Page 17 of The Secrets We Built Together

As Cade left the kitchen, Delaney quietly asked, "You ready?"

"No, but read it anyway."

My hands clenched into fists as I pressed my knuckles down into my thighs, waiting to hear how my sister could justify doing this. As Delaney started to read, I gritted my teeth, already knowing the answer and hating them even more than I had before.

Blake,I'm sure you probably hate me right about now. I wouldn't blame you if you did. I hate myself if that makes youfeel any better. This is your niece, Amelia.I know this looks bad. I don't even know if I can write this down, let alone say it aloud. But I can't do this, Blake. I can't be her mother. I thought I could. I thought I was strong enough, but I'm not.I made a mistake. Hell, I made hundreds of them. Paris is so much different to back home. I can finally be free here. It's a feeling that I've never had before, and once I started, I just couldn't stop. I don't know who her father is, and doing this alone is just too hard. I can't go back to Mom and Dad. Not like this. They'd throw me out the minute they realized what I'd done. They wouldn't accept you as an artist; I can only imagine what they'd say if they found out that I'd done this.You always were the better sister. You stood up to our parents even when they threatened to take everything away from you. I hated you a little bit for that back then. For leaving me just so you could go off and live some dream. I can see now how terrible that was. How selfish I was. You've made a beautiful life for yourself, Blake, and you can give Amelia everything I can't.By the time you find her, I'll be on the way to the airport. Please don't try to stop me. Please don't try to find me. It's better this way. You can give her a life filled with love that I never could.I hope that in time you can forgive me, and I hope that one day, if you decide to tell her the truth, that Amelia can forgive me too. But I wouldn't blame you if you never told her about me. Let her believe that she's your daughter. Don't let her know that she came from a terrible person like me.I'm sorry.Madison

As Delaney's voice faded, a soft sound drew my attention. Across the table, the baby—Amelia—had made a hiccupping noise. Her face scrunched up momentarily before relaxing, and I found myself moving toward her before I even realized I was standing.

"May I?" I asked Trace, my arms already extending.

He carefully transferred her to me, guiding my hands into the right position to support her head. The weight of her was surprising—so solid and real and yet so light. She smelled of something powdery and sweet, with a hint of something else underneath that was uniquely baby. Her warmth seeped through my thin t-shirt as I cradled her against my chest.

Amelia's eyes opened at the transfer, that cornflower blue fixing on me again. Her tiny rosebud mouth worked for a moment before settling into a little 'o' of concentration. One of her hands freed itself from the blanket she was wrapped in and reached up, fingers splayed, seeming to grab at the air between us. Without thinking, I offered her my finger, and she grasped it with surprising strength.

Something shifted inside me then—a tightening in my chest that wasn't entirely unpleasant. I'd never imagined myself as a mother. Had never felt that biological urge that Delaney sometimes talked about. But looking down at this tiny person, feeling the absolute trust in the way she held onto my finger, I understood something I hadn't before.

"Hi, Amelia," I whispered, my voice breaking slightly. "I'm your... I'm Blake."

I couldn't say aunt. That wasn't what Madison wanted. And looking at this innocent face, I wasn't sure what I wanted either. But I knew with absolute certainty that I wouldn't—couldn't—abandon her the way my sister had.

Amelia let out a tiny sigh, her breath warm against my wrist, and her eyes drifted closed again. Her fingers maintained their grip on mine even as her body relaxed into sleep.

“There’s some papers in this bag,” Trace said softly pulling out some manilla folders. His face turned grime as he looked at them. “Looks like a copy of her medical records, passport, birth certificate.”

He put them on the table in front of me and my eyes fixed on the birth certificate. “She’s only seven months old,” I whispered sadly. "What happens now?" I asked softly, looking back at the little girl in my arms and finding myself unable to take my eyes off her face.

"We’ll figure it out," Delaney said, coming to stand beside me. "Together."

I nodded, a strange calmness settling over me despite the panic still churning underneath. One step at a time. That was all I could manage right now. And the first step was making sure this little girl knew she was safe, even if her world had just been turned upside down.

Mine certainly had.

Chapter 7

Xander

As I cracked open one sleepy eye, I assumed the pounding I could hear was inside my head. The first thought I had was one of resignation. I knew I'd fall off the wagon eventually. It was all going too well for it to last.

Then I heard the voices outside my bedroom door.

"You can't just barge in there," Reece hissed.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because he might not be alone!"

It was the laugh that came out of Booker that pissed me off, more than seeing his ugly face watching me from the doorway.

"Why are you still asleep?" Booker barked.

I took a moment to pull the sheet up to cover myself and then rubbed the sleep from my eyes, grateful that I wasn't actually hungover and it was only my idiot brother trying to wake me up. Hell, I hadn't even had a drink so it would be a miracle for me to be hungover right now. Well, either that or a curse.

"Most people would apologize first," I pointed out. "Why are you barging into my bedroom at this hour?"

"Firstly, it's nearly eight in the morning and you should be awake by now. I was worried you were hurt or something." I heard the lie in his voice but didn't say anything, we both knew what he was really worried about. "Secondly, we've got an emergency over at Trace's place and I need you to grab your doctor stuff and go over there with us."

I was out of bed and heading for my pants as soon as the word emergency left Booker's lips.

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