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“Your mom brought one of her lemon pound cakes over to Grady today. You know how he loves her baking.”
Ethan smiled. “We all do.”
Miles nodded. “She ran into Taylor English while she was there.”
While it wasn’t unusual for Grady’s attorney to visit him, something about the encounter had obviously prompted Ethan’s mother to comment on it.
“And?” Ethan asked.
“And nothing.” His father threw Ethan a dry look. “You know she wouldn’t discuss her business with your grandfather.”
“But Taylor must’ve said something that got you thinking, otherwise you wouldn’t mention it.”
“It wasn’t what she told your mother, it was the questions she was asking about Lia, her background and if Paul had checked her out.”
Ethan began to feel uneasy, but kept his tone neutral. “What did Mom tell her?”
“That she assumed Paul had vetted her.” Miles glanced toward his son for confirmation before continuing. “But Taylor had all sorts of questions.”
“Like what?”
“She pointed out the holes in Lia’s adoption story. Would a court really give a baby to a woman who moved around so much? Isn’t there a whole process that happens where she’d have to be evaluated for stability?”
“I’m sure that happened,” Ethan interjected, wishing they’d concocted a more run-of-the-mill backstory instead of using Lia’s actual past.
Ethan’s father didn’t look convinced. “Why would Taylor ask so many questions about Lia unless she suspected something was wrong?”
“You know what kind of lawyer Taylor is. She’s thorough.”
“But why would she need to be thorough? The testing service determined Lia is Ava’s daughter. I don’t understand why Taylor would question that.” His father’s eyes narrowed. “Unless she doesn’t think the testing service is reliable. Your mother wondered if we should have our own DNA test run.”
Although his father had just presented him with the perfect opportunity to explain about the mistake, Ethan hesitated to put an end to their scheme. They’d agreed to a couple weeks. Paul was acting as best man at Ryan and Zoe’s wedding the next afternoon and had invited Lia to join him. Both deserved a heads-up before Ethan broke the news that Lia wasn’t family.
“Is Taylor right to ask questions?” Miles demanded after Ethan took too long deciding how to answer. And then when Ethan continued to grapple with his conscience, his father cursed. “What is really going on with Lia?”
“Nothing.”
Miles crossed his arms and glared. “Do not lie to me.”
Ethan sucked in a deep breath and let it ease from his lungs. “Okay, here’s the thing...” As he explained the situation, claiming complete responsibility for the scheme, his father stared at him in dismay.
“Damn it, Ethan,” Miles raged as he kneaded the back of his neck. “This is the craziest stunt you’ve ever pulled. What were you thinking?”
“I did it for Grady,” Ethan said, refusing to be treated like a reckless teenager. “And for Paul. Haven’t you noticed that things between him and Grady have improved?”
Miles gave a reluctant nod. “And I’m glad, but you can’t seriously be planning to pass Lia off as family forever.”
“The plan was only supposed to last until Grady improved and he has. Everything will be over in a few days.”
“Over how?”
Ethan’s concern eased as he realized his father was willing to hear him out before deciding to blow the whistle. “We plan to announce that the testing service got it wrong and she’s not Ava’s daughter.”
“That is going to devastate Dad.”
“I know he’ll be upset,” Ethan said. “But I’m convinced that we would’ve lost him if he hadn’t believed Lia was Ava’s daughter. And he’s stronger now. I think he’ll be okay when he finds out the truth.”
“You hope he’ll be okay,” Miles corrected. “Just be ready for the consequences, because if there are any setbacks in Grady’s health, that’s on Paul and you.”
