“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to my sister in more than a year. But when Eliza found out she was pregnant, she claimed she had no idea who the father was. I always assumed that meant there were more than two possibilities out there. So it is possible she reached out to more than just you.”
“Sounds like Eliza.” Jordan clasped his hands together on the table. “As I told you on the phone, I want to know if Reese is my daughter.”
“And if she is?” Curt asked.
She wasn’t sure who wanted Jordan not to be Reese’s father more, her or Curt.
“Then, I want to be a part of her life.”
He’d said as much on the phone both when Mom spoke to him and again when they talked. Still, she’d hoped once Jordan had an answer, regardless of the outcome, he’d go away and they’d never hear from him again.
“You do realize that might not be the best thing for Reese,” Curt said.
He’d suggested she let him offer Jordan a nice sum to simply forget he ever received the letter and walk away. At the time, she hadn’t known if he was serious or not. His tone now erased any doubt. Curt would willingly transfer whatever sum of money it took to get Jordan out the door.
“She’s always known only Taylor and Priscilla. Not to mention the trauma she suffered last year at the hands of Eliza. Reese doesn’t need anyone else upsetting her life,” Curt continued.
Last night, Curt told her he’d leave this conversation in her hands, that he’d be there mostly for moral support. Either he’d changed his mind or his emotions were getting the better of him.
“I don’t know what Eliza did, and I don’t intend to take Reese away from Taylor. But if I’m her father, I have the right to be a part of her life. I believe kids do better when they have a mother and a father who play an active role in their lives.”
Five
“Reese already—” Under the table, Taylor squeezed his thigh, and Curt stopped before he completed his thought. If he became confrontational, it wouldn’t help the situation. “I agree. Children often benefit from having more than one parent.”
Taylor patted his thigh and then gave Jordan the condensed version of why Eliza once again found herself behind bars. While she did that, he kept his trap shut and listened. Now, like so many other times, Curt wondered how anyone could put their child through what Eliza had.
Jordan’s face expressed a similar amount of disbelief and outrage. “I wouldn’t have thought Eliza capable of doing that.”
Curt wanted to hate the man across from him. At the moment, Jordan stood in the way of what he wanted. Worse than that, though, he could potentially cause upheaval in Reese’s life. Despite those two issues, Curt didn’t hate Jordan. In fact, in a way, he even sympathized with him. If a paternity test proved Reese was Jordan’s biological child, the man had missed out on nine years of his daughter’s life. Nine years he could never get back, and all because Eliza hadn’t bothered to contact him before or right after giving birth.
“Has Reese suffered any long-term effects from the kidnapping?” Jordan asked, the concern in his voice only making it that much harder for Curt to dislike him.
“Thankfully, she never realized Eliza took her without our permission. She thought we sent her to pick her up that day, so she’s unaware of the true severity of what happened,” Taylor replied.
They’d all feared the worse when they brought Reese home, and immediately Taylor had taken Reese to a child psychologist for regular therapy sessions. But Reese hadn’t seen the therapist in about six or seven months.
“After I got the letter, I did some research. Paternity tests are not invasive. I’d like to have one done soon.”
Not only had Curt and Taylor done their fair share of reading, but he’d talked to his cousin. Scott had discovered his oldest child, Cooper, was his via a paternity test after an ex-girlfriend dropped the news that he might be Cooper’s father about a month after he was born. So they knew what the test entailed and how long it should take to get results.
“I’ve already contacted Mass Genetics and set up an appointment to bring Reese to their facility in Boston for a cheek swab. It’s on Longwood Avenue. They also have a laboratory in Concord if that one is closer for you,” Taylor said, leaving the table.
They’d learned quickly that there were three simple ways to get a paternity test completed. Both individuals could go to a lab and have their cheeks swabbed. If a person didn’t have the time to make such a trip, they could order a test from a facility like Mass Genetics, collect the buccal cells found on the inside of the cheek, and then mail it back. The last method and the one he was most uncomfortable with because getting results generally took the longest involved picking up a test at the local pharmacy, doing the cheek swab, and mailing it back in. While any of the methods might have worked for them, they’d agreed that having a professional conduct the test reduced the possibility of human error. While they’d found several facilities in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, they’d settled on Mass Genetics because they by far had the best reputation. And since they were talking about Reese’s future, they wanted the test performed by the best out there. The fact they had a satellite office in New Hampshire was a bonus, since they didn’t know where Jordan lived.
When she rejoined them, she tore a piece of paper off the pad and passed it over to Jordan. “Here is the main laboratory’s phone number and address. I’ve already paid for the testing to be completed. The representative I spoke with assured me once they have a sample of cells from both you and Reese, it should only take three to six days to get us the results.”
“Monday morning, I’ll call and get an appointment as soon as possible.” Jordan stuck the paper in his wallet, and Curt hoped that meant he planned to leave. “I understand why you didn’t want Reese here, but do you have a picture of her I could see?”
