Resist You (Unchained Attraction Book 3)

by K. L. Shandwick

  “Yours?” Tricia asked, her voice rising with interest. “So we have twice removed cousins in some far-flung places?”

  “Nope, much weirder than that. This girl has given her sparce ancestral tree on her page. There is nothing added for Franco’s family or mine. However this girl shows on my DNA matches as a maternal niece.”

  “What?” Tricia shouted almost hysterically, and I slid my hand in hers. She stared at me for a moment as I smoothed my thumb over her knuckles. It helped her contain her shock, but fortunately Marnie read Tricia’s reaction as excitement.

  “I know, right? So I thought what a load of balls and ignored it to concentrate on Franco’s loose leads, except this girl messages me in my email… there’s an option for that, and we’d agreed in case someone had information about Franco’s parents.

  “Excuse me, that wine has gone right through me, I need a bathroom break,” Tricia said, standing and quickly making her way inside. I had wanted to go with her, but as no one knew Tricia’s situation, I stayed where I was and figured gathering as much information on this girl would either confirm or exclude our suspicions.

  “How intriguing, Marnie. What else did your match say?”

  “That’s another thing,” she gloated wide-eyed. She was clearly excited, judging by the short shallow breaths she took in between. “I read up on this stuff and our match says it’s 99.8% accurate that I’m her maternal aunt, apparently I share 25% DNA with her, which is a solid match. I told her it was impossible because, although I do have a sister, she wasn’t even seventeen when this girl was born, and although Tricia is the same age as her mom, she hasn’t had a kid at all.”

  “Yeah, and I wondered if ol’ Lester had dipped his dick somewhere else and there’s a kid out there by someone else. I mean, Betty?” Franco chimed in. “Like Marnie said, the guy’s a saint putting up with that with no respite.”

  I thanked God, in that moment, due to my misspent years; I’d developed an amazing poker face because it was needed for what I said next.

  “How did you leave it? Are you going to dig further? I find it all fascinating,” I said, sounding very enthused by their story. “Tell you what, my father’s firm has a vetting department, much like the one the army uses, but we go a bit deeper than that, you know the kind of things, Departments of Health and Welfare, criminal records, education, if your contact is up for some digging I could ask someone to look into it as a mini project.”

  “Wow, you’d do that?” Marnie asked, perking up in her seat again.

  “I mean who knows what they’d find, so you and the girl would both have to brace yourselves for that, I guess. You too, Franco,” I said, nodding toward him, “that offer extends to you too. If you want to give me what you’ve got, and providing I have everyone’s permission, I could swing it by our guys and see if they turn anything up.” I scratched my head, hoping I sounded as genuine to them as I thought I had. “Come to think on it, I think there’s a genealogy department somewhere connected to them but run separately.”

  “Sounds amazing, what do you think, Franco?”

  A muscle ticked in Franco’s jaw and I immediately sensed it was a sensitive subject for him.

  “Whatever. You’d have to talk to the girl you got in touch with, see what she thinks, Marnie, but I’m happy for your guys to have a look into mine.” It became apparent I wasn’t the only poker face on that patio. I could tell he aimed for a deliberately casual sounding reply, but he’d given no external clue as to how he had really felt about my offer.

  “All right,” I replied, calmly. “Email her tomorrow and tell me what she says. What’s your cell phone number?” I asked pulling my cell out of Tricia’s purse. “You can call me or text me the details.” Marnie told me her number and we heard it ring inside the house.

  “Cell’s ringing, Marnie,” her mom called out. Glancing at my phone again, I stood. “Tricia’s taking her time, but we need to get going. We’re heading back up to New York and I have work tomorrow. It’s been great spending time with you.” I smiled. “You have my number now, Marnie. Maybe we can arrange something soon for you and Franco to come and spend a day with us.” Tricia’s sister stood and hugged me, it felt warm and genuine. “Franco,” I said, extending my hand which he shook from his seat.

  “Next time,” he replied by way of a goodbye and nodded.

