Page 9

Poor guy. Zane Stone had only been a child of four when Jenna entered his life. He shouldn’t be the one informing her of the truth.

Then again, neither should Brody. She was a grown woman of twenty-seven. Her parents were gone, but they should have told her long before she reached adulthood. These things mattered. Now she’d wonder why they hid it.

Brody glanced away to give her as much privacy as the situation allowed.

“Honestly, Jenna. I never thought of telling you. You were my sister. I always assumed Mom would have that conversation with you when you got older. After I moved out, it never occurred to me that they would have still hidden it. They never said, ‘don’t say anything, Zane.’ I don’t think it was ever meant to be a secret.”

She scrunched her nose. Her pinched lips reflected her disbelief. “Really? Then why didn’t you answer when I asked the first time?”

He sputtered an ironic laugh. “Seriously? My wife is in the middle of labor. We’re exhausted. I haven’t slept for the past twenty-four hours. This is not something I’m mentally capable to deal with right now. Love you, sis. But I can’t.”

Her face softened. “I’m sorry, Zane. I should have thought. I let my own emotions get away from me. Promise me we’ll talk after Christmas?”

“Absolutely. One thing, though. How did you find out?”

She narrowed her eyes. Brody watched emotions flicker across her face. “It will keep. Tell Maya I’m praying for her. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew.”

She hung up before he could argue. Then she pushed her half-eaten sub away and folded her arms on the table in front of her. “Why now? Why after twenty-five years come looking for me?”

This was going to be one more shock. “Jenna, your grandmother has been looking for you the entire time. You went missing when you were eighteen months old. Your birth parents died a few years ago. But your grandmother never gave up hope that she’d find you.”

Hearing that her birth parents were dead, just like the parents who raised her, Jenna flinched. Then she caught on to what else he’d said. “You’re saying that I wasn’t just adopted, I was actually kidnapped?”

“Yeah.” He drew the word out, watching dark red flush crawl up her cheeks. Not embarrassment. Now she looked mad.

Her eyes hardened. “My parents would never⁠—”

He held up both hands, palms facing her. “They didn’t. The records I found showed that your adoption was legal. Your mother was a nurse, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

Her aggression hit him like a wall. He’d need to frame his words carefully. If she got offended and shut him down, he might not get another chance. He didn’t want to let this client down.

Brody sipped his water, then wiped his condensation-wet hand on his paper napkin. “Four months after you went missing, a woman who’d been in a car accident was brought into the emergency room. She claimed you were her daughter, Jenna, before she died. Since there was documentation of her having a daughter named Jenna, no one questioned it. She had no other relations. Your parents filed to foster you, and after a year, adopted you.”

Brody saw her eyes narrow.

“How do you know that I’m not her daughter?” She leaned back against the booth and folded her arms across her chest. “Maybe I’m not the granddaughter your client has been searching for.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I guess it’s progress that you’ve at least accepted that you’re adopted.”

Her mouth twisted. “I can’t deny that one, can I? My brother basically said it was true.”

She had a point.

“Look, why don’t you come back with me, meet my client? No strings attached. Even if you find out you are her granddaughter, you don’t have to give up your life here. It would comfort her to know you’re alive, even if you are on the other side of the country.”

That got a reaction. “Really? Where does she live?”

“Illinois. It’s about a ten hour drive. Maybe a little less.” He told her. “Although its faster by plane.”

A strange sound left her lips. It was somewhere between a snicker and a scoff. Her lips pursed. A sardonic expression settled over her features.

“You say that,” she told him. “But how could anyone be so heartless that they’d meet someone who believes they’re their granddaughter and just walk away? I mean, unless she’s an extremely nasty person, if she thinks I’m her granddaughter, and if there’s proof…”

He tilted his head and watched her. “And that’s a problem? You know you’re adopted. To meet someone, a grandparent, who loves you enough to search for you for twenty-five years? Sounds like a good problem.”

“No, it’s not a problem. At least not like you think it is. It’s just that I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that my entire life has been based on a lie.”