Third Date

by Leah Holt

  Crinkling my brows, my chin jetted out. “Where's Kin?”

  Anna rolled her eyes, dragging her long fingers through her hair. “Sorry, Layne, but she left.”

  What? Why?

  “She left?” I asked. Anna shook her head and fell back into her chair. “Why the hell would she leave?”

  Shrugging her shoulders, Anna went back to digging at her nails, her eyes set like stone on her hands.

  “What do you mean she left?” I asked as the agitation sat in the back of my throat.

  I wasn't going to let this woman just sit there and dismiss the fact that Kinsley had left... Without coming to tell me.

  Sister or not, she was going to give me an answer.

  “She left, said she wasn't feeling good, I don't know. The taxi just pulled up to get her.” Her eyes studied mine for a moment, then drifted back to her fingers.

  Standing up briskly, Charlotte tried to grab my wrist. “Layne, Honey, sit back down. There's still so much I want to show you.” Shrugging her off my arm, I let her words hang in the air.

  I wasn't going to sit back down, no way in hell. Kinsley had just left, and she left without telling me. That wasn't sitting right in my chest, it was nestling into an uncomfortable spot in my muscles.

  My ribs hurt, my lungs were sore, and my heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going jump clear out of my mouth and land on the floor.

  She would never leave without me. She would never leave and not come tell me.

  Kinsley wouldn't do that.

  My feet echoed through the hall as the hard soles hit the tile. I didn't know this house, but my internal compass was guiding me in the direction of my woman. I turned left, I turned right, finally spotting the light from the front entryway.

  Reaching the door, I tore it open. The humid air hit my lungs, forcing me to take a short, weighted breath. The back end of a taxi was driving away, the brake lights sparking red at the end of the driveway, then disappearing as it turned to leave.

  Fuck! She left, why the hell did she leave this way?

  I couldn't wrap my head around why she had sheepishly parted, leaving me here to fend for myself. I couldn't do this without her, I needed her here.

  A firm hand crept over my shoulder, strangling the muscle. A deep, low voice whispered into my ear. “Let her go, Son. I could tell when you guys got here that she wasn't a good woman.”

  Cocking my head over my shoulder, I pushed Greg's hand away. “You know nothing about her.” Stepping back, I dug my fingers into my pockets to grab the keys for my rental.

  “And I don't need to, you're a Galloway, you're better than her.” His head tilted a hair, chin raising to the ceiling.

  “I'm not a Galloway, I never was.” Drawing a hard line with my eyes, I spoke through clenched teeth. “You guys abandoned me. Who are you to say you're better than her? You don't even know her, and you don't know me.” I felt the words leave my mouth, and I wished they could turn solid, flying out to smack him in the face.

  Greg pondered what I said for a moment, his face firm and flat. Then he surprised me, letting out a loud chuckle, his large round belly jiggling with each exhale. “Layne, it was nothing like that. We didn't abandon you, if you'd let me explain—”

  “I gave you the chance to explain, and all I got was pictures of your glorious life. You had the chance to tell me, but instead you let Charlotte smother my questions with images of what I missed out on.” A shiver raked my spine, my hands driving into fists by my side.

  “No. That woman is your mother, and we were going to tell you everything, but we wanted to ease you into it, Layne. We didn't want you to think we never wanted you...” His voice drifted off, but he wasn't thinking, he was reading.

  Greg was reading me, my stance, my face.

  Stepping back, he pointed a finger around the room. “You see this, Layne? You see all this?” Lunging forward, his arm fanned out in one large swoop. “This is who you are. You were always a Galloway, but you were stolen.”

  Stolen?

  What?

  Flicking my eyes to his face, my brain twisted his words into every shape I could manage. “Stolen?”

  “Yes, Son!” Greg yelled, as his body became spastic and moved in quick bursts. “This is your great grandmother, Virginia Galloway, and this...” Holding his arm up, he traced the gold edge of the frame. “This is your grandfather, Gregory Galloway the third.”

