing our fight yesterday, but I’m grateful to Savannah for that, too,” Courtney said, curling up on the couch. “The last thing I want is for Mom to relapse. But I can’t force myself to forgive her and Grandma. Every time I think of them, I’m reminded of how they never told me about Britney, and I get angry all over again. I hate it.”

      “Neither of them can take back their actions,” Aunt Sophie said softly. “But you need to ask yourself—do you want to look back and wish you’d handled this differently? Most of us go through life feeling invincible, but none of us know what day will be our last. Is holding on to your anger truly worth it?”

      “When you put it that way, I know it’s not,” Courtney said. “But I can’t just forget about what they did.”

      “I didn’t ask you to forget,” Aunt Sophie said. “You should never forget. But you should try to forgive.”

      Courtney couldn’t meet her eyes, because she wanted to forgive Grandma and Mom. She missed talking with them—Grandma especially. But it was too fresh right now. Especially today, with her birthday as a reminder of how Britney was missing from their lives.

      They sat in silence for a few seconds, sipping on their tea. Then Grandma’s door opened, and Courtney watched as she walked into the living room, dressed and ready for the day. While she and Aunt Sophie were identical, the two of them were more likely to pass as mother and daughter than twins.

      “I thought I heard people out here,” she said, smiling. “Happy birthday, Courtney. And Sophie—you’re looking refreshed this morning.”

      Courtney would hardly describe Aunt Sophie as looking “refreshed,” but she supposed it was all about perspective.

      Soon Savannah came up to join them, followed by Mom. Courtney still wasn’t used to Mom waking up before noon, but it was one of the many changes that had come with her journey to recovery.

      “I’m going to get breakfast started,” Grandma said. “French toast—Courtney’s favorite, since she’s the birthday girl. Will you girls get Peyton out of bed and up here to join us?”

      Thirty