“I wish I could talk to her, just one more time.”
“You know, Alex had many demons to slay when he lost his parents, too.”
“Really?” Bailey asked. “Was that because of Theresa?”
“Yes, and because of you. Here,” she said, gesturing toward the carafe of coffee. “You take that, and I’ll carry these.” She pushed through the kitchen door and carried the plates to the sink where Nicole was rinsing and loading the dishwasher.
“Linda, did you know my mother? Theresa?”
Linda’s head popped up. “Yes. You didn’t know? Well, I guess you wouldn’t.” She lowered her eyes for a moment, then said, “Theresa and I were best friends. We were like the Bobbsey Twins in high school.”
“No kidding?”
She smiled reminiscently. “Yes, I was going to be your godmother at your christening, but… Well, as you know, it didn’t happen.”
“So how did you and Alex get together?”
“We spent long, long hours searching for you. Nobody would help us. The police thought Alex was guilty of hurting Theresa and doing something with you. They used his parents and money as a motive.”
Bailey drifted down onto one of the kitchen barstools. “Oh, yeah, Agent Sharpe mentioned that. I didn’t think much about it, but, wow, that’s crazy.”
“I know. They couldn’t have been more wrong.” She rolled her eyes. “They thought Alex was tired of being broke and wanted to reconcile with his parents, that he had changed his mind about being a parent and husband. Of course, they couldn’t prove it. I was the only person who stood by him. It’s what Theresa would’ve wanted. He never would’ve hurt her, not in a million years.” She shrugged. “Eventually, we…became closer.”
“That’s a terrific love story.” Bailey smiled, having a newfound respect for them both. “Are you feeling pretty smug now that you’ve been proven right?”
“You bet your sweet bottom I am.” She smiled wide. “I wish his parents were still alive to see it.”
“Did Alex ever reconcile with his parents?”
Linda shook her head. “No. That’s what was really sad. When his mother died, nobody even called to tell him. He didn’t find out until his father died six years ago. We received a call from his father’s attorney about the will.”
“Wow. That’s incredibly sad.” Bailey looked from Nicole to Linda. “I’d have thought they would’ve worked things out over all those years.”
“What’s even sadder, they left everything to Alex. Most of the money and every acre of property. His brothers each got small trust funds for themselves and their kids, but the bulk of their estate went to Alex.” Linda shook her head. “They’d stated in the will it was to make up for doubting him. They wanted to show their support in death when they couldn’t in life.”
Nicole’s head shot up, and she looked over at her mother. Linda didn’t notice and continued with her story. “Unfortunately, that’s what Alex believes drove William to do what he did.”
“Right,” Nicole muttered. “Because there’s no way a man could love me for me. It would have to be about money.”
Linda met Nicole’s eyes and shook her head. “No, honey. You’re twisting this when you shouldn’t. Your father, of all people, sees what a wonderful and beautiful woman you are. It’s William he never trusted. And, well, it seems Alex was right about him.”
“No, Mother, you’re twisting it,” she said pointedly. “Dad would’ve disliked any man I brought home.” She looked over at Bailey then back to her mother. “For example, why don’t you tell us what he thinks about Ryan?”
“You’re not being fair, Nicole, and you’re not seeing William for who he was.”
Nicole picked up a kitchen towel and dried her hands. “You’re wrong about that. I see everything perfectly clear.” She turned on her heels and was gone.
Bailey’s heart grew heavy. She stood perfectly still, not sure what to say. Linda closed her eyes on a heavy sigh. Then she opened them and smiled sadly at Bailey. “Bailey, Alex is very protective of his family. He doesn’t usually prejudge people, but he sincerely worries about his kids being taken advantage of. Especially since they have such large trust funds.”
“Ryan isn’t taking advantage of me. He’s been my best friend since kindergarten.” She snickered. “Besides, I don’t have a large trust fund.”
Linda’s smile was genuine this time. “I can see how much Ryan loves you. You’re a lucky girl. Please, don’t take what Nicole says to heart. She’s still having some trouble dealing with everything William did.”
“I can understand that. Nobody could recover from that so easily. But do you worry that Alex may be repeating the mistakes his parents made? Does he worry about driving his children away?”
“Alex and the kids go round and round, but he’d never let it come between them. If it was his choice, Nicole would’ve never married William. Unlike his parents, he gave in and let Nicole have her way.”
“It’s sad he didn’t try harder with his own parents when they were alive. Why didn’t he call them? They could’ve had all those years together.”
“I know, but Alex wouldn’t. He was too heartbroken over losing you. He couldn’t forgive them for not supporting his search for you. He could’ve forgiven them for not supporting his marriage, but not for what he felt were crimes against his child.”
Bailey leaned over the sink and started washing the pans Nicole had abandoned.
“Alex put everything he had into searching for you, and he cut anyone who didn’t support that search out of his life. But I think if his parents would’ve tried to contact him later, he would’ve forgiven them.”
Bailey laid the last pan on the stove and said, “It’s amazing I managed to cause so much drama and never even know it. And how terrible it must’ve been for him to wonder about his daughter all these years. I can’t think of a worse feeling.”
Linda’s eyes got teary, but she smiled through it. “It’s been very hard, Bailey.” She took Bailey’s hand. “It’s been hard for me, but I cannot express in
