"I'll find him." She watched Peter Johnson, unable to believe that he'd actually had the nerve to show his face. "You'll be okay?"
Claire nodded. "Find him."
Tess knew exactly where to look. She found him in his mother's garden, alone under a tree. She sat on the bench beside him and he looked over at her, eyes red from tears. "Everyone's here."
He nodded. "Yeah. I...I just need a little while."
She held his hand, thinking of how she'd felt when her mom and Jack had died. "Alex and Claire are together again."
"Dad would have liked that. He always liked you both."
"After Claire lost the baby...My mom tried to kill herself, waiting on Jack. Then when Claire lost the baby, how badly she hurt, we all hurt...I shouldn't have pushed you away. I'm sorry. I just...I just love you so much that I'm scared of getting hurt like they did."
"My dad didn't love my mom, Tess. Alex and I loved her, but he didn't. Their marriage was arranged...I always told myself I wouldn't let that happen, no matter what Dad and Jack said. I couldn't be happier for Claire and Alex, because they love each other...they love each other the way I always wanted to love someone...the way I love you." She turned to look at him. "I'm not going to rush you...but you can't run from love."
She squeezed his hand lightly. "I'm not running."
Claire found her way to Nick and Tess when they returned. "Harry's solicitor wants you and Alex in the house."
"We have to do this today?" Nick asked her.
Claire nodded. "And there's something else." Tess went to get Charlotte. "I want to set up a time for the girls to get together. It'll start when Charlotte's ready. Just the girls, not Peter." She looked at Tess and her daughter, then back at Nick. "Alex and I are okay now...Charlotte may have sisters, brothers...but if I don't do this, she'll never know her family. What would I do without Tess? Or you and Alex without each other?"
"Did you talk to Alex?"
"He agreed...but on one condition. It wouldn't really work for Tess, Alex, or myself to go with her to chaperone the visits."
"You want me to."
Claire nodded. "You haven't tried to kill Peter and I trust you."
"I'll do it, Claire."
She hugged him. "Thanks." He caught up with Alex and Claire found Peter.
"It wasn't my fault," Peter told her.
"You're right. It wasn't totally your fault. Here's how it's going to be. When Charlotte's old enough, Nick will chaperone visits with the girls. Once a week, Sunday afternoon. I'll have my solicitor draw up the papers. You're not to be there."
"I'm her father."
"Alex is her father. When she's old enough to understand, I'll explain the rest. Until then, you won't tell her or let the girls tell her. It's this or nothing."
Peter knew from the look on Claire's face she wasn't backing down. "Okay." She walked away.
Tess watched as Claire came home, picking up Charlotte. "Do you want to go on a horse ride?" The little girl loved nothing better than sitting in front of her mother or father as they rode her slowly around Drover's.
"Claire, uh, wait." There was something Tess was feeling guilty about and wanted to tell her before they got back. Claire turned around to look at her. "Amy didn't stay to clean up."
"Is she seeing someone at Killarney?" Both girls had found the loves of their lives on the neighboring property; it wouldn't have phased Claire if Amy had too.
"No." She paused. "You know how Liz kept a secret?"
"Yeah..." Claire was a little suspicious of where this was going. With one of Tess's stories, with the Ryans, there was never any way to tell.
"Harry did too." She looked at Charlotte, not knowing how to phrase it. "Two secrets."
"Tess, what..."
Tess hesitated and then just spilled the secret that Harry and Amy had confessed to her. "Amy is Harry's daughter."
"What?" Claire had a shocked look on her face.
"She moved to Drover's because she wanted to know the boys. Harry made her promise not to tell anyone but I saw them talking and I made her tell."
"So Amy is Nick and Alex's sister..."
"Your sister-in-law," Tess added. "And Charlotte's aunt."
"And Ryan is Nick and Alex's niece."
"And Charlotte's cousin. And that's not all."
"Please don't tell me anymore." Her mind was reeling and she regretted not staying behind to help the boys comprehend this as well.
"I was Harry's witness when he rewrote his will. Well, one of them, Terry was the other." She paused. "He left all of Killarney to Ryan, Charlotte, and any other grandchildren he might have. Amy, Alex, and Nick have control over it until each child turns twenty-five."
"Well, that's definitely..." She thought about all the trouble Harry had put his boys through over the years, just to give it to his grandchildren.
"Harry. It's definitely Harry. At least we won't worry about our children or grandchildren...Between Killarney and Drover's, they'll be well taken care of."
Claire looked at Charlotte. "Yeah." She kissed the small girl's temple.
Tess handed Ryan back to Amy when she arrived. "Well?"
"Not good."
Claire went down to the utes when they pulled up, Nick's red one first, then Alex's black one. "Hey." She hugged Alex. "You want to talk for a little while?"
"Yeah."
"I'll take Charlotte," Nick said, taking his niece back to the porch.
Claire fit perfectly next to her husband, her hand on his back. "Things have been happening around here," she began.
"Yeah." He looked at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" She looked better than the night she'd miscarried, but still tired.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She rubbed his back. "What about you?"
"It's a little much. I mean, a week ago, we were having another baby, Dad was alive and driving us crazy, Peter was still out of our lives, and I knew what and who my family was."
"Let's address it one at a time. The baby...it's been about a year since we went to the city together. We don't have any contracts. Why don't we go back? We can take Charlotte with us."
He looked at her. "I'd love that."
"About Peter. He and Nick both agreed to it and it'll be awhile before she's old enough. He's taken care of...for the moment." She was wise enough to know that her ex-boyfriend would never completely be out of their lives.
"So what about Dad and Amy?"
"I talked to Tess. Amy moved here to know you and Nick. Harry wouldn't let her tell you. And you like her."
"It's just...no one in my family is who I thought they were. Harry raised me, but he wasn't my father. Mom had an affair; Dad had an affair. I have a new sister and a new niece."
"Your mom was seeing Bryce before they got married, not that different from me seeing Peter. You don't hold him against me or Charlotte."
"It was a year, Claire. You had stopped seeing Peter a year before we finally got together. Mom was seeing them both at the same time."
"Harry was your father, just like you are Charlotte's. As for family, you have Nick, me, Charlotte, Tess, Amy, and Ryan. Liz still loves you, even if she is thousands of miles away. I'd say that's a pretty big family."
He kissed her temple. "I love you. I'm just sorry it took so long to figure it out." She smiled at him, kissing his cheek, as they walked back to the house and their family.