Child of Mine (31 page)

Taking another swig of juice, Jack considered the immediate future. He had a couple days till the results came in. From here on out, it was a waiting game, and that was all it was: a game. There was no Jack and Kelly. Not anymore. There was no romance, and there was no future.

Nattie came waltzing in. “Come and see, Dad!”

“Just a minute,” Jack said, lost in thought. He shuddered: What if San hadn't found out?

And then the irony struck him between the eyes. If the test was positive, Nattie would have what she'd been searching for: her
real
mother, her
birth
mother. The thought unnerved him.

Until yesterday, he had been so eager to add Kelly to their little family, but in the space of a few hours, she'd become the enemy. He thought back to their first date again and remembered Kelly's first meeting with Nattie.

She could
have extracted the DNA then.
He also remembered how Kelly had mentioned Nattie's name
before
she'd been introduced.

Of course. It all fit together, especially her strange behavior that first day. Yes, without a doubt, she'd known of Nattie long before she'd ever arrived at his office. She'd been stalking her, and she'd pretended to know San when San clearly didn't know her, trying to cover her tracks, making it up as she went along. So many pieces were finally making sense, but there were still a few pieces that didn't fit.

Jack sat in the kitchen, sipping his orange juice, trying to analyze the last month.

“Dad?!” Nattie whined from outside. “C'mon!”

Jack drained the last of his juice and headed to the garage.

How can I help Nattie survive
this?

Pretending interest in the latest stripes on her ride, half listening as Nattie explained her bike fashion strategy, Jack suddenly remembered. It was Friday night. He groaned.

“I want Kelly to see this,” Nattie said, smoothing the stripes with her hand, wiping the residual dust on her jeans.

“She will, honey.”

Jack met Nattie's eyes, and they twinkled back at him. And once more, his spirits sank. “I love you, sweetie.”

Nattie raised her eyebrows, a soft glint in her eyes, challenging him. “I love you more.”

Kelly was due to arrive in one hour.

———

In the short time they'd been dating, a cute routine had already developed. They heard Kelly's knock first, then Kelly stuck her head shyly around the door, followed by a clear voice, “Hel-lo!”

Nattie would go running to greet her, and they would tumble through their playful contortions.

Same thing happened tonight. Once inside, Kelly held out her arms. “What's a girl gotta do to get a hug?”

Nattie extended her arms: “I thought you'd
never
ask!”

They collapsed into each other's arms, giggling as if they'd just unwrapped the funniest joke. Kelly pulled back, holding Nattie. “How's my favorite girl?”

“Now that you're here, things are definitely looking up!”

Another hug. Another round of giggles.

Observing them, Jack felt like snatching Nattie and making a run for it. When Nattie finally pulled Kelly into the living room, Kelly sat at the edge of the couch, leaned over, and planted a big one on Jack's lips. She pulled back, narrowing her eyes flirtatiously. “You okay, Jack?”

He forced a smile. “Long day.”

Kelly studied him, considering his answer. “Wanna talk about it?” she asked. Her face broke into a grin, and she leaned over and
elbowed Nattie, whispering conspiratorially in her ear. “As if guys want to talk about
anything.
”

Nattie giggled. “Ain't that the truth?”

Kelly stopped suddenly, sniffing the air.

Nattie acted worried. “What?”

Kelly nodded, convinced. “Call it a hunch, but I detect a severe lack of Pop-Tarts.”

“That's what
I'm
talkin' 'bout.”

Kelly stood straight, and both she and Nattie turned to give Jack the stink-eye. His heart was breaking, and he certainly didn't care about Nattie's Pop-Tart quota.

“What if we just ate popcorn for movie night?” Jack suggested, and both Nattie and Kelly laughed as if he'd just said the funniest thing.

Nattie suddenly squealed and scrambled up the stairs. “I wanna show you something.”

Kelly stood there watching Nattie disappear and then turned her gaze upon Jack, still smiling but less humorously. “Seriously, boyfriend. Something I said?”

Jack shook his head. “No, just . . . got bad news today.”

Nattie came down with some pencil sketches, new art accessories he hadn't seen yet, probably from San or Laura. Nattie was already bypassing him, not that it had bothered him in the least, but it only confirmed for him that losing Kelly would ultimately devastate his daughter.

Kelly's gaze hadn't left his eyes. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Jack said, “but I could eat.”

