The Switched Baby Scandal (A Scandals of San Sebastian Novel) (Entangled Bliss) (4 page)

Taylor squirmed in her seat. If this had been a different situation and a different time, she could have easily found herself falling for him. That alone made her uncomfortable. “Reece.”

He smiled and the deep dimples that bracketed either side, like Brad Pitt, sent a conflicting mixture of attraction and anxiety shivering up her spine.

“I’d like to find out some more about you, so that if the results come back positive I’ll have an idea of what to expect from you.”

This time Reece shifted in his chair but kept his dark eyes fully focused on her.

The waitress came, setting down a carafe of coffee, two cups, and cream. Reece reached out and poured himself a cup of steaming coffee.

“Are you telling me this is an interview, Ms. Lawrence?”

Taylor lifted her chin slightly and gave him an unflinching gaze in return. “Yes.”

The flash of anger in his eyes made her stomach tip, but she held steady. Let him be angry. She was going to make sure of who he was and what he wanted before he ever saw her little girl.

Reece stirred cream into his coffee, then folded his hands together. “I see. Well, what would you like to know?”

She settled deeper into the chair, trying to exude confidence and calmness when she really felt anything but that. “I know you’re an attorney, but what kind?”

He glanced up at her, obviously measuring her reaction. “I practice family law.”

Taylor flinched. Strike one for her side. If it came to going head to head with Reece, she was likely to come out on the losing end in court.

She folded her hands together, holding them tighter than she should have. “Why do you want to see Emily, apart from your possible genetic connection?”

He inhaled sharply. “You really are a piece of work, aren’t you?”

Resentment and anger prickled to the surface of Taylor’s skin.

Reece squeezed his hands together. “This is my natural child we are talking about. I know that down in my gut, and no test is going to tell us differently. All I want is what you want, to reconnect with the part of me that is missing and perhaps have the opportunity to be part of her life. Is that so hard to understand?”

Taylor crossed her arms. She realized that posturing was going to get them nowhere quickly. If Emily were indeed his natural child, she would have to allow him access and ultimately attempt to forge a relationship of some kind with Reece. But she needed to know how high the cost was going to be.

“I’m not denying you access to Emily. I’m simply trying to determine what is best for her.” She took a deep breath. “I am assuming that is what you want as well.”

“It is.” He sat back, his gaze confident and unwavering.

“Good, just so we’re clear that Emily’s welfare is our ultimate goal.”

He nodded in agreement. “So what are we going to do when the tests come back positive?”

“I can give you a chance to get to know Emily under the right circumstances, but what do you have to offer me? I get nothing. My natural child is gone, Mr. Wallace.”

“And we’re back to Mr. Wallace already.” He looked down at his hands and twisted the gold band around his finger. Reece lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye.

“I can’t bring Alyssa back. I wish to God that I could. But I can give you something no one else on this planet can. I can make Alyssa real for you.”

Taylor gasped, her heart slamming against her ribs as he kept talking.

“I’m the only one with the memories, with the knowledge of what it took to put her to sleep at night, when her first tooth came in, and her first word. All her baby pictures. I’ll gladly share that with you, Taylor, if you’ll just give me the chance.”

Would he have a picture of her natural daughter with him? The baby she had never seen? Her chest ached and her mouth felt too dry to speak, but she pushed the words out anyway.

“Reece?”

His gaze penetrated her, making her distinctly uncomfortable.

“Do you happen to have a picture of my, your, daughter,” she said, the words awkwardly stumbling over one another.

He pulled back the edge of his suit jacket and slipped a black wallet from his back pocket. Flipping the worn leather open, he then pulled out a small studio photo and handed it to her.

Heat seared the back of her eyes. She wanted to deny this, wanted it to be another child she was seeing instead of the small life she had carried inside her. The tiny face was so perfect, the smile bright, and the hair golden—just like her own childhood photos. There was no denying from the first glance that this had been her biological child. She stared, trying to absorb everything she could about the little girl. She gulped back the tears and burning in her throat, then looked up at Reece.

“What was she like?” It came out a strangled whisper.

His shoulders sagged. He tipped his head to rest against the back of his chair. “She was beautiful, Taylor. The most gifted, intelligent, funny little bit of sunshine you can imagine…and she sang like an angel.”

