by Cindy Kirk
Speaking freely about her worries had been a relief. With David’s strong, supportive presence beside her, it had been surprisingly easy to share. Hadley wondered if Brynn might benefit from a few sessions with Dr. Gallagher.
It was nearly suppertime when they picked up Brynn from Clay’s office and returned home.
“Can I read in the hammock until supper?” Brynn asked as they stepped inside the house. “I’ve been at school all afternoon.”
A smile lifted David’s lips.
Hadley’s tone remained easy. “Why don’t you toss a few balls for Ruckus first? He’s been inside most of the day.”
“After we play catch, then can I read?”
At Hadley’s nod, Brynn was out the back door in a flash, dog at her heels.
As she and David strolled into the kitchen, she saw his laptop on the table, open to some sort of architectural design program. Routine, she thought, everyday life. One day, her life might be back to being simple.
But she would never let it be the way it was before, when she kept her thoughts and feelings to herself, when the wall she’d erected didn’t allow anyone to get too close.
Never again, Hadley vowed. No matter how hard, she wouldn’t shy away from having the difficult conversations or speaking from the heart.
David stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her hair. “What are you thinking?”
“We should tell her outside.” On the drive over, Hadley had given the matter considerable thought, considering and rejecting a variety of possibilities. “Maybe go for a walk. There’s something about being active that makes conversation come easier.”
David didn’t immediately agree, so she added, “Some of the best talks I had with my dad were when we were at the sink doing dishes.”
“You’re right.” He turned her in his arms. “For me, it was when my dad and I were shooting hoops.”
“I just want to get this over with.”
“Don’t worry.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her gently on the lips. “You’re not alone. We’re a team. Remember that.”
Hadley nodded, a lump forming in her throat. Then, squaring her shoulders, she headed for the back door.
David was a firm and steady presence as he followed her outside and down the steps to the terrace. Though butterflies fluttered in her belly and the hands at her sides trembled, she found comfort in his nearness, in the strength emanating from him.
The fact she agreed this step was necessary didn’t stop Hadley from worrying.
When she spotted her daughter in the hammock, book open, chuckling at something she’d just read, Hadley almost turned and went back inside. Who was she to turn this little girl’s world upside down?
David stepped to her side. “This is the right thing.”
“I hope so.”
As if sensing her unease, he looped an arm around her shoulders, gave them a squeeze. “You’ll see.”
“Looks like a good book,” Hadley called out.
Brynn carefully inserted a lace bookmark to save her place, then scrambled out of the hammock. “It’s really funny. Gram got it for me.”
“I loved to read when I was your age,” Hadley said. “We’ll have to talk favorite books sometime.”
Brynn’s eyes lit up. “I have lots of favorites.”
Hadley smiled. “Me, too.”
“How about a walk in the woods?” David asked.
“Can Ruckus come, too? Please?”
The dog, who’d been snoozing beside her, was on his feet, his hopeful look matching the one on Brynn’s face.
“Sure. No problem.” David’s voice sounded unnaturally hearty. “The more the merrier.”
Brynn appeared puzzled for a second, as if sensing something amiss. Then she smiled.
“Your dad mentioned a walking trail.” Hadley slanted a glance at David, received a nod.
“It’s really cool.” Brynn did a little twirl. “Wait until you see the meadow.”
“Meadow?” Hadley arched a brow. “In the middle of the woods?”
“There was this big explosion one night—”
“Lightning hit,” David explained. “One tree went down, took out a couple nearby.”
“People came and hauled away the wood. For fireplaces,” Brynn explained. “They left stumps for us to sit on.”
“It’s one of our favorite spots.” David gave his daughter a wink.
“I can’t believe I never heard about it,” Hadley mused as Brynn turned and led them into the thick grove of trees.
“We don’t talk about it much.” Brynn’s voice drifted back. “It’s a secret.”
David coughed to hide his chuckle.
Both Hadley and David kept the conversation easy until they reached the clearing. As promised, there were tree stumps and scraggly strands of grass.
The absence of trees let sunlight fill the area, while a light breeze whispered through the surrounding trees.
Brynn turned in a circle, arms outstretched, her face lifted to the light. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Hadley’s heart overflowed with love for this child. Not only was Brynn lovely on the outside, but she had a beautiful heart.
“This is the perfect spot for a story. I have one I’d like to tell you.” Hadley patted the flat surface of a stump. “Interested?”
“I love stories.” Brynn’s eyes sparkled. “Are there fairies in this story? Princesses? Pigs?”
“Pigs?” David looked so startled both Brynn and Hadley giggled.
Hadley shook her head. “No fairies, princesses or pigs, but there’s a girl with long blond hair and big blue eyes.”
“Like me.” Brynn touched the strands pulled back in a high pony.
“And like me.” Hadley fingered a lock of her own hair.
“Our hair is the same color.” Brynn sounded surprised, as if she’d just noticed.
“Yes, it is.” A trickle of sweat rolled down Hadley’s spine. Dear God, she hoped telling Brynn was the right decision.
“Tell me the story,” Brynn ordered.
