Identity of the Heart (A Hidden Hearts Novel Book 1)

by Mary Crawford

  “Tristan found two families who were ready to love both of you with open arms. He found two families that were ready to make great sacrifices to make their dreams of the perfect family come true. He found two families who had faced unimaginable tragedies. But, do you know what else he found? He found two families who were the victims of some incredible hoax through no wrongdoing of their own. You guys can continue to throw barbs at each other if it makes you feel better, but the only people you’re hurting are your daughters.”

  My mom diverts her gaze from Mama Rosa and starts fiddling with the silverware.

  “You didn’t find any evidence that they paid the hospital an extra fee to cover up an illegal adoption?” Padre Pop asks Tristan.

  “No sir, everything I’ve found points to the fact they thought the adoption was legal and above board. They did pay an additional fee, but they thought it was to get rid of a troublemaker that was going to impede the progress of the adoption. That person was listed as a problem employee of the hospital. They had no way of knowing about the full implications of that employee’s testimony.”

  “What about the lawyer?” he presses.

  “Unfortunately, we’ll never know. He and his wife were killed in an experimental plane crash in the mid-nineties. She was his legal secretary. He had no other office staff. His records have long since been destroyed.”

  “Are you saying we have no way to find out what really happened?” Mama Rosa asks, a deep frown marring her usually sunny expression.

  “I suspect that there was some malfeasance somewhere in the upper management of the hospital, but I have no way to prove it at this point. There have been too many administration changes and a change of ownership at least once and perhaps twice.”

  I walk around the table until I am standing between the two moms. I am incredibly moved when Marcus moves to stand behind me. It isn’t a grand, flamboyant gesture; but rather one of quiet support.

  I place a hand on each of my mom’s shoulders as I proclaim, “It’s not up to me what you ultimately decide to do against the hospitals, doctors or agencies involved with my adoption, but I want you to know that I consider you both to be my mom. I wouldn’t have the identity I have without you.”

  I hug Lenore from behind and say, “Without you, I probably wouldn’t be a complete book-a-holic and be nuts about arts and crafts. It was you who read to me for hours on end as I recovered from surgery and taught me a million and one hundred and one things to do with popsicle sticks and how to decoupage everything on the planet. What we have is special and I’m not giving it up for anybody.”

  My mom wilts a little in her chair as she confesses, “Oh Ivy Love, I’m so relieved. I’ve lived in fear of this day since the day I first saw you in the NICU with all those wires and tubes attached to you. You are such a beautiful little fighter, but your skin was so transparent, I could practically see your heartbeat. I guess I always knew that I would probably have to share you one day. I just didn’t know that it would be with people as perfect as Rosa, Isaac and Rogue.”

  “Mom, Rogue isn’t as perfect as you think she is. Do you know she burps like a trucker?” I tease.

  “Si, it is true. I tried to teach my daughter manners, but she always forgets. You did a much better job with the one you raised, I think. It does not seem she considers herself to be one of the boys.” Mama Rosa comments shaking her head in dismay. “Rogue’s too much like her Padre.”

  I laugh as I say to Rosa, “Hmm, it sounds like I have some skill building to do. By the way Mama Rosa, I plan to keep you and Padre Pop in my life too. You bring such an easy, casual joy to life and you made me feel so welcome— not to mention that my Spanish and my cooking skills have vastly improved under your influence.”

  My mom looks hurt and crestfallen at the same time as she mutters loud enough for all of us to hear, “So, that’s it then, huh? You find a more interesting hipper version of a mom and I’m just out?”

  “Lenore, that’s not what she said and you know it. Your words are making her feel bad. You know that, right?” Rogue gently chastises my mom as she brushes a hand across her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

  My mom glances over at me with alarm, “I’m sorry Love Bug. This is just very difficult. I feel like you’re not really ours anymore.”

  “It’s okay, Mom, I’m not going anywhere. It’s just going to be a challenge for us all for a little while, while we redefine family.”