He turned away to look out the window of the café, but not before she noticed the wetness spiking his dark lashes. He took a deep breath, his body shuddering.

A pang, knife-sharp, lodged in her chest. She sang. Her little girl had loved music…and she’d never got to sing to her…or hear her little voice. The pain radiated outward until she could feel it even in her fingertips and the ends of her hair. It was hot and cold and it slashed through her like nothing else.

“I’m so sorry you can’t meet her.” His voice cracked. “You would’ve been very proud of Alyssa.”

Taylor looked down at the photo, all the sensations robbing her of the ability to move. “Do you have a picture that I can have?” she asked softly.

His voice was thick and heavy. “Keep it.”

Taylor reached out to hand it back to him, deeply aware of the emotions she had stirred. “I don’t want to take this if it’s your only one.”

He gently wrapped his hand over hers, pressing the picture into her palm. The brief touch sent a ripple of awareness pulsing up her arm that momentarily blocked the pain. Taylor shivered, then looked him in the eye. She’d rarely seen a man too choked up to speak, but from the tightness of his throat and the misery etched on his face, this was still too painful for him to talk about. And yet he was reaching out to her. Trying to give her, a complete stranger, comfort over the loss of his child—her child.

“Please, take it. I’ve got others.”

In that moment she knew one thing: Reece Wallace wasn’t the kind of man who would just walk away from his child. He cared too much. He wasn’t trying to control the situation. He was trying to help.

Taylor sniffed, attempting to bring her scattered emotions under control. “I think it would be a good idea to introduce you to Emily, but I’d like to hold off until the results from the blood tests are back and we know for certain.”

He nodded. “If you think that’s best, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Taylor worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “What about Alyssa?” She glanced down at the soft face of the little girl she had never known. “How will we explain her to Emily?”

Reece sighed and laid his head back against the chair. “That’s a tough one. I’m afraid there are no easy answers. No matter how you explain it, it might be too complicated for her to understand. They’re not really related by blood or marriage.”

Taylor set the photo down and filled the empty cup with hot coffee, cream, and sugar. Making the bitter into something sweet was hard to do. How could they give Emily something sweet to understand without the bitterness reality brought with it?

She took a sip of the coffee, letting the hot, flavorful liquid swirl over her tongue, and looked across the rim of her cup at Reece. “What if we just tell her that Alyssa is her stepsister?”

Reece twisted the ring, spinning it around his finger. “That might work. I guess it’s as close as you can come to explaining this crazy situation.”

Taylor nodded. How the hospital could have so completely screwed up all their lives was still something she couldn’t completely comprehend.

“I don’t suppose you happen to have a picture of Emily I could see?”

Taylor reached for her purse and dug out her wallet, flipping it open to the picture she had of Emily with her teddy bear, then slipped it out of the clear plastic sleeve and handed it to him.

“She’s beautiful.”

He glanced up, and for a moment their gazes locked. Taylor couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was a connection between them she could feel, the warmth of it sliding over her skin.

“You can keep it,” she said.

His thumb brushed over the edge of the picture. “Thank you.” Reece glanced at his watch, breaking the moment. “I’ve got to get back to the office, but just let me know when I can meet Emily.”

Her shoulders relaxed a little and the frown on her forehead eased, but she resisted the urge to huddle into her oversize chair. Certainly he’d see how much she and Emily were connected. Then, perhaps, he’d rethink interrupting their lives. Perhaps she could even get him to consider leaving Emily where she was rather than possibly seeking joint custody.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, and we can discuss it then.”

He got up from the table and looked her squarely in the eye. “Is there anything she really likes?”

His question took her off guard. She put down her cup. “Excuse me?”

Reece shrugged. “Emily—is there anything she really likes?”

“Why do you ask?” She rubbed her finger against the side of her warm cup, trying to ease her uncertainty.

He leaned on the table, bringing his face close to hers. “Taylor, I’m going to be candid with you. When Alyssa and Becca died, I thought my whole world had ended. I spent every moment I could with Alyssa, and there is nothing more in the world I wanted than more children. I can’t tell you what this opportunity means to me. Emily has given me something to live for again, and I just want to start off on the right foot. Can you blame me?”

