Opening the library door, Curt switched on the lights and let her enter the room first. “You didn’t have to wait for me.” He closed the door behind him, although why, she didn’t know. With everyone in the living room, no one would hear them in here.
“I wanted us to read it together. Did you say anything to Reese about me getting the results?”
He shook his head as he sat down. “It seemed pointless to mention it until we knew one way or the other.”
Since the last time Taylor looked, she’d received emails from three other individuals. She didn’t even check the subject lines. They’d all be there later.
She scanned the brief standard cut-and-paste message before scrolling down to the attached report and opening it. Next to her, Curt remained silent, his leg rubbing against hers as he bounced his knee up and down while he waited.
After reading the results a second time, she bowed her head and collapsed against the sofa.
“What does it say?”
“Jordan is not Reese’s father.”
“Are you sure?”
She handed Curt the cell phone, so he could read the report himself. And as he did, she watched the tension leave his body.
“We should tell Reese and Mom.”
Her niece didn’t know she’d received the results, but Mom and everyone else who’d gone skiing with her this weekend did. And they were almost as anxious as she’d been to learn the truth.
“Let’s talk to Reese first. But I need to grab something before we do. While I’m up, I’ll get Reese and bring her in here.” He kissed her cheek before standing up. “Be right back.”
Whether they told Reese alone or Reese and Mom at the same time didn’t matter to her. For some reason, Curt cared, so she didn’t argue with his suggestion. However, she was darn curious about why it mattered and what he needed to get before they spoke to Reese.
“Curt went upstairs. He’ll be right back,” Reese said, entering the room. “How come you’re home so early? I thought you weren’t going to be back until after I went to bed, and that was why I was sleeping here tonight.”
“We decided to skip dinner and come home early because—” She stopped when Curt came in and closed the door again.
He put down the gift in his hand before joining her. She’d noticed the present sitting on his nightstand. Although not wrapped in the same snowman wrapping paper as the other presents Curt had wrapped so far, she had assumed it was a Christmas present for someone.
“Because why?” Reese asked.
“The laboratory we went to for the DNA test emailed me the results. I came home so that Curt and I could check them.”
“Oh.” Frowning, Reese dropped into a chair and crossed her legs in front of her. “Is that why Curt got me? So you guys can tell me what it says.” She rested both elbows on her legs and propped her chin in her hands.
Taylor nodded. “Jordan, the man I told you about on Monday, isn’t your father.”
Reese’s transformation was like nothing she’d ever seen. Jumping to her feet, she turned toward the door. “I need to tell Erin and Mimi.”
“Hold up, short stuff. I have a present I want you to open first,” Curt said.
At the word “present,” Reese spun around. “But it’s not Christmas yet, and it’s too early to be for my birthday.” Despite the apparent confusion, she accepted the small box without complaint.
“It’s not a Christmas present. It’s something I bought for you, and I want you to open now.”
Her niece didn’t need any additional instructions. She tore off the silver bow and placed it on Curt’s head before ripping off the purple paper. The box’s cover soon landed on the floor next to the wrapping paper, and Reese pulled a white gold ID bracelet out.
“It looks like Hazel’s, but hers is yellow and has a heart charm on it.”
Around Halloween, Reese had mentioned that she wanted a bracelet like Hazel’s. Although Taylor hadn’t purchased one yet, she’d planned to buy her one for Christmas. It looked like Curt had beat her to it.
Rather than ask Curt or Taylor to put it on her wrist, Reese handed the bracelet back to Curt. “Curt, the store gave you the wrong one. My initials are R.E.W. The ones on here are R.E.S.”
Now she understood why he hadn’t asked Mom to join them.