When we stepped into the living room, Katy looked up and smiled. Sitting next to her was a man our age. He stood.
“Kaylee, it’s good to see you again,” Katy said, extending her hand. I shook it and then faced the gentleman next to her. “This is my husband, Bryce.”
“It’s a pleasure,” he said as I returned his smile.
“Nice to meet you.”
He appeared to be holding back his emotions, not giving any hints as to what was going to happen.
We all sat, and I quickly peeked over to Ty Senior and Stella. They both looked equally nervous and excited.
“So, I think it’s best if I just get right to the news,” Katy said.
Ty squeezed my hand, and I placed my other one over his.
“That sounds good,” Ty said, glancing over to his mother and father nervously. They simply gave him warm smiles that said no matter what, everything was going to be okay.
“The DNA came back, and you’re not Olivia’s father.”
It was instant, the relief I felt coming off of Ty. I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Even Stella and Ty Senior seemed to be a bit relieved.
Ty pulled his hand from me and scrubbed it over his face.
“Oh, thank you, God,” Ty said, a breath expelling along with the words. Then he looked at Katy. “I’m sorry . . . I mean, I would have been—”
She held up her hand and smiled. “Ty, you don’t need to explain your relief, believe me. I get it.”
“Your ex?” he asked.
“Yes, I must have already been pregnant when we . . .” Her voice trailed off when she realized what she was about to say.
Ty changed the subject. “So, was I a match for her, though?”
Katy shook her head. “No. You weren’t.”
“Damn, Katy, Bryce—I’m so sorry,” Ty said.
“What if we see if we’re a match?” Stella asked. “I know Ty’s father and I are more than willing to donate.”
Katy looked her way and reached a hand out to Stella. “That is so sweet of you, but we actually found someone who’s an almost-perfect match.”
“That’s wonderful!” Stella said.
“That’s great news,” Ty and I said at the same time. He laced his fingers with mine.
Katy grinned and wiped a tear away.
“Who’s the match?” Ty asked.
When her eyes met mine, I instantly knew.
“Kaylee.”
All eyes were now on me. “I am?”
Katy nodded. “Yes. You match nine out of ten. It’s the best match we’ve had so far.”
“I didn’t even know you’d donated to be tested,” Ty said, looking at me with so much love on his face that it nearly made me give in to my crazy emotions and break down into a sobbing mess. I didn’t, though.
I took a moment to let everything sink in. Ty wasn’t the father. And I was the match. Me.
When we’d been at the hospital, I’d told the nurse I wanted to be tested as well, to see if I would match. I had honestly not thought twice about it. Now I was in shock, both because Ty wasn’t the father and because of the way Katy was looking at me. She was putting all her hope on me and my blood to help save her little girl.
I faced Ty. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything with everything that was going on. It was just something that felt right to do.”
Stella stood and walked over to me. She reached down and pulled me into her arms.
“You are an amazing woman, Kaylee Holden. I just love you and am so proud of you.”
And that made the tears fall. My own mother had never spoken those words to me, so to hear them from Stella, a woman I loved and admired, meant the world to me.
When she pulled back, I wiped at my tears. Ty Senior was next in line to hug me, then Katy. Ty stood next to me, his arm wrapped around my waist.
“What do I need to do?” I asked.
“Can you come to Billings for about a week?” Katy asked. “You’ll get a daily injection for the growth of white blood cells. Then, on the fifth day, they’ll place a needle in both of your arms: one to remove the blood, the other to return it to your body. It goes through a machine that circulates the blood and collects the stem cells.”
“Any side effects?” Ty asked.
This time it was Bryce who answered, his arm around Katy. “You might get a headache. They say there could be bone soreness, and the needles might cause discomfort.”
I nodded. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“You’ll do it?” Katy asked, trying not to let her voice sound too hopeful.
With a smile, I replied, “Of course I’ll do it.”
Two months later: July
I rode up on the horse to find Ty standing there, without a shirt on, pouring water over his body.