by Kaylee Ryan
“Ready to go?”
“Where are you going?”
Tillie.
Delaney turns slowly to face her mother. “Where I’m going is none of your concern.” Her voice is low and leaves zero room for negotiation.
“Are you taking her?”
“I am. I’ll be back.” She glances over at me.
“Thirty minutes,” I say, reading her thoughts. She needed to know how far it was to Ridge’s place and back.
“Thirty minutes,” she tells her mother.
“Is she going with you?”
“Gram, I’m going to bake cookies,” Kendrix says happily. She’s blissfully unaware of what’s going on, of the tension in the room between the adults.
“No.”
“Excuse me, but she’s my daughter. You have no say so in where she goes or who she’s with.”
“Delaney, I refuse—” she starts, but I stand up and she stops whatever bullshit she was going to spew.
“I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”
“Hand me your keys,” I tell Delaney. “I’ll go start your car.”
She looks over at me, and her eyes soften. Reaching into her coat, she pulls out her keys and hands them over. “Thanks, Kent.”
I give her shoulder a gentle squeeze and walk out the door. I’m proud of her for standing up for herself. I just hope that she gets the answers she’s seeking. That her mother comes clean from all the lies and deceit. After starting her car, I send her a text with the address to Ridge and Kendall’s house and letting her know that I’ll meet her there.
Chapter 11
Delaney
My phone vibrates in my hand, and it gives me something else to do besides glare at my mother. I skim over Kent’s text before sliding my phone back into my pocket. I want to scream and yell, and I know as mad as I am, I’m not going to be able to prevent that from happening. I’m glad Ridge passed on the invitation and I’m glad that Kenton will be there.
“Ready, sweetie?” I ask my daughter.
“Yes!” She jumps in the air and grins. “I’m gonna make all the cookies.”
Taking her hand, I lead us out to my rental. I help her get into her seat, and type the address Kenton sent me into my GPS. My hands grip the wheel as anger courses through me. My daughter chatters in the back seat and doesn’t seem to notice I’m a million miles away. My mother, she lied. All these years, we could have been a family. Sure, I don’t remember, but maybe I would have. How do we know? I wasn’t given the opportunity to see him. He didn’t get the opportunity to do the right thing, by me or by our daughter. That was stripped from him, just like it was from me.
I’m livid.
I’m hurt.
I’m disappointed.
How much of my life that she filled in for me is a lie? Is any of it true? How can I trust her now? I can barely stand to look at her. Did my father know? Why did he go along with it? Whose idea was it to keep me from Kent? To keep him from me and his daughter? There are a million questions swirling in my mind.
“Momma.” Kendrix huffs.
Glancing into the rearview mirror, I see her watching me. “Are we there yet?” she asks, annoyance in her tone.
“Hey, now, is that how we act?” I ask, my eyes back on the road.
“You were ’noring me.”
“Ignoring. And I wasn’t. Not on purpose. Mommy was just lost in thought.”
“You’re not posta be stracted when driving, Momma.”
“Distracted. I know, and I’m sorry. We’re almost there. Two minutes is what the GPS says.”
“I love making cookies,” she tells me.
“I know you do.”
“If Mr. Kent is there, I’ll teach him like he teached me.”
“Like he taught you, and that sounds like a great idea.” I’m sure Kenton knows how to make cookies, but something tells me that if Kendrix wanted to teach him, he would pretend otherwise just to have her attention. I should be nervous about leaving my child with people I’ve just met, but I’m not. In fact, I feel as though she’s safer with them than with my mother. My own flesh and blood.
I hate to think that I almost let my mother convince me to just sell the estate, or to let the lawyer, Mr. Garcia, handle everything as far as renovations go. Would I have ever remembered? Would I have ever found out she was lying to me? I swallow back the tears when I think about Kendrix never knowing her daddy. Those two… they’re going to be best friends; I can already tell. There’s so much for Kenton and me to discuss and work out, but we’re taking it one day at a time. First, cookies, then a talk with my mother. Tomorrow, we’ll have the test done, and in a few days, we will have hard, concrete poof of her paternity.
As soon as I pull into the driveway, Kendrix starts mumbling about letting her out of her seat. I park next to Kenton’s truck, and he appears beside me, opening my door. “Hey, Laney,” he says softly. It’s a complete contrast to his appearance. He appears to be a hard badass with all the ink and muscles, but to me, and to our daughter, to his friends, and their children, I’ve only ever seen him be the softie that he is. I don’t believe Kenton Baldwin has a mean bone in his entire body.
“Mr. Kent!” Kendrix yells through the car window.
“Can I?” he asks me.
I nod.
He smiles.
My heart flips over in my chest.
I watch as he opens the door, and unstraps her seat as if he’s done it hundreds of times. Then again, maybe he has. He does have several nieces and nephews running around. He surprises me when he lifts her from the car and settles her on his hip. My little girl, our little girl grins widely. Being carried is a luxury for her; she’s too big for me to pack her around all the time. Kenton, he lifts her as if she weighs nothing.
