by Tessa Radley
“DNA tests don’t lie.”
Five
“You have a DNA test proving you are Jennie’s mother?”
“Not anymore,” Candace said, and felt Nick’s forearm tense beneath her fingertips.
“So you are lying!”
“I don’t have them—they’ll be in the doctor’s file. One thing I’m not is a liar.” Then she tacked on, “Or a fraud.”
Candace could feel the heat in her cheeks as she belatedly snatched her hand off the fine wool of Nick’s suit jacket. Even through the fabric she’d been uncomfortably conscious of the warmth of his body.
She drew a second deep breath, desperately trying to calm herself down. She couldn’t let him keep Jennie. He wasn’t worthy of being Jennie’s—any baby’s—father. But it wouldn’t help to get his back up.
“Okay, maybe I handled this badly,” she said slowly. “You made me mad.”
“I made you mad?” He was frowning down at her. “Lady, I’m not the crazy one around here.”
Crazy? Candace squinted up at him. “I’m not crazy.”
Nick didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he wheeled the stroller—with her baby—away. Candace rushed after him. “Where are you taking Jennie?”
“Home!”
“Home? That glossy mansion that’s as cold as an icicle isn’t a home.” Nick kept walking away from her. In desperation she said, “You’re not fit to be Jennie’s father!”
At that his shoulders stiffened and he slowed.
Oh, no! So much for trying not to antagonize him. Well, she had no choice now but to soldier on. “Nick, you’ve been away for the past month, you didn’t even return home when Jennie was desperately ill and you know nothing about caring for her. What else could I think?”
He turned. There was a white line around his mouth, and his face was leached of all color. “I’ve had enough of this. You will never get the chance to take her away—and even if I accepted a word of your insane claim, my first question would be where the hell were you when Jennie needed a mother?”
He’d homed in on the heart of her pain—her guilt. “That’s not fair—I had no choice.”
Nick glared. “I still don’t believe a word of this.”
Candace hesitated. She’d known from that first heart-in-her-throat moment when she’d met him that her name had meant nothing to Nick. Candace wasn’t a common name, yet he hadn’t even done a double take when he’d said, “You must be Candace.”
For one wild instant she’d thought he was pretending. Yet even when she’d revealed her surname, his expression hadn’t changed. And finally she realized that Nick Valentine had never bothered to find out the identity of his baby’s egg donor and surrogate mother. And now he was making out as though he knew nothing about it all…
Jilly had made it clear that he was a busy man, and Candace had slowly pieced together the image of a driven, workaholic husband who cared more for his multimillion-dollar company than his wife. Jilly had assured her that was all going to change when the baby was born.
Yet Nick Valentine had shown no interest in Candace’s pregnancy—unlike Jilly, who’d traveled all the way to the exclusive Namkhet Island clinic to be there while the IVF took place, who’d kept every prenatal appointment once they’d gotten back home to New Zealand, who’d visited Candace every week and bought her treats, and loved showing her photos of the nursery she was preparing for Jennie.
Right from the outset Jilly had explained that Nick hadn’t wanted to meet the surrogate…that he wanted to imagine the child as his wife’s. Candace had accepted the explanation. She’d so badly wanted to be convinced that she’d done the right thing—even after the stomach-churning second thoughts had started to creep in.
Now she challenged him. “You can’t walk away—this is too important. You must listen to me.”
“Okay, you’ve got my attention…” he glanced at his watch “…for one minute.”
That was better than nothing. Speaking rapidly, she said, “Jennie’s a baby. She needs a parent. I gave her to you and Jilly. I trusted you to look after her…to love her and—”
“You gave her to me and Jilly?” Nick hooted with derisive laughter.
Something wasn’t adding up. “You and Jilly needed a surrogate,” Candace said slowly.
“Stop this!” His brows jerked together and glared at her again. “I’m not listening to any more of your crazy creations. My wife was pregnant… I witnessed her debilitating morning sickness, saw the pregnancy develop. Jilly gave birth to Jennie.”
Jilly hadn’t been pregnant!