“Wanna go out instead?” Nattie asked, sorting her colored pencils.

“We could,” he said, trying to act the happy boyfriend, but he could tell Kelly wasn't buying it.

Nattie sat on the couch, and Kelly oohed and aahed over Nattie's art, examining it. He stared at her.

Is she Nattie's mother?
he wondered.

And what if
she isn't?
That meant
her
test result—the one he and San were convinced she would have done on Nattie—was negative, and yet she'd stuck around anyway. And the big question to that would be . . .
why?

Because she's for real, San had said.
Because she
loves me . . . or Nattie.
But could he possibly believe anything Kelly had to say at this point?

She held up a drawing for Jack to see. “Did you notice Nattie's shading?”

He had. Nattie rubbed her hands together. “Dad says I should take art lessons.”

“You should,” Kelly said, glancing at him again, a concerned frown edging the corners. “But only if you really want to try it.” She held his gaze, as if checking whether her response to Nattie met with Jack's approval.

He smiled agreeably. “Yes, if you'd like to, sweetie, but we've already got piano.”

“I can do
everything,
” Nattie announced, arranging her pencils in a row.

Kelly mussed Nattie's hair, looking at Jack. “Yeah, Dad. We can do
everything
!”

They decided on Chinese takeout, one of Nattie's new favorites, and ate in the backyard. It was a hot evening, but a soft breeze trickled through the leaves, perfect for outdoor dining. Nattie and Kelly bantered throughout the meal while Jack observed, feeling thoroughly sidelined. Every so often Kelly met his eyes, giving him another friendly frown.

The wisecracks that normally came so easily to him during happier occasions didn't come at all. Despite his determination to play along, his efforts fell flat.

“I think we've left Dad behind,” Nattie quipped.

After eating, Kelly and Nattie kneeled before Nattie's tower of DVDs to select a movie. Nattie was eager to introduce Kelly to something she hadn't seen before, so they settled on
The Lion
King
.

“It's got my favorite song of all time,” Nattie declared.

Nattie was reluctant to sit between them, but after Kelly's urging, she agreed. “Jack and I have our date tomorrow,” Kelly said, encouraging her.

Afterward, Jack walked Kelly to her car, and Kelly effused appreciation for the good time. She touched his arm. “You're sure you're not feeling a little under the weather?”

He assured her. “We've had a good time, haven't we?”

Kelly held his eyes. “Yes, I've really enjoyed these Friday nights. Getting to know you and Nattie has been a blessing.”

Jack bit his tongue. Normally he would have kissed her good-bye, but he didn't tonight, reaching for a hug instead.

“Drive safe,” he told her, and she flashed him her winning smile, the smile that had stolen his heart the first day he'd met her.

He forced another of his own, but it felt all wrong.

———

Once in the car, but still in sight, Kelly struggled to keep her emotions in check. She waved at Jack again, hoping he couldn't see her watering eyes. And although she'd had plenty of time to prepare—weeks, in fact—nothing could have prepared her for how she felt now.

He knows,
she realized.

She put her car into gear, so frustrated with herself she was tempted to peel out, although her Toyota wasn't exactly peeling material.

Halfway down the street, out of eyeshot, the first tears slipped down her cheek.
I've lost Jack.

The lollipop was still sitting in the top drawer of her bedroom dresser, within a sealed plastic bag, untested. She'd almost thrown it out, in an attempt to achieve some kind of pathetic redemption.

I should have been honest
from day one,
she thought for the hundredth time. Of course, there was no way Jack would have asked her out if she had been honest. She still believed that. The last month would never have happened.

The urge to tell the truth boiled up within her. Even now, she was tempted to turn the car around, march up to his door, and come clean. Even now, she had the crazy notion that she could fix things.

But what if
I'm wrong?
she thought. What if Jack was merely having a bad night?

Yet, in the long run, did it matter? Either way, she had to come clean eventually. She'd always known this, hadn't she?

She thought again of the lollipop that held the truth to her question.
Is Nattie my daughter?

I have to test it
now,
she realized.
I have no choice.

All the way back home, she kicked herself. For being so deceitful. And for falling in love.

———

Once back inside, Nattie came up to Jack and tugged on his shirt. “Hey, grump. Something
I
can do?”

Dropping to his haunches, Jack reached for a hug. She complied, whispering in his ear, “You're freakin' us out, Daddykins.”

“Tired, is all.”