“Brynn.” David shot her a warning look. “Don’t push.”
“She said she had a story to tell me,” Brynn protested, then smiled at Hadley. “I’ll be patient.”
It was the smile that did it. Full of innocence and trust, that smile made Hadley realize she didn’t want unnecessary lies between her and this sweet child she dearly loved.
Hadley took a deep breath.
David offered her an encouraging smile.
Brynn gazed expectantly.
“When I was a little girl, barely older than you, I would go visit my grandparents every summer. They lived in a small town in a different state.”
“I bet that was fun. I always have fun with Gram.”
“It was fun. My grandma taught me how to cook, and my grandfather taught me how to bake.” So many wonderful memories forever tainted by the events of that summer. Hadley cleared her throat and continued. “I met a boy there. He was older, already in college. When I returned home that fall, I discovered I was going to have a baby.”
Brynn’s eyes grew wide. Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated this twist. “You had a baby?”
Hadley’s heart pounded against her ribs. “I did.”
“A boy?” Brynn leaned forward, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Or a girl?”
“A girl.” Hadley’s lips trembled before she regained control. “A beautiful baby girl.”
Brynn’s brows pulled together. “I’ve never seen your girl. Where does she live?”
Hadley clasped her hands together. “I wanted the best for my child. Her father and I weren’t together. I wanted her to have both a mommy and a daddy. So I chose a family who could give her everything I couldn’t.”
Brynn nodded sagely. “She was adopted, just like me.”
“That’s right.” Hadley forced the words past the lump in her throat.
Beside her, David expelled a shaky breath.
“Do
you know where she is?” Brynn tilted her head. “Have you visited her?”
“I went to where she lives with her family.” Hadley spoke carefully as her heart swelled with emotion.
“I bet she was excited to see you.” Brynn thought for a moment. “Probably scared, too.”
“Scared?” Hadley pushed the word past suddenly frozen lips.
“Wondering if you liked her.” A sadness briefly filled Brynn’s eyes, then cleared. “She was lucky.”
“Why lucky?” David spoke for the first time since Hadley had begun the story.
“Now she has two mommies.”
Hadley wanted to retreat, but she couldn’t back out now. “You’re that little girl.”
Confusion blanketed Brynn’s face. “What little girl?”
Hadley almost said my little girl, but swallowed the impulse. “You’re the child I gave birth to all those years ago.”
The glance Brynn shot her father was a wordless plea.
David moved to his daughter and crouched before her. Taking her hand, he met Brynn’s confused gaze with a steady one of his own. “What Hadley is trying to say is, she’s your birth mother.”
Brynn shifted her attention to Hadley. Blue eyes met blue eyes. “You’re my mommy?”
What did she say to that? Hadley’s mind raced. Should she reiterate she was Brynn’s birth mother? Or simply go with the child’s assessment?
Hoping she was doing the right thing, Hadley nodded.
Brynn’s quivering lips lifted in a faint smile. “That’s why we look alike.”
“You think we look alike?”
Brynn thought for a moment, then nodded. “Lia thinks I look like you.”
Pleasure flowed through Hadley’s veins like warm honey.
“I realize you already have a mommy, but I hoped maybe you’d want me to be a part of your life, too.”
“Two mommies.” Brynn considered. “Angela at school has two mommies. They’re lesbians. That means there’s two mommies and no daddy.”
“You’ve got a daddy.” She only meant to reinforce David’s relationship to Brynn, but the spark that lit in the child’s eyes made Hadley wish she’d chosen her words more carefully.
“Do I have two daddies, too?”
Tricky, tricky, Hadley thought as the earth shifted beneath her feet.
“Only one,” David answered, his tone warm and reassuring. “Just me.”
Brynn studied him for a long moment before her gaze shifted to Hadley. “What about my other daddy? Can I see him?”
“I haven’t seen your birth father in years.” The psychologist had advised them to stick as close to the truth as possible. Hadley could not, would not, use the word daddy in reference to Justin. “I’m very sorry, but I don’t know how to get ahold of him.”
All true, as Hadley had never attempted to navigate the penal system.
Brynn’s gaze narrowed and remained firmly fixed on Hadley’s face. “Where does he live?”
Despite the cool breeze rustling the leaves, perspiration slid down Hadley’s back. She took a breath to steady her nerves and her voice. “I don’t know where he lives.”
Again, honest. She didn’t know the exact prison cell number where he resided.
Hadley summoned a smile. “If he ever contacts me, I’ll tell you.”
Brynn appeared to mull over the words, then nodded. “I have another question.”
Nodding, Hadley held her breath.
“Since my other mommy doesn’t have time, will you answer the questions for my Founder’s Day project?”
Chapter 22
That night, after Brynn had gone to bed, David suggested to Hadley they take their own walk, this time down the long, winding lane to the road. Brynn had taken the news about Hadley being her birth mother better than he’d hoped, but the stress of the day had left them both restless.
Hadley glanced at the hall leading to Brynn’s bedroom. “Is it okay to leave her alone in the house?”
David pulled out his phone. “There’s a monitor in her room. I have an app that will let us know if she calls out.”
