by Sabrina York
“Great.” Dr. Blake collected all the papers. “Let’s go down to the lab, shall we?”
Danny nodded and forced a smile at Emma, but honestly, he was a little scared.
All right. He was terrified.
First of all, even though he’d done a little research of the process, he knew this could hurt, depending on what tests they ended up running after the initial cheek swab. But even that was an infinitesimal horror against the biggest risk of all. That his bone marrow might not match. That—after all this—they might still lose Emma.
But it would match, he reminded himself.
It had to.
A young nurse greeted them at the lab with a wide smile. Or maybe her smile was for Dr. Blake. There might have been some fluttering lashes. “Well, hello,” she said to the doctor, then she shot a smile at Emma, as well. “You’re back to visit me, sweetie?”
“Not me,” Emma said, waving in Danny’s direction. “My daddy is getting tested.”
His heart skipped a beat. She’d introduced him as her daddy. It made a warm glow fill his chest, which he thrust out proudly. “I’m her dad,” he said. An unnecessary proclamation, but it felt damn good to say.
Dr. Blake handed over all his paperwork. “It’s a good thing you’re all prepared,” the nurse said. “It’ll save time. Come on through.”
Unfortunately, this invitation was for Danny alone. He glanced back at Emma and made a face.
She patted his hand. “Don’t worry. You’ll do good.”
He blew out a breath and followed the nurse down the hall into a tiny room bristling with far too many needles.
Once they were alone, she smiled at him. “So, do you know how this works?”
“A little.”
“Well, the HLA test looks at genetic markers on your white blood cells. If the markers match Emma’s, you may be eligible to serve as a donor.” She smiled again. Far too perkily for the circumstances, he thought irritably. “The first step is a cheek swab.”
He opened his mouth and held as still as he could. It was quicker than he figured it would be.
As the nurse tucked the swab in to a specimen bag, he sucked in a breath. “Okay. What’s next?”
“We may do a follow-up blood draw to run additional tests if this one matches.”
He shook his head. “So that was it?” That was all? That simple. Like, a second, or less. Amazing. This little swab could determine whether he could help save Emma’s life.
“For today, yes. We’ll send this to the lab and let you know in a couple weeks,” she said, waggling the sample. “That’s the standard, but hopefully it’ll come in on the earlier side.”
“Great. Thank you.”
She nodded. “Sure. Anything for Emma. We just adore her. I hope she finds a match.”
Danny headed back to the waiting room, musing at the ease of the first test, but stopped short in the hall when he saw the man exiting one of the other testing-room doors.
Because he knew this man.
He stared in shock. “Luke?” Luke Stirling? His grumpy new brother? What the hell was he doing here?
Luke glanced at him and grunted in response, then led the way back to the waiting room, where another surprise—actually, three more of them—sat in the padded chairs. DJ, Sam and Mark, all masked, all of whom waved when they saw Danny.
He stared at them. “I... What are you all doing here?”
Lizzie’s brow wrinkled. “Do you know them?”
Before he could answer, Sam stood up and crossed her arms as she stared Danny down. “We decided to get tested, too.”
“But how...” How had they known he’d be here? He glanced at DJ, who lifted a brow. A swathe of emotion hit him. He’d told DJ about Emma, and the test he’d scheduled, sure, but never in a million years could he have imagined they’d show up here.
All of them. They were here to be tested, too. All of his wonderful siblings!
And Luke.
Danny’s lungs contracted. Holy God. He wasn’t sure how to react. He wasn’t sure if he could. “You drove all the way here—?”
“We flew, actually,” Luke said.
“Luke has a plane,” DJ explained.
“Still...it’s a long way.”
Sam blew out a wet raspberry, one that made Emma’s eyes go wide. “It’s just a hop, skip and a jump. Anyway, we came for Emma. Once DJ told us about her, we had to meet her.” Then Sam turned to Emma. “Hi. I’m Sam. I’m your aunt. Your father’s sister. Though it’s okay if you never heard about us because we just found out about you, too.”
Emma gave her a curtsy. “Pleasure to meet you.” Which made them all laugh. And then his other siblings called out their names, as well, but they did it all at the same time, so Emma probably didn’t hear them. She was, however, clearly delighted to be the center of attention.
Through all this, Danny’s mind was awhirl. They came. All that way. To help him. No one had ever given him such a gift.
Not ever.
Why did his chest ache? Why did his throat tighten? Why did his eyes burn?
He turned to Lizzie and shook his head. “I didn’t know they were coming,” he whispered. “I can’t believe they came.”
“Of course, we came,” Mark said, setting his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Emma’s our family now, too.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Dr. Blake said. “If I had my way, everyone would be tested. Think how many kids we could help if everyone was on the registry.”
He’d said that last part to Lizzie, and his words broke her out of her stunned silence. “Yes. Yes. Thank you,” she said, shaking their hands, one by one. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Mark said with a grin.
DJ nodded. “We’re family,” he said.
Family.
It was absurd, but Danny couldn’t stop grinning. Nor could he stop the emotion from clogging his throat. For the first time in his life, he had a family to depend on.
