Chapter 47
Josh was sitting on his patio listening to Patrick’s sermon when a call came in, quieting his brother-in-law’s voice. Since
the number was unknown, Josh refused the call, and the sermon resumed. He had to hand it to Patrick—the guy was pretty insightful.
Josh had meant to attend the service this morning but he’d slept late—an aberration. What did you expect when you lay awake
half the night thinking about the woman you couldn’t have and wondering when it would be acceptable to text her again?
Maybe today. It had been three days since she’d texted last. “You’re pretty lame, my friend.”
While Patrick was preaching on “Five Ways to Let Go”—a sermon Josh needed like water—he opened Facebook and went directly
to Maggie’s page. He didn’t glean any new information as she hadn’t updated it in weeks.
“And that’s what you get for surfing the internet instead of listening to the sermon.”
His phone dinged, a voice mail. Promising himself he’d continue the sermon later, he stopped the live recording and tapped
on the message.
“Um, hello. We’ve never met, but my name is Robyn Jennings. I’m Will’s mother.”
Josh bolted upright in his seat.
“Could you return my call as soon as you can, please?” A click sounded and the voice mail ended.
Adrenaline flooded his system. He shot to his feet and tapped Robyn’s number. Had something happened to Will?
Or had the woman somehow made the connection between Maggie and Josh? Maybe Will had mentioned his last name and she’d pieced
it together. And if she knew Josh was Will’s uncle, did that mean Will knew also?
“Hello?”
The voice coming from his phone startled him from his thoughts. “Uh, hello. This is Josh.” He omitted his surname in case
she hadn’t put it together yet. “You just left a message for me. Is Will all right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t— No, he’s fine. I hope I didn’t call too early.”
“Not at all. I was just sitting on my patio enjoying the weather before it turns sweltering. It’s already pretty humid but
it’s supposed to get up to a hundred today.” The weather? He palmed his face.
“Yes, I heard.” Silence dragged out.
Josh sought to fill the gap and came up empty. He didn’t know what she wanted and didn’t want to give anything away.
“I was actually wondering if you might be able to stop over later today. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Josh squeezed the back of his neck. Like why my girlfriend was on your doorstep two weeks ago? Or just exactly how your son came to work for the uncle he didn’t
know he had?
“Hello?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m still here. Can I ask what this is regarding?”
“I—I really prefer that we talk in person, if you don’t mind. Would one o’clock work? I know it’s short notice. I can give you my address. We live on the southwest side of Wilmington.”
“I know.” That’s not creepy at all. “I mean, Will’s address is on his application. One o’clock is fine.”
“Okay. Good. I’ll... I’ll see you later, then.”
“See you later.” The call ended.
What had just happened?
Josh paced to the other side of the patio and back. She hadn’t seemed angry, but then again, he didn’t know her. If she’d
connected Ethan and Josh, she must believe he’d hired Will knowing he was Josh’s nephew. And while that wasn’t entirely accurate,
it was true enough.
If Robyn was as skittish as Maggie had portrayed, she couldn’t be happy about the turn of events. About the way Josh had invited
Will into his life without divulging his identity. From her perspective his actions would seem underhanded. Sneaky.
Josh could only imagine the kind of protective feelings a mother might have over such sensitive information. Maybe Robyn had
put it all together and would beg Josh not to tell Will about Ethan. That would put Josh in a terrible position. He couldn’t
keep this discovery from his family. And once he told them, there was no way they wouldn’t insist on meeting Will, on being
in his life—if that’s what the young man wanted.
Josh’s thoughts, still whirling, spun in an entirely different direction.
Maybe Maggie’s visit had scared Robyn into telling her son the truth. That might be how she’d come to mention Ethan’s surname—and then Will would’ve connected the dots. Reynolds was a common name, but Will was a bright kid. He would’ve gotten on the internet. He would’ve had to look no further than social media to find Ethan’s Facebook page—and Josh listed as his brother.
That was probably it. Josh’s duplicitous motives for hiring Will would’ve been revealed, which could’ve upset them both. But
this scenario was much preferred over being asked to sweep the whole thing under the rug.
He glanced at his watch. Only five minutes had passed since he listened to the voice mail. Now he had three and a half interminable
hours of waiting and wondering ahead of him.
By the time Josh knocked on the Jenningses’ door, it seemed as if three and a half decades had passed since his call with
Robyn. He’d twisted himself into all kinds of knots, and now his empty stomach churned because he’d forgotten to eat.
The door opened and a woman appeared. Robyn Jennings couldn’t have been much over five feet tall. She looked much like the
photo they’d found online—an attractive woman with blue eyes and dark blonde hair flowing to her shoulders.
Her lips tilted in a strained smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hi. You must be Josh.” She opened the storm door, allowing
him entrance.
“You’re Robyn. Pleasure to meet you.” He stepped into the small foyer, taking in the space. Original wood flooring, tasteful
rugs, and throw pillows gave the home a warm, lived-in vibe. The savory scent of bacon, mingling with something sweeter—maple
syrup?—reinforced the feeling.