  Rogue nods in agreement as she looks at my mom and says, “Mrs. Montclair, I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to spend some time with your family too. Ivy has shown me a bunch of the stuff she made and I’d like to learn how to do that.”

  Turning to my dad she asks, “Would you mind helping me set up some accounting software on my computer? After I finish my apprenticeship, I’ll be responsible for managing my own station at the shop and I’ll need a way to track expenses and inventory. I want to make sure that I have it set up right from the very beginning. With all due respect to Marcus’s artistic talent, computers and accounting aren’t really his thing. I’d be happy to pay you for your time, of course.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” my dad responds. “I couldn’t charge you for that kind of advice anymore than I could charge Ivy. We can set up a Team Viewer session or you can just bring your computer to Vermont the next time you come see your mom.”

  My mom stands up and I give her a big hug and whisper in her ear, “I love you, Mom. It’ll be different, but not worse. I promise. Are we going to be okay?”

  My mom gives me a watery smile and nods as she gathers Rogue into our embrace and asks, “ So, what do you want to make first? I have this really cute idea for Easter baskets…”

  I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S SUMMER break already. So much has changed in the last few months that it’s hard for me to comprehend it all. Since their huge blowout birthday party in February, Ivy and Rogue decided to both transfer to the University of Florida in the fall with their new scholarships. Even though they could’ve gone anywhere, they both decided to stay close to Ink’d Deep. Rogue feels like she owes it to Marcus for giving her a chance when no one else would. Eventually, Rogue got used to the idea of me opening a business in Gainesville so that I can be near her.

  Isaac and Rosa decided to do the stereotypical retiree thing and come to Florida. Isaac has been working for me as a consultant on the childhood grief center and several other projects.

  Just as I’m about to head out the door, Isaac pokes his head in the door and asks, “Did you make sure that you have your passports? The TSA’s getting really picky about that these days.”

  “Yes Dad,” I respond a bit sarcastically. “It’s not like I don’t travel a hundred days a year or anything.”

  “You travel a lot, but Rogue doesn’t and you guys aren’t traveling on your deluxe puddle jumper,” he cautions. “You guys are going to have to travel like common folk.”

  “Isaac, I really do appreciate your concern. But I’ve got it handled. I’ve got checklists for my checklists. I’ve been planning this trip pretty much from our first conversation.”

  Isaac nods thoughtfully. “Hmm, so it was like that for you too, huh? I was pretty much a goner for my Rosie even though she was hanging upside down the first time I saw her. If my supervisors knew all I did to get her out of that so-called Jalopy she called a car, my career would’ve probably been over before it even started.”

  “How did you know it was the real thing and not just the adrenaline of the moment taking over?” I ask, interested in his perspective.

  “I guess at first, I didn’t really know the difference. I suppose no one really does. But, as time wore on, it didn’t seem to matter what we were doing I just wanted to be in her presence.”

  I flash Isaac a shy grin as I admit, “I’m a little relieved to find out that it’s not just me. The other day, she was studying for finals and I was coding on a big project and I just felt better knowing that she was sitting in the same room with me. We weren’t
even doing anything particularly ‘couple-like’; it was just comforting to have her there in the room with me. I thought I might be going a little nuts.”

  “I totally understand what you mean,” Isaac remarks. “There would be lazy Sunday afternoons when Rosie would be doing nothing but puttering around in her garden while I was doing yard work. We wouldn’t be doing anything amazing or earth-shattering, but her presence would calm me and allow me to focus better. The other day, I was working on a case and I noticed that it’s still true. As soon as she sat down to do a crossword puzzle, my mind settled right down.”

  “They are pretty miraculous, I’ll grant you that,” I acquiesce.

  “Has your ‘miracle’ figured out what you’re up to yet?”

  “As far as I know, she doesn’t have a clue. But, Rogue is so smart that I wouldn’t bet on it,” I reply.

  “You better hurry or Marcus isn’t going to be able to keep her distracted much longer.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in a few days.”

