He lowered his hand to help her get up off the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh, my God!” Bailey clutched her sides as she paced in a circle.
“Bay, what’s wrong with you?” He leaned in to see her face. She reached for the baby book, flipped open the cover, and came face-to-face with her birth certificate, as she’d always known it. She turned another page. The first few pages were all news articles, no photos or notes.
She flipped another couple of pages to the first photo. The note above it read, ‘Baby’s first day as Bailey Grace Morton.’ She couldn’t have been more than six months old in the picture.
“Ryan, I was adopted,” she whispered and sank onto the bed.
“What?” He snatched the baby book from her. “No way.”
“I had no idea. I was abandoned. Why would someone…”
“Bailey, how is it you’ve lived twenty-seven years and didn’t know you were adopted?”
She reached up and flipped the book back to the first page and pointed to her birth certificate. “That’s how. My mother never said a thing about it.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell you.” He paced a bit, his eyes skimming the birth certificate. His right shoulder lifted in a shrug. “When you think about it, it makes sense.” His gaze drifted to hers. “You look nothing like your parents. Your mom was six inches taller than you, and she had blonde hair. You have dark brown hair with brown eyes.” He stared at her for a moment and said, “You never wondered?”
“Not everyone looks like their parents.” She turned to him. “Did you ever wonder…about your parents?”
“I tried to, especially when I was pissed at them, but I look too much like my dad to really question it.” He dropped down on the bed next to her. “I’m sorry. I—”
“I can’t believe this. Why would my mother lie? My father—why didn’t they tell me about this?”
“Maybe they didn’t want to hurt you or make you feel like you weren’t theirs. Family isn’t always about blood.”
“I’m not sure what shocks me more, being abandoned in the snow or never being told I was adopted.”
“Bay, I’m sure your mom and dad had to jump through hoops to keep you. Don’t think about being unwanted. Think about how much Helen and Ernie must’ve gone through to keep you.”
She lowered her chin to her chest. “God, Ryan, I don’t even know where I came from. I could be the daughter of a serial killer or some nasty hooker from Wisconsin.” As if she didn’t feel orphaned enough after losing her mother, now she felt unworthy. She had been raised by decent people. Her parents had been the most honest, hardworking people she’d ever known, and now, to read that they’d taken her in…kept her. They’d raised her and taken care of her without having any idea where she’d come from. Her stomach twisted at the thought. God only knew what kind of people had created her.
“You’re Bailey Morton, the same person you were when you woke up this morning.”
“Ryan…” She shook her head, dizzy with her new reality, dizzy with her upturned world that had been so ordinary a few moments ago. “Ryan, I’m named after a street sign.” She turned away, fighting her tears.
“I think it’s too early to work on the house. Helen’s only been gone a few days. Why don’t you wait a week or two?”
“No. I need to know everything.” Bailey sprang off the bed and grabbed another scrapbook from the trunk before flipping through the pages. “Why would she leave these for me to find? Why didn’t she just tell me so I wouldn’t have to find out this way?”
“Maybe she forgot they were here?”
“How could she forget?” Bailey asked. “How could she forget something this important?”
Ryan shrugged. “It probably wasn’t that big a deal to her. You’re her daughter, and I’m sure in her eyes, you always were and always will be, so this didn’t matter or change anything.”
Bailey stared at him, not sure what to say. “Not a big deal? Are you crazy?”
“Bailey, she was sick for a long time. It’s not like she didn’t have other things on her mind.” He gestured toward the stack of books. “Maybe she left them here on purpose for you to find.”
“She should’ve just told me, Ryan. Someone left me on the street. What kind of people would do that?”
“I don’t think it matters. Someone found you, kept you, and treated you like a princess your entire life. Don’t question that. Be grateful and continue to respect them for loving you.”
“I am grateful.” She placed a hand over her heart and said, “I love my parents more than anything. Don’t doubt that. But, Ryan, this isn’t about respecting them. This is about finding out the truth. Wouldn’t you want to know why?” She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Wouldn’t you want to know who you are?”
“Yes, of course, I would want to know where I came from, but, Bailey, this doesn’t change who you are.”
“Doesn’t it?” she said, sitting back down next to him.
“No. You’re still my best friend, and you’re still their daughter.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Nothing has changed.”
She looked at him and, with every sincerity, said, “Thank you for saying that, and thank you for being here.” And she meant it, too. Ryan cared for her. He was her best friend. But he was wrong—everything had changed.
CHAPTER TWO
Ryan took the stage at El Lago and wished like hell he’d booked someone else to play. As entertainment director, he could have, but he couldn’t have predicted the events of the past week. Helen Morton had been like a surrogate mother to him. She was there every day for him and his father while his mother had fought cancer. She’d kept Ryan straight
