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“In the case of Luna Mariana Merrill, the alleged mother, Willow Merrill, is not excluded as the biological mother.”
“Thank God,” she called out, the voice sounding as if it had come from someone else.
Anne said more about overwhelming statistical probability backing up the claim when comparing specific alleles from Luna’s DNA against Willow’s and then other unrelated women. But for Willow, the words not excluded repeated on a loop.
“So, the results say I’m Luna’s mother?”
“Yes, they show the statistical likelihood that you are.” Anne’s expression was carefully blank as if she understood the tightrope she walked.
“And they’re definitive?” Willow asked again.
“Yes. She’s your child.”
This time, the older woman smiled. Willow could only nod. The memory of Luna’s sweet face as she’d left her that morning filtered through her thoughts, her heart squeezing. But then the toothless grin of a second infant trickled in, clamping her chest even tighter.
Had she become attached to Harper, as well? She’d known all along that confirming she was the mother of one baby would mean losing the other. She just hadn’t expected it to hurt so much. She brushed her hand over her face, her fingers coming away wet.
Ainsley startled her by reaching out and planting her hands on the edge of Anne’s desk.
“How can you explain this nightmare the hospital has just put two families through?”
“On behalf of the Mustang Valley General board and staff, I want to apologize for the inconvenience that this situation has caused both of your families,” Anne said. “You can rest assured that our security and local authorities are searching for whoever called in the anonymous report and will prosecute if the suspect is located.”
“That’s the least we would expect from you,” Ainsley said.
As the conversation about them continued as if neither was in the room, Willow peeked Asher’s way. She caught him staring, but he didn’t look away. A lump formed in her throat as she took in his ashen face and watery eyes. How had she reverted to thinking of him as the competition?
Last night, she’d recognized him as the only other person who truly understood her dread while awaiting the test results. Now, only he could relate to the flood of conflicting emotions threatening to pull her under the surface.
His hand shifted as if he wanted to reach for her, too, but then gripped his thigh muscle instead. Had he remembered he was supposed to be angry with her? He’d offered to marry her, no matter what the results showed today. And she’d been right to say no. So, why did emptiness expand inside her over a marriage she hadn’t wanted and a proposal she’d rejected twice?
“I can’t believe the whole thing was another hoax.”
Since Asher had barely spoken until then, all three women startled and looked his way.
“A hoax. Just like—”
“Asher,” Ainsley warned.
He shook his head, appearing surprised that he’d nearly revealed family secrets again.
“Sorry.”
“Just like what?” Anne separated the papers into two piles, slid them back into envelopes and handed one to Willow and the other to Asher.
Ainsley waved away the question.
“It’s not important. My brother here is a little overwhelmed. But we’ll want to follow up on this matter. Clearly, someone targeted our family, and we want to know who it is. We’ll also need to determine whether to pursue a civil lawsuit against the hospital.”
With that, the attorney stood, effectively ending the meeting.
Willow gripped her copy and hurried down the hall. Asher reached her near the exit and brushed her arm to get her attention. Even knowing he was there couldn’t prevent her from jumping when he touched her.
“Where’s your sister?”
“She had to get back to the office.”
“Nice to have an attorney in the family.”
