Andrew was playing and they could hear his babbling in the background. Delaney found peace by telling herself Becca did take care of him, and seemed to love the boy, even if it was a crazy love. When they heard the door close and were certain they had left, they gathered into their separate cars. Delaney and Jake followed her parents. In less than ten minutes Richard had parked his car out of view and walked in the direction of the fake family. He and Abigail held hands, pretending to be tourists enjoying the sites of France for the first time. Jake wasn’t far behind and kept them in his sight. He watched as her parents casually walked up and asked if they would mind taking their picture in front of a fountain. Not giving the man a chance to say no, Abigail quickly shoved her blue Canon point and shoot camera into his hands. Her and Richard took their time posing in multiple positions and could see Jake rapidly approaching. Little Andrew was sleeping in an umbrella stroller holding onto his blanket. Abigail looked at the boy with sorry eyes. She hoped the transition to his real mother wouldn’t be too difficult on him. The woman had let go of the stroller to bend down and tie her shoe. As the camera clicked away, Jake came jogging up in his workout clothes. He looked like any other person going for a morning run through the park. Suddenly he burst into a sprint and ran directly to the group. Reaching down he lifted Andrew from the stroller only to find that he was buckled in. This possibility had never been considered, and he fumbled with the safety belt as the woman screamed. As the big man turned to tackle Jake, Richard put out his foot to trip him. When he landed Abigail gave him a knock in the head with her pocketbook. The sound of screeching wheels got their attention and Delaney raced around the corner in the smart car. She pulled up and flung the passenger door open. The man looked up from the ground and recognized her immediately. “Delaney, you bitch. I’ve always hated you. I was hoping you were dead by now.”
Taking off her sunglasses, she looked down at him and said, “Sorry to disappoint you again, Chief. You and your wife will have a lot of time to think about me behind bars. See you in court.”
Jake tried to jump in the car holding Andrew tightly to his chest. He felt tugging and turned to see the chief’s wife holding onto the baby’s legs. Andrew was screaming and his little body was being twisted. Abigail picked up a large rock and whacked her full force in the back of the head. The sudden pain made her fall to the ground and release her grip on Andrew. Together Jake and Andrew fell into the car and Delaney sped away. Watching her parents in the mirror, she could see them running to their car and her father’s hand to his ear as he phoned the French authorities.
The officials in the American embassy were waiting for them. A pediatrician was there to examine Andrew and declared him healthy. Becca O’Malley was taken by ambulance to the hospital to treat her head wound. It was less than an hour later when Chief O’Malley had confessed everything to the French and American authorities. The baby was indeed Andrew. He explained how Dr. Wu died before even knowing his brother sold the baby. Andrew was in the black bag Dr. Wu was carrying when he left the hospital. He gave the bag to Joseph in the parking lot and before he even made it back to the eighth floor Joseph had sold Andrew to him for five grand in cash and a promise to keep him out of prison. It had taken less than a minute to make the exchange. Dr. Wu had died from his brain tumor that night and had no idea what his brother had done.
Delaney left Andrew with Jake and her parents and excused herself. She sat in a room by herself and placed a call to Caroline. She knew the media would pick up on this and she didn’t want Caroline to hear the news from a reporter. All she said was, “I’ve got Andrew. He’s alive and coming home.” Delaney listened to the sobbing coming through the receiver before she asked if Dr. Green was the father.
There was a pause and she could hear the final breath Caroline took before answering. “Yes, he’s the father. I was having migraines and my doctor referred me to him, said he was the best neurologist around. I made the appointment and saw him the beginning of November. We were in his office and he gave me a pill to take. He said it would help me relax so he could examine me more thoroughly. He began massaging my shoulders, telling me I was too stressed and needed to focus on him. Before I knew it one thing led to another and we ended up having sex. The whole thing seemed like a foggy dream. It never happened again. Two months later I realized I was pregnant.”
Delaney asked, “Did you tell him about the pregnancy?” A silence filled the phone line before Caroline finally answered.
“I told him right away. He said it wasn’t his problem and told me I could stop by his office, his secretary would give me an envelope to pay for an abortion. He has no idea I didn’t end the pregnancy. I just figured he didn’t want Andrew, so what did it matter?” Delaney wondered how many other victims were out there but she would worry about that later.
“Caroline, it doesn’t matter now. Within twenty-four hours you and Andrew will be reunited. We will see you soon.”
Hanging up she quickly dialed the phone again. “Cecily, I’m sending you an e-mail with an attachment of pictures. I want you to use your creative genius and make a baby book to give Caroline. She’s never seen any of his birth pictures. It’s going to be a new start for them.” This was going to be a great reunion.
As they said their good-byes before heading for the airport, Richard pulled his daughter aside and said, “Delaney, I know love when I see it. You have it written all over your face. I’ve never seen you look so good, you’re glowing. And Jake is absolutely crazy for you. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you the entire time. He told your mom he fell in love with you the night he took you sailing.”
She thought about that evening on his sailboat and felt a smile come across her face as she remembered what he did to her body. She told her dad, “I’m in love too, for the first time in my life.” She leaned in and kissed her dad on the cheek and promised to call when they landed before briskly walking away to catch up with Jake and Andrew. After passing through security, she turned to wave good-bye to her parents. They suddenly seemed so old and in love as they held onto each other and waved back. She wondered what it would be like to spend the rest of her life with the hottest man on the planet.
The returning flight went quickly; they were both exhausted and looking forward to getting home. Andrew sat in between them, nestled in a soft white blanket that he rubbed against his cheek as he sucked his thumb and slept. Reaching across the toddler, Jake placed his warm hand on Delaney’s and stroked her wrist with his thumb. She felt a wave of dizzying warmth passing through her and gazed into his eyes before drifting off to sleep.
Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you’re feeling up to it please leave a review and let me know how you liked it. Coming out soon is “Chemistry,” a romantic flirty tale of Olivia Jones and her quest for Mr. Right.
Sail With Me Page 12