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“But I bet you weren’t illegitimate.”
Tyler was taken aback. “Well…no,” he answered, wondering that Liane even knew the word.
“Well, I am, and I’m going to be illegitimate the rest of my life, even when I’m grown up. There’s nothing that can be done about it—ever.”
Tyler took one of Liane’s hands from her lap and held it in his own, inspecting it as if it were a jewel of great beauty. “Well, you know, if your mom got married, and the man she married adopted you, you’d be legitimate.”
Liane gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Liane let that sink in, then went back to looking grim. “That’ll never happen. Mom already said I can’t have a stepdad.”
“The man who adopted you wouldn’t be your stepdad. He’d be your real father.”
“I don’t think so. I already have a dad. His name is Truman Witney. He left before I was born.”
“That would make him your biological father—not necessarily your real dad.”
Liane’s demeanor brightened. “You mean Truman Witney would just be my scientific father? He just pollinated me?”
“Exactly,” Tyler said, impressed as much with Liane’s grasp of the concept as he was with his own powers of persuasion. He was good with kids. He wished Stormy could see this exchange. Then again, mentioning the word adoption and stepfather to a child who thought she was illegitimate probably hadn’t been the best move.
Liane cut her eyes to Tyler. “Do you have any sperm? The kind that look like tadpoles?”
“What?” The word jerked from Tyler’s vocal cords like rough gravel; he felt as if a noose had suddenly been yanked around his neck.
“Do you know how a bee gets pollen from the sperm to the egg to make babies?”
Tyler leapt to his feet. “Where’s your mother? I told her noon.”
“Does that mean you don’t know, or you just won’t tell me?”
“It means, go find your mother. Tell her I’m waiting.”
“Will you tell her how I can get adopted?” Liane begged, homing in on the topic that was uppermost in her mind.
“At the proper time.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Liane, at once, became contrite. “I think I made Mom cry.
“I’ll cheer her up,” Tyler replied as the front door opened and Stormy appeared.
Tyler had more sophistication than to gape, but he came close. Stormy looked exquisite.
“Have you been waiting long?” she asked.
“A few minutes. Liane and I were just having one heck of a chat.”
Stormy glanced at her daughter. “Perhaps this isn’t a good idea,” she suggested, looking ready to retreat.
“Mom, I want to go! You said—”
Tyler quickly took Stormy’s arm. “Now, look here. I’m in charge today. No bickering or arguing.”