  I watched the animation across his face, his eyes flashing in liquid metal, the deep blue darkening and turning silver. Slowly he paced across the room, his breathing heavy, his fingers curling and opening. But there was something else...

  Nerves.

  Anxiety.

  Fear.

  What does he fear?

  Drawing his hands tightly across his head, he pulled back the gray strands. “You see, Layne, you were taken from this, from us.” His palms slapped his chest, thumping against his sweater.

  “If I was taken from you, then why didn't Charlotte show me any news clippings? Why didn't I find any sliver of a news article about a stolen baby?”

  Greg was underestimating my research. I wasn't sure if he knew how long I studied my own life, my own existence. But from the look on his face, he thought it was very little.

  “Layne—”

  Throwing up my hand, I cut off whatever stupid fucking excuse he was about to try and swoon me with. “No. I'm leaving, goodbye, Greg.”

  I was stolen?

  How does a stolen baby end up in foster care?

  Did he really think I was that stupid?

  If there had been a child taken from any family, in any state, at any time in their life, the kid wouldn't end up in the system.

  There would have been searches for me, headlines, even a fucking missing person poster if I had been abducted as a baby.

  No, the answer was a lot simpler than that...

  They never looked for me because they never lost me.

  They abandoned me and forgot me for time to steal away.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kinsley

  Scrolling through page after page of digital typed words, I searched. There was more to that family, there was more than what they were saying.

  And I was determined to find it.

  I had only been back at the hotel for about twenty minutes, and not one text from Layne. Glancing at my phone, the screen was still blank, still empty. Every text I sent him seemed to go through, but nothing came back.

  Fuck.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  I'm going to find the answers for him.

  There was no way in hell I was going to let that family dig their nails into Layne, no fucking chance.

  They weren't the sweet loving family that they were trying to portray. No, this ran deep, and sinister.

  Staring at the screen of my laptop, a surge of shock hit my nerves. My eyes gaped at the thin glass surface, as the answer stared back at me.

  The loud metal clank of the lock rang out in the quiet room, the door swinging open in one loud whoosh. “Kinsley? Kinsley are you alright?”

  Snapping my head up, Layne was standing in the doorway, his face flooded with worry. “What happened? Anna said you didn't feel good.”

  Pushing back from my seat, I leaned an arm on the small table. “Is that what she told you?” Shaking my head, I took in a labored breath. “No, Layne, that's not it at all. Did you get any of my texts?”

  His brows shifted high, head falling into his shoulder. “No, I had turned my phone off when we were at the house. Why did you leave like that?”

  “Your sister—”

  “She's not my sister, they're not my family.” His face deepened, thin lines forming at the edge of his lips. “They abandoned me, it's that simple.”

  “No, Layne, that's not what happened. Come look at this, look at what I found.” Turning the computer, Layne walked over and leaned his thick fingers over the wood.

  I watched him read, I watched his emot
ions well up and coat his eyes. He was lost in what I had found, he saw the reality, but wasn't sure how to let it filter in.

  “She is your sister, Layne. There's no mistaking that, but they are not your parents.”

  “I can't believe this, how did you find this?” His eyes were plastered to the screen, staring at the article about a stolen child.

  “Anna helped me. When I went to the bathroom, I found this room, a nursery.” My words began to ramble out, forced and quick. Breathing through my nose, I just let the entire situation with his sister flow like gushing rapids. “Anna found me snooping around, and she didn't like it. But she finally told me where to look, Layne, she finally gave me a hint to the family secret she had discovered.”

  Layne's mouth dropped, his lids expanding to their limit. “I... I don't know what to think.”

  Grabbing his face, I forced him to look me in the eye. “You did find your sister, that you did do. But those people are not your parents. You and Anna were given up for adoption, she was one and you were a baby. Charlotte, she worked at the orphanage you guys were in, and I think she wanted to take both of you.”

