Page 10 of No Love Lost

He texted something, and they both watched her phone. It remained silent.

Another frown. “It says it was sent. You try.”

She sent him a text that said hello. Again, only silence greeted them.

“I’m going to type in your number by hand.”

Nothing.

Addison shivered and pulled the blanket more tightly around her. “This is like a movie or a book. How is this possible? How can our phones work properly except for each other’s numbers? We’ve both changed phones since then.” Hers might still be a cheaper one, but his was top of the line.

But with the complete panic fading, she was getting an inkling of an idea. His parents had never liked her. They were old-school, old-money people who didn’t want anything or anyone to sully the family name.

An indigenous girl who’d grown up in foster care was not an acceptable match for their son. Heath had never been allowed to take her to his house, and she was sure he’d been forbidden to see her. Although, that hadn’t stopped him.

She’d encountered both of his parents several times in Boston, and those encounters had been mortifying.

Filthy gold-digger had been one of the nicer things they’d called her.

But could they do this?

He frowned. “Every time I’ve been gifted or upgraded the phone, I’ve had the data transferred.”

She nodded. “Me too.” Which pointed to his parents. No one else was likely to gift him a phone.

Heath patted her hand and frowned. “You’re freezing. Here. Drink your tea. Where can I get another blanket?”

“I’m fine. I think it’s more shock than anything.”

But she took the mug from his hands and wrapped them around it. Heath wrapped his over hers and more tears filled her eyes. He’d always been such a caring guy. Which was one reason she’d been devastated when he’d refused to respond to her.

Except he hadn’t.

“This is going to take some getting used to.”

His laugh was harsh. “You’re right. Can we put the logistics on hold for a bit? We can figure out that part later. Right now, I need to know about her. About Nina.”

His eyes misted, and his voice shook. “Please tell me about our daughter.”

Her own eyes filled. Our daughter. An hour ago, the thought of him saying those words had filled her with complete panic. But he wasn’t here to steal Nina away from her.

He hadn’t known about her. Which broke her heart.

She sipped her tea and then smiled. “She’s amazing. She’s happy, kind, and smart. At any given time, she’s got a dozen ideas about what she wants to do in the future and how she wants to improve the world. She works a couple of hours a week with our local veterinarian. She’s far more outgoing than I am.”

Because she got that from Heath. His eyes warmed at her words, and she realized he was thinking the same thing. “She’s definitely got your drive and your people skills. She loves everyone, and they love her right back.”

How to encapsulate a dozen years in a conversation? “Why don’t you scroll through the pictures on my phone?”

Hope lit up his eyes, and she made room for him to sit beside her on the couch. As they looked through the photos, she told him stories about their daughter.

Heath didn’t try to hide any of his emotions from her. He laughed a lot, but tears fell as well. He’d missed so much.

And it wasn’t his choice, as she’d always thought.

She wasn’t sure where they were going from here, but for the first time in over twelve years, a part of Addison settled.

Heath hadn’t hated her for getting pregnant. He hadn’t ignored his daughter.

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