Candace couldn’t help herself. “You’re crazy.” She advanced on the stroller that he’d let go and grasped the handles. “I’m not leaving Jennie alone with you.”
He tussled with her and the stroller jerked.
“You’re going to wake Jennie,” she warned.
“If you think I’m going to let some deluded woman kidnap my daughter, you can think again.”
“I have no intention of kidnapping her. I’m coming with you back to your home. I’m not letting Jennie out of my sight—and if you think you can brush me off, think again. I’ll walk up to every customer in this garden center and tell them I’m your baby’s mother and you’re trying to pay me off.”
He went very still. “Don’t threaten me. I’ll call the police.”
“You think I’m bluffing? Do you really want to stage a scene here…and get the police involved?”
“We’ll finish this discussion at the house.” Nick gave her a killing glare, and Candace knew she’d won a temporary reprieve.
The drive back to the Valentine mansion passed in Arctic silence.
Once the tall, imposing electronic gates swung soundlessly shut behind them, Candace started to lose her nerve. What if Nick Valentine truly was crazy? What had she done to put herself—and Jennie—at his mercy?
The Daimler came to a stop behind a Lexus parked in the circular driveway edged by clipped boxwood hedging. The evidence that someone else was at Nick’s house eased Candace’s apprehension.
It would be okay; they would get this sorted out, she reassured herself. But whatever happened she wasn’t abandoning her baby to Nick’s negligent care. He might have all the money in the world, but she’d seen firsthand what kind of parent he was. She wasn’t leaving Jennie alone with him.
A glance into the backseat showed that Jennie was still sleeping. By the time Candace had gathered up the diaper bag at her feet, Nick had the rear door open and was carefully taking the baby out of the car. Watching him, Candace had to shove aside the momentary doubt that he was the uncaring, crazy man she knew him to be. Mr. Busby, Nick’s chauffeur and handyman, had arrived and taken the stroller out of the trunk, and was carrying it up the white marble stairs to the front door.
Nick followed, cradling the baby. Jennie’s mouth twitched in her sleep.
Mrs. Busby was standing inside the front door. “Mrs. Timmings is in the living room.”
Relief filled Candace. Alison Timmings was a sensible woman—even if her brother was crazy.
“I’ll take Jennie to the nursery.” Nick’s stare dared Candace to argue with him. To Mrs. Busby he added, “Tell my sister I won’t be long, please.”
“Nick?” In the archway that opened into the living room appeared the tall brunette that Candace had first met when Jennie was admitted to hospital while Nick was away. “I heard your voice. I tried your office, but Pauline said you’d left hours ago. Where have you been?”
Without waiting for an answer, Nick’s sister came toward them, her high heels tapping on the marble tiles. She smiled a greeting to Candace before making a beeline for the baby in Nick’s arms. “Hello, sweetheart.”
Jennie woke and smiled at Alison, holding her short arms out wide.
Her aunt swept her up in a swarm of cooing sounds. Jennie immediately clutched a handful of pearls and thrust them into her mouth.
“Looks like she’s teething, Nick.” Alison rescued her neckla
ce from the baby.
“It would appear so.” He moved closer. “Here, give her to me.”
“I’ll take her.” Candace came up on the other side of his sister.
“Thank you, Candace.” Alison surrendered the baby gracefully. For a moment Candace thought Nick was going to object to her having possession of the child, but then his sister was saying, “It’s not like you to swan out of the office.”
“Hardly swanning—although we did see some black ones after I met Candace at the doctor’s office for Jennie to be checked out.”
“You took her back to the doctor? Is anything wrong?” Alison asked at once, glancing to Candace for a reply.
“No, Jennie’s fine,” said Candace soothingly. “She was restless last night, running a bit of a temperature, so I wanted to make sure there was no resurgence of the infection.”
“You’re so good to her.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at the other woman. “I’ll take Jennie upstairs so you two can talk.”
“Not so fast.” Nick moved to obstruct her. “I’m not letting you go anywhere until we’ve finished our discussion.”
