The Switched Baby Scandal (A Scandals of San Sebastian Novel) (Entangled Bliss) (5 page)

Taylor had difficulty finding her voice, and when she did it cracked. “About dinner…we’ll let you know when it fits into our schedule. I want to see how Emily handles all of this before I commit her or myself to anything more.”

Reece nodded. Emily bounced over to her, a smile dimpling her cheeks. “Come on, Mommy. It’s time to go. Eddie’s going to be awfully hungry when we get
home.”

Taylor rose, slipped her purse onto her shoulder, and grasped Emily’s hand. She took a last look at the man on the bench. His thick, dark hair was barely ruffled by the spring breeze and he leaned forward on his knees as if an enormous burden weighed on his back.

“And thank you again for the picture,” she added lamely, holding up the small piece of paper in her free hand.

He smiled and waved.

…

Reece watched them walk away. He twisted the gold band on his finger. “It’s nothing compared to what I’ll be asking you to give me,” he whispered to himself, knowing that regardless of how well their meetings had gone she’d be hurt when he asked for joint custody. He wasn’t happy about hurting her—didn’t want to—but he needed to be part of Emily’s life in every sense, including being responsible for her welfare, and there was no other way around it.

He wanted to legally be her father, and right now her birth certificate didn’t show it. He’d had his staff assistant, Jay, do enough research into the legal implications to know that he had to assert his claim to custody in court to validate the biological bond. But he also knew that it was risky. There was every chance that Taylor would fight him on the paperwork, even though his intentions were to care for Emily. She loved Emily. That much was crystal clear. The question was could he prove that he fit into Emily’s life enough for her to accept it?

He couldn’t go home. Not after this. The suffocating sense of loss at the house would overwhelm him, making the heavy weight in his chest press down even harder.

Emily looked everything and nothing like Becca. The dark, glossy hair that swung about her shoulders had red strands of light playing in it, just as Becca’s had the day they met. Her nose, like Becca’s, was pert and of pixie perfection, but the eyes—those eyes were too close to the ones he saw when he looked in the mirror each morning. They had unnerved him. It was like looking at the precious innocence of his own youth for an unclouded instant.

Perhaps more shocking was how much Emily’s small voice made him long for Alyssa. It was bittersweet. One daughter made him only need the other more.

Behind the wheel he found himself driving toward the historic section of San Sebastian where Main Street clung to a bluff overlooking the sea.

After he parked, he crossed the narrow street to the small florist shop nestled among the brick-fronted boutiques. He came out with two roses wrapped in translucent, white tissue paper and two stuffed animals tucked under his arm.

A low stone wall surrounded the graveyard, which was dotted with gray and white headstones between bonsai-like pine trees shaped over the years by the wind. He needed to talk. More rightly, he needed to be listened to.

He passed into the solemn quiet of the graveyard, the dull roar of the waves crashing on the cliffs below in the background and the tang of salt spray in the air.

His feet dragged, and when he came to the spot he knelt in his familiar place, the neatly cut grass a soft cushion under him. His fingers caressed the glass-smooth surface of Alyssa’s headstone, dipping in to feel the little, chubby angel carved on it and then slowly tracing each letter of her name. He laid the pink rose at the base of the stone. His throat ached and his eyes burned. He placed the small plush teddy bear beside the flower and swallowed so he could speak.

“Hi, pumpkin. Daddy’s here. I miss you.” He swallowed again. “I’ve got some news to tell you. I’ve found someone very important to me. She’s funny and bright just like—” His voice cracked, and he could no longer hold back the tears.

Alone, with the light breeze tugging at him, he let them come trickling hot and wet down his cheeks. The pain pierced him, knotting thick in his chest.

This was harder than he had anticipated. He clutched the small, stuffed zebra in his hand. It was for Emily. She already had a favorite bear, so this had seemed more appropriate. He wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and lifted his face to take a breath.

In that moment, the pain of knowing he could do nothing for Alyssa transformed slightly into a greater determination to do everything he could for Emily. He would work to be part of her life no matter what the cost. He looked down at the bright glass eyes of the little zebra and the ache began to recede. By sharing what he could of Alyssa with Emily and her mother, his little girl could still live on, still be remembered, still be loved.

He patted the cold stone. “Good-bye, sweetie. Daddy will come and visit you really soon.”

Reece rose slowly and turned to Rebecca’s grave. “Hi, Becca.” He gently placed the red rose beside his wife’s memorial. While their marriage had never been passionate, Becca had always been his best friend and her sudden loss had left a gap he’d never filled.