  Rogue squirms in my arms as she protests, “Despite what you’ve seen in virtually every music video and romantic comedy ever written, this isn’t romantic, it’s embarrassing! Somebody’s going to think your kidnapping me.”

  “I’ve got it handled, Rogue,” I answer as I set her gently in her seat brushing a kiss against her temple. “No one is going to think badly of you, I promise. I think I’ve thought of everything.”

  “Really?” she asks haughtily. “Was the blindfold required equipment for your plan or just a fun little bonus?”

  I chuckle as I reply, “Oh, I’d say it’s pretty much required at this point, I want to keep you as clueless as possible.”

  “You know, I could call your mother, Tristan Riley Macklin,” she threatens menacingly as she crosses her arms and sticks her bottom lip out in a pretty little pout.

  “Just so you know, that threat is not as effective with me as it is with Marcus because, as much as she likes you, my mom would side with me on this one.”

  “Can I tell you how much it sucks that you’re totally not afraid of me?”

  Just then a slightly garbled voice comes over the intercom system and instructs the flight attendants to close the cabin doors so that the plane can take off to Paris.

  Rogue turns her face toward mine and her jaw drops open in shock. “You seriously did this?”

  “Yes, I seriously did,” I answer, with a wide teasing grin. “Happy belated birthday. You told me you were too busy with school to go on vacation during the school year. Just think of this as your birthday present a couple of months late.”

  I carefully remove the blindfold and she blinks to adjust to the light. “How in the world did you get me all the way through the airport without me knowing a thing?”

  I blush a little as I answer, “Umm… high-level negotiations with the TSA? … and a few well-placed signs…”

  “Well-placed signs?” Rogue repeats to herself as she looks down and pulls off a piece of paper that I taped to her jacket.

  She takes a moment to read it to herself. She looks up at me with confusion on her face and then rereads it. By the time she looks up again I’m down on one knee.

  Someone from a few rows back yells, “What does it say? I couldn’t get close enough to read it!”

  Rogue clears her throat as she reads, “Shh! Be very quiet. I’m going to ask my girlfriend to marry me. But she doesn’t even know we’re going to Paris. Don’t ruin the surprise please.”

  When Rogue sees the square cut diamond that I picked out for her, her eyes widen and she starts to laugh softly. “Tristan, I can’t believe you, the ultimate plan maker, would do something so risky. There were thousands of people in that airport. Any one of them could’ve blown your surprise.”

  I shrug philosophically as I respond, “That was a gamble I was willing to take. I figured enough people were romantics at heart to play along. I was right, everyone did—including the airline personnel and the TSA. I was able to quietly board you onto the plane so that I could ask you, Rogue Medea Cisneros Betancourt, a very important question.”

  Rogue’s eyes tear up as she gasps. When she gasps, the people in the first four rows behind us collectively let out a gasp as well. For a perpetually shy guy who hates to be the center of attention, this is pretty much a worst-case scenario for me. My mouth feels like I’ve been sucking on cotton balls.

  “Rogue, the day I set out to find you, I had no idea that it would be the best treasure hunt I’ve ever gone on. I love you so much that I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I ask, holding the ring out, waiting to place it on her finger.

  After the longest five seconds of my life, Rogue extends a shaking hand to me with her fingers spread apart so that I can place the ring on it. She nods mutely as tears stream down her face.

  “We didn’t hear what you said, honey,” a voice echoes from the back of the plane.

  “Yes! I said yes!” Rogue responds loudly as she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me soundly. “Tristan Macklin, I can’t wait to be your wife. Our love snuck up on me when I was least expecting it. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and that’s saying a lot since a lot of great things have happened to me this past year. Yet, loving you has anchored me so I could deal with all of the other chaos in my life. I never expected to find someone like you, but I’m so glad I did. I love you.”

  The flight attendant stands up and makes an announcement over the intercom, “In celebration of his upcoming nuptials, Mr. Macklin has generously provided a free drink ticket to all passengers over the age of twenty-one on the plane if you would like one.”

