by Dale Mayer
Angel laughed. “You don’t know anything about me. But you will. You will.” And, with that, she hung up, leaving the two of them staring at each other across the phone.
Chapter 10
“Did she just threaten you?”
“Both of us and definitely Sari,” Weston said, turning his head to study the little girl, who happily chewed away on her toast. “And she hasn’t contacted you at all in this last year and a half?”
“Not once,” Daniela said, bewildered. “What did you mean about her being out of money or finding a buyer? You’re not implying she would steal Sari and sell her to somebody. Are you?”
“Do you consider that she sold her to you?” he asked, turning her words around.
She glared at him for a long moment. “Sell, no. Gave, yes. And, yes, I paid for all the legal work, but, like I told you, I didn’t give her any money for Sari.”
“Did you give her any money so she could leave?”
“Not cash,” she said in surprise. “But, as I told you already, when she wanted a flight out of here, I paid for a ticket.”
“I would have too,” he said. “Anything to get her away from here.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Sari was skinny and crying all the time, when we first got her, so I’m not even sure how much Angel was feeding her. I’m pretty sure she didn’t nurse her at all.”
“How old was she?”
“According to her birth certificate, she was about one month old.”
“So you took her and then started the paperwork?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
He nodded but said nothing.
“Is she serious?”
“We’ll assume so,” he said calmly. “And hope she isn’t. I’ll call in some favors and do some research to see if we can figure out what Angel’s been up to for the last year and a half.”
“What will that tell us?”
“It should tell us if she’s gotten into a bad crowd or has financial difficulties—like owing loan sharks—what kind of drugs she may be into, or if she’s just looking for enough money for another ticket somewhere.”
“Which I would gladly pay,” Daniela said immediately.
He smiled gently. “I know you would because you want the problem to go away. Angel knows that too. But what happens when a plane ticket isn’t enough to make her go away?”
She blanched. “You’re talking blackmail?”
“I’m not sure what I’m saying here, but I’m sure you can see how that could happen. Angel knows you’re petrified she’ll try to get Sari back, and you’ll do anything to stop that from happening.”
“But I don’t have any money,” she said faintly.
“Anybody you can borrow from?”
She nodded. “Sure. But I don’t know when I’d ever be able to pay them back.”
“Angel won’t care about that,” he said. “If that’s what she’s after, and, as long as she gets it, she won’t care where it comes from.”
“I didn’t think this would happen,” she said, springing to her feet. Soon she was pacing the kitchen. Sari picked up on her distress and started to cry. Daniela rushed to her, lifted the little girl out of the high chair, took her to the sink, where she wiped down her hair, face and hands. “It’s all right, sweetie. Mommy’s fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
The little girl wanted to be convinced, so it didn’t take too long for the sunshine to return to her face.
Daniela put her down on the floor.
Sari headed right for Shambhala, who was lying in front of the glass doors. She sat down with a hard thump, giving the dog a hug. Shambhala lay back down again, only now with a little girl curled up beside her.
Daniela looked back at Weston. “What do we have to do?”
“I need to see the paperwork you have for the adoption, so we can see if it’s locked down or if there is anything Angel can use to get contact or to attempt to reverse the adoption.”
“And if she does? Then what?” she cried out. “I can’t live without Sari, Weston. I’ve spent my whole life getting to this point, and I’ve looked after her all this time. She’s my little girl.”
“Easy,” he said. “I get where you’re coming from, but let’s find out just how much damage Angel could legally do.”
“And you’re her father,” she said, hating to hear the weakness in her voice. “Is that what you’re trying to do? To see if you can try to take Sari too?”
He looked at her with surprise. “Why would I do that? It’s obvious you’re taking perfect care of her. Look at her.”
“But she’s your daughter,” she said in confusion. “She’s all I ever wanted.”
“I get that,” he said. “But I never thought I would have that. So now that I do, I’m still working my way around to what’s right. It’s a complicated issue.”
She shook her head sadly. “It’s not complicated,” she said. “You are her father. You want to have her in your life, or you don’t.” And, on that note, she spun on her heels and left the kitchen.
Is it that simple, he wondered. He pulled out his phone and contacted Badger. “I have an odd wrinkle,” he said when Badger answered.
“What kind of a wrinkle?”
“The biological mother of my child has turned up, making threats. Can you help me figure out some things?” Then he explained the scenario and what had just happened.
“When you get a copy of the paperwork, send it to me,” Badger said. “We’ll take a look at where things stand legally. It’s quite possible it wasn’t a legal deal. You know that, right?”
“I know,” he said. “The thing is, Sari has a great mom and a stable life with Daniela. The biological mother is a train wreck just waiting to happen.”
“Families have been torn apart over less,” Badger said. “Plus I don’t think courts look kindly upon drunk mothers with many different sex partners. Regardless, she’s your daughter, so you have rights too.” He stopped for a moment. “Do you know for sure she’s your daughter?”
“No,” Weston said. “I don’t know that for sure. I certainly wondered, but I could see the family resemblance as soon as I saw her. I guess it’s something I should confirm though.”
