A Match Made in Wilde (Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2)

“I was about to.”

“Tell me what?”

Greg kissed her tenderly. “You’re going to meet your daughter tomorrow.”

Chapter Seventeen

Grant walked on one side of the love of his life, and his brother, Greg, walked on the other side.

With his arm around Maude, he could feel her trembles. Because she was so nervous, Maude barely took any notice of how nice the home was—a modern ranch with perfectly groomed grounds. It was a gem, sitting on a hill with a spectacular view of the ocean.

“You ready, honey?” Greg asked her.

Taking a deep breath, she timidly rang the doorbell.

A very well-dressed couple opened the door. They looked to be in their late thirties. The man wore an expensive-looking suit, and the woman had on a soft blue dress. They both seemed as nervous as Maude.

“You must be Maude,” the woman said, extending her hand to her.

“I am,” she answered. “And you must be Dale and Tina.”

“We are,” the man answered. “Please. Come in.”

The inside of the home was just as beautiful as the outside, furnished with the finest décor. The file that Uncle Jack had shared last night with them had a lot of information on Dale and Tina. The couple owned several successful restaurants around San Diego.

“Please have a seat,” Tina said. “I’m sure you have many questions for us. And we have some things we’d like to share with you.”

Maude took a deep breath and sat. He and Greg took seats on either side of her.

“First of all,” Tina said, “we want to thank you very much for the little girl you gave us. I tried many years to have a child, but could not. She put happiness in our home.”

“Did you know that I didn’t want to give her up?” Maude asked. “I was so young. I had no choice.”

Dale didn’t say anything, and neither did he or Greg. Being men, they all seemed to know that the best course was to let these two mothers work things out.

“Maude, I wouldn’t have known at all, but when we picked up the baby, your letter was with her. The adoption agency did respect your request and gave it to us. I still have it. I will tell you, although I was so happy to have Kaylyn, my heart broke for your sacrifice. We immediately called the adoption agency and tried to find you. Your parents had the records sealed. So we never knew where you were. And now, eight years later, you have come into our lives, and I know you want to see our little girl. We want to grant you that because you gave us such a special gift. I only ask you don’t tell her who you are. I honestly don’t believe she’s old enough to know all of this. Can you agree to these terms if we let you see her?”

“I would never want to hurt her. I just wanted to know everything I could about her. Did she have good parents? Could they provide for her? Now I know.” Maude grabbed his and Greg’s hands and squeezed. “I won’t tell Kaylyn who I am, and I want to thank you for this opportunity that I never thought I would have.”

Tears streamed down both Tina’s and Maude’s eyes.

“I promise you,” Tina said, “I will keep you informed of everything that Kaylyn does for the rest of your life. Also, expect pictures, Maude. Because they will come.”

Maude and Tina stood and embraced each other.

Grant smiled, knowing that he, Greg, and Dale had just witnessed something quite special—two mothers coming together for the love of one little girl.

“Let’s go meet your daughter,” Tina said.

They all walked into the backyard.

The moment he saw Kaylyn, he recognized her as Maude’s daughter. They looked so much alike. The little girl was running around the lawn with a brown puppy.

“Kaylyn, come over here, sweetie,” Tina said. “I want you to meet some old friends.”

“Do they want to meet Duke?”

Maude got down on her knees. “Yes, I would love to meet him, Kaylyn.”