“You can put down the railing if you want and sit on the bed with me.” Meghan popped a piece of pineapple in her mouth and waited for Darla’s reaction as she chewed. Would they have sat on a bed together and had intimate talks if she hadn’t given her away? Happiness bloomed in Darla’s heart as she kicked off her shoes and climbed up. She braced herself on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling off the floor.
“You look exactly like I expected,” Meghan said, her gaze studying Darla’s face.
“There is definitely a resemblance.”
“No, I’ve seen you before.”
“On my website?”
“In my dreams.”
Darla had imagined her daughter a hundred times, but there had never been a recognizable face in her dreams. Surely Meghan’s dreams were based on her own physical features.
“Why didn’t you see me when I was born?” It must be teenage confidence that gave Meghan the courage to ask such an emotional question without batting an eye. Tears burned in Darla’s, and fear crowded her body.
“Well, I had already decided to give you up and was afraid if I saw you, I’d change my mind. I kept my eyes closed and they took you away.” Her throat closed up, and she struggled to keep tears from falling. “I’m sorry.” The words came out in a whisper.
“I don’t blame you. I’ve never been angry.”
“Really?” Darla sniffled and scooted closer. “I’ve worried that you would hate me for giving you up, but I just couldn’t keep you.”
“I understand.”
“I was fifteen and unable to raise you.”
“I can’t imagine having a three-year-old now.”
“There was no way I could keep you.”
Meghan bit into a piece of toast and hit her with another question. “So what happened next?”
“I lived with my cousin Patsy, finished high school, and went off to college.”
“What about my biological father? What did he have to say about it?”
“He didn’t know. In fact, he still doesn’t.”
NINE
Later that morning, after Darla had left the hospital to check into a hotel, Jason strolled down the hospital hallway, thinking about last night. They’d talked for hours, and his bad first impressions of her faded away. He enjoyed her company—maybe a little too much—so it was best to keep a little distance. His focus needed to be on his daughter right now, not on how badly he wanted to kiss Darla. Meghan rolled on her side as he came into the room.
“How’re you feeling?” He swept her hair off her forehead to get a better look at her face. Her cheeks had more color and her eyes were bright. They had dodged another bullet, but might not be so lucky next time. If only the doctors could figure out what was causing the shortness of breath. Maybe the tests she was scheduled for later today would yield some clarity.
“I’m tired of lying here. Can’t I go home?”
“Not until they figure out what’s wrong.”
“If I promise to be good and not get off the couch?”
“Sorry, love, no can do. You’re not leaving here until we have some answers.”
“Tyrant.” She punched her pillow and hit the incline button on her bed. Jason pulled the chair close to her bed.
“How did it go with Darla?”
“Good.”
“Just good?”
“She’s nice, but Dad, she’s so emotional. Not as confident and strong as in my dreams. She kept apologizing, and I kept telling her it was okay. I’m not mad at her.”
She’d often talked about her dreams of her birth mother, and he hoped Darla measured up to the image she’d created. Jason smiled at his daughter, so even-tempered and in control. Like a sudden tornado, he’d blown into Darla’s life unannounced, taking her totally off guard. Meghan had been waiting for this day for years, but it was foisted on Darla in only a few days. She hadn’t had time to prepare.
“It was a life-altering experience for her. Can you imagine having a baby so young and giving her away? Go easy on her.”
“I have. I do understand. I just wish she’d stop beating herself up about it.”
“I get the feeling she’s beaten herself up about it for the past eighteen years. It’s going to take a while for her to forgive herself.”
“I know.” Meghan folded the sheet over her chest and glanced out the window. “I asked her about my biological father.” She snapped her head in his direction. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s okay if you’re curious about him. What did she say?”
“Nothing. She changed the subject. Started babbling about her real estate business and the house she’s building with her brother.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Did you know I have like five aunts and uncles?”
“I think only four. She said her oldest brother died.” Jason glanced out the window. “In fact, if I did the math right, he died the summer you were born.”
“It was a wreck, wasn’t it?”
“A motorcycle accident.”
“Wow, do you think that’s why she didn’t tell her parents?”
“She didn’t tell her parents?” Darla hadn’t mentioned that—only that they weren’t able to help her. “Did she tell you that?”
“No, but I know she didn’t tell them. She went to live with her cousin Patsy in Ohio before she was showing. That explains why I was born in Canton.”
“I wondered how that happened. There’s just so much we don’t know yet.”
“After a while, she said that maybe someday she’d tell me about my biological father, but she just wasn’t ready.”
“It’s definitely too upsetting for her to talk about.”
Later that afternoon, Meghan was wheeled out of her room for a variety of new tests. The latest theory was that she had a heart condition causing her blood pressure to drop suddenly and her breathing to become constricted. Jason picked up an outdated magazine from the waiting room and took a seat near the window, hoping to get his mind off the tests. Although he was hopeful they’d find a reason for her health issues, he was afraid it would be much more serious than the staff was letting on. He’d just finished flipping through the magazine when a short, chunky, dark-haired woman appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Are you Meghan’s father?” she asked, taking a seat before he could reply. “I’m Patsy Barbour, Darla’s cousin.”