“Tell Mommy goodbye.” He leans into me, letting her give me a hug before jerking her away with a bounce, making her laugh. He does it again, and this time lets her get her arms around me in a hug through her giggles.
“Take care of her,” I tell him, suddenly extremely emotional that I’m leaving the two of them here. I want to be here for this.
“What’s wrong?” he asks immediately, sensing my hesitation.
“I just… wish I was staying.”
“Then stay. We want Mommy to make cookies with us, don’t we, kiddo?” he asks her.
Kendrix bobs her little head up and down. “We can teached you.”
“Teach,” I correct her.
“The whole purpose was to talk to Mom without—” I nod toward Kendrix.
“Just come in for a few minutes. Let yourself see where she’s going to be and what we’re going to be doing. Then you can go. I can bring her home, or you can come back. Whichever you think is best.”
“She has to have a car seat.”
“I know. I have one.”
“What?”
“I have one.”
“When did you find time to order a car seat?”
“Amazon. Two-day shipping. It was at the house last night when I got home.”
“I… I don’t know what to say to that.”
“There is nothing to say. I wanted to be able to help with her and have her with me, and I needed her to be safe.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal.
It’s a big damn deal.
Huge.
So huge, in fact, I want nothing more than to kiss him. With our daughter in his arms, both of them smiling down at me, that’s what I want. More than that, I want this life. I want a partner, someone who can share the good and the bad.
“Come on, Momma, cookies,” Kendrix urges me.
“Okay.” I smile at her. Reaching into the car, I shut off the engine and close the door. I trail behind the two of them while sending my mother a text message, which she hates.
Me: Going to be a little longer than I thought. Decided to stay for a little while.
Mom: This is nonsense, Delaney. Both of you come back here so we can discuss what you think you might know.
Mom:
How can you believe a complete stranger?
I ignore her and slide my phone in my back pocket. I know her. She’s had time to think about this, and we no longer have an audience. It’s just me, and when my pocket vibrates four times in a row, I continue to ignore her and her rant.
“Let’s make some cookies,” Kenton calls out as we enter the house.
“Uncle Kent!” Knox and Everly come running.
If you’re impressed that I remembered their names, don’t be. Last night, when Kenton dropped me off, I had him go through each of them and their kids’ names so I could learn them. I made a note on my phone. I want to be a part of his life, his family, and messing up names and parents isn’t a good way to start. He assured me I was putting too much pressure on myself and that it would all work out with time. However, the need to know each of them, to be an active participant in his life, in their lives is strong.
Walking into Kendall and Ridge’s home, seeing how warm and inviting it is, seeing the kids run and play… it’s just like last night at Seth and Mara’s. My mother would have a field day with this—she always complains if Kendrix gets too rowdy. She’s a kid, that’s kind of her job. Anyway, I know that what he said is right. I’m acting like my mother putting too much pressure on myself. That’s not how I want to live the rest of my life. That’s not how I’m going to live the rest of my life.
“Hey, are you ready to make some cookies?” he asks them.
“What’s your name?” Knox looks up at Kendrix.
“Kendrix.”
Kenton bends down to set her on her feet, and Knox holds his hand out for her and then to his little sister. “If you don’t know how to do it, I can show you. My mommy showed me how lots of times.”
“My mommy did too.” I hear my daughter answer as they disappear into the kitchen.
As soon as they are out of sight, Kenton pulls me into a hug. “I’ve been dying to do this all day,” he says as my phone vibrates in my pocket. At this point, I’ve lost track of her messages. “What’s that?”
“My mother. I’m just going to go. I can’t put this off, and she’s not going to stop blowing up my phone until I’m home.”
“Okay. You sure you don’t want me to come with you? She’ll be fine here.”
“No. I don’t want you in the crossfire. I’ll call you though. I might have you bring her home, if that’s okay?”
“Anything you need. Come say goodbye.”
He leads me to the kitchen with his hand on the small of my back. Kendall and Ridge already have all three kids at the island, sleeves rolled up, and ready to bake. “Kendrix, Mommy’s gonna run home and talk to Grams for a while. Will you be okay here?”
“Yep.” She grins and doesn’t seem to have a care in the world except for baking cookies.
I catch Kendall’s eyes. “Thank you,” I mouth. She winks and turns her attention back to the kids.
“Kendrix,” Kent says her name, and she looks up. “I’m going to walk Mommy out to her car. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She nods and goes right back to listening to what Kendall was telling her about taking turns stirring.
At the door, I stop Kenton from going outside. “It’s fine. The car is still warm. I’ll call you later. Thank you for this. For watching her.”
“She’s my daughter, Delaney.”
I nod. What else is there to say to that? I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek, and then I’m gone. Headed back to my house. To my mother. I’m not looking forward to this conversation, but it has to happen.
Yay me.
I find my mother sitting in the living room, her phone in hand. She looks up and sighs dramatically. It’s comical—the show she’s putting on. She’s already admitted to what she did, without actually doing so. She can’t take that back.