Chapter Seven
Lizzie stared at Danny’s family. His family.
Oh, not the woman who had raised him, but these warm, wonderful, generous souls who’d come all this way to help a little girl they’d never met. She shot a glance at Danny and her heart thudded at the joy and gratitude she saw in his eyes.
It was a truly magical moment. One she’d never imagined for Danny, certainly, but one she’d never imagined for Emma, either.
Her child hadn’t just gained a daddy, she’d gained a clan.
A clan of good and decent people, who helped others and went out of their way—way out of their way—to support a family member. One they barely knew.
It was—
A tugging on her sleeve broke her from her bemused reverie.
“Mommy.” And when she didn’t respond quickly enough, Emma repeated, “Mommy. Mommy. Mommy.”
“Yes, Emma, dear?” She touched Emma’s forehead—her first instinctual thought. “Are you okay?”
“I’m hungry,” she said in a plaintive voice.
“Oh, yes. I did promise you and Danny a snack after the test, didn’t I?”
“Yes. You did. But I’m hungry for a sit-down meal.”
“Do you want to go to the cafeteria?” The hospital had one and the food was pretty good...for hospital food.
“Oh, no.” Emma rubbed her tummy. “I’m hungry for take-out food.”
“Take-out food?” What on earth was she angling for?
“We should all go home and order take-out food.” Lizzie followed her gaze to the attendant siblings, and it hit her like the gong of a church bell. Emma was a genius.
“Of course, darling,” she said with a wink, and then she turned back to the others. “Hey, everyone. Emma, Danny and I are heading home to have a celebration lunch. Why don’t you come with
us? We’d love to get to know you all better.”
“That sounds perfect,” Sam said. “We even brought extra masks and a change of clothes, just in case.”
“Really?”
At Lizzie’s stunned response, Mark nodded. “We tried to read everything we could find on how to keep Emma safe. Let us know if we missed anything. Okay?”
Her heart warmed, swelled maybe. “Yes. Yes. Absolutely!”
And that was how Lizzie, Emma and Danny ended up across the dining room table—groaning with multiple Chinese take-out boxes—staring at Sam, Mark, DJ and Luke Stirling.
One would think this would be awkward.
One would be right.
Even Lizzie—who wasn’t terribly sensitive about things like this—could tell there was a weird energy at the table.
She attempted to battle it by smiling at them as she said, “I can’t tell you all how much your support means to us.” She deliberately included Danny in this statement. “It is so generous of you.”
“How could we not come?” Mark asked. Lizzie had already decided she liked him. He was so open and genuine. “If we can help Danny and Emma, of course, we will.”
“But you just met Danny.”
DJ frowned. “Stirlings stick together.”
“You could have been tested closer to home.” She didn’t mean to belabor the point, but she was still stunned that they’d come all the way here.
“Yes.” Luke stared at her somberly. “But we wanted to meet Emma.”
Emma, who had insisted on wearing her favorite tiara, preened.
“So,” Sam gushed, an effort to break the tension, perhaps. “What’s the dealio with that Dr. Blake?” she asked and waggled her eyebrows.
Lizzie blinked. “Well, he’s Emma’s doctor—”
Sam turned her attention to Emma and winked. “Quite the hottie, don’t you think?”
Emma grinned. “He thinks my mom is pretty.”
“Does he?” Sam’s attention shifted to Danny.
Though he didn’t respond, Lizzie felt him tighten at her side. “He, ah, went to the University of Washington,” she said, apropos of nothing. And when she felt the heat of Danny’s stare, she added, “He’s very talented.”
Emma nodded. “And he has a Jet Ski.”
“Does he?” Mark asked, side-eying Danny, who was mauling a fortune cookie for some reason.
DJ widened his eyes with a fairly credible look of astonishment. “Lucky him.”
“Sounds like fun,” Sam said, deftly helping herself to another dumpling using chopsticks. “So, how old is he?” she asked.
Though the question was probably addressed to Lizzie, Emma answered as only Emma could. “Oh, he’s very old. Almost as old as my mom.” Then, when everyone laughed, she looked around the table in confusion. “Why is that funny?”
It was time to change the topic. “So,” Lizzie said, “Danny was telling us about your ranch. It must be beautiful.”
Apparently, this was a great choice as topics went. Mark’s, Sam’s and DJ’s eyes brightened. Luke made a grunting noise, which Lizzie took as assent. He wasn’t much of a talker like the others, she’d noticed.
“It’s a hundred acres of the best cattle land in the Columbia Valley,” Mark said, lifting his water glass. He turned his smile to Emma. “We have a big old house with a curving staircase.” He leaned closer. “The banisters hardly ever have splinters. They’re perfect for sliding down. Heck, we all did it when we were kids. You’re gonna love it.”
Emma turned wide-eyed to Danny. “Will I get to see it?” she asked. “Will I? Will I?”
“Of course,” he said. And then, with a glance at Lizzie, he added, “When you’re better.”
Emma accepted this at face value and turned back to Mark. “So, do you have any bunnies?”
The expression on his face was priceless. He glanced at his siblings. “Um... We don’t have bunnies.”
