by Dana Mason
“Linda, thank you. We feel very welcomed.”
“Of course, you’re welcome here. You’re family.” Linda turned back toward the door. “Feel free to explore the house. It’s your home now, too.”
Bailey nodded and watched her retreat from her doorway. She turned and glanced around the room again. It was immaculate. She smiled ruefully. There was absolutely nothing for her to clean or organize. She had finally found her mothership, and that thought made her laugh.
“I know,” Ryan said.
“You know what?” she asked, still smiling.
“The place is so clean. You obviously belong here.”
She laughed again and winked at him as she walked over to the dresser to evaluate the space for her clothes. When her eyes caught the cluster of photos sitting on top, she reached out and grabbed the largest. It was a wedding portrait, and she knew right away it was of her parents, Theresa and Alex Spatz. She stared at it and tried to imagine the day. Their smiles were wide, the embrace sincere, and all it did was make Bailey sad. She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel about them. She wanted a connection, but she couldn’t pretend something was there when it wasn’t. She thought of her mom, Helen, and wondered for the hundredth time what she would think about all of this.
Didn’t she owe her mother and father some loyalty for raising her, for feeding and supporting her when she’d been left in the snow? Bailey closed her eyes and held the picture to her chest. She’d lived so long without a father, and now she had a father she didn’t know.
“Bailey?”
Her eyes popped open. She turned her head to the door, and there stood her father.
“Everything okay?” he asked, taking a step inside the door. He nodded at Ryan and then looked back at her.
She nodded and returned the photo to the dresser. “Everything’s fine.”
“Do the photos bother you? I can remove them. I just thought—”
“No, I love them.” She picked up a portrait of a newborn baby.
“That’s you,” he said. “It’s one of the few photos I have of you.”
“I have tons. I’ll give you some. My mother always…” She shook her head.
“You miss her, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I wish I could talk to her. I don’t know how she’d feel about all this.” She bowed her head, not sure what he would think about that.
“That doesn’t matter now. She’s gone.”
“Excuse me, but, yes, it does.” Bailey inhaled heavily, lifting then dropping her shoulders. “It matters to me. She devoted her life to raising me. I can’t just write her off and not think about how this would’ve affected her.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean for that to sound so insensitive, and I certainly don’t expect you to write off your old life for this one.” He closed his eyes for a second. “It’s hard to go slow. It’s hard not to…” He opened his eyes. “I feel like I’ve been cheated, and I just want my time with you. But I know you can’t scratch your old life and jump into a new one. Believe it or not, I do understand that. But I’m having a hard time not having anyone to blame. It’s hard when I want to be angry with someone—anyone.”
She nodded, biting her lower lip. “I’m having trouble with that, too.”
“I’m thrilled you had affectionate parents who loved you.” He chuckled. “Mine were a bit cold. They never really…” He shrugged. “Anyway, it makes it easier to know you were cared for. I think your mother would be thrilled to see you reunited with your family. I think she’d want you to be happy.”
“But you can’t know that. You didn’t know her. I can’t even guarantee she’d like this.”
“Mothers, Bailey, have an uncanny knack for being wholly unselfish when it comes to their children.” He gestured to himself. “Very unlike us selfish fathers.”
She sat on the end of the bed. “You didn’t have a close relationship with your parents?”
“They didn’t approve of Theresa. They disowned me when I married her.”
“Wow.” Bailey looked at the photo again. “Why?”
“Let’s just say, she was from the wrong side of the tracks, in their opinion.” He waved his hand in dismissal. “She was from a fine family, very smart, beautiful, charming. She had a way about her.” He glanced over at Ryan as if expecting him to agree.
“Did you date long before you married?” Bailey didn’t know why she asked that question. But she couldn’t help but think of her and Ryan’s long friendship and how ecstatic both their parents would be to see them married.
“No, not long. Maybe a year or so. I think my parents weren’t ready to let me go. They wanted me to wait until I’d finished school, and they never thought anyone was good enough for me. Now, as a parent, I understand their fears, but it’s taken me a long time to forgive their actions.”
“Did her parents support the marriage?”
He nodded and looked up toward the ceiling. “Yes, but they would’ve preferred we waited. We couldn’t, though. Once we decided to be together, there was no slowing us down.”
Bailey didn’t say anything. She tried to consider what it would have been like to run off and get married back in their youth.
“After the blowout with my parents, Theresa and I rented a little apartment near campus. Within a year, she was pregnant.” He smiled at the memory and glanced at the baby picture. “I swore I’d be a better parent than mine. Then I thought I’d never get the chance.”
He choked up a little, and Bailey realized, as hard as it was for her to deal with this, he had been living with it for twenty-eight years, always wondering, always looking. “I’m sorry this happened.”
“I know it’s hard to think about being my daughter when you’ve already had such wonderful parents, but I hope you’ll try. I don’t want to replace them. I just want a relationship.”
She nodded. “Of course. I want that too. It’s an adjustment.”
“That’s all I ask.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Bailey woke early and turned to watch Ryan sleep. It was her favorite morning ritual. God, she loved him. With everything they’d talked about yesterday with her family, he remained steadfast and strong next to her. He’d always been her rock, and she knew he always would be.
