Chapter 4
Jacob beheld his daughter as she slept. Her hair was set in two cornrow braids, but the curls were escaping to stick to her forehead and cheeks.
With a finger, he gently moved a soft curl off her cheek and pressed it between his thumb and finger, loving the soft but coarse feel of her hair.
The color a blend of his and her mother’s.
She had her mother’s button nose with freckles across the bridge and on her cheeks.
Her eyelids were closed, but he could picture those dark brown eyes staring back at him with so much love as he read her favorite story before she drifted off in a tired sleep.
She was his world, and he was so proud of his little girl; she had been a trooper all week with her outpatient round of chemo and blood tests starting.
He had left her with the nurse while he visited Dr. Kimberly Hayes to find out what the results of the latest blood test were and if she had any success finding a donor match.
The heavy pit in his stomach had warned he wouldn’t like the news, and he did not.
Dr. Hayes had looked at him with scrunched brows as she stood near a small table, tapping her pen, a habit he’d noticed after a few visits.
Maybe to calm her nerves. Kimberly Hayes wasn’t only the top surgeon in her field; she also had a lot of energy and spoke fast. Her figure as a plus-sized woman didn’t reflect how she would easily stride through the hospital as though it were a race.
The only time she slowed down was when she was with her patients.
She took time and care with the young lives in her hands.
The only bedside manner he could find fault with was she was blunt and shot from the hip. Jacob knew this had gotten her into trouble more than once in her career.
He sat across from her in one of those infamous tight hospital chairs, meeting her in one of the private rooms near the treatment spaces for chemo patients.
She greeted him with a smile, her red-painted lips the only color on her dark face.
Setting her pen down, Dr. Hayes picked up a chocolate bar on her desk.
She glanced at him, and he nodded; she tore the wrapper off and bit down into the first square.
For some reason, his brother Dyson flashed into his mind and wondered if his younger brother would have a fit and take her to task for her unhealthy habit of having a sweet tooth.
Bryson thought sugar was the harborer of all ailments in this world and if people would stop eating sugar, they would have less inflammation in their bodies.
She had been introduced to all his family members except Dyson and his grandfather. Dyson was a personal trainer and had high-end clientele he worked with; he’d been busy when his brothers had all come in together and had shown up later. Dr. Hayes had gone home for the day.
“Sorry, I didn’t have time for lunch and just grabbed some sugar while I got the reports back.”
He waited while she finished her chocolate, and it was done within three bites. He didn’t even know if she took in air when she did that. Always in a hurry.
She picked up the nearby paper. He sat forward, hope in his heart over the results.
He and his brothers had come in to be tested; he’d even reached out to his father asking if he could also provide a sample and found out that his dad was already in the registry. When her brown eyes met his, he knew.
“I’m sorry, Jacob. These results show that none of your family members, including you, are a perfect match.
You are close but there are specific markers we need for this to be successful and for her body to not reject the new blood cells.
No one in the registry is close but I can continue looking, but time is of the essence here.
I know you and your wife are estranged but we will need to test her now. ”
“Ex wife, I—”
The loud chime of her phone cut him off.
She searched her pockets and stood up. “Give me one second.”
He’d nodded and frowned, irritated now.
Dr. Hayes fished the phone out of her pocket and exited the room, closing the door slightly behind her.
“Hello, Dr. Kimberly Hayes. … How did you get this number? Never mind, don’t call me again. This is in violation of the agreement.”
He could see her silhouette standing near the glass. He heard her curse, and she moved out of his sight.
Jacob’s watch had beeped then and he noticed a message from his brother, Matt.
He had asked Matt to attend a conference call with two potential clients while he took Kaitlyn to the hospital.
Matt conveyed they were disappointed by his absence, even though his reason of family emergency was understood.
He asked when Jacob would be available to fly to London to tour their facilities to appease them.
Rolling his shoulders to relieve some tension, Jacob had written back, Thanks, see Pamela for my schedule and I will discuss this more with you later. The “typing” bubble popped up, but Dr. Hayes striding back into the room saved him from having to explain how things were going.