Curt almost said no but stopped himself before the word came out. Although he might think of her as his daughter, at the end of the day, she wasn’t, and every decision regarding Reese was up to Taylor. That included whether or not Jordan could see a photo.
Next to him, Taylor picked up her cell phone. Although every cell in his body protested, he couldn’t come up with a good reason to suggest Taylor not show Jordan any of the photos stored on her device.
He watched her scroll through the various pictures taken over the summer. Finally, she paused at one his sister took for them at his parents’ annual Fourth of July cookout. In it, Reese stood between him and Taylor on the beach; the giant sandcastle they, along with his sister’s stepdaughter, had worked on was at their feet, and the ocean was in the background.
Taylor passed the device across the table. “This is from this past July.”
Jordan studied the picture and then set the device down on the table. “She looks like Eliza.”
Curt had never met Eliza, and Priscilla didn’t have any pictures of her oldest daughter displayed in the house. However, both Taylor and Priscilla had told him Reese resembled her mom a lot.
“It was nice meeting you all today,” Jordan said, standing and slipping on his jacket.
Wish I could say the same. Curt pushed his chair back, eager to walk his guest to the front door. Next to him, Taylor did the same.
“When I get an appointment at the lab, I’ll let you know. I work close to Concord, so I’ll call the lab there and see if I can get in this week. If they don’t have any openings, I’ll set something up in Boston.”
Well, that gave them a little more information about the man. But what he’d rather have was a home address so he could have Elite Force Security dig up all there was to know about Jordan King. Even without the address, the firm’s cyber division could probably uncover any skeletons in the guy’s closet by simply starting with his phone number. There wasn’t much the men and women who worked for the firm couldn’t do when it came to computers. He’d said as much to Taylor before she called Jordan back to set up today’s meeting. She’d told him to hold off until they knew
the truth.
Curt again considered asking how much it would take for Jordan to forget he ever received the letter as they walked toward the front door. But he didn’t do it. Whatever the paternity test revealed, Reese, Jordan, and Taylor deserved to know the truth.
“I hope you don’t mind. I started some coffee,” Priscilla called over her shoulder when they returned to the kitchen.
He’d told her on more than one occasion to make herself at home whenever she visited. “Not at all. I was thinking about doing that anyway. I’ll grab some milk and sugar.”
Priscilla set the French press on the table and went back to get some mugs. “Jordan turned out to be much different than I expected.”
“You and me both, Mom. I really expected someone like Brad to show up today,” Taylor said, pulling her chair out. “Did either of you see any similarities between him and Reese?”
He hadn’t seen any family resemblance between the two. But then again, his brain might have been only letting his eyes see what he wanted them to.
“I didn’t see any,” Priscilla answered.
“Yeah, neither did I. Curt, what about you?”
Curt shook his head as he poured coffee into all three mugs.
“And Jordan said she looked like Eliza, so maybe he didn’t see one either,” Priscilla pointed out.
As much as it pleased him to know none of them thought Reese shared any traits with Jordan, he knew the lack of a family resemblance didn’t prove anything. Although he looked a great deal like his dad and many of his cousins, his older brother, Brett, took after their mom’s side of the family.
“For now, I guess all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.” Priscilla added some milk and sugar to her coffee before taking a sip. “What time is Judith bringing Reese home?”
“Around six,” Taylor answered.
“Good. Then I have time to bring up the decorations and start wrapping Christmas presents.”
“If you want, we’ll come over and help you,” Curt offered. He wasn’t much into decorating for the holidays, but after last year he knew how much Reese, Taylor, and Priscilla enjoyed it. And if he required any reminding of that fact, all he needed to do was go in his basement where all the decorations they used in his house last holiday season waited to be used again this year.
“That would be great.”
Six
Although still in elementary school, Reese had reached a point where she missed a lot when not in class, so Taylor preferred not to dismiss Reese early from school. Today there had been no way around it. The laboratory didn’t offer evening appointments, and the first early morning one they had available wasn’t for another week. Since she refused to wait until then to bring Reese in for a cheek swab, she took the first opening they had, a two o’clock appointment Monday afternoon.
“Why did you pick me up early, Auntie?” Reese asked as they exited the building and walked toward the school’s parking lot.
“Because we’re going to Boston.”
During breakfast, Taylor let Reese know she’d be picking her up from school so that they could go into Boston. She hadn’t gone into all the details of why. While highly unlikely, she’d hoped Reese wouldn’t ask for more information.
Reese tossed her backpack in the car and then climbed in after it. “I know. You told me that. But why? Are we doing something for the wedding?”
When Taylor and Curt looked at the Harbor House, the establishment they’d picked for their wedding reception, they’d taken Reese with them. She’d also taken Reese along when she’d gone shopping for the bridesmaids’ dresses. Given those two things, Reese’s guess now made perfect sense. And she wished the wedding was the reason for their trip into the city this afternoon.
Putting the car in reverse, she checked the rearview mirror before backing out of the parking spot. “No, we’re not doing anything for the wedding. We have an appointment at a lab.”