He cracked one eye open and looked at her. “Are you watching me sleep again?”
She nodded and grinned at him. “I am.”
“Creeper,” he muttered and rolled over to pull her into an embrace. “Good morning. How are you feeling this morning?”
She snuggled into his arms and sighed with contentment. “Good. Better, actually.”
“You’re happy with what you learned yesterday, aren’t you?”
“Not happy. Relieved.”
He kissed her forehead. “I can understand that.”
“I think most of the hard stuff is over. Now I just need to meet Nicole and get that over with.”
“Maybe she’ll surprise you. She sounds like a great person. All that stuff she did to try to find you… Too bad it unleashed a monster.”
“The monster would’ve been unleashed one way or another. There’s no getting around the fact I was seeing Dex while he was married to my sister. It would’ve come out one way or another, and it did.”
He squeezed her tighter. “You don’t have to think about that today.”
“You say that as if I could ever forget. I can’t forget that if we hadn’t gotten an earlier appointment with Agent Sharpe, I’d be dead, and no one would be the wiser.”
“I’m sorry you have to think about it. I know I can’t fix it, but I can pray it becomes easier for you over time.”
“It will. It becomes a little easier every day, thanks to you.”
“I think you underestimate yourself. You’re so strong. The strongest person I know. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”
She smiled at him and felt a rush of warmth. “You make me stronger. You give me courage.”
“I
think we make each other better. We’re stronger together, sweetheart.”
She kissed him slowly, then pulled away and said, “I think we better get up. Nicole is actually supposed to be here this morning.”
* * *
Bailey and Ryan were heading down the stairs when Bailey heard Alex say her name. She rounded the corner into the kitchen, following the smell of bacon.
“Good morning,” she said with a big smile on her face.
Everyone was there. James and Stanley sat at the kitchen island, and next to them was a woman who could have only been Nicole. Bailey stopped in her tracks and forced Ryan to run into her from behind. Ryan’s hands landed on her hips to steady himself, and Bailey murmured an apology to him.
When the smile slipped from Bailey’s lips, Linda jumped into action with an introduction. “Bailey, this is your sister, Nicole. Nicole, this is Bailey.”
Before Bailey realized what was happening, she had arms around her. She was being bounced up and down by a girl several inches taller than her. She felt Linda’s hand land on her shoulder, and the bouncing stopped.
“Nicole,” Linda begged. “Please, give her a minute before you pounce on her.”
The arms released her, and Nicole drew back quickly. “I’m sorry. I’m just so glad you’re here, and I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
Bailey took a deep breath and gave her a hesitant smile. “Hello,” she said. “I’m happy to finally meet you, too.”
Nicole was the exact opposite of Bailey. Much taller, with light hair and bright blue eyes. Bailey had seen photos of Nicole, but they didn’t do her justice.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been here the last few days. I had some business to take care of first.”
“That’s okay,” Bailey said. “You’re here now.” Bailey reached out to hug Nicole again, sincerely this time.
When they embraced, Nicole squeezed Bailey tight and held on for a long moment. It surprised Bailey how emotional the hug was for her, and even more surprising were the tears in Nicole’s eyes when she withdrew from the embrace. As happy and excited as she’d been a moment before, Nicole was now forlorn. Bailey had never seen anyone have such drastic mood swings in such a short period of time.
“What happened?” Bailey asked. “You were so excited a moment ago.”
Linda came close and wrapped an arm around both girls. “Don’t worry, Bailey. She’s not sad. Just thinking about all those years she spent wondering what her big sister would look like.”
“It’s so crazy,” Nicole said through her tears. “I always pictured you as a baby. But here you are, a grown woman.”
Linda tightened her grip and said, “I know, honey. It’s hard to think of all the time lost, but none of that matters now. We have a lot of life to share with each other.”
Nicole nodded, letting a couple stray tears drop from her eyes. Then, with a chuckle, she swiped at her tears and said, “I’m so glad you’re here. We were so worried. I’m so sorry.” Her face pinched, and more tears dripped from her eyes. “I’m so sorry about what William did to you.”
“Oh my goodness,” Linda said. “Sweetheart—”
“No,” Bailey said, wrapping her arms around Nicole again. “Don’t! Don’t do that. None of what he did is your fault.”
Nicole nodded into Bailey’s shoulder. “But it is. I’m the reason he knew who you were.”
“Nicole, I understand that, but I could never blame you. He was a monster, and neither of us should take the blame for what he did.”
“That’s absolutely right,” Linda said, wagging a finger between the two of them. “He’s the one who did this.”
When Nicole stopped sobbing, she gave Bailey one last squeeze and pulled away. The two of them looked around, and all the men in the room were staring at them with hesitant expressions.
Nicole started laughing. “Guys, it’s okay. Just because the girls are crying doesn’t mean you need to find something to fix.”
Bailey chuckled at that and smiled up at the rest of her family.
“How about breakfast?” Alex said.
