Ties That Bind (29 page)

L
ovina's insides quaked, and she feared she would have to use the sickness bag that Quill had brought her.

How could this be happening? Every part of her kept screaming,
Nooooo!

And yet here she sat. Quill's car was in Park, idling quietly and blowing cold air on her face as he crossed the road and went up the walkway to Brandi's home.

She watched as he knocked on the door. Quill assured her that Skylar was at school right now and no one would be home except Brandi. Isaac hadn't come. Ariana had needed his help repairing the front stoop at the café. The benefit was four days away, and as the time drew closer to tell Ariana the truth, Lovina found it almost impossible to breathe. Or sleep. Or eat.

Why had she pushed to dive quickly into the truth? She knew why. Fear for Skylar. She'd seemed so sad while singing that her dreams of dying were the best ones she'd ever had.

Quill stood on the porch, waiting for Brandi to open the door. He would talk with her by himself first, explaining the basics. If Brandi wanted to see Lovina, then Lovina would oblige her. But they were hoping not to overwhelm the poor mom. The news was enough to send anyone over the edge.

The door finally opened, and after a couple of minutes of the two talking, Quill went inside. Lovina rocked back and forth, cradling her aching stomach while willing herself not to throw up. Maybe she should have gone with Quill. Would that have been better or worse for Brandi? Who knew what was best in a crazy situation like this?

Minutes passed. About the time Lovina thought she couldn't stand much more, the front door of the home opened again. Quill stepped out and gestured toward his car. Brandi stood there, her feet bare, wearing jeans and a baggy sweater. The woman didn't look nearly as old as she had to be. Wasn't she at least forty by now?

Brandi said something, and Quill paused, talking with her. She looked angry rather than shocked or scared. The two headed toward the vehicle. Should Lovina get out? Quill motioned for her to lower the window, but no matter what button she pushed, the window didn't move. He opened the door, lowered the window, and eased the door almost shut again.

“Lovina, this is Brandi Nash. Brandi, this is Lovina Brenneman.”

Lovina couldn't think of a thing to say, and maybe Brandi couldn't either because she just kept looking at her.

Quill propped his hand on the door. “Brandi is having some difficulty believing that this might be true. I told her that there is an auction this Saturday and that it might help her to see Ariana as much as it helped you to see Skylar.”

“You're not taking my daughter.” Brandi wrapped her open sweater around her as if holding on for dear life. “But Skylar and I had discussed driving to Amish country, so maybe we'll—”

“No.” Lovina gasped, her heart racing. “Sorry. I mean, that's not a good idea. You could come, you and…anyone else. But I've seen Skylar, and she's a mirror image of my oldest daughter. She will stand out, and we haven't told Ariana yet.”

“Look, you seem upset at the wacky idea you've conjured up about this baby swap twenty years ago, and I was just trying to be nice about it.” She tilted her head back, jaw set and looking offended. “It doesn't matter who my daughter favors. She
is
mine, not yours! Are we clear on that?”

Lovina understood now why Quill had closed the door after he lowered the window. He wanted a barrier between this woman's anger and Lovina. But she didn't care if Brandi hit her. She had to get out of this vehicle and face her eye to eye. Lovina pushed against the door, giving Quill a look that said he needed to move. Quill released the door.

Her legs wobbled as she got her feet under her. “If the thought of the two babies being switched has never crossed your mind, I can't imagine how crazy it sounds. While in labor I…I embroidered a pair of baby feet on the bottom of a pink blanket that the midwife wrapped my daughter in.”

Brandi's rage seemed to slough off her face. “I…I have that blanket.” She looked from Quill to Lovina. “The blankets got mixed up. That's all.”

“Maybe. But I no longer think so. If you saw how much my eldest daughter favors Skylar, you would have doubts too.”

“No!” Brandi jerked her head downward once, as if that settled the matter. “I will not listen to this crap!”

Quill rubbed the back of his neck. “A simple DNA test will settle the matter.”

“Are you people deaf? I won't be a part of this. Skylar is my life!”

“My Ariana has white-blond hair like yours and beautiful green-blue eyes similar to yours—only more like polished emeralds.”

Brandi's anger seemed to pause for a moment. Quill pulled out his cell phone, touched a few places on it, and held it up to Brandi.

Brandi stared at it, unmoving, and then she snatched the phone and held it closer to her face. “I'm…looking…at…” She glanced up, terror on her face. “She favors…my…” Brandi shoved the phone back at Quill. “How could something like this happen? How are you people so ill equipped that something like this could happen?” Her rant echoed off the nearby houses.