His voice was ragged. “I suppose you heard me talking to Alyssa. It’s true. I’ve seen our daughter. Emily…looks like you in so many ways.” He pressed his lips firmly together. “I don’t know where this will all go, but I’m going to keep my promise, Becca…I’ll take care of her.”

For a moment he recalled Taylor. His physical reaction to her made his gut churn with uncertainty now. There was no doubt he found her attractive, and sitting next to her on the bench he had caught the whiff of Becca’s favorite perfume. His mind turned back to the headstone beside him.

“There’s one more thing. Alyssa’s birth mother, Taylor, she’s part of this, too. I can see how much Emily means to her.” He stood up. “I’ll let you know how things with Emily go.”

He stepped back from the graves and buttoned his black raincoat against the wind. As he trudged back to his car parked at the curb just outside the gates, Reece knew something for certain.

Nothing was ever going to be the same.

Chapter Six

Taylor ripped the court summons in half, then started to cry.

Although she’d held out hope Reece would avoid seeking custody for a while, the papers confirmed it. He planned to go forward with the courts. Taylor gave a harsh rub to her cheeks, whisking away the tears. It was just like a man to be nice to a woman’s face and then go behind her back and attempt to take her child as if he were casually shopping for a new tie. Perhaps she had mistaken his open manner for genuine interest and kindness, but she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. But, then, who was she kidding? She’d already made that mistake over and over again, trusting guys to do the right thing and then getting burned for it.

She hated to see him, but if she backed out of dinner, she would lose her only connection to the baby she’d never gotten to hold. For months she had felt her little girl roll and kick inside her stomach. She couldn’t have known she’d never see her little face again or nuzzle the soft supple crease of her baby’s neck. Her chest ached. As much as Emily had transformed her life, she now knew something was missing that could never be replaced.

Under any other circumstance she would have gleefully told him hell would freeze over before he’d see Emily again. But that wasn’t an option. Reece was the only way she could get to know the daughter she would never meet. He had the memories, the pictures of Alyssa. She had nothing of her little girl. And she couldn’t deny he was in pain, too. He was Emily’s biological father—and a family law attorney who could probably get the judge to do anything he liked. The ache intensified at the thought.

Taylor shrugged on a clean black sweater and a pair of jeans, then shoved her hair into a ponytail. She had no intention of dressing up for Reece’s benefit. Emily, on the other hand, refused to wear anything but her fanciest party dress, a mixture of pink satin, with a skirt of tulle and lace that only a grandmother could buy without wincing at the price tag.

“Emily, this is just dinner at Mr. Wallace’s house. What about your pink jumper?”

“No, Mommy. This is special. I’m going to dinner at Reece’s house for the first time.”

Taylor winced. The familiarity stung even worse, now that she knew Reece’s intentions. At least Emily didn’t know about her connection to Reece. That would have only complicated things.

She bundled Emily into the car along with Eddie the bear and half-a-dozen picture albums, still seething about the impact Reece had on
her
daughter’s behavior after only one meeting. She would put aside her anger and her frustration to grasp at what she could of her missing daughter. If nothing else, that alone would make the uncomfortable dinner worthwhile.

…

Reece watched them drive up to the gated entrance in front of his house and exhaled a sigh of relief. He’d been pacing, hoping that the mail hadn’t been too efficient in getting the court summons to Taylor, and worrying that if it had, she would blow off dinner before he could explain his intentions. He pushed the electronic button for the gate. They slipped through into the large, circular drive.

As he heard the car wheels crunch to a stop, he made a quick check in the foyer mirror, smoothing back his hair, especially the lock that tended to flip forward over his forehead.

He’d carefully prepared the meal and set the table for the first time in months. In reality, it was the first time he’d had any reason to. He was more comfortable dining alone in front of the television or at the kitchen table than in the large dining room with its ornate crystal chandelier and mirrored wall.

Tonight, however, was special in more ways than one. The clear, dulcet chimes of the doorbell echoed in the tiled foyer, and Reece reached for the thick oak door. As he opened it, two different faces greeted him. One was as dark as the night and the other like spring sunshine.

His gaze flicked first to Emily’s brilliant smile and bright eyes sparkling with delight. His heart jumped, glad to see such joy in her. But the joy crumbled quickly when his eyes met Taylor’s. She was cold and distant, her mouth grim and her fingers in a white-knuckled hold on the albums in her arms.

