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“I’m guessing Hazel encouraged you to work so she could cover up the lie,” she said.
“There was only a few weeks difference, so she probably figured she could keep me in the dark as long as I didn’t show up and ask questions,” he said. “She said everything was going fine and that she wanted me to save days off for when the babies made their appearance.” He shook his head. “I should have been there for her and then she wouldn’t have felt the need to lie.”
“It might have been denial on her part or wishful thinking,” she advised. It wasn’t unusual for someone to hide from a scary truth until they couldn’t any longer. “Did you have a conversation with her before she—”
“No,” he interjected before she could finish her sentence—a sentence she didn’t want to finish. “Because her death was unexpected. I’d like to believe she would have handled things differently if she’d known that day would have been her last.”
“I’m sure,” she observed. “You two were on a good footing and building a life together. She might not have wanted to believe the twins could be anyone else’s.”
“Part of the reason she and the musician broke up before we met was because he wasn’t the settling-down type,” he explained. “He was honest about it with her. Said he would be devoted to her but no marriage or children.”
The way he said the last part stung because it hit a little too close to home.
“I have to believe Hazel chose the person she wanted to be with for the long haul, Darren. She chose you to be the one to bring up the twins with, and I know you—once you made a commitment to someone, you wouldn’t go back on it.”
“I took my vows seriously,” he said before taking a sip of coffee.
“Bringing up those girls is no different,” she said. “Even if they aren’t yours biologically, Hazel chose you and her parents will respect her wish.”
Darren took a lap around the kitchen. “I keep thinking this jerk deserves to know he has children if they don’t turn out to be mine and they are his.”
“You know who he is?” she asked.
“I have a name, and I searched online to see who he was,” he admitted. “Never wanted to know anything more about him than was absolutely necessary. Besides, she said she went to see the musician when she was gone for the month. I assumed it was him, especially after the way she talked about him when we first got together and discussed our pasts.”
“I agree on some level that he deserves to know if he turns out to be the father, but maybe focus on one step at a time,” she said. “Take the test for yourself and then decide what to do from there based on the result. Not doing anything is always an option. Hazel made a choice. She hid the truth for what I’m sure were good reasons. Even if they weren’t, they wereherreasons and we’ll never know what they were.”
“Respecting her wishes is important to me,” he admitted. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m worried over nothing.”
“I’ll stay right here while you take the test if you’d like,” she offered. “And I won’t tell a soul about this conversation. I swear on my father’s grave.”
Darren took in a deep breath and then exhaled. “Okay. I’ll take the test.”
“Can I use your laptop?” she asked.
He nodded, so she walked over and searched for a nearby lab. There was one half an hour drive from here that could use a hair sample.
“All we need is eight strands of hair and we can drop off the samples at the lab. It’s only thirty minutes out of our way,” she said.
“How long before the results come back?” he asked.
“You’re looking at a maximum of three days.” She lifted her gaze from the screen to his face. “All I need is a ziplock bag and the samples to make it happen. Are you in?”
Darren took another lap around the kitchen. He raked fingers through his hair. And then he stopped. “Okay.”
Reese helped gather the supplies. The girls’ hairbrush was easy enough to get samples from. The lab needed at least eight strands. Since the girls had been born with heads full of hair based on their pictures, getting enough wasn’t an issue. He grabbed his own hairbrush and did the same, placing the contents in a separate baggie.
“We need to head out,” she said. “Might as well drop this off on our way to see Tandra’s parents.”
“Let’s do it,” he said, then drained his cup. He’d been stressed about taking this test for so long now, it felt strangely calming to be taking action. “And thank you for helping me get my head on straight about this.”
Reese walked over to him and placed a palm on the center of his chest. “You’re a good man, Darren. You deserve peace of mind.”
THISCLOSE, he could see her pulse pound at the base of her throat. It matched tempo with his, which was climbing. He could also smell the citrus shampoo he kept in the guest bath, and it had never smelled sexier on someone.
He lifted his gaze to her full pink lips—lips that looked a little too tempting when her tongue slicked across the bottom one. It would be so easy to kiss her. Would she welcome his lips on hers?
His question was answered when he locked gazes and saw an equal amount of desire in those beautiful eyes of hers. “Can I kiss you right now?”