Taylor’s heart flipped, and she blinked back an ache in her eyes. What if he really did want to love Emily, to be a daddy? She hesitated, fear and insecurity making the decision to let him closer to her and to Emily more difficult.

“Chocolate milk, bubbles, and singing,” she finally stammered.

“What?” He sounded surprised.

“Those are Emily’s favorites. Chocolate milk, bubbles, and singing.”

“We’ll talk some more tomorrow.” He paused. “Thank you.”

She bit her lip, wondering for the hundredth time if she were doing the right thing and what the future held for her and Emily. “You’re welcome, Reece.”

Chapter Five

Two weeks later, after the test results came back proving Reece was Emily’s biological father, they arranged to meet at Lowery Park. The clear afternoon was bright and deceptively sunny. There was a distinct snap to the air, a crispness that threatened to freeze the delicate leaf buds swelling green on the trees around them. Taylor’s pulse was still elevated at the thought of introducing her daughter to Reece. She had talked with him over the phone enough to get a fairly good sense of who he was, but not enough to know how Emily would react.

“Can I talk to him?”

Taylor bundled the coat closer around Emily’s chubby neck and looked into eyes the velvet-brown color of chocolate. “Of course you can, sweetie. Why are you asking?”

“’Cause at school Miss Patterson told us never to talk to strangers. I thought strangers were people you don’t know.” Her daughter’s words transformed into white puffs of mist.

Taylor nodded with understanding. “Oh. I see.” She snuggled Emily into her lap as they waited for Reece to arrive. Deep down she wondered if he wouldn’t keep the appointment. Some professional men were always too busy with work to be bothered with their families when it mattered. Though Reece seemed interested in being a true parent, she had yet to see the proof.

“In this case we’ll make an exception, since Mommy is here with you. Okay?”

It seemed to satisfy Emily, who grinned broadly and clasped her tightly around the neck in a hug. Emily wiggled down from Taylor’s lap and extended her hands.

“Mittens, Mommy?”

Taylor fished them from her coat pocket and covered her daughter’s hands with the pink-and-purple knit. Emily clapped her hands together with a muffled slap and announced she was going to swing. Taylor watched her dash toward the cold, metal jungle gym. Her heart contracted at the sight of the little girl who was her life.

She glanced again at her cell phone. If Mr. Wallace didn’t hurry, she was going to have to call her secretary, Jane, and see if they could get the fabric swatches sent by courier to The Anchor Hotel for the owners to decide which color scheme they liked best out of the three she’d drawn up for their renovations.

“Am I that late?” His smooth, masculine tone startled her, making her jump slightly on the wooden bench. She’d been so wrapped up thinking about work that she hadn’t even heard him approaching the bench.

“A little.”

“Sorry. I got caught up with a client.”

Immediately she wondered how often that was the case, and if he’d be using that excuse when things got difficult with Emily. Her father had often enough.

He walked around the bench and sat down at the opposite end. His broad shoulders nearly touched her, and the warm, woodsy-and-citrus scent of him invaded her airspace. From his dark sable hair to the soft brown of his eyes, he was plainly Emily’s father. Even the stubborn shape of his firm jaw reminded her of her daughter. How she couldn’t have seen that before, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if the test had changed any of them. And yet it had changed everything. Taylor tried to ignore the warmth that radiated from his direction.

“Is that Emily?” he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the jungle gym.

Taylor nodded.

He bent forward, resting his arms against his legs and cupping his chin in his large hand. She expected Reece to want an instant introduction, but instead he sat there mutely, watching Emily from a distance.

“Did you want to meet her?” she prompted.

“In a minute.”

Taylor bit her lip. What was he thinking? Did Emily resemble his late wife? She found herself curious to know more about him. What had they been like together? Did he dream of his family, and how was he coping with their loss? Would he feel a connection to Emily even though he’d never met her? Taylor pushed the thoughts away and instead broke the silence hanging between them.

“I’ve pulled together some picture albums of Emily’s childhood.”

His gaze drifted up to meet hers and his warm look made her heart jump. She swallowed.

“I was thinking that if you had a chance you might like to look at them.”

He smiled at her. “I’d really like that.”

Emily’s huffing breath turned both their heads.

“Mommy, who is this?”

“Emily, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Reece Wallace.”

