“I understand,” I managed to get out over the lump that had formed in my throat.
“Come this way,” Blaire said, and we walked to the living room.
Cam had a frown on his face. “Dean isn’t here.”
“He had to run some errands,” Blaire said.
“Oh,” Cam said, looking let down. “Who are you?” he then asked Blaire.
“I’m Dean’s daughter-in-law, Blaire,” she replied.
That seemed to pacify Cam. He nodded, then walked back over to where I was standing.
“Didn’t he know we were coming?” he asked me.
An older man with a white lab coat walked out of the kitchen then. “Oh good, you’re here.”
Blaire glanced at Cam and then me. I could see by her expression that she’d assumed Cam knew about the paternity test. Damn Dean for not discussing this process with me. Cam was a kid. He couldn’t just be expected to handle this kind of information lightly.
“Dr. Moses, uh …” Blaire began.
The older man beamed at Cam. “I don’t think this is necessary, and I am surprised Dean is demanding it. The resemblance between Rush at that age and Cam is uncanny. Dean is blind,” he said, then looked at me. “Or he was preoccupied.” The older man winked, then turned his attention back to Cam.
“Just need a little cheek swab, and then I’ll be on my way,” Dr. Moses said to him, then looked over at Blaire. “That sandwich was excellent, dear. Thank you.”
Blaire nodded at him, but her focus was on Cam. She was worried. It was on her face. I wanted to cry because in this moment, I felt alone, and this stranger was making me feel as if I had support. Like someone else cared.
Dr. Moses opened a case and sat down on the sofa. He took out a sterilized swab. “All right, Cam, open up.”
Cam did as he had been told without question, but the uncertainty on his face was obvious. The swab took only moments, and then Dr. Moses was putting his things away and standing up. Cam watched the older man, and then he looked at Blaire and at last to me. He was waiting for an explanation. No one gave him one. My heart ached for the conversation we were going to have as soon as we got back to our apartment. I would have to tell him. This wasn’t how I’d wanted to do it. But Dean had forced it with his actions.
I saw Blaire go over and speak quietly with Dr. Moses.
“It’s time to go,” I told Cam.
“Are you going to tell me what just happened?” he asked me.
I nodded. “Yes. I will explain it once we are in our apartment.”
Cam paused and looked back at the doctor. “I’m not sick, am I?”
I shook my head, hating he was worried about something like that. “You are perfectly fine.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he walked over to me, and for the first time in a long time, my son slipped his hand into mine. It wasn’t something Cam did anymore. Holding my hand was for babies. Or at least, that was what he had said the last time I tried to hold his hand. Now, he needed my assurance. I was his safe place, and the fact that he was reaching out for that security made my guilt gnaw at me.
We started to walk around the sofa, and Blaire’s gaze found mine.
“Thank you,” I said to her. “We need to go talk about things. It was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet the both of you too,” she replied.
We were almost to the door when I heard heels hitting the marble floor. Pausing, I looked back, and Blaire appeared.
She looked at Cam, then back to me. “Finlay men can be … difficult, but … when they love, it’s forever.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Because Dean Finlay did not love me. She misunderstood the situation.
I simply nodded and opened the door to step outside. Free of the confines of the penthouse I would never spend another happy moment in again. That door was closed to me. I prayed, one day, I could find a way to move on.