by Gun Brooke
“Are you going to try to find him?”
“Yes, I think so. If he’s still married, I can be discreet. I just have so many questions.”
“Then let’s get the ball rolling and find a good investigator. I don’t think it’ll be terribly difficult, as he was in the service.”
“All right.” Smiling through tears, Aeron nodded. With Sylvie by her side she was ready to take on any challenge. “Let’s do it.” She remained in Sylvie’s arms for a long while and kept her mother’s diary against her heart. These last few months had been all about the three of them, one way or another. Fate had woven them together in a way that now seemed almost magical, and Aeron vowed to herself from now on to think of Maeve only as Mom.
Epilogue
“It’s here. The full report.” Sylvie came up on the porch and waved a thick envelope. “Want me to give you some privacy while you read?”
Aeron sat up in her deck chair and shook her head emphatically. “No. Are you kidding me? No. You have to be here or I won’t open it. After the private investigator told me my father’s name or, as he put it, ‘the man who with ninety percent certainty is the man who fathered you,’ I’ve debated what I’d do once I got the dossier. Never in a million years did I ponder if you’d be here with me at this exact moment. I’m not doing this alone.”
“Shh. Calm down.” Sylvie sat on the wide armrest of Aeron’s chair. “All right. Want to open it?”
“Okay.” Aeron’s fingers trembled as she ripped open the envelope and pulled out a half-inch-thick folder. She opened it and scanned the first page. “As we already knew, his name is Colonel Joshua Scott Baldwin, retired. He’s sixty-one years old and lives in…now, that can’t be right? That’s too much. Too much.” Aeron read the words out loud. “Colonel Baldwin retired six years ago, and after his wife of thirty-one years passed away he settled in his hometown of Albany. Sylvie! Albany.”
“That’s an amazing coincidence, darling.” Sylvie wrapped her arm around Aeron and pulled her close. “Anything else?”
“Before, Joshua was married to a Lisa Iverson Baldwin, and she died in 2010. They have two sons, Joshua Scott, Jr. and James. James is married and has a baby girl.” Tears ran down Aeron’s face. “I have brothers. I even have a niece. All this time, I had—I had a family. I know Maeve was protecting him, and I’m sure, herself, but still…am I selfish to wish I’d been included in that family?”
“Not at all. Actually, I’d say it’s your right to be included. You were the innocent child in all this.”
“So were Joshua, Jr. and James. They might have hated having a half-sister.”
“You can’t know that. They might have loved having a sister. Does it say their ages?”
“Let me see.” Aeron ran her finger down the text. “Yes. Joshua, Jr. is thirty-two and James is…thirty.” Curling into Sylvie’s side, Aeron wept. “Do you think he loved my mom as much as she loved him?” Aeron accepted a tissue from Sylvie and wiped at her eyes and nose.
“I do. He must have been totally taken with her if even half of what she writes in her diary is true. He seems like a man who got caught up in a whirlwind passion with a girl who claimed she was older than she was. We know from her diary and your birth certificate that she never told him. What branch of the military was he in?”
“The marines. He flew F-14 Tomcats, it says. Stationed in Norfolk most of his career.” Aeron sobbed mutedly. “And his call sign was Aero.”
“Oh, darling.” Sylvie pressed her lips against Aeron’s. “Of course it was.”
“Maeve probably knew that if she told him about the pregnancy and her true age, his career would be over. It might have been the most unselfish thing she ever did, giving him up. Not fair to you, though. And by the way, that’s the first time I’ve heard you refer to Maeve as your mom.” Sylvie kissed the top of Aeron’s head.
“I did? I guess so.”
“So, any thoughts what to do?” Sylvie asked gently.
“I’m going to read this through properly and then we’ll see.”
*
Two days later, Sylvie sat on the couch by the fireplace, listening with one earbud tucked in to the latest report from the new CEO in Sweden. Next to her, Aeron sat shifting her cell phone back and forth between her hands. Sylvie knew Aeron needed to take her time and decide on her own how to proceed with all the new information she’d gained.