What he meant was I’m not letting you out of my sight, Candace thought rebelliously.
His sister must’ve thought the same thing. “Nick, you’re being rude—and you’re frightening Candace.”
Ignoring his sister’s interjection, he gave her a mean stare. “She’s not frightened enough.”
“Nick!”
Even as Alison objected, Candace’s heart sped up. She hugged Jennie tightly. “I’m not going to back down on the truth. You don’t scare me.”
Alison glanced from Candace to her brother. “What truth? Anyone care to fill me in about what’s going on?”
“Candace claims she’s Jennie’s mother.”
Nick’s dismissive tone set Candace’s teeth on edge. She still couldn’t swallow that he hadn’t known. “Claims? You know I’m Jennie’s mother! You contracted me to donate the eggs and share my womb so you and Jilly could have the child she so desperately wanted.”
“Contracted?” Nick gave a snort. “Why would I want to do that?”
Candace gave him a cold stare over the baby’s head. “Because you and Jilly were unable to have your own child.”
He stared. His features tightened. “IVF worked successfully for Jilly and me.”
Jennie shifted restlessly in her arms and Candace unsuccessfully ducked her head sideways as Jennie grabbed a handful of her hair. When she’d extracted the strands from Jennie’s hands she said, “Be honest. Jilly told me all about the struggles you were having—that IVF wasn’t working. That’s why the two of you decided to look for an egg donor, someone who could carry the baby for her. Which, of course, is where I came in.”
Now both Nick and Alison were staring at her as if she’d grown two heads.
“What?” asked Candace. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s true that the IVF didn’t work in the initial attempts.” Nick appeared to be picking his words with care. “But then Jilly tried a new procedure at an overseas clinic.”
“What my brother is trying to say,” cut in Alison, “is that Jilly was pregnant.” With her arms she mimed a swollen belly. “Very pregnant. She gave birth—to Jennie.”
Candace gaped at them both.
A vision of Jilly clad in black leggings and a belted long cardigan floated through her mind. Jilly had been reed slim when she’d excitedly assisted the midwife at Jennie’s home birth in the cottage, and bore absolutely no resemblance to the rounded belly Alison had mimed.
Hitching Jennie higher against her shoulder, Candace said slowly, “That’s not possible, because Jilly was never pregnant.”
Alison stared at Nick and raised an eyebrow.
“She’s crazy.” Nick shrugged. “I’ve been saying exactly the same thing as you, Alison, but she won’t let go of her delusion that Jilly was never pregnant—that she’s Jennie’s mother.”
Confusion clouded Candace’s brain, making it feel wooly. Was it possible that Nick Valentine and his wife had pulled off a spectacular deception, fooling even their own families that the baby was Jilly’s? Had they gone as far as to fake Jilly’s pregnancy? Placed padding beneath Jilly’s clothing to fool everyone—even Alison? That was crazy!
Candace struggled to put her chaotic thoughts in order.
What would be the point of such a massive deception? Nick was a wealthy man, and Jilly had made it clear that Candace could name her price for her kindness, though, of course, Candace had refused all Jilly’s generous offers. It was, after all, illegal in New Zealand to be paid to be a surrogate. She’d done it because Jilly had been so desperate. As a pediatric nurse, Candace had never met a woman more deserving of a baby. Her heart had gone out to the other woman as they’d become friends.
“Perhaps Mrs. Busby could make us all a cup of tea. I’ll see to it.” Alison cast her brother a look that Candace couldn’t interpret. “I’ll also call the doctor just to check that Jennie is really going to be okay.”
Had Alison decided that Candace was unhinged? Was that the reason for the secret exchange of glances, for the call to the doctor?
“Yes, by all means let’s call the doctor.” Candace pressed a kiss on top of Jennie’s downy head, then lifted her lashes and gave Nick her most dulcet smile. “And while you’re at it why don’t you call Jilly’s doctor to clear up once and for all the small matter of who really is Jennie’s mother. Ask for a copy of the DNA report that was done once the pregnancy was confirmed.”
“The DNA report?”