Robyn twisted her hands. “Won’t you come in?”
He followed her into the living room, where a recap played of last night’s season opener between Notre Dame and Boston College. “Is Will home?” The answer to that question would reveal a lot.
“He’s in his room, but I’d like to—” Her gaze darted back toward the door. “Excuse me, please. Would you like something to
drink? I have sweet tea and, well, water. Unless you’d like a glass of milk.” A flush swept up her neck.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“Please have a seat.” She dashed away before Josh could tell her what a good worker Will was. He’d intended to open with that.
He lowered himself onto the puffy beige couch.
The sound of a car engine reached his ears, growing louder. Then it shut off.
They had company. This was getting more intriguing. He’d know soon enough what was going on. He tried to focus on the game,
which had been a blowout in favor of the Irish. But even his favorite team couldn’t distract him from what was about to happen—whatever
that was.
Voices drew his attention toward the entry hall. He blinked at the woman who appeared.
Maggie jerked to a stop. “Josh.”
He popped to his feet. “Maggie.” He tore his attention from her only long enough to get a read on Robyn—a pointless endeavor.
“Maggie, would you like something to drink?”
“Uh, no. Thank you.”
“Okay then. Please have a seat.” Robyn reached for the remote.
As Josh and Maggie sank onto opposite ends of the sofa, she sent him a questioning look.
He lifted a shoulder, but all he could think was Man, she’s so beautiful . He’d missed her so much. Maybe she’d hang around afterward to talk. Maggie seemed to be as confused as he was about this little gathering—her shoulders were stiff, her expression guarded. But then, they were at the home of the woman with whom Ethan had apparently cheated. Josh wanted to give her hand a comforting squeeze, but she was too far away.
The TV went silent.
Get your head in the game, idiot. Robyn had obviously made the connection between Ethan and Josh, which meant she’d either called them here to beg them to keep
her secret or—
No. Will was here. If he didn’t already know the truth, she would’ve met them elsewhere. His nerves settled at the thought.
Robyn had told Will the truth. And she didn’t seem angry. She hadn’t stopped twisting her hands since he’d arrived.
Robyn perched on the armchair across from them. “As I told Josh, Will’s in his bedroom. I asked him to give me a chance to
speak with both of you in private. But he does know everything I’m about to tell you. I told him last night.” She offered
Maggie a sheepish look. “First off, Maggie, I want to apologize for my behavior when you were here before. I—I was caught
off guard and I responded poorly. I’m very sorry.”
“I understand. Did my husband know about Will?”
Robyn shook her head. “I know you must have a lot of questions, but I’d like to tell you what happened. And I’ll be happy
to answer any questions you might have when I’ve finished, if that’s okay?”
Maggie gave her a stiff nod.
“Of course.” He hoped Robyn wasn’t about to cause Maggie more pain. He wanted to shield her from this somehow. But Maggie
had never been the type to bury her head in the sand. Her presence today was evidence of that.
Robyn drew a deep breath. “Please bear with me as I start at the beginning.” She cleared the nerves from her throat. “I never wanted a marriage—or even a romantic relationship. My parents soured me on the idea. By the time I was sixteen, my mom had been married three times, my dad four. They had tumultuous relationships, the kind that made my childhood chaotic and stressful. They both put their romantic relationships in the position of priority. There wasn’t much room left over for a shy little girl.
“By the time I was twenty, I knew I didn’t want or need a man in my life. I got through nursing school—I’m an RN now—and once
I got my first nursing job, my plan was to have a child. I didn’t really have a family—certainly not my parents—and no siblings,
and I wanted a child more than anything.”
Maggie’s spine stiffened and her expression hardened. “You used Ethan to get pregnant.”
Robyn’s eyes widened. “What? No. No, that’s not what I did. Please just bear with me.”
Josh peered at Maggie. Her hands were knotted in fists, her expression still guarded. “You okay to go on?”
“Yes.”
Robyn shifted. “I didn’t want the complications that might come with the usual manner of conception—a father pressing for
rights or hoping for a relationship with the child or marriage with me. I decided to have an IUI—intrauterine insemination.
Long story short, I chose a sperm donor and got pregnant with Will with the first procedure.”
“Are you saying...?” Maggie gave her head a sharp shake. “No. Ethan never put back sperm. Why would he? Are you suggesting
he donated it in exchange for money? He never needed money that badly.” She looked to Josh for confirmation.
He wanted to agree with Maggie—but then, they’d never dreamed Ethan would’ve cheated either. “It’s okay, Maggie. Let’s just hear her out.”
Robyn swallowed hard and wet her lips. Then her gaze fixed on Maggie. “Shortly after Will was born, the cryobank informed
me there had been some kind of mix-up with the samples, and the gist of it is... Maggie, Ethan is not Will’s biological
father.”