  Gathering up Tricia’s things I headed into the house just in time to see her come out of what I figured was a restroom some way down the hallway.

  “Thanks for the food, Betty, it was awesome.”

  “Leaving so soon?” Lester asked.

  I tried to look disappointed that we had to leave and nodded. “Sunday. We’ve got to head into the city. I’d rather get home before dark so we can relax before I have to go into work tomorrow.”

  “I understand, son,” he said, as I waved Tricia over and tucked her into my side.

  “We must do this again soon,” I suggested, even though that would be up to Tricia. I had no issue with Lester, as he was a very nice guy, but I had red flags waving when it came to Tricia’s mom, Betty.

  Taking charge, I knew Tricia had to be gotten out of her parents’ house as fast as was possible without raising suspicions that something was wrong. Watching as she smiled and hugged everyone gave me a crushing pain in my chest when I considered how brave she had been all those years, and the callous way her mom had dealt with her and her baby.

  The house was still visible when Tricia broke down in tears and as soon as we had driven out of sight, I stopped the car and hugged her tightly.

  “Fuck, baby, I’m so sorry that happened.” My voice broke and I swallowed down a lump threatening to choke me.

  “What did she say?”

  “Who?” For a moment I was confused until it clicked, she had left the room without hearing my plan.

  “Oh, Marnie? Okay… so here’s what we know. A girl has contacted Marnie, saying Marnie is her maternal aunt. Baby, I don’t know exactly how it works, but we’ll find out. I know you’re not ready for this yet, but the chances are this girl is related to you.” Tricia looked ashen, the shock clearly visible on her face.

  “I lost most of what I ate just now,” she mumbled. “My stomach and my throat are raw. I can’t think, I can’t…” She burst into tears and my heart ached for all years she had tortured herself.

  “Stop. Listen. This is how I see it. You’ll finally get closure … did you ask your mom about meeting you in New York?”

  Tricia nodded. “Next Saturday,” she confirmed.

  “Good, and you still want to go ahead with that?” She nodded again. “Right, now let me tell you what I’ve found out while you were in the restroom. When we get home, you can decide whether I deal with it or not. You’re in the driver’s seat all the way, baby. You have come this far, and I won’t allow anything to interfere with what you need.”

  When Tricia looked calmer, I set off for home, both of us staring straight ahead, but my mind was racing about what do to next.

  During the ride back to the city, I explained what I’d told Marnie and when I’d finished, I told Tricia I’d leave it with her to think about. I said I’d go ahead and deal with Franco’s inquiry because that had nothing to do with anything else. Even if Tricia decided not to do anything about the girl, I had committed to try to help Franco.

  “Did she tell you her name?” Tricia asked, when I’d finished. It wasn’t something I’d even thought about doing.

  “No. Do you want to know it?”

  When she bounced the back of her head against the headrest, I saw how difficult her internal struggle was. I couldn’t imagine for one minute what was happening inside her mind or how she felt about it all. Thirty years of suppressed hurt was rising to the surface within Tricia, would adding a face and a name to the child in question cause her a greater dilemma?

  “Do it,” she whispered.

  “Huh?” I asked, taking my eyes off the road for a second to gauge the look on her face.

>   “Get the details from Marnie. If she’s mine and she’s looking, then I’m not going to deny my child.”

  “Don’t you need a bit more time to think—”

  “James, I’ve been thinking for thirty years about this, another day of deliberation isn’t going to matter. That back there was a shock, that’s all. If she’s mine, someone had better make sure she is, because I can’t go through this twice.”

  Reaching over, I took her hand and laced her fingers in mine. I gave it a small squeeze in reassurance. “Done. I’ll get the ball rolling as soon as Marnie contacts her. If she agrees, I’ll get on it first thing tomorrow. It won’t take long to check facts; then you can make a decision where this goes next.”

  “I want her name, James. No, I need her name. All these years I have only known her as Baby Mattison because that’s how they referred to her in that place. I never got the opportunity to name her… my mom said I shouldn’t do that because they’d change it anyway.”