“Send us DNA. We can rush it to a private lab and get results back pretty fast,” Badger said. “I think that’ll be one of the first things. Because, if Angel does have a leg to stand on, so do you, and it might require that leverage in order to find a good solution to this.” Badger stopped for another long moment. “How do you feel about being a father now?”
“She’s adorable,” Weston said warmly. “And I’m slowly coming around to the fact that she really exists. As for the future, I have no clue. But I think I would like to watch her grow up.”
“Think?”
“Hey, that’s progress. Yesterday I wasn’t even sure about that,” he said. “What I can tell you is, Shambhala has completely adopted her, and Sari’s adopted the dog. I’ll send you some photos.”
“Good enough,” he said. “We will check into the law in Alaska. Talk to you soon.”
Just then, Daniela walked back into the kitchen with an envelope and held it out. “The adoption papers.”
He nodded and reached for the envelope. As far as he could see, everything looked okay. “Do you have a scanner?”
She shook her head.
He nodded his understanding. “I can take pictures.” He took photos of everything in the envelope and sent them all off to Badger. When he was done, he turned to her. “I have another difficult request, and I don’t want you to take it wrong.”
Her face shut down. “What is it?”
“I want to take DNA swabs from Sari’s mouth and mine, to test to make sure she’s my daughter.”
Anger flashed in her gaze.
He shook his head. “Not to prove that she isn’t,” he said gently, “but to prove that she is, in case we end up with court issues. A father does have rights, and no judge will a
llow me to have any input if I can’t prove it. Angel could just as easily stand up in court and say she slept with six other guys, and I’m not the father.”
Daniela stared at him in surprise and then nodded. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” she said. “Angel told me that you were the father, and I just believed it blindly.”
“Turns out, you can’t believe a whole lot about what Angel says,” he said.
Daniela looked at her daughter. “So what do we have to do?”
“It’s simple actually,” he said. “But we should do it as soon as possible.”
“Just tell me what to do,” she said with a nod.
Chapter 11
Daniela hadn’t ever thought to check that he was the father, but, when they got back from overnighting the mouth swabs and hair samples to Badger, she clearly wondered. “You said you were only with Angel for one night?”
“Yes,” he said.
“So it’s quite possible you aren’t the father.”
“It’s a possibility, yes.” And that possibility tormented him. Already a bond was growing where he wanted Sari to be his, and what if they found out she wasn’t?
“I don’t know why I just believed her,” she cried out. “This could change everything.”
“Which is also why we have to find out,” he said calmly. “Information is everything.”
She stared at him. “Sure, but it could also be the end of my world.”
“No,” he said, giving her a light shake. “You adopted Sari. Me being the father or not doesn’t impact that. Angel hasn’t had anything to do with you and your daughter all this time, and now suddenly she comes back around? A judge will not just turn around and give her back.”
Taking a deep, slow breath, Daniela said, “I want to believe you.”
“Good,” he said.
“But it’s damn hard.”
“Of course it is,” he said. “As far as you’re concerned, Sari is yours. And you’ll do everything in your power to defend her.”
She looked up at him and nodded. “It’s a good thing you understand that, Weston, because it’s the truth. And that goes for you too.”
He shook his head. “I am not trying to take her away from you. Look at me, Daniela. I wouldn’t do that to Sari. And I wouldn’t do it to you.”
She took another slow, deep breath and then finally began to relax. “Thank you,” she said. “I really needed to hear that.”
“I’m sorry you’re still so insecure about her,” he admitted. “And I can understand why.” He motioned at the phone. “Angel’s not helping.”
Daniela snorted. “Angel is a menace. It was fine when she was out of our lives, but, now that she’s come back, it feels very much like a threat.”
“I agree,” he said. “But we can deal with this.”
She nodded and didn’t say anything more. As much as she wanted to continue the discussion, she also wanted to get away from it. She hopped up and said, “Are you up for a cup of coffee?”
“Always,” he said distractedly. The idea that Sari might not be his had thrown him for a loop.
She put on a pot of coffee, turned around and asked, “What will you do about Shambhala?”
He shrugged. “No decision as of yet. We need to sort out this Grant situation first.”
She nodded. “That’s just too bizarre.”
“Insane,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I’ll do some research. Do you mind if I work at the dining room table?” He looked at her as he started toward his room. He stopped, waiting for her to give him an answer.
She smiled. “Sure, no problem.”
She watched him go up the stairs. He was a huge man and very controlled. Obviously Angel’s call had bothered him too, and that was good. Because this was still his child. At least she hoped it was. God, what if he wasn’t Sari’s father? What if someone else was the father? Someone more like Angel? She turned, looking at her daughter, just shaking her head. “You can’t do anything about it, so let it go,” she murmured to herself.
When the coffee was done dripping, she poured two cups and took one to the dining room table. She left it there and then headed back, coaxing Sari into the playroom, where she could play some more with her building blocks. There Sari was happy for at least half an hour, with Shambhala just lying on the floor nearby, watching her. Finally Sari stopped, looked at Daniela and said, “Play outside?”