  With that simple pronouncement, I became the most popular person on the plane. In a sense, I knew it was coming because I authorized it. However, I thought they were going to do it compliments of the airline not specifically name me. I hate it when I get singled out from my acts of generosity. I don’t do it for the acclaim. I do it because I like to make people smile or make their lives easier.

  Rogue takes notice of the uneasy expression on my face and merely smirks at me as she says, “If you’re going to be so nice to people, you’re going to need to learn to graciously accept peoples’ thanks. The two kind of go hand-in-hand.”

  I unbutton the collar of my shirt and fold up the cuffs as I say, “Well, to be honest I was hoping to fly a little under the radar on this one.”

  Rogue grins at me as she asserts, “I hate to break it to you, but you’re a pretty famous kabillionaire now that you’ve got two very successful computer programs out there. People are calling you the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. I have a feeling not much of what you do will fly under the radar anymore.”

  “I hate to break it to you that you’re going to be the wife of a relatively famous kabillionaire,” I tease. “That’ll be interesting for you and Ivy. You two can pull some pretty interesting tricks on the paparazzi.”

  “You really think there’s going be paparazzi around?” Rogue muses aloud.

  “It’s entirely possible. They seem to have an unnatural fascination with my state of bachelorhood. If they get wind that something about that has changed, they’ll probably send a gaggle of reporters to try to figure out what happened and it won’t be pretty.”

  “That’s just bogus. It’s none of their business. I don’t try to get into their love life. Why should they get into mine?”

  “A perfectly legitimate question no one seems to know the answer to,” I reply as I cuddle her into my side the best I can in airline seats. Even the first class seats are not ideal for cuddling.

  As we finally step off the plane, I comment, “I always forget how long that flight is. Even with first-class seats, it’s a pain in your neck and back and legs…”

  “Okay, I agree. It was a very long flight, but for a novice like me, it was also really cool to be treated like a movie star. I’ve eaten in restaurants that didn’t have a wine selection that nice. Q
uite frankly, I was a little intimidated. You didn’t tell me that you speak fluent French.”

  I roll my shoulder nonchalantly as I reply, “I’m not really all that fluent, it just sounds that way. I had an international student for a roommate in college and he was more comfortable speaking French than English. I was lucky that it came to me pretty easily. It comes in handy on international collaborations.”

  Rogue looks around as we climb into the limousine to go to the hotel and says, “Tristan, I don’t know that I’m ever going to get used to this. It’s like something out of a movie. I feel like I’m living someone else’s life.”

  “I know the feeling. I still feel that way when I get up in the morning.”

  Standing on the marble steps of the Louvre, Rogue looks down at her casual sundress skeptically, and asks, “Are you sure this is appropriate? It seems rather mundane for a place like this. I feel like I should be wearing church clothes and pearls or something.”

  I point to my own khaki shorts and T-shirt. “Trust me, you’re going to be sweating by the time you’re done. It’s very warm inside. Are your batteries charged on your camera?”

  Rogue nods and starts to pull me toward the end of the longest line. I shake my head, place my arm around her waist and escort her to a side entrance by the food court. Her eyes widen as I pull tickets from my wallet.

  “Where did you get those?” she probes.

  “Oh, I’ve had these for a while,” I answer vaguely.

  “How long is awhile?” she asks suspiciously.

  “A few months,” I answer evasively.

  “Why would you get me tickets to go to Paris back then? You barely knew me,” she stammers.

  “I don’t know if I can totally explain this to you because my actions are going to seem totally irrational, but they make sense to me. I guess you have to live in the weird bubble that I’ve been living in to completely understand it. You were the first person in over two years to have a normal conversation with me that didn’t involve grilling me about my net worth or how to break into the gaming world. When you found out that I had money, you didn’t even try to spend a single dime of it on yourself. In fact, when I offered, you came up with a ton of excuses why you should be last on the list.”