“Oh, yes, Patsy, hello.” He extended his hand and she shook it firmly. “I’m Jason Byrne. It’s nice to meet you. Darla didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“She called me on her way out of here last night, and I told her I’d drive down today. I’ve been hoping to see that little girl again since the day she was born.”
“Do you live here in Cleveland?”
“Youngstown. My husband and I run a convenience store and gas station there in town. We used to live in Canton where the baby was born, but moved to Youngstown after Darla went to college. She went to the university in Athens, so we weren’t too far away if she needed us, not really. Just a few hours.”
Had Patsy taken a breath since she sat down? She could spit out more information in a brief moment than an auctioneer.
“It took her an extra year to finish high school, since she sat out on what would’ve been her tenth grade year because of the baby and all. She just wasn’t ready to go back to being a regular teenager, you know what I mean? She certainly couldn’t go home, so she stayed with us for the next three years and graduated from Canton South a year behind what she should’ve.”
If Jason sat really still and didn’t say a word, he would learn more from Patsy than Darla had been willing to share. He should’ve found her first. He nodded, encouraging her to continue, and hoped maybe she’d touch on the subject of Meghan’s mysterious biological father.
“Yeah, having that baby changed her. When she started high school there in Canton, she didn’t really make many friends, didn’t go to football games or the prom. She just studied her butt off and graduated vale
dictorian. That’s what got her the big scholarship at OU. Lord knows her parents didn’t have the money to send her to school, and Tony and I were barely getting by with his job at the mill and me working at Walmart. It was all we could do to feed the two of us, let alone Darla, but we wouldn’t abandon her.”
Patsy finally blinked and took a breath. She settled into the chair beside him and continued, her eyes wide and intense. “No way. That girl didn’t deserve what happened to her. She needed us something awful. She helped out by working two jobs and cooking dinner most nights while keeping up with her schoolwork. It’s no wonder she’s such a big success. I knew she was a go-getter. Do you know she bought her own car with cash and paid the insurance and upkeep all on her own at the age of seventeen? Lord, that girl had gumption.”
Patsy glanced off into the distance after recalling Darla’s earlier life. Her shoulders raised and lowered as she took a deep, raspy breath. “Listen to me, babbling on.” She turned back to Jason and patted his hand. “How’s your little girl doing?”
“Better. She’s having some tests run right now.”
“Do you think I could meet her? I mean, if you don’t think it would cause any trouble or anything. I held her for the longest time in the hospital. Darla just couldn’t bring herself to do it, and I can’t blame her, but I wanted to make sure that little baby felt some love from the moment she was born. Lordy, she had a head of hair.”
Jason chuckled. “She sure did. She needed a haircut the day she came to us.” He shifted in his chair and glanced at Patsy, who was smiling at him. “Her hair fell out by the time she was three months old and came back in darker and thicker.”
“Like Darla’s?”
“Just like it. They look a lot alike.”
“Oh, I’m just dying to see her. Darla was supposed to meet me here. I called her when I got in the parking lot. She should be here any minute.”
While Patsy was in a chatty mood, he decided now was his chance. “Before Darla gets here, I wanted to ask you about Meghan’s biological father. The doctors have suggested a genetic study to see if there is any family history on either side of this kind of condition. Darla hasn’t been open to discussing him.”
“And why should she? That man is an animal. I wish someone would knock him off his high horse—Mr. High-and-Mighty, moneybags, faker.”
“What do you mean? Who is—”
“If people knew what he’d done to her, only fifteen years old, practically a child. And him, a respectable”—she flicked her fingers in air quotes—“upstanding citizen. Trust me, his empire would come crashing to the ground. What I wouldn’t give to be the one to leak it to the newspapers.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Darla Jean hates to talk about it, and believe me, I haven’t said a word to anyone, but seeing as you’re the baby’s legal father, I think you have the right to know.”
“Right to know?”
“That horrible man. The one who got her pregnant?” She shook her head violently and gripped his hand, squeezing it until it burned. “He’s the governor of West Virginia.”
Fate had stepped in at just the right moment in the form of a call on Patsy’s phone. While she walked into the hall to talk, Jason slumped in the chair like he’d been hit by a bus. He dragged his hands down his face with a heavy sigh. He wished he’d never asked about Meghan’s father. He had more questions now than before. No wonder Darla hadn’t wanted to talk about him. How had she known Clyde Fletcher? Did she work for him as an intern or a page? Did she have an affair with him? Did he even know Meghan existed?
A few minutes later, Patsy returned, slipping her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. “Sorry about that. That was Tony checking to see if I got here all right. It’s a good thing he called because I forgot to tell him Kaylor has a dentist appointment after school. That’s my son.” She plopped down beside him and picked up her continuous chatter, unaware that Jason hadn’t recovered from her last bombshell. “He’s ten and our daughter, Maria, is eight. Tony wanted more kids, but it’s all we can do to keep up with the two we’ve got, plus manage the store. Do you have any children of your own?”