  His eyes flickered in thought, the rims hardening as my voice filled his head. “She had wanted children, Layne, only she decided to take them, not have her own. From what Anna thinks, Charlotte wasn't able to get to you in time. She had taken Anna, and had a room set up for you, but she wasn't able to get you.”

  “This is insane, Kinsley. It can't be real, there's no way. Why is Anna still there then? Why didn't anyone figure it out?” Falling back to sit on the bed, his skin drained in color.

  “I don't know. But it wasn't until Anna saw your article that she started to think about how you guys looked so much alike. She started to press her parents, and that's when they told her about you. But she's still so confused by it, and I don't blame her. But I had some unsettling feelings too.”

  Layne's head arched up, his face soft. “What did you feel?”

  Pacing in front of him, I told him all the things I had noticed, my hands wildly flailing around with every word. I told him how they didn't have any baby pictures of Anna, and how they didn't look like the Galloway's at all. I let it all spill out like a faucet I couldn't shut off.

  “I can't believe I didn't see it, I can't believe they were trying to manipulate me into thinking I was their son.” His head fell into his hands, body rolling forward. “I thought I found my family, I thought I was going to get my answers.” I watched him begin to crumble, his life slipping away, his dream getting crushed.

  And it hurt, my heart ached for him, my nerves exploding in a sadness that was unlike anything I had experienced before.

  My daughter was lucky to at least have memories I could talk to her about Max, she was lucky to know where she came from.

  But Layne had none of that. His wonder would press on, his curiosity would fester and bubble over. And his life would still be a giant question mark. It wasn't fair.

  “Kin, this whole time I was expecting that I had finally found them, that my life was finally going to be full and hold some sort of meaning. Now I don't even know. My real parents, Anna's real parents...” His hand curved over his jaw, stretching down his throat and reaching around the back of his neck. “This is fucked, I still have no family.”

  Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I pulled him into my belly. “Layne, you did find family. You found your sister, you found me, you found Fay, and...” Pausing, I let my head fall to his ear. “And you created a family of your own, one that's yours. You don't need to keep looking, you've got it already, right here.” Placing his hand on my stomach, he lifted his head slowly.

  Searching my face, his brows twisted. “What?”

  Letting a delicate smile curl to one side, I kissed his forehead. “You're going to be a father, Layne.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Layne

  Pregnant...

  Pregnant...

  Holy fucking shit. Kinsley had told me she was pregnant, pregnant... With my child, my own flesh and blood.

  Scratching my head, I let the words sink in. “You're pregnant?” Her smile was endless, perched high across her cheeks. “So we're having a baby?” Nodding, her arms tangled themselves around my neck. “Wow. I, I don't... Wow.”

  It was the last thing I ever expected, the last thing I thought could ever happen. We had used condoms, except last— No. The first time.

  Tugging her stomach closer to my face, I lifted her shirt and pressed my ear against the warm skin of her belly. “How long have you known?” I asked, listening for a sound, a gurgle, shit; I didn't really know what the hell I expected to hear, but my child was in there.

  “I found out a few weeks ago, by accident really.” Her fingers tickled through my hair, dragging across my scalp. Kinsley went on to to explain how she had passed out, and through routine blood work, she had learned of the baby.

  “Why didn't you tell me sooner?” I asked, still holding my ear to her belly.

  “I was going to, the night of that last date.” Cupping her hands over my cheeks, she pulled my head off her stomach and made me look into her eyes. Her gorgeous, sparkling, heated eyes. Her lids lowered, lips parting. “But then you talked about finding your family, and I didn't want to spoil that. I wanted to wait till the right time, and well...” The soft pad of her thumb rubbed against the curve of my jaw. “Well, this was the right time.”

  As I looked up into her eyes, her face, her lips; I was hit by a feeling, an emotion—

  Love.

  I loved the life she carried inside her, I loved the way she cared, she laughed.

  I loved her.

  For the first time ever, I could say I felt the nerve that fed us all, the desire we all ran to, and craved to have for ourselves.