Everyone laughed, and the smile on Nicole’s face made it very clear to Bailey that she hadn’t been the only one stressing over their meeting. When things had settled, they all sat down around the dining room table and enjoyed breakfast together. Bailey watched her sister talk in awe, and her heart was full. Of all the time she’d spent worried about her relationship with Dex and how it would affect her relationship with Nicole, she realized now that none of that mattered. Of the entire family, her brothers, father, and very loving stepmother, this one person, her sister—she couldn’t believe she had a sister—had more heart and life in her than all of the rest of the family put together.
This, Bailey thought, was where the family’s heart laid. This young woman was the spot around which this family revolved, and she could see why. Nicole had all of Linda’s kindness, warmth, and spirit, and all of their father’s intelligence and poise. As much as Bailey looked forward to having a sister, she never imagined liking her so much—or so quickly.
Since Alex cooked breakfast, Linda, Nicole, and Bailey agreed to clean up. As Bailey was clearing the table, she heard music coming from the living room. It was her mother’s favorite song. Ryan must have sat down at the piano to play. She closed her eyes and laid a hand on the bracelet he had given her. Was that a sign, or was he just so in tune with her that he knew what she was feeling?
She opened her eyes in time to see Linda lay down the stack of plates to listen. She sighed and said, “Wow, he does play well.” She stood still for a moment to listen. “What would it be like to have so much talent? Where did he learn to play, Bailey?”
Bailey frowned instinctively. She tried hard to hold a smile, but her face would not cooperate. “My mother was his music teacher until he went away to college.”
Just saying the words ‘my mother’ formed a lump in her throat. Why the hell was everything making her cry these days? When did she become so weepy?
“Oh, honey, you miss her, don’t you?” She placed a hand on Bailey’s back. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard. I lost my mom when I was about your age. We were very close. It took me a long time to get over it.”
Bailey nodded half-heartedly. “Yeah, but there’s a lot more to it than that. I was coping okay with losing my mom, but now I’m dealing with all these unanswered questions and— I’m trying hard not to be angry with her.”
“Oh, Bailey, I can’t imagine what that’s like.” Linda sent her a sympathetic look. “Finding out she was keeping such a big secret from you…that must be hard.”
“I wish I could talk to her, just one more time.”
“You know, Alex had many demons to slay when he lost his parents, too.”
“Really?” Bailey asked. “Was that because of Theresa?”
“Yes, and because of you. Here,” she said, gesturing toward the carafe of coffee. “You take that, and I’ll carry these.” She pushed through the kitchen door and carried the plates to the sink where Nicole was rinsing and loading the dishwasher.
“Linda, did you know my mother? Theresa?”
Linda’s head popped up. “Yes. You didn’t know? Well, I guess you wouldn’t.” She lowered her eyes for a moment, then said, “Theresa and I were best friends. We were like the Bobbsey Twins in high school.”
“No kidding?”
She smiled reminiscently. “Yes, I was going to be your godmother at your christening, but… Well, as you know, it didn’t happen.”
“So how did you and Alex get together?”
“We spent long, long hours searching for you. Nobody would help us. The police thought Alex was guilty of hurting Theresa and doing something with you. They used his parents and money as a motive.”
Bailey drifted down onto one of the kitchen barstools. “Oh, yeah, Agent Sharpe mentioned that. I didn’t think much about it, but, wow, that’s crazy.”
“I know. They couldn’t have been more wrong.” She rolled
her eyes. “They thought Alex was tired of being broke and wanted to reconcile with his parents, that he had changed his mind about being a parent and husband. Of course, they couldn’t prove it. I was the only person who stood by him. It’s what Theresa would’ve wanted. He never would’ve hurt her, not in a million years.” She shrugged. “Eventually, we…became closer.”
“That’s a terrific love story.” Bailey smiled, having a newfound respect for them both. “Are you feeling pretty smug now that you’ve been proven right?”
“You bet your sweet bottom I am.” She smiled wide. “I wish his parents were still alive to see it.”
“Did Alex ever reconcile with his parents?”
Linda shook her head. “No. That’s what was really sad. When his mother died, nobody even called to tell him. He didn’t find out until his father died six years ago. We received a call from his father’s attorney about the will.”
“Wow. That’s incredibly sad.” Bailey looked from Nicole to Linda. “I’d have thought they would’ve worked things out over all those years.”
“What’s even sadder, they left everything to Alex. Most of the money and every acre of property. His brothers each got small trust funds for themselves and their kids, but the bulk of their estate went to Alex.” Linda shook her head. “They’d stated in the will it was to make up for doubting him. They wanted to show their support in death when they couldn’t in life.”
Nicole’s head shot up, and she looked over at her mother. Linda didn’t notice and continued with her story. “Unfortunately, that’s what Alex believes drove William to do what he did.”
“Right,” Nicole muttered. “Because there’s no way a man could love me for me. It would have to be about money.”
Linda met Nicole’s eyes and shook her head. “No, honey. You’re twisting this when you shouldn’t. Your father, of all people, sees what a wonderful and beautiful woman you are. It’s William he never trusted. And, well, it seems Alex was right about him.”
“No, Mother, you’re twisting it,” she said pointedly. “Dad would’ve disliked any man I brought home.” She looked over at Bailey then back to her mother. “For example, why don’t you tell us what he thinks about Ryan?”