  Bringing her hand to my mouth I kissed her knuckles. “As soon as I know anything, you’ll know. Let’s get your mom out of the way first. Would you consider me being there or close by when you talk to her?”

  “For moral support?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise that I would have wanted to be there.

  “Because I love you,” I replied, “because when you hurt, I hurt.” She nodded, shrugged her shoulders, and sighed.

  “Let me think about it, okay?” I nodded, not wanting to push a point, she had been through enough for one day.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  When Marnie hadn’t messaged me by 10:00 a.m. the following morning, I decided to give her a call.

  “Good morning, Marnie. Tricia and I had a lovely time with you guys yesterday. I’m busy with work events for the next couple of weeks, but Tricia thought it would be great for you both to come to her house for dinner after that.” I was making the conversation up as I went along. “Text me some dates that suit you both and we’ll figure something out.”

  “Sounds fabulous. Dad really likes you, and believe it or not, you managed to impress Mom,” she chuckled.

  “High praise indeed,” I mocked, before I cut to the chase. “Listen I have a meeting in a few minutes so I can’t talk long. The reason I’m calling was to get those details. I’m going past the vetting office later today, and wondered if you had been in contact with your stalker relative yet, and I wanted to remind you to send Franco’s details across.”

  “Actually, I did, and I had just read Erin’s reply when you called.” Erin? Her name is Erin. “From the email she sounds really excited and is happy for me to pass on what she’s sending me. Do you have an email address I can forward it to?”

  After giving her my private email address, I reminded her again about Franco’s details before we concluded the call.

  “Well?” Tricia asked, glancing up from her makeshift workstation on the dining room table.

  Shoving my cell in my suit pants pocket, I lifted my jacket from the back of the chair, and made my way over to her. I shrugged myself into my jacket before placing both hands on her upturned cheeks as she sat and held them there. I watched her close her eyes and bask in the warmth of them before she looked at me again. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of fear, anticipation, and worry. “Erin… the girl’s name is Erin,” I said and her breath hitched.

  “That’s one of the names I would have chosen,” she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. I wiped them away with my thumbs.

  “Do you feel strong enough to deal with this?” I thought it a fair question, considering it had taken a long time to come to terms with facing her mom.

  “I’ve had thirty years of not dealing, James, and like you said, shame only has power if you don’t face it. With your love and the work I’ve been doing with Miles, it’s given me courage to know what happened wasn’t all on me. I’m not blaming my mom one-hundred-percent, because she didn’t get me pregnant; I’ve obviously got to take responsibility for that. But I know I’m not entirely to blame for what transpired next. My mom should be carrying some of the indignity I faced following my mistake.”

  “You’re amazing,” I told her, scooping her up off her seat and into my arms. “This is the woman I fell in love with. You can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t forget that.” Taking her lips in a kiss, I chuckled when she moaned and set her free. “All right, don’t go getting all turned on or my suit will need to be pressed again when I pick it up off the floor. I’ve got to run, but I’ll keep you up to speed if I hear anything else.”

  After a full morning in meetings, I found a window in my day and checked my inbox. A new email from Erin Foley had arrived about fifteen minutes before. My heart raced in anticipation as I clicked on the link.

  Hi, Mr. Wild, My name is Erin Foley and I’m trying to trace my birth mom. Unfortunately, my original birth certificate offers no clues… I can explain that later, but I do know I was born in a private hospital and my mom gave me up to friends of her aunt from church. The only information I have from my mom is that a young girl from Ohio gave birth to me, but my birth was registered in Baltimore. That part is a long story of how I learned about the young mom, which I won’t go into right now. I have no other information and both my adoptive parents, Alison and John Foley, are deceased. I was brought up unaware my parents weren’t my biological ones until certain events took place. I am now on a quest for the truth about my origins. I decided to try a DNA test, not expecting any earth-shaking results, but when a maternal aunt was connected to me, I was very excited. When I contacted your friend, Marnie Rosco, she sadly had no further leads for me. Apparently, Marnie has a sister the same age as my birth mom, but she’s never been pregnant and doesn’t have a child to date. I felt deflated that she couldn’t help me. I’d thought that was the end of the line until she messaged me last night after the conversation she’d had with you. I’m excited you have access to people who may help us a little further to ascertain a connection between us. We’re both intrigued to see where this goes. Thank you for offering to do this for us, and I would be forever grateful for any assistance you could offer me in my voyage of self-discovery. Should you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