Emily sized him up with a glance. “Mommy says you’re her new friend, but I don’t know if I like you yet,” she stated bluntly.

Taylor groaned to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was not going as she had planned.

He seemed to take the statement in stride, grinning at the little half pint. “I’d like to be your friend, too.”

Emily took a step closer, leaning forward in a confrontational stance. “Mommy says friends care about each other. Do you care about her?”

Taylor was mortified by the direction her daughter’s questions were taking.

Reece quirked his head to one side, his gaze catching hers for a second before returning to Emily. “That’s a very good question. I think I could care a lot about both of you.”

His response surprised her, making a tiny quake shiver down her spine. Reece was a good-looking, successful guy, who seemed pretty decent. A catch by anyone’s standards. But she wasn’t just anyone, and this wasn’t just a normal situation.

Emily moved protectively toward Taylor’s knee. “My mommy is the best in the world,” she stated emphatically, placing a hand on her mother. “She takes care of me real good.”

Reece smiled. “I can tell,” he said, glancing over the little girl’s head. His eyes were deep, dark, and liquid like chocolate syrup, and shone with admiration. Taylor felt a warm ripple of appreciation wrap around her. What would it be like to have a guy like this dote on her?

Satisfied with his answer, Emily smiled, then lifted her chin with authority and placed her gloved hands once again on her narrow hips. “I have to go play now, Mr. Wallace. You and Mommy be good until I get back, okay?”

“I promise,” he replied, crossing his heart with his finger and raising his right hand. Emily tipped her head like an inquisitive puppy and stared at him for a moment before she broke into a grin, then trotted off to the jungle gym.

Taylor watched Reece out of the corner of her eye, taking in his reaction. She was touched by the gentle strength of the man sitting beside her. It was clear this was difficult for him. His back was painfully straight, his shoulders stiff, and he gripped the front edge of bench with a white-knuckled hold.

“It’s obvious that she’s well cared for and has great self-esteem. And she clearly loves you. You’ve done very well,” he said, his voice broken and stilted.

Taylor swung her head around and gave him a slight smile before looking down. “Thank you. She means the world to me.” She paused, carefully selecting her words. They were hard enough for her to say, harder still to the stranger sitting next to her who wanted to be a critical part of her life. “She seems to like you.” She bit her lip, the truth sounding distasteful to her at the moment. But who was she to judge? Emily didn’t have a past that got in the way of seeing the best in this man and she had great taste.

“She does?”

“She doesn’t smile at just anyone. She sizes them up first. Apparently you passed Emily’s test.”

Her daughter’s reaction to this man galled and intrigued her at the same time. What was it exactly that Emily saw in him from a child’s point of view? At first glance he was buttoned-up and conservative, someone too intimidating for a child. She had seen his emotions surface as he had talked with Emily. Sadness mingled with hope in his eyes, then settled back under a carefully arranged exterior. All except for the longing she saw in him now as he watched Emily play.

“I’m glad to hear it. For a moment I wasn’t sure.” He folded his hands together and focused his gaze on Emily while she played. “She seems very bright,” he murmured. “Do you have her in any enrichment programs?”

She stiffened. His question put her on edge. Enrichment programs had been another word for getting her out of the way so she wasn’t underfoot when she’d been a child. Besides it had given something else for her father to brag about. She’d determined early on to be more involved in Emily’s life than that, even if she were a single parent. She fixed her gaze directly on Reece and straightened her shoulders even more.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, Reece, but I’ve never needed anyone to tell me what to do with Emily. I hope you won’t try now.”

He turned his head to look at her. The muscle in his jaw flexed. “Right now I’d just like to know some more about the two of you,” he replied calmly.

With trembling fingers she tucked a swing of blond hair behind her ear. Perhaps she was misjudging him. Perhaps she was overreacting to her own father. But her gut reactions were hard to break. “Sorry. I guess I’m not used to sharing.” This time she gave him a smile that was warmer and more inviting. “But don’t tell Emily,” she added, pointing a warning finger at him, “I’ll get a lecture on not playing nicely.”

He snickered and visibly relaxed. “Alyssa was like that, too. If we made rules, everybody had to follow them, and she was chief rule enforcer.”