“You keep saying that.” She shook her head against his shoulder. “Are you mad at Kelly?”

“No.”

Her eyes locked with his. “I
like
Kelly.”

Here was where he was supposed to assure Nattie that
he,
too, liked Kelly. “Well, I know for a fact she likes you back.”

With crafty eyes, Nattie pursed her lips, catching his slippery slide. “Don't
you
like her anymore?”

“Kelly's wonderful, honey.”

Nattie sniffed, unsatisfied and annoyed. “I'm going to bed, Dad.”

“I'll be up in a sec.”

In his office, Jack sat in his chair and took a long breath. He wasn't up for tomorrow. Not after tonight, and before he considered it further, he picked up his cell and texted Kelly:
I need to cancel our date tomorrow.

Moments later, his phone rang, and he read the ID. It was Kelly. He cringed. She wasn't one to text and drive.

“Hi, Jack,” she said when he answered. “That's fine. I'll miss you, but I'm here if you want to talk.”

Jack said good-bye and hung up.

Holding the phone in his lap, he tried justifying his terse behavior, recalling the information he'd read on Kelly, how she'd been held in a cloud of suspicion regarding the disappearance of her daughter. According to one article, the police still believed she'd been involved, even to this day.

The idea was laughable. San was right, and the police were wrong. There was no way Kelly was involved in the kidnapping and sale of her own daughter. But still . . . that didn't change her lies.

———

When he tucked her in, Nattie talked about Kelly at first, and then after a few minutes, she transitioned to Laura, whom she hadn't seen in over a week. “Do you think she was just saying she wasn't going home?”

Jack kissed her cheek. “No, honey. Laura always tells the truth.”

“Yeah,” Nattie said thoughtfully.

“You wanna talk to her?”

Nattie leaned up. “Actually . . . I wanna
see
her again.”

Jack pulled out his phone and dialed Laura's number. Nattie pulled herself to a rigid sitting position, crossing her legs.

Laura answered on the first ring, and when he apologized for calling so late, she demurred. “I was just reading.”

“Nattie misses you,” he said, asking if Laura had time for a quick visit in the next couple of days. Sounding amenable to the idea, Laura suggested that Jack drop Nattie off at the farm tomorrow.

“Tomorrow?” he said for Nattie's benefit, who was enthusiastically nodding her head.

“How's she doing?” Laura asked.

“Fine,” he replied.

Laura must have detected the hesitation in his tone. “Is everything okay?” she asked, sounding worried. “I mean . . . with you and Kelly?”

“Not at all,” Jack said simply.

“Oh dear,” Laura said.

L
aura was waiting for them on the porch of the farmhouse. She waved, and Nattie fidgeted like a jumping bean.

When Jack stopped the truck, Nattie scampered out, calling,
“Ich habb dich oahrich gmissed
!
”

Laura laughed melodiously. “
Guck emol du!
”

Jack sighed with a smile. The best he could make out, they'd said something about missing each other. Nattie ran to Laura as though she hadn't seen her for months. Staying inside, Jack rolled the window down, and following yet another tender moment, Laura came over to the truck, holding Nattie's hand.

“We're going to visit the ponies again,” Laura said brightly.

Nattie grabbed Laura's arm, and Laura surrendered to Nattie's tugging.

Jack said good-bye and decided to take a short drive to collect his thoughts, then stopped at the airfield for a few hours.

Just after lunchtime, Laura called him. “Nattie is hoping you could take us to the park.”

“I'll be on my way in five minutes,” Jack responded, eager to ditch the paper work at the office.

When he arrived back at the farm, Nattie and Laura hopped into the passenger side of the truck, slamming the door shut. “Howdy, stranger.” Nattie laughed.

Jack leaned over, taking an exaggerated sniff of Nattie's hair as she located her seat belt. “Don't start, Dad. I can always take a shower later.”

Closest to the window, Laura reached behind her, trying to fasten her own seat belt. Jack couldn't help looking at her after she'd clicked it into place, still recalling the day she'd tried “fancy” on for size.

Nattie swished at her face with both hands, sweeping clear the offending strands. The gravel sputtered as he backed up, creating a cloud of dust particles, spattering the underside of his truck.

In the distance, Jack noticed the Troyers' nineteen-year-old son, Samuel, their youngest, going to the stable, completing the afternoon chores. He recalled from their previous conversations that Samuel was engaged to be married to his sweetheart.