She gave him an apologetic smile, but her face was strained, lines pulling at the corners of her eyes and creasing her forehead. He wanted to ask her if everything was okay, but didn’t want to cross that line into her personal business.
“My apologies. Yes, where was I?” She sat back down across from him. Sitting a little straighter, she gestured toward the file. “We need your ex-wife to come in and get tested and also her parents and siblings.”
“Her mother is deceased, and she is an only child.” Jacob’s jaw went taut, and it took a great deal of strength not to grind his teeth “So that isn’t possible.”
“Oh, is your ex-wife deceased too? I don’t recall that being mentioned. I know you have full custody of Kaitlyn, but—”
“I haven’t seen or heard from her in a long while. I don’t know where she is.”
Dr. Hayes stared at him in shock, then frowned in displeasure. He didn’t care what she thought of him; she didn’t know how Sierra operated, and it was none of her damn business.
“Okay, well, I will need everyone to come in as soon as possible and if your ex-wife is alive, you need to find her. She could be the perfect match for your daughter and if she had a child, that would be even better. Sibling matches are the highest in compatibility.”
His mind had raced, and the knot in his stomach tightened. He didn’t know where Sierra was or how long it would take to find her or if she remarried and had a child. The thought left his guts twisting.
He decided he would start with the Senator and his divorce lawyer. He had left everything about his divorce to his lawyer and team, and when the Senator came over to spend time with Kaitlyn, they didn’t discuss Sierra. But Jacob was certain they must know something.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
Dr. Hayes’s voice cut through his thoughts. Jacob leaned forward. “How are her rounds of chemo going?
They chatted for a bit until she received a page, sending him to Kaitlyn’s side, whose eyes lit up when she saw him. Still, he could see the fatigue weighing down her tiny body and he brought her home right away.
He pulled her blanket up to her chin. With a sleepy huff of protest, Kaitlyn turned on her side and tucked her hand under her chin soon falling instantly asleep. Smiling at his little person and brushing a kiss on her cheek, Jacob carefully slid off her bed and returned to his office.
He pulled up his messages, the first one from Marissa. She took care of the home and Kaitlyn during the day while he was at work or in his office. Today was her day off.
He smiled when he heard her voice. It was husky and comforting.
“Hi Jacob, I was thinking of you and Kaitlyn and hoped today went well. I know it is my day off but if you need me, I will come by. I missed you both.
“If you need this time alone, I understand, I made some soup and sandwiches for Kaitlyn and froze a lasagna for you. There are also fresh baked cookies in the jar. If I don’t hear from you, see you tomorrow.”
Marissa was a pretty woman, blond hair in a bob that grazed her shoulders, grey eyes, and an athletic build.
She liked to run in the morning before starting her day and he’d even accompanied her on those runs when he wasn’t busy.
Six months ago, they had started dating.
He knew he shouldn’t get involved with someone working for him, but he liked her easy-going, pleasant disposition and the way she took care of his child.
Kaitlyn and Marissa were close. She would make a good mom and now with the ultimatum hanging over his head, he was considering proposing to her.
This time, he would have a stable marriage instead of a volatile one.
Putting the topic aside, Jacob sorted through his messages, made some calls. Each one was a dead end, including his conversation with the Senator. In frustration, he called the only other person he could really talk to him without sometimes saying a word.
Right away, Colin picked up. Jacob could hear people and music in the background. Shit, he forgot Colin told him he was attending an event with his ex, Coco, who he was trying to win back into his life and to help him fulfill their grandfather’s demand.
He remembered when she was Colin’s tutor in high school and he had brought her home.
The chemistry between them was clear, so he was surprised Colin had ended the relationship.
Colin also refused to talk to him about it.
He had a feeling his father was to blame.
For now, he was happy his brother was trying to win her back.
From his messages, Colin had a fight on his hands. Good. Jacob was amused when Colin’s plan to blackmail the woman from his past didn’t go smoothly. Everything in life came too easy for Colin and having to work to make amends was what he needed to bring him down a notch or two.