Taylor nodded, looking down and releasing some of the rigid tension in her frame. Her toe scraped a wide arc in the gravel beneath her feet. She glanced again at the photo she’d taken out of her purse. She carried Alyssa’s picture with her everywhere she went. Seeing the little girl she’d lost had enlarged a gaping hollow she hadn’t known existed. Reece was probably the only person she could share that with and the thought was unsettling and appealing all at the same time. She was wary about giving up too much to this man, afraid of what she might lose if he turned out to be less stellar than he appeared to be.

“About those albums, perhaps we could share some more stories and pictures of when they were babies, sometime. Over dinner maybe,” she volunteered and looked up.

He stared at her, then ran a tapered finger along the inside edge of his starched collar and swallowed. Her skin warmed and her stomach tightened.

“Sure. Does Emily have a favorite restaurant?”

Her heart sank a little.

She suddenly realized she’d been hoping for something more personal and intimate. A place where they could carefully dole out memories to one another and maybe build something new. Ultimately it would be for Emily’s benefit if they became better acquainted, she reassured herself. “I was thinking more along the lines of a family dinner for three.”

A smile lifted the edges of his well-defined mouth, and hunger smoldered in the depth of his gaze. “Okay, then. How about dinner at my house?”

Before she could answer, Emily’s huffing and puffing distracted them both, banishing the palpable energy building between them.

“Mommy, I’m thirsty,” she said with drama, placing her hand to her throat and massaging it as though she had spent weeks in the Sahara.

Taylor heard the rustle of a paper bag and glanced in Reece’s direction. He was bent over the arm of the bench, fishing in a grocery sack. He pulled out three pints of chocolate milk and straws, quickly offering a set to Emily and another to her.

“How about this?”

Emily looked at her mother, and when Taylor nodded her approval, the child quickly snatched at the small carton and straw, then smiled wide enough to nearly reach her ears on either side. “Yum!”

“What do you say to Mr. Wallace, Emily?”

Emily gave her mother a slightly petulant glance, then turned back to Reece.

“Thank you for the chocolate milk, Reece.”

The easy familiarity between them clawed at her like a patch of wicked brambles, tearing at her confidence and shredding her security. She raised her chin and examined Emily. Her daughter was fixated on Reece and seemed perfectly content to suck greedily at the straw and gulp down her milk. She was a child, Taylor reminded herself. She meant no harm by it.

Even so, it still hurt to see Emily so easily accept him into her world, when she’d been Emily’s parent the last four years. It hurt bad enough that she resolved not to let herself become any friendlier with Reece Wallace than was necessary. Her unusual response to him was nothing more than sheer lack of any male company for the past four years, she assured herself. She’d already slipped, but could easily put some distance between them. Next time she’d be ready for the unwanted feelings and push them away. Like everything else in her life, this had to be about Emily.

“When you finish your milk, Emily, you need to go get Eddie so we can go
home
.”

Emily stopped drinking. “Why?”

“Because we still have a lot to do today.”

“Like what?”

Taylor’s patience was wearing thin. “Like painting a picture to send to Grandma for her birthday and feeding your fish after we run some errands.”

Emily looked longingly at Reece. “Can he come, too?”

It was the last dip in an already emotional roller coaster. Taylor nibbled at her lip and stifled back angry tears. Why did Emily seem so drawn to him when she’d only just met him? Hadn’t she been the one there when Emily was sick in the middle of the night? Or there when she was hungry or tired or sad? Somehow it just didn’t seem fair, and while Taylor knew logically she was being irrational about her daughter’s reactions to Reece, it still stung.

“Maybe we can see each other again another day, Emily,” Reece said quietly. “I really had fun meeting you today, but I think your mom is tired.” His gaze flicked from Emily to her.

Emily’s casual use of his first name had taken him aback as well. She could see that now. Th
ere were creases in his brow and a wet sheen to his eyes. His smile trembled at the corners. Her heart softened, blunting the edge of her frustration and misplaced irritation, but not her resolve.

He cupped a big hand around Emily’s tiny shoulder. “Why don’t you take her home?”

Emily glanced back at her, then nodded. She leaned forward, getting close to his ear in a conspiratorial manner, but Taylor heard her high voice all the same.

“I’m going to take Mommy home now. I’ll tell you when she gets better.”

He smiled and winked at Emily.