  I felt everything around me. The air tasted sweet, the light was bold and bright and warmed my face, the smell of her perfume hung in my senses and made an imprint of that moment like a scar across my skin.

  I loved her.

  Staring up into her large brown gaze, I curled my fingertips deep into the small of her back. “Kinsley, I need to tell you...” Searching her eyes, the soft expression eased my nerves. “I love you. I love you and I've wanted to say it but just didn't have the balls to. I love you and I refused to let those feelings warp my dream.” Kinsley opened her lips to speak, but I wouldn't let her stop the flow of words rising off my tongue. “But I realize now that none of that ever mattered, finding my parents never really mattered. And it doesn't matter, because family shouldn't have to be searched for, family is made through bonds.” Picking myself up off the bed, I pressed our bodies together. “I was selfish, and I see that. But I love you, and I will always make sure you know that.”

  A single tear cascaded down her cheek, followed by another, then another. The tears began to shed, but her lips stayed in a steady smile. “I'm sorry, it's the hormones.” Laughing gently, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, and inhaled a deep breath. “I love you too, I do. I didn't think I'd ever say those words again.” Sniffling, Kinsley laid her head on my chest. “But you were right all along.”

  “About what?” I asked, whispering the words into her hair.

  “That I had room in my heart.”

  Smiling, I picked her face up with a single finger under her chin. “You'll never have to make room again, I'm never going anywhere. My place is with you, it's with Fay, it's with our little bundle growing in your stomach.” Wriggling my fingertips against her belly, Kinsley giggled, smacking my hands away.

  And I knew right then that everything I needed was right there.

  It had fallen into my hands, and I had been too blind to see it.

  Family.

  Epilogue

  Layne

  “Fay, breakfast!” I called down the hallway, the sound of her quick feet swiftly following.

  “Goooood morning, Dilby!” She yelled, jumping into the kitchen and holding out her arms.

  Her smile w
armed my stomach, the twinkling in her eyes shined like spotlights in the dark. Fay had become a huge part of my life, I looked at her like she was my own daughter.

  Dancing to the table, she tapped her toes against the tiles, and wiggled her body. “What are you doing?” I asked, cocking my head and raising a brow.

  “What does it look like?” Fay continued her spastic maneuvers, staring at me with her teeth on display.

  “It looks like you have ants stuck in your pants.”

  Giggling, she rolled her eyes and threw her hands to her ribs. “No, I'm getting my welcome dance ready for Sweet Pea.”

  Sweet Pea was the name Fay had given to her soon to be baby brother—or sister. Kinsley and I had decided not to learn the sex.

  There were few things in this world that were completely out of someone's control, and for us, this would be a welcome surprise.

  “Ahh, okay, gotcha.” Mimicking her moves, I danced my way to the table and placed down her egg sandwich.

  “Dilby, that's not it at all.”

  “Well teach me so I can do it right. We should be completely in sync to make the dance perfect.”

  Fay continued to stomp her feet, flail her arms, and toss her body around. And even though she was insisting it was a dance... I still couldn't shake the image of her having some small critters scaling around her body and making her itch.

  “What are you guys doing?” Kinsly's sleepy voice radiated from behind us, her body perched against the wall.

  “We are dancing. You can't tell?” I asked, never stopping my moves. “Fay is teaching me the welcome dance for the baby.”

  Rubbing her large belly, Kinsley smirked. “Oh, okay, yeah that's good. But how about we eat, the baby is starving.”

  Fay's tiny head joggled side to side, eyes slinking into her skull. “Mommy, the baby is always starving, does it ever stop eating?”

  “Nope, and when you were a baby, you didn't either.” Popping her lips in a loud smack, Kinsley inhaled a huge gulp of air. “That smells delicious.”

  “Of course it does, you haven't wanted anything but eggs for four months now.” Sliding her sandwich across the counter, Kinsley snatched it up and dove right in.