  Included in the email were Erin’s work, home, and cell phone numbers.

  Replying to her email, I asked her for her date of birth and sought permission for our vetting department to contact her directly and within a minute this was answered giving her consent.

  Five minutes later, Richard, the head guy in our vetting department had been briefed and I’d cited my reason for getting involved as a favor to a friend. As soon as I’d set the wheels in motion with him, I researched the date she gave me when she was born and vaguely remembered what Bradley said about Easter break. The date certainly fit with the birth of Tricia’s baby so, as promised, I picked up the phone and called her.

  “Hey, baby, it’s me.”

  “Any news?” she blurted anxiously, and my chest tightened in immediate response to the tone in her voice, she had sounded distressed.

  “I know it’s easy for me to say because this isn’t about me, but please try to stay calm, baby. I’ve literally just read an email from the girl. Her name is Erin… Erin Foley, and from what you’ve both told me the dates fit with yours.” Tricia gasped and the line went silent. I immediately wondered what the hell I was doing, giving her information of that magnitude on the phone. “Hang up, I’m coming home. I’ll be there in ten.” Grabbing my jacket from the back of my chair, I asked Rhea to deal with whatever she could, and told Gena to cancel everything else as I left the office.

  My chest ached when I stepped out of the elevator at home and saw Tricia pacing and hugging herself just outside our apartment door. As soon as she saw me, she came running, her hair tousled from threading her fingers through it many times no doubt, and her face looked ashen with worry. Her hands slid inside my open suit jacket
and tightened around my waist. Pressing her cheek to my chest, we stood silently together for a moment.

  “Come on, baby, let’s get you inside,” I coaxed, loosening her grip on me. When she looked up, I saw she’d been crying, and by the looks of her she had been for most of that morning. It dawned on me that she had probably put on a brave face until I’d left for work. Walking her back inside, I sat her down and made some chamomile tea while we talked.

  “Okay, it sounds pretty much as we thought yesterday, although there are a couple of discrepancies. Where did you have your baby?”

  “I don’t know, Mom took me to my Aunt Lydia’s place in New York, and we went to some private facility. It was such a traumatic time; the details are still blurry to this day. All I know is that they induced me, and the baby was a few weeks early.”

  “And that was in New York, too?”

  “Yeah, about half an hour’s car ride from my aunt’s house.”

  “Hm, see that doesn’t add up.”

  “What doesn’t?” Tricia looked alarmed when I alluded to a margin of doubt regarding Erin being her long-lost daughter.

  Taking a cup from the cabinet, I poured boiling water into it and dunked the teabag to defuse it quicker. I carried the drink over and placed it on the low table beside her, sat down, and held her hand.

  “Look, let’s wait and see what comes out of this. I’ve sent what I received to our vetting guys now. They’re a top team. Some are ex-intelligence officers from the military and have incredible research skills. It won’t take them long to dig into this, and hopefully they’ll come up with more answers.”

  “Tell me about the girl, what else did she say?”

  “It wasn’t a long email,” I warned. “I’ve told you what I know, we’ll just have to wait.” I held back on the Baltimore connection and that both her parents were dead because I felt concerned about how Tricia would react to it. She was drained, anxious, and her lips were dry from dehydration. “Have you had anything to drink today?” I asked, nodding toward the steaming hot tea. Taking her hand from mine, she picked up the teacup and sipped some of the brew.