Suddenly a woman appeared at the door and took me by suprise.
"Amber honey, who is this?" She asked and rested her hands on the girls shoulders.
"This is Kaitlin mom. She's a friend of the guys," She answered her mother without taking her eyes off of me.
The woman graciously invited me in and I sat down in their living room. I must have been acting like a zombie cause I didn't notice that a tall man and a little boy had joined us.
The boy looked about the same size as Mackenzie and he's name was Wayne.
"Hi Kaitlin. Would you like something to drink or eat?" The man asked and stood in front of me with his glass of tea. I stared at him and thought to myself 'This man is my father...'
"No thank you," I answered and he sat down in a lazy-boy near the couch. I noticed that he had the same dark hair and eyes as Walker, but seemed quieter in his mannerisms.
"What brings you to Tulsa? Are you fans of Ike, Tay and Zac?" He asked me casually but my mind was a million miles away. I didn't know what to say, but I felt I had to say something.
"Um...Mr. Hanson, I know this may sound weird but I think I may be your daughter," The words came out before I was ready and he was joined by his wife, who sat across from me, and Amber who sat on the floor. Wayne was watching cartoons on the other side of the room, so he couldn't hear us that well.
"What? Your making this up right?...Do you think this is some kind of joke?" His wife (who's name was Maria) exclaimed and sat forward in her seat. I could tell she was angry and felt myself tear up.
"No Mame...please let me explain," I stammered and she sat back with her hands crossed over her chest.
"Well please do. Your a total stranger and..."
"Maria please, let her talk," Greg gently put out his hand for her to stop and she sat in silence.
"I recently found out that I was adopted and so I started looking for my birth mother. My search took me to North Carolina where I found my mother, Julie Stevens. I have no doubt that she is my mother and she told me that my father was a Greg Hanson from Oklahoma," I stopped for a breath and started again.
"She said that you, my father was on a business meeting in Charlotte in 1984. She said that they fell in love and I was born after my father had gone back home. When I was born, she named me Alex Marie Stevens and he didn't even know that I existed. I think that he is you, Mr. Hanson," I stopped and saw Maria began to get upset again.
"That's a lie! Why would you make something like that up? Your probably some crazed psycho fan of Hanson that you'd do this and say that your kin to them! That's just sick!..." She replied and stood up to leave. I knew she was about to break into tears cause her hand was covering her mouth.
"Maria no!...She's right," Greg said quietly with his eyes on me with a glassy stare. "She is my daughter. I remember Julie and we did spend some time together, but I never knew..."
Maria left the room and Amber went to follow her. I was left in the room with Greg and Wayne who hadn't moved from his position in front of the tv.
"Im sorry..I didn't mean to cause problems. I just had to know," I stammered and saw Greg stare straight ahead out the window.
He reminded me sort of like Taylor with a far away look on his face. I quietly stood up and was going to leave when his hand touched my arm to pull me back.
"Please Kaitlin...don't go yet. We can work this out, just give us some time. I want to get to know you," He said as his hand dropped from my arm.
I called Lydia back and told her where I was. She said that the Hanson's were coming back home the next day and that she was also going home. I told her that I'd be back in a few hours.
She said it was okay and that she understood what I was doing.
(Few days later...)
"I can't believe she's your cousin!" Natalie exclaimed as we drove back over to my parents house.
"Me either, this all has happened so fast. First our wedding and then a long-lost cousin. It's all to weird. Insane actually," I said as we drove into the upper-class Broken Arrow neighbor.
"Well, you know it's kinda good that she's kin to you," She replied with her hand on my arm.
"Why's that?"
"Because I was sorta thinking she had a thing for you," She replied as I pulled the car to a stop outside of the house.
I turned to her with a smile on my face.
"Natalie Ann Hanson! Im suprised at you! You were jealous of her?" I asked and she smiled back shyly.
"Well, maybe just a little bit," She confessed and her face grew red with emberassment.
"Don't worry about that baby. Cause any other girl would never take your place," I said and gently kissed her just as a hand pounded on our car window, breaking us apart.
"Hey you love birds, are you sure you didn't leave something back there on that cruise ship?" My father smiled and we got out of the car. Following him into the house we saw that all my aunts and uncles were already there.
"It's about time," Zac replied as we entered the living room. Everyone was there to welcome Kaitlin into the family and to listen to our newly recorded third album.
"I caught them kissing out in the car," My father teased everyone took there places around Kaitlin for a picture.
Everything with my Uncle Greg and Kaitlin had worked out. She was easly welcomed into the family and everyone was getting used to having a new neice and cousin again.
Zac was being his usual annoying self and Ike had invited his newly found girlfriend Kara to the party. Natalie and I ate and mingled with the family and ate my mom's world famous brownies.
----
Kaitlin sat down in a chair in the middle of the living room. I put my hands on her shoulders and stood behind her. Now that I knew she was my cousin, my feelings toward her have definately changed. I don't like her like that anymore and Im now turned off of red heads. She'll be a regular around the Hanson clan from now on.
I can't believe that I had a crush on my cousin! Even though I didn't know she was my cousin at the time. Love is definately strange sometimes. Hey, that could be a new song....
----
Here I am and I've found my own real place in the world. I've found my family and my friends. Julie has invited me to come stay with her on spring break. I still keep in contact with Lydia and she's due with a baby girl anyday now, (She want's to name her Alex). John is now behind bars for sexual abuse without the ability for parol anytime soon.
Im actually going to Oral Roberts this fall and studying to be child abuse lawyer. I know it's far-fetched but It's something I've commeted myself to do now.
I guess it's strange how things work out but everything always works out in the end, but one things for certain. No actually two things: everything changes and love is strange.
The End