Then Aeron pressed a symbol on the smartphone and lifted it to her ear. She twirled a lock of hair between the fingers of her free hand. “Hi. I hope I have the right number. I’m looking for Colonel Joshua Scott Baldwin, who used to be stationed in the marines at Norfolk?”
The person at the other end said something. Aeron closed her eyes hard.
“Hello, Colonel Baldwin. My name is Aeron DeForest. I believe you knew my mother, Maeve DeForest, back in 1988?”
Sylvie took Aeron’s hand and stopped the audio file in her laptop.
“Thank you, Josh. Please call me Aeron.” Aeron kept her gaze on Sylvie’s and took a deep breath. “I’m glad you remember my mother. The thing is…I was born in April 1989 and have reason to think you’re my father, Josh.” Curling closer to Sylvie, she looked up into her eyes. Sylvie met her gaze unwaveringly and transmitted all the love she felt for the amazing and courageous woman in her arms. Aeron listened to what the man said and didn’t interrupt as he kept talking for several moments.
And then she melted into Sylvie’s embrace and smiled.
About the Author
Gun Brooke resides in the countryside in Sweden with her very patient family. A retired neonatal intensive care nurse, she now writes full time, only rarely taking a break to create websites for herself or others and to do computer graphics. Gun writes both romances and sci-fi.
Website http://www.gbrooke-fiction.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/gunbach
Twitter http://twitter.com/redheadgrrl1960
Tumblr http://gunbrooke.tumblr.com/
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
A Reluctant Enterprise by Gun Brooke. When two women grow up learning nothing but distrust, unworthiness, and abandonment, it’s no wonder they are apprehensive and fearful when an overwhelming love just won’t be denied. (978-1-62639-500-8)
Above the Law by Carsen Taite. Love is the last thing on Agent Dale Nelson’s mind, but reporter Lindsey Ryan’s investigation could change the way she sees everything—her career, her past, and her future. (978-1-62639-558-9)
Actual Stop by Kara A. McLeod. When Special Agent Ryan O’Connor’s present collides abruptly with her past, shots are fired, and the course of her life is irrevocably altered. (978-1-62639-675-3)
Embracing the Dawn by Jeannie Levig. When ex-con Jinx Tanner and business executive E. J. Bastien awaken after a one-night stand to find their lives inextricably entangled, love has its work cut out for it. (978-1-62639-576-3)
Jane’s World: The Case of the Mail Order Bride by Paige Braddock. Jane’s PayBuddy account gets hacked and she inadvertently purchases a mail order bride from the Eastern Block. (978-1-62639-494-0)
Love’s Redemption by Donna K. Ford. For ex-convict Rhea Daniels and ex-priest Morgan Scott, redemption lies in the thin line between right and wrong. (978-1-62639-673-9)
The Shewstone by Jane Fletcher. The prophetic Shewstone is in Eawynn’s care, but unfortunately for her, Matt is coming to steal it. (978-1-62639-554-1)
A Touch of Temptation by Julie Blair. Recent law school graduate Kate Dawson’s ordained path to the perfect life gets thrown off course when handsome butch top Chris Brent initiates her to sexual pleasure. (978-1-62639-488-9)
Beneath the Waves by Ali Vali. Kai Merlin and Vivien Palmer love the water and the secrets trapped in the depths, but if Kai gives in to her feelings, it might come at a cost to her entire realm. (978-1-62639-609-8)
Girls on Campus edited by Sandy Lowe and Stacia Seaman. College: four years when rules are made to be broken. This collection is required reading for any
one looking to earn an A in sex ed. (978-1-62639-733-0)
Heart of the Pack by Jenny Frame. Human Selena Miller falls for the domineering Caden Wolfgang, but will their love survive Selena learning the Wolfgangs are werewolves? (978-1-62639-566-4)