Silence came from the back seat, and Taylor mentally kicked herself for not giving Reese all the details either last night or this morning over breakfast, because the lack of chatter meant Reese was thinking. When Reese started thinking, questions or comments soon followed.
“Is it a lab like the one next to Dr. Baker’s office?”
“Similar but not exactly the same.”
The laboratory next door to Reese’s pediatrician collected blood and urine samples and ran tests for all the physicians in the complex. Although they served different purposes, both facilities collected samples and conducted tests, which meant Taylor wasn’t lying.
More silence filled the car. This time, though, it didn’t last quite as long.
“Is there going to be a needle?” Reese asked. “I don’t want anyone taking my blood.”
Like most children, Reese hated getting shots. In fact, Taylor had to hold Reese on her lap whenever she got a vaccine at the doctor’s office. During her last physical, though, Dr. Baker had sent Reese over to the lab for routine blood work. It wasn’t an event either of them cared to remember or go through again.
“No needles.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. You won’t see any needles, and no one will take your blood. If you want when we’re done, we can stop at Ambrosia before we go home.”
Reese loved stopping at the Ambrosia Café located in Boston. Actually, she enjoyed stopping in any of the Ambrosia Cafés, but the one in Boston was the closest to them since the other two were both in Rhode Island.
“Can we get something to bring home to Curt?”
“Whatever you want.” Please just don’t ask me any more questions.
She heard Reese unzip her backpack. When she didn’t say anything else as Taylor headed toward I-93, she assumed Reese had started reading. Unlike Taylor, who became sick if she tried to read even a text message while in a moving vehicle, Reese could read for hours while in the car.
Either Reese finished the book, or she started thinking about their destination again, because before Taylor reached the highway, she asked, “Why do we need to go to a lab? I already had my physical, and I’m not sick.”
Taylor had tried to come up with a reasonable excuse in case Reese asked this very question. The only plausible one had been to tell Reese the lab was checking to see if she had any allergies. Ellie, one of Reese’s close friends, had recently learned she was allergic to the lactose found in milk products, so her niece might not find the excuse too strange. But one, she hated lying to Reese, and two, her niece might wonder why all of sudden Taylor was worried about allergies when nothing she ate ever bothered her.
“Do you remember what DNA is?”
In July, Reese had attended a two-week science camp. The instructors had all been certified science teachers, and they’d used experiments and other hands-on activities to cover several topics. One of the activities had been to build a representation of the DNA double helix using toothpicks, marshmallows, and gumdrops.
“It’s the stuff in your cells that makes you who you are.”
“The lab we’re going to today is going to collect some of your cells so that they can look at your DNA.”
“And they’re not going to use a needle, right?”
Taylor took the exit onto the highway, glad that thanks to the time of day at least she didn’t have to worry about traffic in addition to Reese’s questions. “Nope. They’re going to rub a swab against the inside of your mouth. It won’t hurt. I promise.”
“Why does someone want to look at my DNA?”
Yep, I knew that was coming next. As much as Taylor disliked changing diapers, at the moment, she wished Reese was still the one-year-old baby she’d taken custody of, because then they wouldn’t need to be having this conversation.
“When you were with Judith on Saturday, Curt, Mimi, and I met with a man who thinks he might be your father. Once people at the lab have some cells from you and him, they can compare them and determine if Jordan is your dad.”
“I don’t need a dad. I have Curt
.”
My sentiments exactly. “And that won’t change. But if Jordan is your biological father, he deserves to know.” She’d told herself the same thing over a hundred times, yet her head and heart were still in disagreement.
“Do I have to live with him if he is my dad? I want to live with you and Curt.”
“No matter what, you’ll live with us. But if the results come back and Jordan is your dad, you might need to spend some time with him. For now, I don’t want you to worry about any of this.”
Until they received a definitive answer, either way, she’d keep doing enough of that for both of them.
Seven
Curt opened the door before his brother rang the doorbell. A moment or two later, Honey joined him in the foyer to welcome their guest.
“Love the addition to the yard.” Brett pointed toward the inflatable snowman on display.
Although the last day of November, the temperatures were remarkably mild. So after typing the magic words “the end” earlier in the day, he’d decided to take advantage of the nicer weather and put up the exterior decorations. Reese had seen the inflatable snowman that also lit up during a trip to 38 Lumber and Hardware in October and asked him to get it. After he finished setting the snowman up, he’d put up the lights he’d used last year and hung the wreath on the door.
“Your idea or Reese’s?”
“What do you think?”
Brett closed the door and shrugged off his jacket. “I think she has you wrapped around her little finger.”
His brother wasn’t wrong. “More like her entire right hand. Where’s Jen?” The last time they spoke, Brett and his fiancée were coming up together today.
“She went out with some friends she used to work with. It was a last-minute thing. Who’s the new addition?” Brett rubbed his hand across Honey’s head. When he stopped, the dog nudged him in the thigh.
“Honey. I adopted her in September. She likes attention,” Curt said as he walked down the hall toward his living room.
A Billionaire's Love: The Sherbrookes of Newport Novella Page 4