Damn.

The summons had gotten there early.

He gave her credit for showing up anyway. She obviously was willing to go to great lengths for Emily. He smiled as warmly as he could under her ruthless stare. “Please come in.”

Taylor allowed Emily to tug impatiently at her hand and lead her past him into the foyer.

He bent his knees, squatting down to Emily’s level. “I hope you’re hungry. I made enough for Eddie, too.”

“Good, Reece, because I’m very hungry.” Emily made a show of grabbing her stomach and tipping her head back in anguish.

“That’s a very pretty dress you have on, Emily. Did your mama pick that out for you?” He glanced at Taylor, whose quirked brow told him the answer before Emily said a word.

“No. She wanted me to wear my old pink jumper, but I wanted to wear my best dress.” She opened the edges of her jacket to show off more of her dress. “Do you really like it? Pink is my favorite color. Look what I can do!” She spun in a circle, her netting skirt flaring out in a twist of pink froth.

Reece laughed, keenly aware of how good it felt to experience a child’s joy. “That’s great! I didn’t know you were a ballerina.”

“I can even dance on my toes.” To prove her point Emily danced on her tiptoes into the next room, leaving Reece alone with Taylor.

He looked at her and took a deep breath. A jolt of awareness shimmied through him, making him sensitive to her scent, heat, and presence. She was rigid, and he wanted to comfort her but knew he’d placed that distance between them through his actions. No matter how close he was physically, she was holding an emotional gap between them.

“I didn’t do it to hurt you. I was trying to do everything by the book so I have the right to visit Emily and give her every benefit I can.”

She stiffened. “I’m not here to talk about it, Reece, so just save your breath. Obviously we’re going to do that in court. I’m here for only two things, Emily and Alyssa.”

“I just want to help shoulder the legal responsibility of caring for Emily emotionally, physically, and financially, and I have to go through the courts to do that. Is that so bad?”

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes clouding with a deeper emotion, then looked away, the rigid set of her body softening. “No.”

“Then can we at least call a truce for the evening, for Emily’s sake?”

…

Taylor nodded, then shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to him before she followed Emily into a beautifully furnished living room. She spared it a brief glance as she looked for her daughter. “Emily, where are you?”

The little girl popped up from behind the arm of the massive black leather sofa. “Here I am!”

Taylor noticed that several of the coffee-table books on the elegant chrome-and-glass table in front of the couch were flipped open, their covers untucked and hanging open. One sat overturned on the floor. Apparently, Emily was making herself right at home and had even dumped her jacket in a pile on the floor.

Of course who wouldn’t want to be at home in a place like this? She crooked a finger for Emily to come to her, then took a second, better look at the room. She was impressed with the simple lines, cool colors, and intrinsic balance. A large, round mirror hung over the hearth. “Did you have them use Feng Shui when they decorated?”

She glanced at Reece, and he was smiling. “You have a good eye for detail.”

“Most interior designers do.”

There was a tug at the bottom of her sweater. “Mommy, did you know that there are five books on the table?”

“Are there? I see you were looking at them. Which picture was your favorite?”

Emily pointed to the green field dotted with wildflowers and accented with an abandoned rope and plank swing shaded by a great oak tree under a cloudless blue sky. “Reece, do you have a swing like that?”

Before Reece had time to answer, Taylor set the albums she’d been carrying on the coffee table and took Emily’s hand protectively in her own. “Perhaps Mr. Wallace will show us some more pictures later.”

“I’d like that.” Emily pulled at her arm, then reached out and grabbed Reece’s hand so that she stood between them. Taylor looked over at him and saw a sadness in his face that made her feel petty. She might not feel like sharing, but this wasn’t about her. It was about Emily. It always had been. She needed to remember that.

“What’s for dinner?”

He gave Emily a big grin that split Taylor’s heart. She couldn’t blame Emily for responding to him. How could any woman resist that smile and those dimples?

“How does macaroni and cheese grab you?”

Emily’s brow furrowed. “Reece,” her voice was exasperated, “mac and cheese doesn’t grab you, you
eat
it.”

Reece laughed. “Of course, you’re right. Shall we find some to eat?”

“Yes!”

The trio walked into the adjoining dining room.

Emily’s eyes were wide with excitement. “We’re eating macaroni and cheese in here?”

“I thought we could.”

“But this is the big-people table.”

“And you’re a very big girl.”

