“Mercy, you don’t need to tell him about me. Not until you’re ready.”

“I am ready,” she insisted. “I’m just scared.”

Gideon stroked a gentle hand down her back. “Do you want me to leave?”

Yes. And no. “No,” she said. “I told him that I’d lied to him.”

Gideon blinked. “Really? When?”

“When he called me at two A.M. after André had called him. After you called André. He didn’t understand, but he was kind. Said we’d all get together and figure it out.”

“And we will.” Gideon looked away for a moment, then locked his gaze with hers. “I was hurt. Partly because you were so angry that you kept them from me, but mostly because you chose him to be your brother.”

Mercy’s eyes filled with new tears. She couldn’t deny Gideon’s words, because they were true. “I’m sorry.”

His smile was sad. “But I get it and we will figure it all out. Now, do you want me to go or stay?”

She braved a smile, the tension in her chest loosening when he smiled back. “Stay.”

“Then I’ll stay,” he said simply. “Want me to call?”

“No, I can do it.” Opening her contact list, she scrolled to the B’s. To John Benz.

“I still can’t believe Mama named you Mercedes,” Gideon said.

“Her mother said that we were both breech and had to be delivered by C-section. Apparently ‘Mercedes’ was the result of postsurgery painkillers.”

“Mama never did drugs,” Gideon said thoughtfully. “Not even when we were desperate and things were horrible.”

“I don’t remember any of that.”

“Why would you? You were barely a year old when we arrived in Eden. I have spotty memories of the time before and I was almost five. But we usually had food and you were always clean. She wasn’t a good mother in some ways, but she did her best.”

“She saved our lives,” Mercy said simply.

Gideon swallowed hard. “Yeah, she did. Let’s do this call before my allergies make my eyes water.”

“Allergies suck, don’t they?” she asked as she hit John’s name on her phone screen. “Time for you to meet your brother.”

Gideon stiffened, taking in a huge lungful of air. “I’m nervous,” he confessed.

Mercy patted his knee. “You’re going to love each other. Don’t worry.”

John answered on the first ring. “Mercy? Is that you?”

“It is. I’m sorry I missed your calls. We’ve had a . . . situation here. Have you seen the news about Farrah’s great-aunt?”

“Yes. That’s why I was trying to call you. Are you all right?”

“I will be. Listen, John . . .” Just say it. “I’m with Gideon. Can I switch to FaceTime?”

A long moment of silence. “Does he really want to talk to me?”

“Yes, he really does. He would have been talking to you all along, if I’d told him about you.”

Gideon squeezed her shoulder. “If he’s not comfortable talking to me, it’s okay. We have time, Mercy.”