“Bailey, you’re not going to lose me. I’m yours. You’re mine. Nothing can change that. Things will return to normal naturally. I promise. I don’t want you to rush into something you’re not ready for.”
She rolled back over to face him. “I’m telling you I’m ready now. I’m not trying to overcompensate here. I am ready. I guess the real question is, are you ready?
He smiled, and his entire face lit with satisfaction. “Really? You’re really ready to live with me?”
Bailey ran a hand down his cheek, touching his dimple with the tip of her finger. “I missed that smile,” she said and leaned in for another kiss.
When a knock sounded on the bedroom door, Ryan growled, “Go away. We’re busy.”
“There’s company here for Bailey,” Lucas mumbled through the closed door.
Ryan glanced at her, and she shook her head vigorously.
“Can you get rid of them? She’s not up for visitors yet.”
“Um…well…it’s Agent Sharpe. I have a feeling it’s an official visit.”
Ryan met Bailey’s eyes and said, “Give us a few minutes, and we’ll come down.” He lifted his hand to touch her face. “Babe, are you up for this?”
She nodded and exhaled through her pursed lips. “Yeah.” She knew what was coming. Well, not exactly. She didn’t know the specifics, but she remembered enough of what Dex had said to her in that nasty little trailer to know that progress must have been made in the search for where she came from. She hadn’t asked, and Ryan hadn’t volunteered any information. For some reason, she felt very hesitant to know. Something terrible had driven Dex to do what he did, and she was afraid of what that terrible something was.
When they entered the living room, Agent Sharpe stood to greet Bailey. He smiled sympathetically and asked her to have a seat. Ryan and Lucas flanked her on the loveseat, Ryan sitting next to her and Lucas on the arm.
“Ms. Morton, it’s good to see you again so soon,” Sharpe said and gestured to her. “You look like you’re recovering well.”
“Please, call me Bailey. It’s nice to see you again, too.” She fought for a smile and said, “Thank you so much for everything you did to find me.”
“Oh.” He waved a hand at her in dismissal. “Thank your friends. They were much more effective than the FBI.”
Bailey fidgeted for a moment, then asked, “Why exactly are you here? I already gave my statement about what happened.”
“Bailey, I’m here to give you some news. And kind of an explanation for why William Dexter came after you the way he did.”
“You mean, how he tried to have me killed? Because that’s what really happened. He paid someone to kill me.” Bailey felt Ryan inhale then exhale next to her. “I’m sorry, but I see no reason to sugarcoat it.” She squeezed her eyes closed tightly and shook her head, fighting to keep the bad thoughts at bay. “Have you found him yet? Snaggletooth?”
Sharpe pursed his lips before he said, “No, Martin Davis hasn’t been located, but, with your help and the prints we managed to get, we’re close.”
“Good,” Bailey said.
Sharpe eyed her for a moment. “I’m sure you’ve seen it on the news, but I wanted to—”
Ryan waved a hand at him. “She’s staying completely away from the news. She hasn’t seen anything or read the paper—and we haven’t told her anything yet.”
“Oh, I see. Well, that’s a good thing. That means I still get the pleasure of doing my job.” He gave her a small smile. “But I guess the question is, are you ready for the news? I can hold off. Wait a couple of weeks until you’ve recovered.”
Bailey stared at him for a long moment, glad he asked before spilling the news. “Thank you for the option, but I won’t get any real rest until I know everything. Please tell me what you’ve learned.”
“As you’ve probably gathered, we’ve matched your DNA sample.”
Bailey gripped Ryan’s hand tighter, and her hand jittered like a hummingbird’s wing. She stared at Sharpe, her eyes focused on his face, and she looked stony. “Yes, that much I know.”
Sharpe leaned forward and pulled a file from a briefcase. From that file, he pulled out a wedding photo. “William Dexter was your brother-in-law. He was married to your half-sister.”
“I have a sister?”
“Yes, one sister and two brothers,” Sharpe said.
“And a father…”
“And a father,” Sharpe repeated.
Her eyes finally dropped from Sharpe’s and rested on the photo. She leaned forward and took the photo from him. It was true. That was Dex, standing next to a beautiful blonde in an elaborate white gown.
She tossed the photo back at Sharpe, fighting the sudden emotion that had crept into her heart. She hated Dex. There was no doubt about that. But she had cared for him once. Now, knowing he’d been married the entire time they were together—married to her sister even—how could he? How on earth did he find out this beautiful blonde was related to her? How is it he knew who Bailey was before she knew who she was? So many questions…and he’d managed to escape them all, the coward.
“Explain it all to me. How does this story unfold? How did I come to be in the snow the day Ernie Morton found me?”
“We’re not sure yet. We’ve reopened the investigation. We wanted to take care of reuniting the family first.”
“Do I have a mother?” she asked.
“No.” Sharpe cleared his throat and leaned in toward Bailey. “Your mother was killed twenty-seven years ago, the same day you disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Bailey took a deep breath and rested her head back. “How was she killed?”
“She was a graduate student, working toward her PhD. Early one morning, she was walking to school to