Miss Match by Fiona Riley. Matchmaker Samantha Monteiro makes the impossible possible for everyone but herself. Is mysterious dancer Lucinda Moss her own perfect match? (978-1-62639-574-9)
Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright. Lieutenant Cordelia Ross must choose between duty and honor when a man with godlike powers forces her soldiers to provoke an alien threat. (978-1-62639-604-3)
Taking a Gamble by P.J. Trebelhorn. Storage auction buyer Cassidy Holmes and postal worker Erica Jacobs want different things out of life, but taking a gamble on love might prove lucky for them both. (978-1-62639-542-8)
The Copper Egg by Catherine Friend. Archeologist Claire Adams wants to find the buried treasure in Peru. Her ex, Sochi Castillo, wants to steal it. The last thing either of them wants is to still be in love. (978-1-62639-613-5)
The Iron Phoenix by Rebecca Harwell. Seventeen-year-old Nadya must master her unusual powers to stop a killer, prevent civil war, and rescue the girl she loves, while storms ravage her island city. (978-1-62639-744-6)
A Reunion to Remember by TJ Thomas. Reunited after a decade, Jo Adams and Rhonda Black must navigate a significant age difference, family dynamics, and their own desires and fears to explore an opportunity for love. (978-1-62639-534-3)
Built to Last by Aurora Rey. When Professor Olivia Bennett hires contractor Joss Bauer to restore her dilapidated farmhouse, she learns her heart, as much as her house, is in need of a renovation. (978-1-62639-552-7)
Capsized by Julie Cannon.What happens when a woman turns your life completely upside down? (978-1-62639-479-7)
Girls With Guns by Ali Vali, Carsen Taite, and Michelle Grubb. Three stories by three talented crime writers—Carsen Taite, Ali Vali, and Michelle Grubb—each packing her own special brand of heat. (978-1-62639-585-5)
Heartscapes by MJ Williamz. Will Odette ever recover her memory or is Jesse condemned to remember their love alone? (978-1-62639-532-9)
Murder on the Rocks by Clara Nipper. Detective Jill Rogers lives with two things on her mind: sex and murder. While an ice storm cripples Tulsa, two things stand in Jill’s way: her lover and the DA. (978-1-62639-600-5)
Necromantia by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When seeing dead people is more than a movie tagline. (978-1-62639-611-1)
Salvation by I. Beacham. Claire’s long-term partner now hates her, for all the wrong reasons, and she sees no future until she meets Regan, who challenges her to face the truth and find love. (978-1-62639-548-0)
Trigger by Jessica Webb. Dr. Kate Morrison races to discover how to defuse human bombs while learning to trust her increasingly strong feelings for the lead investigator, Sergeant Andy Wyles. (978-1-62639-669-2)
24/7 by Yolanda Wallace. When the trip of a lifetime becomes a pitched battle between life and death, will anyone survive? (978-1-62639-619-7)
A Return to Arms by Sheree Greer. When a police shooting makes national headlines, activists Folami and Toya struggle to balance their relationship and political allegiances, a struggle intensified after a fiery young artist enters their lives. (978-1-62639-681-4)
After the Fire by Emily Smith. Paramedic Connor Haus is convinced her time for love has come and gone, but when firefighter Logan Curtis comes into town, she learns it may not be too late after all. (978-1-62639-652-4)
Dian’s Ghost by Justine Saracen. The road to genocide is paved with good intentions. (978-1-62639-594-7)
Fortunate Sum by M. Ullrich. Financial advisor Catherine Carter lives a calculated life, but after a collision with spunky Imogene Harris (her latest client) and unsolicited predictions, Catherine finds herself facing an unexpected variable: Love. (978-1-62639-530-5)
Soul to Keep by Rebekah Weatherspoon. What won’t a vampire do for love… (978-1-62639-616-6)