“I’m so sorry,” she whispers.
“No. This isn’t your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. You said earlier today that you believe me, that Kendrix is mine. Do you remember?”
“No. But she looks like you.”
“That’s it? That’s what you’re going off?”
“That and the fact that my gut tells me what you’re saying is true. What would be your motivation? Since the moment you laid eyes on me, you’ve been dedicated to me believing that we meant something to each other. You’ve been patient with me, and the sparkle in your eyes when you gaze at me… it’s a look I’ve never seen before. At least not directed at me. And when you talked to her today, your eyes lit up. Why would you be happy to talk to my daughter if she wasn’t yours as well? You believe it, and in my gut, I feel as though I can trust you. That the words you say are true.”
“And your mother?”
“I’m waiting to talk to her face-to-face. I want to watch her reaction when I talk to her. When I ask her about you, about why she lied to me.”
“Do you want me there with you?”
She reaches over and rests her hand on my arm. “No, but thank you for offering.”
“When do I get to see her? Kendrix?”
“Well, the test is Friday at the house, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll be working all day I suspect.”
“I will be, yes.”
“And you told our daughter that you would teach her how to hammer a nail?”
I can’t hide my grin when she says “our daughter” or the excitement I feel at her words. “Are you going to let me do that?”
“We can’t tell her who you really are until we get the results. Not because I don’t believe you. I do, and I want to. I want you to be her father. I just… I think I need to have that paper in my hand, you know? I need to have concrete proof because my mind isn’t there. All these years I’ve had no other choice but to believe what others have told me. I had no reason to believe they were telling me lies, and now this. Now I find you. I just want the proof. I need it.”
I understand where she’s coming from. I hate it, but I understand it. “Okay.”
“Just like that? No argument?”
“No. I want to spend time with her. I want to get to know my daughter. Besides, it’s just a few days, a week tops until we can tell her who I am. I can tell you this. I’ve lost almost five years with her. I won’t lose another day. I will be in her life. I don’t know what that means for the three of us, but I know what it means for me and Kendrix. I’ll be where she is.” There is conviction in my voice.
“I’d like that” is her reply, and I admit it’s not the one I was expecting.
“We have dinner to get to. We’re already late.” Facing forward, I put on my seat belt and glance over to make sure that she’s buckled in as well before driving the rest of the way to Seth’s place. I park behind Ridge and turn off the truck. “Ready?” I ask her.
“What if they don’t like me?”
“Impossible. They know what you mean to me.”
“You told them?”
“No. Ridge knows. The guys all know we had something in the past. But, Laney, I never bring anyone with me. You being here, that tells them all that they need to know. You’re important to me.”
“Do they know about Kendrix?”
“Ridge does. The others, I haven’t told them yet. And,” I say, not giving her time to think negatively, “before you analyze why, I just needed to wrap my head around it all. And my friends, well, they rally. Not in a bad way, but once they find out, they’re going to pull you into the fold, and you become one of us.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Yeah? Well, all right then. Looks like I got an announcement to make. Family dinner tonight has a reason after all.”
“You don’t have to tell them tonight. I mean, we can wait for the results.”
“Why? I know it and you know it. I can’t wait for the other kids to meet her.” With that, I open the door and climb out of the truck. She meets me in front, and I lace my fingers with hers. “This okay?”
“Yeah, this is okay.”
Hand in hand, we walk to the front door. I don’t bother knocking—none of us ever do. We’re family, and we all have an open-door policy. “Hello!” I call. I hear Knox yell, “Uncle Kent,” and lots of little feet as they come barreling down the hall.Chapter 9DelaneyLittle people are everywhere. As soon as Kent calls out our arrival, they swarm to us, smiling and laughing and vying for their uncle Kent’s attention. He releases my hand and drops to his knees, passing out hugs and hellos. My heart swells and cracks at the same time—something I never knew was possible. My little girl missed out on this. She missed the love of this man, his hugs, and his smiles. His love.