Nick stared at Candace in disbelief. Was she going to persist with this? Of course there was no DNA report. An urge to snatch the baby out of her arms overwhelmed him. He quashed it. To do so would reveal how deeply her mad claims were unsettling him. Far better to play it cool.
Candace’s eyebrows lowered. “All I want is for you to give me a chance to prove I’m telling the truth. The doctor should have a copy of the results of the DNA tests that were done after Jennie was born as part of the terms of the surrogacy agreement—” She broke off as he rolled his eyes skyward. “You still think I’m lying!”
“I don’t know anything about postbirth DNA tests or a surrogacy agreement. Don’t you think that’s a little strange?”
She was chewing her lip. That mouth. Heat popped in his groin. God!
“You’re not drawing me into another debate where you clearly have no intention of conceding anything. All I want is for you to see the test results.”
Was that really all Candace wanted? After all, if she’d been telling the truth, it wouldn’t be an unreasonable request. Except it was a lie—it had to be. Yet she was still gnawing her lip and her eyes were troubled. She didn’t look like a fraud…or a crazy. She looked worried.
And he wanted her more than ever.
Nick sucked in a deep breath. He had to get over this.
She might look like a worried angel, but how could he trust his reactions? Sure, she was lovely. And sure he desired her. Right now his priority had to be Jennie.
Still, what if Candace was telling the truth?
He tried to think sanely. Why was he so sure that everything Jilly told him was the truth and Candace’s claim was pure fiction? He’d witnessed Jilly’s blossoming body…that was indisputable. Yet he’d never gone with her to the doctor. Never seen her naked or touched her burgeoning belly. He’d been so certain the baby wasn’t his…
In the past, Jilly had gotten what she wanted at all costs. What if…
He shied away from the thought. Jilly didn’t deserve this. She was dead. Yet the distress in Candace’s eyes niggled at him.
“Call the doctor,” she insisted.
Nick excused himself. It took only a few minutes for him to ascertain what he’d already suspected. There was no DNA report—and Jilly’s doctor had never heard of Candace. Although he did remind Nick that Jilly had used a gynecologist and midwife for the birth, and they might
know more.
Nick didn’t need to call them. He already knew the truth. And he took great pleasure in returning to the sitting area and confronting Candace with it. “The doctor knows nothing about a test.”
“There was a DNA test done.” She lifted her chin. “But if you want, we can redo the tests…it doesn’t take long to get a result.” Nick narrowed his gaze as she said, glancing down at the oversize bargain watch on her slender wrist, “Too late today, but no reason why we can’t have it done on Monday.”
Over his dead body were they having DNA tests done on Monday—or any other day.
There was no way that Nick was going to allow Candace to expose the real lie he’d been living. He was not Jennie’s father; his wife had taken a lover.
Nick was not about to let this woman—a woman who turned his body in knots—make him the laughingstock of the city.
At the same moment as he said, “That won’t be necessary,” Alison—who’d come back into the room without his noticing—chimed in, “A DNA test is the perfect solution. It will answer all our questions, won’t it, Nick?”
The impulse to throttle his sister, which Nick hadn’t felt since adolescence, rose. “I can handle this, Alison.”
She threw her hands into the air. “Of course you can. And you expect me to butt out, right?”
Nick gave her a sharp frown. He didn’t have time for one of his sister’s diatribes about what she considered his fear of intimacy. “I said not now, Alison.”
“Don’t get impatient with me.” She picked her bag up and stalked toward the archway leading to the lobby. “I’m off. If you want my opinion—which you clearly don’t—I think you should have that DNA test done. It’s the only way you’re going to know whether Candace is telling the truth or not.”
Nick spared a glare for the woman who’d caused all the trouble. To his great annoyance, Jennie had snuggled up against Candace and was resting her cheek against the black T-shirt she wore. The pair looked like a modern take on Madonna and Child. Nick gnashed his teeth. “Of course Candace isn’t telling the truth—and I’ve got Jennie’s birth certificate listing me and Jilly as her parents to prove it.” But Alison had already left.