Daniela looked outside, then nodded. “Why not?” she said with a smile. “We could probably use some fresh air.” She hopped up to her feet, scooped up Sari and took her daughter to the closet, where she dressed Sari in a light jacket and boots. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too hot. A bit of rain came through the night, so Daniela wasn’t sure if anything was wet but decided it didn’t matter anyway.
Sari headed to the swing set on her own. With her coffee in hand, Daniela walked over and set the cup on the ground, while she helped Sari get in the baby seat, and then gently swung her back and forth.
Shambhala had followed them outside and lay on the grass. Daniela worried about keeping the dog, as she hadn’t had much experience with dogs herself. And she worried about not keeping the dog, as attached as the dog and her daughter had become.
Shambhala seemed to be devoted to Sari and hadn’t shown any sign of aggression, but it was hard to know how much was influenced by Weston’s presence, since he was an experienced handler. Or maybe there hadn’t yet been the right situation where things could end up ugly.
Of course she didn’t want that to happen. Enough had been ugly in her world that she didn’t want any more. When she turned around to check on Weston, he still sat at the dining room table on the phone, his fingers clicking away on the laptop even as he spoke to someone.
She wasn’t even sure what he did for a living. Though she wasn’t sure he knew either, since he had said something about finding a job. That brought her back around to how she would feel if she left Alaska. It wasn’t the easiest of states to live in, especially since the winters were harsh and long. She had grown accustomed to it. But was it more of a safety net because it was comfortable? Winters would certainly be a lot easier if she moved anywhere farther south, and it wasn’t like she was limited to California. Even if she went to Colorado and stayed away from the mountain ski areas, it wouldn’t be too bad for her and Sari.
She didn’t know what to do.
As she gently pushed Sari back and forth, her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket to see her sister was calling. “Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”
“I don’t know,” Davida said. “I just keep getting a weird feeling about you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Daniela said with a laugh. “You and your feelings.”
“Hey, you know you learn to trust certain things,” her sister said.
“I hear you. Anyway, we’re all good here.”
“And what about him?” her sister asked.
“He’s doing fine too,” she said in a neutral tone, not wanting to go down that path.
“I would invite you and Sari over for a meal this weekend, but I’m not sure I want to invite him too. When is he leaving?”
“Not sure yet,” Daniela said cheerfully, quite happy to have a reason to sidestep the dinner, which was sure to be an inquisition. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll do dinner after he’s gone.”
“Perfect,” her sister said with a sigh of relief. “But when is that?”
“Don’t know. I’ll keep you posted.” And, with that, she hung up. She had no doubt that her sister’s invitation for a meal was heartfelt but knew she was fishing for information. And Daniela really wasn’t up for that.
“Are you okay?”
She smiled over at Weston. “Just my sister.”
“I gather she’s not happy I’m here?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she is or not,” she said lightly. “This is what I chose to do.”
He smiled at her. A warm and caring smile that made her heart go so
ft. Dangerous signs, but, like a moth to a flame, she felt helpless to do anything but react to this man. She didn’t know why she felt it was so necessary to bring him into Sari’s life. But she had, and now that he was here, she wanted him in her life as well.
“I’m going out for a few hours,” he said.
“Now?” she asked in confusion.
He caught her glance, nodded and said, “It’s connected to Grant.”
“Can I go with you?”
He stopped, looked at her in surprise and then shook his head. “No, I’ll go talk to some people who knew Grant and his brother. I’m trying to figure out if either had any mannerisms that would help us identify who’s who.”
She looked at Sari and realized it was probably better that her daughter didn’t go. “Okay,” she said. “Will you be here for dinner?”
“Steaks, remember?”
She chuckled. “Only if you buy them,” she said. “That’s out of my price range, even with the money you gave me.”
“No problem,” he promised.
She watched as he headed to his rental truck. Sari came to her side as Shambhala walked next to Weston, then hopped into the truck with him. Daniela realized he must have given a command to the dog that she hadn’t noticed.
“Doggy,” Sari cried out, her hand pointed in the direction of Shambhala.
“Don’t worry. Doggy and Daddy will come home later,” Daniela said absentmindedly. At that, Sari went silent. Daniela looked down at her and realized what she had said. “Yes, baby, that’s your daddy.” She wasn’t sure if she should have said anything in case the DNA came back the wrong way, but still it seemed wrong not to say something. Sari looked up at her, then looked back at the truck as it disappeared down the road. She didn’t say anything for a time, and it was obvious she was processing. “It’s okay, sweetheart. They’ll be back.”
She looked down at Sari, who still stared out at the now-empty road. Turning her face back to Daniela, her bottom lip trembled. “It’s all right. They’ll come home,” she said again. She reached her arms down as Sari reached up, wanting a hug. She picked up the little girl and walked back inside. For better or for worse, right now they were alone again. If Weston didn’t stay, she would have to get used to that. Which was okay; she’d been alone a lot for the last few years. She could do this.