Chapter 1: The Signs in His Face

Word was, my sister hit the jackpot with her marriage. So, fresh off my retreat, I drove straight to their place to see for myself.

The air outside their house in Savannah was thick and humid, the way it always gets before a thunderstorm. Spanish moss hung from the live oaks lining their driveway, and the place looked like a magazine spread—big wraparound porch, flagstone path, all of it just a little too perfect. Somewhere nearby, a cicada buzzed loud enough to rattle my teeth. As I stepped inside, I glanced at Derek’s face, reading the signs: his features were full in the areas said to represent children, and the lines around his marriage aspect were strong—signs of good luck and a bright future. Grandma always said you could read a man’s whole future in his face, if you knew where to look. I tried not to stare. Honestly, pretty impressive.

I turned to my sister, pretending to complain.

“So, you’ve had kids and didn’t even tell the family? If I hadn’t come looking for you today, were you just going to keep it a secret forever?”

She tapped my forehead, half exasperated, half amused.

I batted her hand away. "You’re lucky I don’t tell Mom you’re hiding secrets."

She snorted. "Yeah, like she’d believe you over me."

“Are you serious right now? I’ve never been pregnant—where would kids come from?”

Her voice had that teasing lilt she used on me back when we were kids fighting over the remote. I grinned, remembering how she'd always tried to boss me around, and she just rolled her eyes in that big-sister way.

No kids? I looked at my brother-in-law again. His face clearly showed the signs of both a son and a daughter.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Derek’s face. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, smoothly picking up the conversation.

“Taylor already wants to be an aunt? Well, I’ll just have to work even harder so you can get your wish soon.”

He put his arm around my sister’s shoulders, his gaze full of gentle affection. My sister blushed, shy and happy. The moment Derek touched her, I saw a subtle, invisible flow of luck wrap around the two of them. Instantly, the energy around Derek grew stronger, and my sister seemed to light up. They complemented each other perfectly—a true match made in heaven.

He laughed, soft and a little nervous, like he was trying to keep the mood light. "Guess I better clock in some extra hours if I want to earn that 'Uncle of the Year' mug."

My sister shot him a playful glare, and for a moment, it felt like I was crashing someone else's Hallmark movie.

As far as I knew, Derek was devoted to my sister and had never cheated or messed around. But if my sister had no kids, where did Derek’s children come from? I looked more closely at his face. The signs were clear: a son and a daughter. My skin prickled. Either my skills were slipping, or something here didn’t add up.