Emily grinned. “Yes. Yes I am,” she said, nodding. She let go of Taylor’s hand and scrambled up into one of the velvet-and-cherrywood chairs.

Dinner was centered around Emily’s chatter. She feasted on macaroni and cheese, green peas, baby carrots, and a tall glass of chocolate milk while Reece and Taylor enjoyed a filet mignon with tender roasted vegetables and red wine.

All throughout dinner, Taylor watched them. At times, it was almost more than she could take. The ease with which Emily and Reece communicated made her feel like an outsider—as though somehow the blood bond with Emily was stronger than her own—causing her anger and frustration to grow.

“Emily, I have a special present for you. Why don’t we go and get it?”

The little girl scooted down off her chair, then belatedly looked at her mother. “May I be excused?”

Taylor smiled, glad that Emily could remember her manners even though she was excited by the idea of a gift.

“Yes, and thank you for such nice manners.” She nodded, and Emily skipped off after Reece.

Emily returned minutes later, a stuffed zebra with a rainbow of ribbons threaded through the mane and around the top of the tail tucked under her arm.

“Look, Mommy! Look what Reece got me. I’m going to name her Jessie.”

She glanced at Reece and noticed that he was fully fixed on Emily and her enjoyment. It seemed like a small thing to grant him, without giving any other ground.

“She’s very nice. Why don’t you bring her with us while we go and look at baby pictures?”

Emily grinned.

Taylor gathered Emily’s baby albums and followed Reece. In the hall, they passed a large, framed family photo. Taylor glanced at it long enough to know that the petite brunette and smiling blond baby were his late wife and Alyssa. Beside it was a wedding photo. The pair didn’t look much different from their family picture. Perhaps they had only been married a short time before they’d had their child.

My child
.

Taylor realized that Reece and Emily were halfway up the stairs and hurried to catch up.

Upstairs, they stopped in front of a hall door, which Reece swung open. It was rather like walking into the interior of a big pink bubble of gum. The color was only relieved here and there by the neutral beige carpeting and the myriad of stuffed animals in different shapes, sizes, and colors. For a moment her heart squeezed, then slowly released and started beating again. Here is where her baby had slept and played. Here is where she’d been happy.

“Whose room is this?” Emily asked, running her fingers along the ruffles of the bedspread.

“It was Alyssa’s,” Reece said when Taylor’s mouth refused to form words. She was grateful he’d answered Emily when she clearly couldn’t. She swallowed hard against the thickness in her throat and the pressure on her chest, trying to draw in a sip of air.

“Who is Alyssa?” Emily persisted.

“She was your stepsister,” Reece supplied.

Emily stared up at him intently. “My stepsister?”

Reece looked at Taylor, his brow creased. It was painfully evident that he wanted her approval even though they’d already agreed on how to introduce Emily to the subject.

“Yes. Alyssa was your stepsister,” Taylor said slowly.

Emily bounced on her feet, clasping her little hands together with delight. “Where is she?” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “She has such a pretty room. Can we play?”

Taylor reached forward and wrapped an arm around Emily. “She’s in heaven, sweetie.”

Emily twisted in her mother’s grasp and stared wide-eyed at her and then Reece. “You mean my sister’s an angel?” Her words came out full of wonder and awe.

Taylor nodded.

Emily wrinkled her forehead in thought. “What happened to her?”

Taylor stroked her daughter’s dark hair, sorrow collecting heavy and hot in her breast. She forced herself to hold back the tears that came whenever she looked at Alyssa’s photo and even more so now that she was in Alyssa’s room. If she cried now it might upset Emily, and so even though it hurt beyond measure, she held it together. “She died in a car accident, baby. That’s when she went to be an angel.”

“When can she come back?”

“Once you’re an angel, you can’t come back here to stay. They need you up in heaven to sing.” The words hurt more to say than Taylor could have imagined. It suddenly made it all too real, too tangible to be standing here surrounded by the shadows of Alyssa’s short life and not able to have been part of it.

Emily nodded as if in deep thought. “That means she’s not here to play with, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right. But we’re going to look at some pictures of her. Would you like to do that with us?”

Emily shrugged. “I guess.” She walked forward a few steps, then yanked hard on Taylor’s hand. “Mommy, do you think she can teach me to fly?”

Reece chuckled.

Emily looked perturbed. Taylor glared at him. Explaining death to a child wasn’t humorous and it was obvious Emily had her own ideas. Her daughter looked up at Reece and scowled at him, her small hands balled into knots at her slender hips.