“When is the wedding?” Jack asked, nodding in Samuel's direction.

“October.” Laura chuckled softly. “He's ready to grow a beard, that's for sure. Ready to be a
man,
as he puts it.”

Soon enough
, thought Jack.

———

At the park, it was like old times. Laura teeter-tottered with Nattie for a while as Jack watched. Later, he joined them for a fierce game of tag, with Nattie's friends eagerly joining the fun.

Worn out, Laura and Jack let Nattie enjoy time with her friends, and they made their way to a nearby bench, which he pretended to dust off. “Your throne awaits, m'lady.”

Laura laughed and sat down, demurely crossing her legs. They sat in silence for a moment.

He'd been mulling it over all day, and now with her sitting there, he finally decided. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Laura turned to him. And swallowing hard, Jack spelled out
the story, describing San's phone call and her discovery of Kelly's true identity, ending with his accumulation of DNA evidence.

Stunned, Laura's face fell, her eyes narrowing in dismay.

Jack removed an Internet article from his pocket, the one with an early picture of Kelly, and passed it to her. Laura read it, her face growing pale when she came to the end:
Kelly Maines remains under a cloud of suspicion after years
of running her nonprofit organization, which many detractors suspect is
merely a front for personal gain.

Her eyes fixed on the page, Laura sighed loudly. “They really put her through the shredder, ain't so?”

He agreed.

“So . . . Kelly must think Nattie is hers? Is that why she found you?”

Jack shrugged. “What other explanation is there?”

Her eyebrows arched. “You mentioned hairs.”

He told her what he'd found, and she frowned. “But, Jack, I'm sure
my
hair is all over the place.”

“I know I've got at least three of Kelly's hairs,” Jack explained, staring at the kids running around, playing an impromptu game of kick the can.

He sighed, the noise of the park mingling with a swirling sense of unreality. “No matter what I think, or hope, I have to admit that Kelly looks like Nattie.”

Laura seemed to consider this and shook her head. “Kelly's not Nattie's mother.”

Jack was taken aback, surprised by Laura's adamant tone. “But what if she is?” he pressed, unwilling to let it go. “I have to be ready for that.”

“No you don't,” she said, her voice lowered to a hush. “She's
not
Nattie's mother.” Her continued conviction stunned him.

“But—”

“She would know by now, right?”

Nodding, Jack conceded this. After all, he and San had already taken this argument to the same conclusion.

“Is it such a stretch to believe she actually likes you?” Laura said gently.

Jack shrugged and let it go.

Hugging herself, as if suddenly cold, Laura sniffed softly. “I'm more worried about Nattie. She doesn't need this.” She stood up and wandered back to the playground, where Nattie greeted her with unbridled enthusiasm.

Jack took a few shots with his ever-present camera, then made a little video of his munchkin. After a few minutes, Laura returned. Nattie wasn't remotely ready to leave, and he wasn't surprised. He felt the same way. Being here with Laura reminded him of the old days and the old hopes.

“Nattie really likes Kelly,” Laura said, continuing the topic. “This will break her heart.”

“She still talks about
you
every day,” Jack replied.

Laura looked away.

Come back,
Jack thought. With the looming test results, their future was up in the air. Everything hinged on whether Kelly was or was not Nattie's mother.

What if Kelly had never come into our lives?
he thought. Laura wouldn't have quit, and he could have spared Nattie another heartache, and in time . . . maybe, just maybe he and Laura might even have married. Was that so impossible to believe?

“I don't see how Kelly and I can survive this,” he now whispered. “No matter what the test says.”

Laura nodded, lost in thought. She chewed her lip, clearly anxious.

Eventually they headed toward Laura's home. Nattie sat in the middle but said little, tuckered out. In front of the house, Jack could see someone pull back the curtains and then let them fall into place again. Laura must have noticed, as well. She got out of the truck, stood on the gravel for a moment, then looked at Jack, her words confident, her meaning unmistakable. “You have nothing to fear. Okay?”

Jack nodded, and Nattie turned to Jack, questioning. He patted her back, and wondered again how Laura could be so convinced. But he didn't push it. “I'll call you to let you know how things turn out.”

“I'll be praying,” she said, gave them a final wave, then was gone.

On the way home, Nattie buzzed with curiosity. “What was
that
about?”

“Grown-up stuff.”

“You mean, Nattie-can't-know stuff.”

“Sorry, sweetie.”