And he’d go back to life without her.
She was holding his hand.
As soon as they’d gotten into his Land Cruiser and buckled up, she’d reached for him like it was the most normal thing in the world.
And let me tell you something.That simple gesture had gotten him all worked up, and he’d had to busy himself with loading directions into his car’s navigation system so she wouldn’t see how deeply she affected him.
And now, finally, after two and a half hours, they’d reached their destination.
“Well, this looks promising.” Hailey watched out the window. “Every yard looks neat and well-kept.” The grip of her hand countered the brightness of her tone. She glanced down at her phone. “It’s 2165.” And then, she looked at the curb. “This one’s 2153. So, it’s on the right side of the street. A few more down.”
It was a classic suburban neighborhood with one-story houses, multiple cars in each driveway, and small patches of lawn covered in snow.
Once they found the correct address, he eased to the curb. He cut the engine, but neither made a move to get out of the car.
“Do you think he got the numbers wrong? Should we text him?” On the entire block, only this house had stained vinyl siding, a small porch crammed with dirty toys, and a tarp covering a quarter of the roof.
“I can ask, but I’m pretty sure it’s right.”
She looked at him. “Is it wrong that I want to tell you to floor it? Get me out of here?”
“It’s not wrong to tell me, but we have nothing to lose by meeting them. We don’t have to hand our girls over to anyone we’re not comfortable with. We’ve only been looking a week.”
“Yeah, but the investigator said he didn’t have anyone else.”
“He’ll keep looking. Maybe he’ll have luck with Darren’s biological parents.”
“But those records are sealed.”
“He’s got connections. This is what he does for a living, and he’s very good at it.”
“Okay.” Her gaze wandered out the window again. “One step at a time.”
He reached for her hand, kissed her palm, and said, “I promise you this. Unless we find Mary fucking Poppins behind that door, we’re getting back in the car, and I’m flooring it.”
Emotion wrenched her features. “I know it’s crazy. I haven’t known them that long, but…” And then, she whispered, “I love them.”
She was killing him. “I care about them, too.”And I’m crazy, head over heels for you. “Come on. Let’s go meet Lindsay’s mom’s second cousin.”
Stepping out of the car, he swung around to her side and met her on the sidewalk. “Okay, let’s do this.”
No one had shoveled the walkway, so their boots crunched on the snow. Midmorning, the sky was overcast, only adding to the darkness of their moods.
“They’re the only house on the block that doesn’t have Christmas decorations.”
“That’s not a mark against them.” Her step faltered on the uneven terrain, and he reached for her elbow. “We don’t know what holidays they celebrate.”
“I know. It was just an observation.”
“No, you’re determined to give the girls a blow-out Christmas.”
Finally, she smiled. “I am.”
After ringing the bell, they huddled together against the cold. A baby cried, children shouted, and footsteps pounded. “Knock it off,” someone snapped. “I gotta get the door.”
It swung open. A woman with dark circles under her eyes and a messy bun stood before them, a baby on her hip. “Hey. You’re Ilona’s people?”
“Yes, we knew her daughter. I’m Hailey, and this is Cole.”