“In that case”—Hadley pushed to her feet—“I’d like to walk.”
A full moon made what would otherwise be a treacherous walk in the dark pleasurable. An owl hooted in the distance, and far off, a coyote howled. The air retained the warmth of the day, and the light breeze chased any bugs away.
“I guess it went well. I thought it did, anyway.” David cursed himself for sounding like an unsure schoolboy, though that was exactly how he felt.
When Brynn had asked about her other “daddy,” his heart had sunk. David shoved his hands into his pockets. “You did a good job answering her questions.”
“Thanks to Dr. Gallagher.” Hadley’s face looked pale in the moonlight, but there was a peaceful set to her features that hadn’t been there hours earlier. “If he hadn’t walked through some of the questions she might ask and helped us with answers that were truthful, I’d have been floundering.”
David reached over and took her hand. He intended to give it a brief squeeze, but when her fingers linked with his, he didn’t let go.
He’d never realized how much comfort could be gained from a simple touch. Without taking time to think, he stopped and pulled her into his arms.
Hadley wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head against his chest. She sighed heavily, and David was seized with a rush of emotion.
Comfort given, he thought, comfort received.
Wasn’t that how it was supposed to be in a relationship? Were they in a relationship? At the moment, it sure felt that way. “It was reassuring to have the doctor agree with us that it’s best to keep Brynn away from Justin and his family.”
“It was nice having a professional opinion.” Hadley sighed as he stroked her hair. Her head fit perfectly just under his chin.
“You’re part of her life—and mine—now.” David kept his voice light. “No getting away from us.”
He felt her smile against his shirtfront.
“I don’t want to get away.” Her voice took on a tremulous quality. “I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”
“Because of Brynn.”
“And because of you.”
His heart became a heavy mass in his chest. “I never thought I’d trust a woman again.”
When Hadley stiffened in his arms, David wanted to curse. Why was it so hard for her to accept a compliment? To realize that, in coming to him and telling him about Brynn’s father, she’d shown him, better than any words she could have said, her true character.
“Where do we go from here?”
Had she really voiced the question that was in his heart? The last thing David wanted was to move too fast, to push her for a commitment she wasn’t ready to make.
He’d tried to deny his growing feelings, but tonight, when they’d formed a united front and answered Brynn’s questions, he’d known there was no going back.
He wasn’t falling in love with Hadley.
He was in love with her.
Everything in David’s head screamed it was too soon to talk about forever.
One step at a time, he told himself.
Did proper etiquette demand you answer someone’s question before kissing them?
Screw etiquette.
Without warning, he lowered his head and closed his mouth over hers. Hadley’s lips were soft and welcoming. Her arms rose to encircle his neck.
They kissed and kissed some more. He longed to show her how much she meant to him. Show her in a way that words could never properly convey.
He continued pressing his lips lightly to hers, teasingly, his mouth never pulling away. David forced himself to take it slow. Going slow wasn’t easy when she tasted like the most delicious, decadent candy he’d ever eaten. When he wanted nothing more than to gorge himself on the sweet taste of her.
A hot riff of sensation rocketed up his spine. He spread his hands over her buttocks and pressed her aga
inst his erection.
When Hadley moaned, he deepened the kiss. Need all but erupted in him. He skimmed his hands up her sides to rest just below her breasts. When he spoke, his voice was shaking and raspy with need. “Let’s go back to the house.”
“I know what you want, Mr. Chapin.” Her voice might be teasing, but he saw desire in the eyes gazing back at him. She leaned close and whispered in his ear, her breast pressing against his arm. “I want it, too.”
“You’re a beautiful woman.” David’s fingers lifted Hadley’s chin, and he studied her for a long moment. “Inside and out.”
Under his intense gaze, Hadley’s lips began to tingle. When she moistened them with the tip of her tongue, his eyes went dark and the air between them pulsed with energy.
He kissed her fingers, featherlight.
Her heart began to skip. How could such a simple touch be so arousing?
His gaze met hers. “I’m still figuring all this out.”
“I’m not asking for promises.”
He brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “You should demand nothing less.”
Hadley just smiled and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
A look she couldn’t decipher skittered across David’s face. “I haven’t been with a woman since Whitney.”
Her heart gave a solid thud.
“It’s…” She swallowed against the emotion rising to clog her throat. “It’s been a while for me, too.”
Unexpectedly, he muttered a curse.
“I don’t have protection.” His laugh held no humor. “Like I said, it’s been so long…”
Her mind raced.
“I don’t have condoms, either.” Hadley kept her voice matter-of-fact, although the slight tremor might have told him she wasn’t as calm as she appeared. “But I am on the pill, so birth control is covered. And I’m clean.”
“I got checked, too. Shortly after Whitney and I split.”
It took a second for what he said to register. He’d gotten checked for STDs after his wife had left. Which could only mean he thought Whitney had been…
“What I’m trying to say is I’m clean, too,” he added.
“Looks like we’ve both been cleared for active duty.” Hadley offered him an impish smile. “If you’re okay with not holstering your gun, we’re good to go.”