Page 68 of Secret Baby Next Door
I was beginning to get a tad uncomfortable. The longer the conversation went on, the more it seemed like there was something that Ashley was hiding, something she was waiting for the right moment to say.
Awkward silence fell between us. “Well, I was just seeing my mom off,” I said. “Better get back in there, you know?”
Disappointment flashed on her face for a quick second before the smile returned.
“Um, sure. It was good to see you!”
“Yeah, you too.” I looked down at the baby who stared up at me. “It was nice to meet you, handsome guy.”
Ashley seemed to like this. “He’s happy to meet you, too!”
I smiled, nodding politely before turning and heading back into the office. Ashley stood outside for a few moments longer, as if trying to figure out if she should follow me in.
It was strange.
Finally, she took hold of the stroller’s handles and pushed, vanishing into the crowd. I gave it a good ten minutes, wanting to make sure she was gone, before heading out and hurrying into the parking garage.
The encounter had left an odd taste in my mouth, along with the question of why this woman had found her way back into my life after so much time had passed.
Chapter 22
PIPER
Two weeks later...
“Mommy! Watch!”
“I’m watching!”
Seated on the back patio of our home, I watched as Maddie, Mick nearby, threw the little basketball she’d been playing with, hurtling the little orange orb with all the strength she had. The ball sailed through the air in a tall arc, making it all the way to the other side of the yard.
“Nice throw!” Valentino called out, the ball still in the air.
Maddie spun around on her little feet. “It’s not me! Watch Mick!”
Valentino and I shared a smile before turning our attention back to the show. The ball hit its zenith, then came falling down. Before it could land, however, Mick rushed over and leaped into the air with an impressive flourish, snatching the ball out of the air with his teeth and landing gracefully.
“Wow!” I said, applauding. “That was cool!”
“Mick is so smart!” Maddie replied, beaming as if she were the one who’d trained him. “I think he’s the smartest dog ever!”
“He might be,” I called back.
“I’m going to teach him some more tricks!” Without waiting for a reply, Maddie turned her attention back to Mick and began chasing him around, laughing wildly as Mick let out a bark and ran off, happy for her to give chase.
“More wine?” I asked, reaching for the bottle of red close at hand.
“Please.”
I took the bottle and topped off Valentino’s glass. We’d developed something of a routine over the last couple of weeks, Valentino bringing over one of the bottles of wine from his gift box, the two of us splitting it after dinner and watching Maddie play with Mick. It was a simple routine, but I couldn’t think of a better way to spend those warm summer nights other than sipping something good while my,ourlittle girl had the time of her life with her new best friend, the cool evening breeze washing over us and the sounds of cicadas in the air.
Sometimes Valentino and I talked, going over the workdays that had passed. But other times we simply sat, sipping our wine and sharing a smile as something wonderful grew between us.
Even in the silence, however, I knew there was something huge that needed to be discussed. We still hadn’t told Maddie the truth, after all. Valentino had shared the news with his family over the last couple of weeks, and since then all he’d been hearing about was when the big meeting would happen.
The subject had been brought up, but never fleshed out. That evening though I could sense something, Valentino wearing that narrow-eyed expression he always did when he had a matter on his mind.
“We need to tell her.”
