Page 40 of One Little Kiss

“Hi, Lily. I’m Lyn Darling. I’m the family liaison, and I just wanted to see how you’re both doing.”

“Hi, come on in.” Her voice is tired, but her smile is genuine. “We’re doing really well. If my husband and I could decide on a name, we’d be even better.”

I smile even when it hurts. I love this part of my job, so I push on. When I glance over the top of the blanket, Lily shifts her arms so I can peek at the baby. My gaze lingers on the sweet rosy cheeks when another knock comes from the doorway.

“Dad, you guys made it!” Lily exclaims. It takes me a second to release my gaze from the bundle of pink, and when I lift my head to greet her visitor, my stomach plummets.

“Winnie?”

My eyes blink too quickly as the color drains from my face. All my childish dreams once hung on this man’s word.

“Dad? How do you know Lyn?” Lily asks.

Fear and sadness cover Dennis Tilman’s face. It’s then that I notice an older woman standing at his side wearing a confused expression, and the young boy standing between them, completely oblivious.

“Dad, do I get to hold my niece yet?” the little boy asks.

“Y-You left us for another family?” My voice wavers with no filter and my heart races wildly.

“Winnie, it wasn’t like that. I, I didn’t know how to keep you. You weren’t mine,” my former stepfather explains.

Heartache I thought was long buried rushes to the surface.

“Emily, this is Winnie. Mara’s daughter.”

Understanding replaces confusion on the woman’s face.

Lily’s daughter chooses that moment to test her lungs on a cry that echoes in the room. I mentally shake my head, nearly stomping my foot, trying to gain control of my words.

“I thought about reaching out to Mara, but I—”

I raise my hand to stop him. There’s no explanation or excuse he can give that would repair my seventeen-year-old heart. My biological father had never wanted me, but Dennis raised me, then decided I wasn’t worth staying either. I won’t be the receptacle for his guilt.

“There’s nothing you can say, Dennis. This is the story of my life, right?” I swallow hard when my voice sounds slightly hysterical. “I’m just the girl no one wants to keep.”

“Winnie,” he tries again, and maybe it’s unfair, but he deserves to hurt, too.

“And no worries about calling my mom. She’s dead.”

I stare just long enough for the shock to register, then force my way out of the room. I’m rushing down the hallway, trying to catch my breath, but it’s no use. By the time I reach my office door, I’m hyperventilating, and tears threaten to break my composure.

A choked sob escapes as soon as I cross the threshold. I get a hand over my mouth, but not in time. I’m suddenly acutely aware that I’m not alone in my office.Hisscent hits my senses first. Then strong hands grasp my elbows to keep me upright. I shake my head to remove the curls from my eyes, but my body zings to life and heat shoots up my arms from this stranger’s touch. My blood heats like a live wire, sending a familiar awareness to every inch of my body.

“Winnie.” The low, gravely baritone has me sucking in air only to choke when it gets lodged in my chest.

I didn’t think this night could get any worse, but I should know better by now. Things can always get worse.

I lift my gaze with a heavy heart to find a concerned Colton. He’s also shooting daggers with a hard stare that has me shriveling in his grasp, and once again, I have to find the courage to walk away from him. My life is not my own anymore, and with Jason digging around Weston, I can’t take any chances.

“Mr. Westbrook. It’s lovely to see you again,” I whisper, willing whatever strength I have left to surface. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get to work.”

His jaw clenches and his gaze narrows in on mine. “You know who I am?” His voice is low and controlled, but the vein throbbing in his neck gives away his calm façade.

“I do. I-I have work to do.”

He grasps my elbow and leads the way. “Funny thing about that, Winnie, or is it Lyn? Not Wendy, I remember that much. I’m your new volunteer.”

My feet forget how to work, and I trip over myself. His hand is unforgiving though, and he holds me upright.