“Finally. I thought something had happened to you.”
“I told you I was going to be longer than I thought, and that was maybe five minutes. Why the dramatics, Mother?”
“You don’t know those people. I told you, this town, it’s—” she starts, but I hold my hand up to stop her.
“I don’t want to hear you spew some bullshit made-up drama. This town has been nothing but welcoming to me. And those people, that man, in particular, he’s treated me like gold. Why did you do it, Mother? Why did you lie to me about Kenton?” I won’t play her games. We need to cut straight to the heart of this. Maybe we can hash this out. She can give me her bullshit excuse, and I can get back to Kenton and Kendrix and help them with the cookies.
“I—” she starts, but the look in my eyes must tell her that her time for bullshit is up. “You’re too good for him.”
“What makes you think that?”
“He’s small town. I knew it right away. No way would he ever leave this hick life, and you are destined for great things.”
“Oh, really? You mean living with you, raising my daughter under your roof, with your rules? Or maybe the great things you’re referring to is the lie I’ve been living. The one you told me about Kenton. About how he told me to get rid of the baby. How he didn’t want either of us. How about that lie, Mother? Is that my destiny? Is that the great ‘things’ you’re talking about? Me living a lie. All of us living a lie?”
“All those tattoos, he’s a heathen,” she deflects.
“He didn’t have all of those tattoos back then.”
She pales. “You remember?”
“No. But he has pictures of us together.” Really only one, but with the lies she’s told me, this one isn’t even on the map. “And I like the ink. It’s sexy.”
She gasps. “Delaney Nottingham, I raised you better than to talk like that.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Talk like what? About sex? I’m an adult, Mother. Contrary to what you like to believe. There are no little ears in sight. Just two women having a conversation.”’
“It’s trashy.”
“And lying to your only daughter after waking up with amnesia, what’s that? Huh? How about telling her the man she loved didn’t want her? Or depriving your only grandchild of a father who would have loved her, doted on her. On both of us? What about that granddaughter’s other grandparents and extended family? Huh? What about all of those people? You robbed every single one of us of years. Kendrix doesn’t know her father because of you. You!” I scream, feeling tears of frustration prick my eyes.
“How do you know you loved him?”
I just can’t with her. “Because I feel it.” I place my hand over my chest. “I can’t explain it, and I know it sounds crazy, but I feel it. I loved him. And this week, he’s been nothing but amazing. And he wants to be in her life. He didn’t even want a paternity test. He claimed her as his instantly. He took responsibility, wanted to meet her, wants to be in her life. He loves her already.”
“I raised you better than to believe random words from a stranger.”
I shake my head. I’m not getting anywhere with her on this, and I’m not going to. She’s never going to see the error in her ways. Moving forward, I have to decide what’s best for me and my daughter. Regardless of what memories I have, I have to make the choice for me, and for Kendrix. “He’s more than a stranger, Mother, and you know it. He was once and who knows, maybe he will be again.” I say maybe, but I can already feel it. The connection we have. I feel like I’ve always known him. I just wish I could remember it.
I turn toward the door, and she grabs my arm, her hand gripping my coat. “Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“You can’t just leave me here.”
“Really, Mother? How old are you? I’m going. Kendrix and I will be home later. And just so you know, we’re having a paternity test done. Not on his insistence but on mine. And when the results come back, when I have the hard evidence in black and white, she will know her father.”
“Delaney, no.” She gasps like I’ve just told her I’m dying.
“And when she asks me why? When she asks me why she’
s just now meeting her daddy, what should I tell her? That her grandmother is a lying, conniving piece of work, who kept him from us? That she told us lies about my past to keep us in her pocket? Do you have any ounce of remorse for your action?”
“I was protecting you. Both of you.”
“From what? From a man who loved me, who loves her? From being happy. You wanted control, and like a fool, I gave it to you. I was beaten down, depressed from my loss of memory, and I trusted you to guide me. Guess what, Tillie?” I ask, using her name. “You lost that trust, you lost a daughter and a granddaughter. This is my home, and you’re not welcome here.”
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“You’re the almighty lady of knowledge. Figure it out. I don’t want you here when I get back.”
“Delaney, you don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I? I can’t stand to look at you or be around you. I’ll be damned if I have you around my daughter, poisoning her mind about her father for no other reason than he’s not what you wanted for me. He’s not some high society jackass. He’s a man. A good man with a heart of gold, and he’s going to be in our lives. I don’t know in what capacity, but I can only hope that somehow through this shitstorm you’ve caused, I can find my way back to him.” With that, I walk out the door, slamming it behind me.
Chapter 12
Kent
The cookies are in the oven, and the kids quickly grew bored of waiting. Knox ran off to play with his trucks, while Everly and Kendrix stayed with the adults. Ridge has Everly curled up on his lap and me, well, I’m holding my little girl. She followed us into the living room and crawled up on my lap like it was the most normal thing in the world for her to do. She’s sitting still just watching, as is Everly.
Kendrix sits up and places her hands on my cheeks.
