Page 5 of No Love Lost

At first, he’d thought Addy had mistaken him for someone else. And maybe she had. She’d never used his name, not once.

Panic and fear had radiated from her. Anger too.

None of it made sense. She was the one who’d turned her back on him.

She’d talked about packages she’d sent. About calls and texts and emails going unreturned.

None of that was true. In fact, the reverse was true.

Addy Syrette wasn’t a liar. Never had been.

So she’d mistaken him for someone else. Which seemed impossible.

Their two versions of history were opposites. And he knew his was accurate. He’d tried dozens of times to contact her, but she’d never responded.

Her words implied none of that was true. Had someone hidden the truth from her?

And from him?

Finally, his brain was calm enough to focus on the heart of her words and the heart of her panic.

He didn’t know what had really happened, but if what she had kept repeating was true, Heath had a daughter.

A daughter he’d never known existed.

A daughter who would be twelve or thirteen.

He was a father. A father who’d missed over a decade of his daughter’s life.

Anger raced through him. He had to stop, put his hands on his knees, and draw in deep breaths. She’d kept a daughter from him. Kept him from knowing his baby.

Kept him from those first steps and those first words. Stopped him from having any say in her formative years.

His muscles loosened, and he sank to a squat with his hands raking through his hair.

Her words implied two opposite truths at once. Which was real? Or what combination of them was real?

Heath’s head spun, and he wanted to be sick. Had he really missed out on seeing his baby?

He knew she hadn’t reached out. But he also knew her panic had been real.

Heath rose to his feet and stared down at the tiny form on the table. Her face had lost that pinched look. He wanted to shake her awake and demand answers. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go.

Lia’s voice reached him from the other side of the door. He was mostly in one piece when she opened it, phone in her hand. She slid it into her pocket and smiled at him. “Sorry about that. I wanted to make sure Nina knew Addison was safe and that someone was there to pick her up. Both of them would worry otherwise.”

Lia moved back to the exam table and checked on Addy’s heart rate and breathing. Her smile was genuine, and relief soared through him.

Lia brushed her hand along Addy’s arm. “Hey, Addison. It’s Lia. I’ve got Nimii picking up Nina, so you can relax on that front. She’s safe and with her favorite aunt. Your levels are settling nicely, and I bet you should be able to wake up in a few minutes. Then you can thank your superhero here.”

Smiling, Lia turned to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself or even ask your name. I’m Lia Moreno, the local doctor.”

She extended her hand, and Heath shook it. “Nice to meet you, Lia. I’m Heath. Heath Wilcox.”

And apparently I have a daughter whose name is Nina.

Addison could feel awareness creeping back from the edges. She’d passed out again. Asthma or heart? Did it matter?

Yes. For Nina. She had to keep herself healthy for Nina.

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