Daddy Undercover (Crescent Cove 9)

“That’s the truth.”

We walked through the revolving doors, her booted heels clicking over the marble floor. It was a pretty swanky building. Evidently, Preston was doing well for himself. I wasn’t quite sure how that was true with the basement price he was charging me. Then again, family law wasn’t exactly his specialty. His was more of a broken marriage clientele.

His assistant met us at the elevators and led us to a conference room.

“Mr. Shaw will be right in.”

“Thanks.”

Bee shrugged out of her coat and headed to the windows to look down at the park. She folded her coat over her arm and fussed with a button.

“This is pretty much just a formality, but I appreciate you coming with me.”

She gave me a half smile. “Of course.”

I draped my coat on one of the chairs, then rubbed my hands together. I knew there weren’t going to be any real answers today, but nerves still buzzed under my skin. I didn’t even know if Preston had found Trina.

“Bee, we really need to—”

The door opened. Preston stepped inside and I swallowed down what I was going to say. He was a tall guy, a few inches taller than me, in a navy Brooks Brothers suit that definitely didn’t come off the rack. “Hey, Jared. Thanks for coming in so fast.”

“I’d like to get all of this moving as quickly as possible.”

Preston crossed to Bee and held out his hand. “You must be Gina?”

She shook his hand. “Yes. Thanks for helping Jared, Mr. Shaw.”

“Preston, please.” His smile was professional and a little stiff. Preston had always been a bit on the formal side. “Let me take your coat.” She handed it over. He quickly hung it on a peg behind the door. “Please, sit down.”

I sat next to Gina and clasped my hands under the table.

Preston slid a folder down in front of us. “The lab sent a copy of the report to you, but since you signed off for a copy to be sent to me, I got a digital one from the clinic.”

My knee started bouncing under the table. “And?”

Preston smiled. “You are definitely the father.”

I let out a slow breath. Gina’s hand settled on my knee and I stopped jittering. “Good.”

“Yes, very good. You told me you wanted to keep the baby regardless, but this makes things easier.”

Gina’s head swiveled to stare at me. “You did?”

“Of course.” I covered her hand. “She’s mine.” I ached to say ours, but I didn’t want to upset her. That word seemed off-limits lately. And I was going to get to the bottom of that today.

“Yes, we’d have a much harder road to travel, but I’ve seen it done before. However, we don’t have to worry about that. We’ve located the baby’s biological mother. She was very worried she was in legal trouble for leaving the baby with you, but once I explained you weren’t looking to file charges, she’s been much easier to speak with.”

The three-hundred-pound weight of worry dropped off me instantly. I clutched Gina’s hand on my knee. “I’d looked into her, but I was afraid I’d hurt my chances of keeping Sami if I did anything untoward.”

“I appreciate that. It makes my job much easier with the judge. You have a great reputation and the few people I pooled for references—”

“You did what?”

Preston gave me a brief smile. “It was easier to go about getting references without your knowledge so I could get an accurate assessment. Again, I knew I wouldn’t have issues. You’re a stand-up man, Jared. Your town respects you greatly.”

I swallowed and looked down at the table. Being a man of law and order in town meant I didn’t always make the Christmas card list. I was fair, but I wasn’t a pushover. “That’s very nice to hear.”

“And with that, I have just a few things for you to read over and sign. We’ll file the petition for all parental rights for Samantha Mae to be yours. Trina will not have any legal rights to the baby, but if you choose to allow her into your daughter’s life in the future, we can revisit things.”