Their Secret Baby Bond. Stephanie Dees

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СКАЧАТЬ Two

      Wynn lay on the floor in her brother Ash’s house, building a block tower with three-year-old Levi, whose adoption would be final in a couple of weeks. He was babbling constantly now, words mixed with sounds that had some resemblance to words.

      There’d been a time, not that long ago, when they wondered if he would ever speak, or stand. He’d been broken, physically and emotionally, when Ash’s wife, Jordan, became his foster mom. Together, Jordan and Ash had patiently helped him become a healthy, happy toddler.

      When he pulled up to standing using the coffee table, she had to dive to save her glass of ice water from his busy fingers. “Guys, he’s really doing so well.”

      Ash turned from where he was finishing the spaghetti sauce on the stove. “He took two steps yesterday.”

      “What? With no hands? Levi, you big boy! Aunt Wynn is so proud!”

      Levi let go of the coffee table and clapped his hands, delight shining in his dark brown eyes. Out of the crew of foster kids at Red Hill Farm, he was the first she’d bonded with, maybe because she felt wounded, as well. Her wounds were just on the inside.

      Her brother turned a speculative blue gaze on her. “I heard you were out at Latham’s today. You know, he had a crush on you in high school. He thought we didn’t know, but it was so obvious.”

      Wynn opened her mouth and closed it again.

      “Ash, don’t forget the bread!” Jordan winked at Wynn as she poured the noodles into a colander and served them into bowls.

      Ash pulled out a pan of perfectly toasted garlic bread and grinned at his wife. “Last time we had spaghetti, someone-who-shall-remain-nameless-but-wasn’t-me forgot the bread was in the oven and the entire house filled with black smoke. So the fire alarm is going off, the baby’s crying, Jordan’s screaming that the new house is going to burn down. It was awesome.”

      “Ashley Sheehan, you don’t have to tell all the family secrets.”

      His grin turned wicked. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t tell her about the time you—”

      “Ash!” Jordan dove across the kitchen to smash her lips against his, presumably to keep him quiet.

      He came up laughing. “Okay, okay, I give.”

      “I thought so.” A satisfied look on her face, Jordan picked Levi up from the floor and tucked him into his high chair. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

      “You guys are nuts.” Wynn stood, sliding her feet back into her short suede boots. “But the spaghetti smells delicious.”

      They were nuts in the best possible way. The little glances, the subtle—or not-so-subtle—innuendos, all hinted at a content life, a happy marriage, something Wynn wasn’t sure she would ever have. Not now.

      She’d let herself be blinded by her boss’s shine and bigger-than-life persona, somehow convincing herself that her place was behind the man, supporting him in his bid to change the world. He’d encouraged that, cultivated it, made her think she was indispensable to him as the love of his life.

      She’d believed him.

      She’d even believed him when he told her he wasn’t ready for marriage, that his work as a congressman had to come first. That is, until she’d seen the piece about his engagement in a political blog with impeccable sources.

      Her world had fallen out from under her. Preston was getting married—just not to her. When she’d discovered her pregnancy a month later, he accused her of sleeping around and trying to trap him into marrying her.

      She hadn’t spoken to him since.

      When she looked up, her brother’s perceptive eyes were on her face. She forced a smile and took a huge bite of spaghetti that she wasn’t sure she could swallow.

      Jordan laid her fork down. “So, Wynn. Everyone is wondering why you’re home and how long you’re planning to stay.”

      The instant wave of nausea dispelled any appetite that Wynn may have started out with. Apparently, all of Red Hill Springs had decided that they’d given her enough space and it was time for answers.

      Deliberately, she picked up her glass of ice water and took a drink. She cleared her throat. “To be honest, I’m not really sure. Indefinitely seems to be the most accurate answer.”

      Ash’s handsome face softened. “Wynn, are you okay?”

      She pressed her fingers into her temples, where a headache had begun to throb, and took a deep breath before looking her brother in the eyes. “I’m fine. But...I’m probably going to need the services of the family pediatrician in about six months.”

      “You’re pregnant?” Her new sister-in-law squealed and jumped up from her spot at the table to give Wynn a hug. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

      Wynn held on to Jordan just a little too long. She hadn’t expected happiness. She’d expected pointed looks, maybe some outright condemnation, a judgmental whisper or two. “I messed up. And it’s a pretty obvious mistake, or, at least, it’s going to be.”

      Jordan flopped back into the chair, her auburn braids bouncing on her shoulders. “You’ve put the mistake behind you. You’re here, aren’t you?”

      Wynn searched out her brother’s gaze. He was quiet. Too quiet. He shook his head, and her stomach plummeted again.

      But then he said, “Jordan’s right, Wynn. Maybe you made some bad choices, but no matter what happened to get you to this point, a baby is a blessing, not a mistake, and we’re going to love him.”

      “Or her.” A tear dripped down her cheek, and she mopped it with her napkin. “I never used to cry.”

      Jordan grinned. “Me either. I don’t even have pregnancy hormones to blame, but I cry all the time now.”

      “Have you told Mom?”

      “Not yet.” At her brother’s look, Wynn grimaced. “I know, I know. I will. It’s just—it’s Mom. I don’t know, Ash.”

      “You have to tell her. It’ll only get worse if you don’t. Are you going to stay there?”

      “For now, but if I stay in Red Hill Springs—”

      “You should. You totally should.” Jordan interjected her opinion with a firm nod. “You need family around when you have a baby. Trust me on this one.”

      “If I stay in Red Hill Springs,” Wynn continued, “I have to find a job and a place to live.”

      Ash and Jordan exchanged a look.

      “What?”

      Jordan tore another piece of toast in half and slid it onto the tray of Levi’s high chair. “I don’t know about the job, but Claire and I were planning to offer you the cottage at Red Hill Farm, even before this. It really would be perfect for you. And Claire and Joe would be right there.”

      Wynn’s other brother, СКАЧАТЬ