“Maggie, would you like something to drink?”
“Uh, no. Thank you.”
“Okay then. Please have a seat.” Robyn reached for the remote.
As Josh and Maggie sank onto opposite ends of the sofa, she sent him a questioning look.
He lifted a shoulder, but all he could think wasMan, she’s so beautiful. He’d missed her so much. Maybe she’d hang around afterward to talk. Maggie seemed to be as confused as he was about this littlegathering—her shoulders were stiff, her expression guarded. But then, they were at the home of the woman with whom Ethan had apparently cheated. Josh wanted to give her hand a comforting squeeze, but she was too far away.
The TV went silent.
Get your head in the game, idiot.Robyn had obviously made the connection between Ethan and Josh, which meant she’d either called them here to beg them to keep her secret or—
No. Will was here. If he didn’t already know the truth, she would’ve met them elsewhere. His nerves settled at the thought. Robyn had told Will the truth. And she didn’t seem angry. She hadn’t stopped twisting her hands since he’d arrived.
Robyn perched on the armchair across from them. “As I told Josh, Will’s in his bedroom. I asked him to give me a chance to speak with both of you in private. But he does know everything I’m about to tell you. I told him last night.” She offered Maggie a sheepish look. “First off, Maggie, I want to apologize for my behavior when you were here before. I—I was caught off guard and I responded poorly. I’m very sorry.”
“I understand. Did my husband know about Will?”
Robyn shook her head. “I know you must have a lot of questions, but I’d like to tell you what happened. And I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have when I’ve finished, if that’s okay?”
Maggie gave her a stiff nod.
“Of course.” He hoped Robyn wasn’t about to cause Maggie more pain. He wanted to shield her from this somehow. But Maggie had never been the type to bury her head in the sand. Her presence today was evidence of that.
Robyn drew a deep breath. “Please bear with me as I start at the beginning.” She cleared the nerves from her throat. “I never wanteda marriage—or even a romantic relationship. My parents soured me on the idea. By the time I was sixteen, my mom had been married three times, my dad four. They had tumultuous relationships, the kind that made my childhood chaotic and stressful. They both put their romantic relationships in the position of priority. There wasn’t much room left over for a shy little girl.
“By the time I was twenty, I knew I didn’t want or need a man in my life. I got through nursing school—I’m an RN now—and once I got my first nursing job, my plan was to have a child. I didn’t really have a family—certainly not my parents—and no siblings, and I wanted a child more than anything.”
Maggie’s spine stiffened and her expression hardened. “You used Ethan to get pregnant.”
Robyn’s eyes widened. “What?No.No, that’s not what I did. Please just bear with me.”
Josh peered at Maggie. Her hands were knotted in fists, her expression still guarded. “You okay to go on?”
“Yes.”
Robyn shifted. “I didn’t want the complications that might come with the usual manner of conception—a father pressing for rights or hoping for a relationship with the child or marriage with me. I decided to have an IUI—intrauterine insemination. Long story short, I chose a sperm donor and got pregnant with Will with the first procedure.”
“Are you saying...?” Maggie gave her head a sharp shake. “No. Ethan never put back sperm. Why would he? Are you suggesting he donated it in exchange for money? He never needed money that badly.” She looked to Josh for confirmation.
He wanted to agree with Maggie—but then, they’d never dreamedEthan would’ve cheated either. “It’s okay, Maggie. Let’s just hear her out.”
Robyn swallowed hard and wet her lips. Then her gaze fixed on Maggie. “Shortly after Will was born, the cryobank informed me there had been some kind of mix-up with the samples, and the gist of it is... Maggie, Ethan is not Will’s biological father.”
Chapter 48
Ever since Robyn had begun her story, Maggie had tried to reserve her judgment. Was she telling the truth? And as the story continued—insemination, switched sperm—it seemed a little outlandish. But now her assertion that Ethan wasn’t the father of her child had hope surging to the surface like a sunken buoy. Maggie’s upper body shot forward. “What?”
“Wait, Maggie,” Josh said, then addressed Robyn. “If that’s true, why didn’t you tell Maggie when she was here before?”
“The cryobank couldn’t tell me who the switched sperm came from. All I had was a donor number. And when she showed Ethan’s photo—Will is a replica of him. I just knew he had to be Will’s biological father.” Robyn pressed a hand to her chest. “She blindsided me. I was scared! I was suddenly faced with having to share Will with some family I didn’t even know. I was afraid to lose him. It was selfish. I know that.”
She turned pleading eyes on Maggie. “I’m sorry I responded the way I did. When the shock of your visit faded, I felt terrible about my part in tarnishing his memory.”
Maggie’s head was spinning. Whirling. But she pressed ahead. “So you didn’t even know Ethan.”
“No.I swear.”