“Except the ones running wild,” Luke drawled.
“Ooh!” Emma shot him a smile that would melt granite. And, yes, even Luke’s dour expression lightened. “Do you ever cuddle them?”
Lizzie tried very hard not to snort water through her nose. The thought of Luke cuddling anything was ludicrous.
He shifted in his seat. “I...ah. No. Can’t say as I have.”
Emma leaned closer and whispered, “They are so soft. You should try it sometime.”
“Emma saw some bunnies at a petting zoo once. She fell in love,” Lizzie explained.
“What’s not to love?” the little girl exclaimed, and everyone laughed.
“We’ll see if we can get some for you,” Sam said. “I bet we could build a hutch.”
“Better keep Mark’s hounds away from them,” Luke said.
Sam frowned at him. “Be nice.”
Emma gasped melodramatically. Her eyes lit up. “You have dogs?”
“I have five right now,” Mark told her.
“He rescues them and tries to get suckers to give them a home,” Sam said. “They’re all pretty mangy.”
Mark made a serious face, but everyone could tell he was just playing. “Mangy dogs deserve love, too.”
“I want a dog,” Emma said, looking to her mother.
Fortunately, DJ noticed her consternation and changed the subject. “And what do you do, Lizzie?” he asked as he spooned a little more rice onto his plate.
“I’m an accountant,” she said. “I’m on contract with a great company that lets me work from home so I can be with Emma.”
“Really?” DJ asked with interest glinting in his eyes. “An accountant?”
“And what do you do, Danny?” Mark asked, ostensibly to keep the conversational balloon afloat.
Probably a misfire. Danny blinked and stared at Mark like a deer in the headlights. It bothered Lizzie to see him so anxious, even though she was curious as to how he would answer. What did he do now? Had he straightened his life out in more ways than one?
“What do I do?”
“Yeah.” Luke put down his chopsticks. “You know. For a living?”
Danny dabbed his mouth with his napkin, then cleared his throat. “I guess I’m a rancher.” He forced a grin. “At least for the next three years.”
DJ lifted his glass and said, “I, for one, welcome you to the ranch. I’m sure we all do.” He frowned at Luke. “Don’t we?”
Luke grimaced—only the tiniest bit—but raised his glass, as well.
“I want to ranch,” Emma said on a pout. “Can girls ranch, too?”
“Sam’s one of the best wranglers we have,” DJ said.
Mark grinned. “We call her the cow whisperer.”
Emma turned to her brand-new aunt with wide eyes. “Do you ride horses and everything?”
Sam smiled at the little girl. “Sure do.”
“I would like to ride a horse.” This, of course, again, was directed at Lizzie.
Luke stepped in and saved her from answering. “Once we get you all better, you will.” And then, after a quick glance in Lizzie’s direction, “If your mom says it’s safe.”
Oh, he was good. She had to smile. “Emma, honey, if you’re done eating, put your mask back on.”
She rolled her eyes, but did so.
“What kind of things do you like to do, Ems?” Sam asked.
“I like to paint,” Emma said. “I’m very good.”
“I’ll bet you are,” Sam said.
Emma glowed at this praise. She leaned in and said proudly, “I can also spell words.”
Mark raised his glass to her. “I have a multitalented niece.”
Everyone else concurred, which pleased Emma immensely. She slipped out of her chair and rounded the table, surveying her new relatives, one by one, as though she was a princess, deciding which one of her suitor
s to honor with her favor.
For some reason, she picked Luke. Quiet, gruff Luke.
To his shock, she climbed up onto his lap; he leaned away from her as he fumbled for his mask. It was clear he wasn’t used to having children climb on him, but to his credit, he handled the sudden intrusion well, rushing to cradle her weight and warily meeting her intense gaze. When she smiled at him, he made the same effort back.
And then she went and opened her mouth, as little girls often did. “How did you get hurt?” she asked, her gaze fixed on the scar ravaging one side of his face.
Oh, dear Lord. Lizzie nearly sank through the floor in mortification. “Emma, sweetie...” she began, but Luke waved her off.
His expression was somber, but sincere. He didn’t look away. “I was a soldier, in another country. A bomb went off near me.”
She looked at him. “Does it still hurt?”
A muscle in his cheek bunched. “Not there. Not anymore.”
“Can I touch it?” Her finger hovered over his cheek.
Oh, God. “Emma! I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said to Luke, but he shook his head. He had a hint of sadness in his tone when he replied to her.
“It’s cool. Most people just look away or pretend I don’t exist. I don’t mind. Here.” He took Emma’s tiny hand in his and drew it to his face, sliding her finger along his scar. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “It feels like my scars.”
“And, hey,” he said to Emma. “You can ask me anything, little one. Anytime you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
How funny was it that at this very moment, Lizzie should feel connected to this seemingly hard-hearted warrior? She hoped her smile conveyed her heartfelt appreciation.
It might have done, if Emma hadn’t chimed in with a question. Any question but this one.
“I saw my mom and dad kissing last night. They tried to tell me kissing isn’t gross when you’re a grown-up. Do you think kissing is gross?”
