Bailey wasn’t sure what to say. She grinned. “What something? What is it?”
He held up a finger and reached for his jeans again. After a moment of shuffling through pockets, he pulled out a linen pouch. Bailey recognized the pouch as one of Mae’s. She used them to store her jewelry designs when they were finished.
Ryan flipped back around to face her and held it up. “I asked for Mae’s help with this. I knew I could trust her to make it special.”
She grinned. “Are you giving me jewelry?”
Ryan nodded, but he wasn’t smiling. He looked a little nervous. “It’s different, though. More than just jewelry.” He shrugged and muttered, “Here goes.”
He turned the pouch upside down and emptied the contents into his hand. It was a series of coils, or what looked like coils. Guitar strings? No. She lifted the item and held the string of coils in her hand then sat up quickly.
“Ryan…is this…are they piano strings?”
He nodded, and one side of his mouth went up. “Yeah. They’re from your mom’s piano. I hope that’s okay.” He shrugged nervously. “Mae made them into a bracelet. I thought you might like to carry her with you, especially today.”
Bailey closed her hands over the bracelet for a moment and held it to her chest, keeping her eyes closed tight for a moment. Ryan sat quietly, and she hoped he didn’t get the wrong idea. When she knew she could speak without crying, she opened her eyes to his nervous face.
She lifted the bracelet and took a closer look. The piano strings were woven together in an everlasting infinity knot, layers crossing over then coming together at the clasp. The clasp was magnetic, and from it hung three small charms. Love. Family. Friendship.
“I’m…speechless.” She looked into his eyes then down at the bracelet. “It’s incredible. Beautiful…so…”
“So you like it?” he asked, gesturing toward her. His hand held a little tremor.
“It’s incredible. I absolutely love it,” she whispered and tried to place it on her wrist. When her hands started shaking, they both laughed. Ryan reached out and twisted it around her wrist until the two magnetic ends came together. It fit beautifully. Not too bulky or too large on her tiny wrists.
“I thought of it when I had the piano repaired. I was afraid it would make you sad, but then I thought, even if it did at first, one day you’d appreciate it.”
“No, it’s incredibly thoughtful. I love it…truly.” She fiddled with the three charms, and Ryan touched them, too.
“That was Mae’s idea. She did that on her own, but I like it, too. Very fitting, considering the circumstances.”
“It’s really perfect. Thank you.” She smiled wide. “Thank you so much.”
He finally smiled, a real Ryan smile, and the twinkle in his eyes got her heart pumping again.
He lifted up and said, “Well, we better get up, or we’re going to be late.” He kissed her and got out of bed. “I’ll heat the water for your shower.”
Bailey watched him walk across the room naked and felt stirrings so strong, she almost considered canceling this meeting with her lost family. If it weren’t for the fact he’d promised not to leave her side, she would have, but she knew, as long as she had Ryan, everything else would work itself out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The five of them went to breakfast, but Bailey couldn’t eat. They were watching her, waiting for something to happen. They all must have thought she was going to break down and change her mind. Everyone tried to act normal. They cracked jokes, told stories, anything they thought might put her at ease, but nothing worked. The tension in her shoulders was so tight, it gave her a headache, and at the same time, the smell of the food, eggs, bacon, even the smell of coffee made her nauseous.
It was a strange juxtaposition—relief she had found out who she was, and was now meeting her new family, but also a sense of disconnection with the family she’d known all her life. She wished she could share this moment with her mother. Doing this with her blessing would have made it that much more special and unique. Helen and Ernie Morton had been everything to her growing up. She didn’t want to disrespect their memory by embracing another family.
“Bailey?” Mae said, touching her hand.
“Yeah.” She jerked her head up. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“Are you ready?”
Bailey looked around to find everyone standing next to the table, waiting for her. She nodded and slowly stood, trying to find her balance. She turned to follow them out, and Ryan stepped to the back of the group to walk with her. He smiled at her, but it was an apprehensive smile.
Bailey waved him off. “I’m fine. Stop worrying about me.”
“We talked about this. Don’t brush me off unless you mean it.”
She nodded. “Sorry. I’m fine. I don’t want you to worry, but I’m a little uneasy.”
Ryan snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I bet. Uneasy has to be an understatement.”
She looked up at him from the corner of her eye and whispered, “What if they don’t like me?”
“That’s not a legitimate concern. Everyone who meets you likes you.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Don’t waste your time thinking about that, Bay. They’ll love you.”
“I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared.” Once she said it, she couldn’t shake it off, as if admitting it had made it truer.
When the group exited the restaurant, Ryan grabbed her hand and pulled her back, keeping the closed door between them and Vince, Mae, and Lucas. He pulled her toward him and stood nose to nose. “It’s okay to be scared. Take a deep breath.”
She did as he said, watching his eyes the entire time.
“Now think about this. If you’re scared, how do you think they feel?”
He was right. Her father, Alexander Spatz, had to be just as scared and uneasy as she was. For a