“I asked the midwife the same question, and I'm sure I sounded just as upset when I did. I'm furious and scared, and I wish I knew for sure what was the right thing to do.” Tears rolled down Lovina's face.

“It's not the same for you. Skylar is everything to me. I…I have only one child!”

“Now that we know what may be true, what choice do we have? To lie to our daughters for the rest of their lives?”

“I intend to protect my girl and keep her from people like you!”

When Lovina had first faced this possibility, she'd had some of the same thoughts and feelings, except she trusted that Ariana was strong enough to deal with the truth. “What about the young woman who is your child? I won't lie to her for the rest of my days. I can't do it. If you need time to adjust, we'll give you more time.”

“What do you hope to gain by doing this?”

Lovina thought it best to keep those thoughts to herself. If Skylar had been raised in a manner that gave Lovina a sense of peace, would she be interested in uncovering the truth? She didn't know. That scenario hadn't been presented to her, and she hadn't thought about it. But the truth being revealed could backfire on her whole family and the Nash family. “I'm not sure anyone gains, but God's hand is in it, and He has revealed it for a reason. I believe that.”

“You dare blame God. I hate when people do that.” Brandi tightened her folded arms. “This is human error, hopefully yours, not the midwife's.”

“I hope that too. But nothing short of DNA testing will confirm it.”

Brandi crossed her arms, staring at Lovina. “I'll think about it.”

“But—”

“That's fine for now,” Quill assured her. “Lovina, she needs time to think, just as you and Isaac did.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “This is my phone number. You can call me at any time. Lovina and Isaac plan to tell Ariana the truth next week, probably Monday or Tuesday. That gives you a week to adjust, but if that's moving too fast and you feel you need another week or perhaps a little more, let us know.”

Brandi looked at the paper. “Is that what you said your name was?”

“Quill Schlabach. Yes, that's what I said when I introduced myself at the door.”

“You're the former Amish guy who asked to see my daughter's driver's license.”

“Yes, I explained that in the house. I'm sure you're able to take in only so much information right now, but you can call me at any time. I needed to know her birth date as a way of verifying if our suspicions had any real foundation. After Ariana knows the truth, she and her mom will go in for DNA testing.”

“She could refuse, you know.”

“She could?” Lovina turned to Quill.

He half shrugged and half nodded. “As an adult, she has that right, but Ariana won't go against what you and Isaac ask of her.” He angled his head, catching Brandi's eye. “What about Skylar?”

“There is no way I'm upsetting her with this nonsense! I'll simply have some blood work done during her routine pee-in-a-cup drug testing. I've done that before to check on her iron levels, so she won't think a thing about it. That way when this all turns out to be fear-mongering lies, she'll be left unscathed.”

“Drug testing?” Lovina couldn't imagine why a beautiful young woman would need to be tested for drugs. Was she on medication of some type? Some of those required routine tests?

Brandi wagged her finger at Lovina. “Don't you dare stand in front of my house with your backwoods religion, glaring in my face while you judge me!”

Lovina's eyes burned with tears. The woman's body language was so much like Ariana's—little things, like the way she angled her head and bit one side of her lower lip when thinking and held her hand just so while pointing. Did that indicate genetic characteristics? Was that even possible? Or was her mind playing tricks on her because Ariana and Brandi favored each other?

Quill stepped between them. “If you have the right to receive those kinds of reports on your daughter, I can see how that plan would work for your family. And I think it's a good one.”

It wouldn't work for Ariana. She hadn't been to the doctor in years. Besides that, Lovina wouldn't trick her.

Brandi pointed at Quill. “You stay away from my daughter. I'll have her tested tomorrow, and I'll have the results back within a week or two. Then all this business will be cleared up, and after that if you ever come close to my Sky Blue again, you'll be lucky if all I do is call the police or get a lawyer. Have I made myself clear?”

The hills of Kentucky were awash in a golden glow as the sun slid below the horizon. Quill's fingertips barely touched the steering wheel of his car as he guided the vehicle onto the concrete driveway of his home. With the benefit in three days, he could've easily continued staying at the temp house in Pennsylvania. The rented trailer would have kept him near the current job site for Schlabach Home Builders and within two hours of the café. But he was drained, desperate for a night in his own bed, an evening to recharge. Part of what recharged him was long drives, so he never minded the seven-hour trip between Summer Grove and home. It gave him time to think and listen to the radio.