What did she mean? Meghan was his child. He shook his head, still reeling from the revelation that Darla had an affair with the governor, and realized she meant biological children. He cleared his throat and sat up. “No, my wife and I couldn’t have children of our own.”
“How about more adopted kids?”
“No, it’s just me and Meghan. My wife and I divorced a number of years ago.”
“Single, huh?” Patsy leaned in and raked her gaze from his head to his knees, looking him over as if he were a prized steer up for auction. “Got a special lady friend in your life?”
“No.”
“You’re about what, forty, forty-five?”
“Forty-two.” He jumped from the chair and glanced down the hallway. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”
“Prepping for those tests takes longer than the test itself. It’ll probably be a while.” She slipped her arm through his and guided him back into the waiting room. “Come on over and take a load off. Where were we?”
“You were…uh…telling me about your son’s—”
“Oh yeah, Meghan’s biological father. Can you believe that scumbag is running the damn state? That’s what happens when you grease a few palms and spread your money around.”
“Darla hasn’t actually told me about him.”
“It’s too painful for her to talk about him, but I don’t mind one bit telling you he’s a lowdown, white-trash, crooked politician who should be in jail.” She picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages too fast for anything to click. “And I’ll tell you another thing.” She slapped the magazine on the coffee table. “If it were up to me, I would’ve sued his ass. They could’ve kept it hush-hush so as not to ruin his pristine reputation and Darla wouldn’t have had to work so hard. That money could’ve paid for college and set her up in style.”
“On what grounds could she have sued him?”
“I’m sure it’s illegal to take advantage of a teenaged girl. Maybe she should’ve just had him arrested.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this without her here.”
“Without who here?” Darla came into the waiting room, looking rested and refreshed, pretty as ever. The blue, floral sundress brought out the dark intensity of her eyes, and the wedge sandals showed off her shapely legs. She dropped her matching blue purse on the coffee table and drew Patsy into a fierce hug. “You’re not stirring up trouble, are you?” She giggled as she pulled out of their embrace.
“If you’d let me, I could stir up some trouble.”
“Hi, Jason.” Darla’s sweet smile made his heart tingle as she took a seat across from him and Patsy. “Has she been talking your ear off?”
“Well—”
“Shush girl. You know I can only talk at one speed—fast.”
“That’s for sure. But seriously…” She draped her right leg over her left, pulling Jason’s gaze to the soft contours of her lower legs. “What were you two talking about before I walked in? Is Meghan okay?”
“They’re running some tests on her,” Jason said, hoping to steer clear of the topic of Meghan’s biological father.
“I’ve been keeping Jason company, and filling him in on some history.”
“Like what?”
“How hard you worked through high school and college. How smart you are.”
Darla’s face turned a deep shade of red as she smoothed the invisible wrinkles from her skirt. “You’re exaggerating.”
“You know I’m not. Smartest girl in your high school class.”
“Just lucky.”
“Darla Heartwood, you know you’ve got more get-up-and-go than a race horse.”
Darla threw her head back and laughed. “Oh great, now I’m being compared to a horse.”
“You know what I mean.” Patsy reached across the coffee table and landed a
playful smack on Darla’s knee. “He asked about Meghan’s biological father.”
“What?” Darla dropped her foot to the floor and gripped the arms of the chair.
“He wanted to know about him because the doctor might need to do a genetic history.”
“I told you I wasn’t ready to talk about him.” She scooted to the edge of her seat and glared at Jason, all color drained from her face.
“I’m sorry.” Jason reached his hand toward Darla but she recoiled as if burned. “I had hoped that—”
“That what, Patsy would tell you all the sordid details?” Darla jumped to her feet and shoved her hand through her purse handle, folding it to her side.
“Now, Darla, I didn’t tell him anything. That information is for you to tell when you’re ready.”
“What exactly did you tell him?” Now her fury was turned on Patsy.
“I just told him who he is, not what he’d done to you.”
“Great!” Darla flexed her leg against the chair, sending it teetering on its hind legs. “Just great.” She stormed toward the doorway and spun around like a cyclone. “Did you even stop to think? That information has been sealed for the past eighteen years. If I wanted people to know, I would’ve told them.”
“Darla, this is all my fault.” Jason crossed the room and took her elbow in his hand. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. Don’t be angry with Patsy.”
“You had no right to tell him.” She jerked her arm out of his grasp and pointed her finger at Patsy. “We made a pact the day I told you about the baby that we would not tell anyone. You’ve gone back on your word.”
“But Darla, Jason is Meghan’s father. He has a right to know.”
“No he doesn’t. No one has the right to know. It says father unknown on her original birth certificate, and I planned to keep it that way. I can’t believe you did this to me.”
Jason had to think of something to say to break the tension between Darla and Pasty. They glared at each other like two wolves about to fight. If it weren’t for his questions, Patsy would probably not have revealed the truth about Meghan’s father. He still didn’t know the circumstances, only a name.
Whatever It Takes: A Highland Springs Romance (Whatever Series Book 4) Page 8
