“And if she is?” Curt asked.
She wasn’t sure who wanted Jordan not to be Reese’s father more, her or Curt.
“Then, I want to be a part of her life.”
He’d said as much on the phone both when Mom spoke to him and again when they talked. Still, she’d hoped once Jordan had an answer, regardless of the outcome, he’d go away and they’d never hear from him again.
“You do realize that might not be the best thing for Reese,” Curt said.
He’d suggested she let him offer Jordan a nice sum to simply forget he ever received the letter and walk away. At the time, she hadn’t known if he was serious or not. His tone now erased any doubt. Curt would willingly transfer whatever sum of money it took to get Jordan out the door.
“She’s always known only Taylor and Priscilla. Not to mention the trauma she suffered last year at the hands of Eliza. Reese doesn’t need anyone else upsetting her life,” Curt continued.
Last night, Curt told her he’d leave this conversation in her hands, that he’d be there mostly for moral support. Either he’d changed his mind or his emotions were getting the better of him.
“I don’t know what Eliza did, and I don’t intend to take Reese away from Taylor. But if I’m her father, I have the right to be a part of her life. I believe kids do better when they have a mother and a father who play an active role in their lives.”
Five
“Reese already—” Under the table, Taylor squeezed his thigh, and Curt stopped before he completed his thought. If he became confrontational, it wouldn’t help the situation. “I agree. Children often benefit from having more than one parent.”
Taylor patted his thigh and then gave Jordan the condensed version of why Eliza once again found herself behind bars. While she did that, he kept his trap shut and listened. Now, like so many other times, Curt wondered how anyone could put their child through what Eliza had.
Jordan’s face expressed a similar amount of disbelief and outrage. “I wouldn’t have thought Eliza capable of doing that.”
Curt wanted to hate the man across from him. At the moment, Jordan stood in the way of what he wanted. Worse than that, though, he could potentially cause upheaval in Reese’s life. Despite those two issues, Curt didn’t hate Jordan. In fact, in a way, he even sympathized with him. If a paternity test proved Reese was Jordan’s biological child, the man had missed out on nine years of his daughter’s life. Nine years he could never get back, and all because Eliza hadn’t bothered to contact him before or right after giving birth.
“Has Reese suffered any long-term effects from the kidnapping?” Jordan asked, the concern in his voice only making it that much harder for Curt to dislike him.
“Thankfully, she never realized Eliza took her without our permission. She thought we sent her to pick her up that day, so she’s unaware of the true severity of what happened,” Taylor replied.
They’d all feared the worse when they brought Reese home, and immediately Taylor had taken Reese to a child psychologist for regular therapy sessions. But Reese hadn’t seen the therapist in about six or seven months.
“After I got the letter, I did some research. Paternity tests are not invasive. I’d like to have one done soon.”
Not only had Curt and Taylor done their fair share of reading, but he’d talked to his cousin. Scott had discovered his oldest child, Cooper, was his via a paternity test after an ex-girlfriend dropped the news that he might be Cooper’s father about a month after he was born. So they knew what the test entailed and how long it should take to get results.
“I’ve already contacted Mass Genetics and set up an appointment to bring Reese to their facility in Boston for a cheek swab. It’s on Longwood Avenue. They also have a laboratory in Concord if that one is closer for you,” Taylor said, leaving the table.
They’d learned quickly that there were three simple ways to get a paternity test completed. Both individuals could go to a lab and have their cheeks swabbed. If a person didn’t have the time to make such a trip, they could order a test from a facility like Mass Genetics, collect the buccal cells found on the inside of the cheek, and then mail it back. The last method and the one he was most uncomfortable with because getting results generally took the longest involved picking up a test at the local pharmacy, doing the cheek swab, and mailing it back in. While any of the methods might have worked for them, they’d agreed that having a professional conduct the test reduced the possibility of human error. While they’d found several facilities in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, they’d settled on Mass Genetics because they by far had the best reputation. And since they were talking about Reese’s future, they wanted the test performed by the best out there. The fact they had a satellite office in New Hampshire was a bonus, since they didn’t know where Jordan lived.
When she rejoined them, she tore a piece of paper off the pad and passed it over to Jordan. “Here is the main laboratory’s phone number and address. I’ve already paid for the testing to be completed. The representative I spoke with assured me once they have a sample of cells from both you and Reese, it should only take three to six days to get us the results.”
“Monday morning, I’ll call and get an appointment as soon as possible.” Jordan stuck the paper in his wallet, and Curt hoped that meant he planned to leave. “I understand why you didn’t want Reese here, but do you have a picture of her I could see?”
Curt almost said no but stopped himself before the word came out. Although he might think of her as his daughter, at the end of the day, she wasn’t, and every decision regarding Reese was up to Taylor. That included whether or not Jordan could see a photo.
Next to him, Taylor picked up her cell phone. Although every cell in his body protested, he couldn’t come up with a good reason to suggest Taylor not show Jordan any of the photos stored on her device.
He watched her scroll through the various pictures taken over the summer. Finally, she paused at one his sister took for them at his parents’ annual Fourth of July cookout. In it, Reese stood between him and Taylor on the beach; the giant sandcastle they, along with his sister’s stepdaughter, had worked on was at their feet, and the ocean was in the background.
Taylor passed the device across the table. “This is from this past July.”
Jordan studied the picture and then set the device down on the table. “She looks like Eliza.”
Curt had never met Eliza, and Priscilla didn’t have any pictures of her oldest daughter displayed in the house. However, both Taylor and Priscilla had told him Reese resembled her mom a lot.
“It was nice meeting you all today,” Jordan said, standing and slipping on his jacket.
Wish I could say the same. Curt pushed his chair back, eager to walk his guest to the front door. Next to him, Taylor did the same.
“When I get an appointment at the lab, I’ll let you know. I work close to Concord, so I’ll call the lab there and see if I can get in this week. If they don’t have any openings, I’ll set something up in Boston.”
Well, that gave them a little more information about the man. But what he’d rather have was a home address so he could have Elite Force Security dig up all there was to know about Jordan King. Even without the address, the firm’s cyber division could probably uncover any skeletons in the guy’s closet by simply starting with his phone number. There wasn’t much the men and women who worked for the firm couldn’t do when it came to computers. He’d said as much to Taylor before she called Jordan back to set up today’s meeting. She’d told him to hold off until they knew the truth.