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“Yes, Maria Smith.”
“That seems like a pretty basic name. Almost fake.”
“Exactly.”
Bella seemed to be thinking things over for a moment, and I wanted to give her plenty of time to soak in all the information.
“Is there a way to look them up online? Or can I contact them?”
I knew she would want to talk to them, and I didn’t blame her one little bit.
“Yes, I have an email address for Charles, I believe. I found him on LinkedIn, otherwise they don’t seem to have much social media activity. They seem to keep a low profile.”
“That’s fine, an email is perfect.”
“What do you plan to say to him?” I asked.
She seemed to think over the question for a long time before saying, “I honestly don’t know. It feels a bit cruel to be like, ‘hey, I suspect I might be your daughter,’ just in case I’m not. They’ve probably gotten a lot of scams like that unfortunately, people pretending to be their daughter since they have money.”
“Yes, that’s my thought too.”
“What if I don’t come right out and say it, not at first? I could pose as a journalist researching missing children cold cases. It’s not a complete lie—I would be interested in writing a story about Anabel’s disappearance even if I’m not their daughter. I’m sure I could sell it to a magazine, somewhere.”
“I think that sounds like a good plan.”
Bella was now sitting fully upright beside me, her eyes wide as she seemed to be mulling over all the possibilities. Excitement was etched across her face.
“Gabe, I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you doing this. This means the world to me.”
“I can’t promise they are your parents.”
She stared deep into my eyes. “I know, but the fact that you did all this for me, it still means a lot.”
“I will do anything to help you find answers, Bella. If this isn’t your family, I will keep searching until we figure out where you came from.”
She leaned closer to me, close enough that I could feel her breath against my face. It wouldn’t take much to close the distance between us, to plant my lips onto hers.
We’d been fighting it for weeks and weeks. For what? I often asked myself.
No,I argued with myself internally,she’s vulnerable and emotional, you can’t do this.
The temptation was too much though. I yearned to feel her lips, to touch her soft skin, to claim her and make her mine.
I couldn’t stop myself from inching closer.
A door opened and closed, causing both of us to pull back. Bella’s cheeks flushed as she stared toward the doorway.
Ava walked in, and because of the upset look on her face, I feared that she was about to go off on us for nearly kissing.
But she didn’t even mention it. “Did you talk to Roman yet?”
“No. I wasn’t planning on it, why?”
“I think you should call him,” Ava said, surprising the hell out of me.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes, I just got off the phone with him and—”
