Grant let go of me and opened his door. "Come on, there’s something you need to see.”

I got out of the car and followed him across my yard, even though I had no idea what he was talking about.

He stopped on my front porch and waited for me to open the door. As soon as I did, I heard laughter from inside. My mother’s laughter. I walked in, and Grant followed. My mother and father were sitting close together on the living room couch, a photo album spread out on their laps.

Abuela was nowhere around, although I could see down the hallway that her bedroom door was shut. Music drifted out of her room. I wondered how my mother had convinced her that she needed privacy.

Mom looked up at me with a lingering smile on her lips. "Oh, good, Lexi is home. I'm showing Alex some of your pictures."

"I love this one of you with the boots." He pointed to a photo where I was about two years old and wore nothing but cowboy boots and a diaper. "Get the fashion basics down, and you can’t go wrong.”

Mom said, "She wouldn't wear any other shoes until she went to kindergarten.”

He let out a deep chuckle. “That's my girl."

I finally got over the shock of seeing him in my living room and stated the obvious. "You’re here.”

He stood up then and gave me a brief hug. "Your mother and I had a lot to discuss, and I figured it was better to do it in person." His gaze traveled to Grant. "Alexia’s been a straight-A student since sixth grade. I just saw her report cards.”

Grant nudged my arm. "I’m impressed.”

"And Lexi went to regionals for her science fair project last year,” Mom added. "I have pictures of that too.”

I sent her a forced smile. "You don’t have to show him that."

“I want to see it,” my father said, and sat down on the couch again. Mom went to the bookshelf and pulled a different photo album out. She flipped through it, then put it on his lap. "There she is with her ribbon.”

Grant nodded. "I definitely want your help when I take over the world.”

My father looked up at me and patted his shirt pocket. "I have something for you. It's sort of my way of telling you I want to make amends.”

It was silly, but at that moment I fully expected him to produce a horse. Instead he handed me a thin rectangular box and a piece of paper. I opened the box and found a ruby pendant shaped into a heart and surrounded with little diamonds. I turned it to catch the light, and sparkles danced across its surface. It made my breath catch.

"I thought you should have a necklace I picked out just for you,” he said. "Do you like it?”

I glanced at my mom to make sure she approved, which is when I noticed she was wearing a new necklace too. Hers had a row of rubies that got progressively bigger until the center stone.

And she had been worried about him spoiling me.

"It's beautiful.” I took the necklace out of the box, and Grant helped me put it on. Then I looked at the piece of paper.

"It’s tickets for you and your family to come out and visit California," my father said.

Mom said, "He has a ranch there. You’d like that.” Her voice was so eager, I knew she wanted to go. "He has horses," she emphasized.

"Horses, nothing," my father said. "It’s close to Grant." He winked at me, then turned to my mother. "Horses can only sway girls until they’re about fifteen. After that, you need guys. That’s why I brought him along."

Grant put his hand on my back and smiled. "Say you'll come.”

"We'll come,” I said.

My father turned to my mother. "See?" And then they both laughed.

I turned to Grant to ask how long he was staying in Morgantown, and that’s when I saw Kari and Abuela coming out of her room.

"Kari!" I sputtered.

She walked down the hallway, as casually elegant in my house as she had been in hers. "Your grandma was playing some old Mexican songs for me. They’re totally . . .” She looked to my grandmother to supply the word.

“Que padre," Abuela said, enunciating slowly.

“Que padre," Kari repeated. “That means awesome.” She plopped down on one of the kitchen chairs and tapped her fingers against the table. "I think I want to do a few songs on my next album with that beat.”

“I thought you were in Utah,” I said.

She picked up a piece of Abuela’s homemade fry bread from the table. "When Dad told me he was coming to see you, I checked myself out. Don't worry," she said. "I’m going to finish the program. I just thought it was important to come.” She spread some honey butter onto her bread and sent me a severe look. "You really should have told me who you were, Alexia. I can’t believe we were together all that time and you never said anything."

“I didn't know how you’d take it." I watched her nibble on the fry bread. “How are you taking it?”

“Well, I wouldn't like finding out that just anybody was my sister, but you’re cool.” She cast a glance at Grant. “Even if your taste in men is lacking.”

Grant pulled me closer to him. “She has great taste in men.”

Kari smiled mischievously. “Just think of how much fun we can have driving the paparazzi crazy. We’ll show up at different events at the same time, and when they report two Kari Kingsley sightings, they'll lose all credibility. Total payback time.”

But the thought of the press following me around ignited flames of panic inside my stomach. "Do the paparazzi have to find out about me?”

My father shrugged. "Not if you don’t want to tell anyone that you’re my daughter. We can try to keep it a secret.”

I glanced at my mother, but she shrugged too, turning the decision back over to me.

I felt strangely powerful having the final say. Did I want to live a quiet life as Sabrina Garcia's daughter, or did I want to be known as Alex Kingsley's hidden past? I didn’t like the thought of tabloids in every grocery store across America proclaiming to the world what my parents had done, but at the same time, I was so happy that I finally had a father and a sister, that they were here in my living room to see me, that it seemed wrong to keep it a secret. “We can tell people,” I said.

He smiled and then went back to looking at the photo album with my mother.

I watched her for a moment, thinking how young she suddenly looked. Poor Larry. His days were numbered.

Grant leaned closer, whispering into my ear, "I think your dad has got her number this time.”

I leaned back into him. "I think you’re right.”

THE END

KEEP READING FOR EXTRA SCENE

My Double Life Extra Scene

Grant stood in the green room, leaning against the counter while he gulped down the rest of his water. Singing under the glare of the spotlights always made him thirsty. He caught sight of himself in the makeup mirror. It was the first time he’d ever performed a concert in beat-up jeans and a T-shirt. But then, it was the first time he’d performed a concert where he wasn’t on the program.

And he’d done it to help out his ex-girlfriend who had lied and cheated on him. Yeah, this was probably a new low in the pathetic-love-life department. He wondered what the tabloids would have to say about it. More importantly, he wondered what Kari would say about it.

It would be nice if she popped in about now with a thank-you and an explanation.

But she didn’t.

Alex had never told him exactly why Kari couldn’t do the concert. She had looked well enough beforehand. She’d looked great, in fact. Beautiful and yet, somehow, still . . . he couldn’t put his finger on it . . . that quality about her he found so attractive.