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“We’ll make them together after we get confirmation from the hospital,” she clarified. “I know what the tests are going to reveal, but we should hear it from them just the same.”
“Fine,” Ryder agreed. “And if they don’t give us information on the nurses and doctors who staffed the labor and delivery unit that night, then we’ll track down those individuals on our own.”
There was a confidence in his tone she hadn’t heard before, and for the first time, Esme understood that Ryder Hayes was not a man used to compromise or making concessions.
“Do you want me to keep Noah here while you go to your office? I’m happy to watch both of them during the week while you’re at work. I don’t have much of a life outside of being a mom.”
Ugh. Why had she shared that with him? It only made her sound even more pathetic. Like she had no aspirations beyond being a mother and nothing to occupy her time but babies.
She had to be the most boring woman Ryder had ever met.
“I’d appreciate that.” He stood, then frowned as a loud gurgle followed by a foul stench came from the vicinity of Noah’s diaper. “I can change him first.”
“Leave him to me,” she said and shifted Chase’s weight to one arm so she could cradle Noah with the other. “Go be corporate and important and all that,” she told Ryder, who looked both grateful and incredulous. “We’ll be here when you get home.”
Home. What an odd concept to share with a virtual stranger, but the word felt appropriate. She believed in her heart this was right.
Chapter Five
As Ryder walked through the Hayes Enterprises offices on the LC Club’s first floor, a hush fell over the open-concept office space. No one, from the receptionist in the lobby to the sales team to the accounting and HR staff, would make eye contact with him.
The silence felt like a judgment, and he began singing what he considered Noah’s favorite Bruce Springsteen song in his head to distract himself from the dread he felt. Esme had told him he couldn’t go wrong with The Boss, but the gaping pit in his stomach widened on the way toward his father’s corner office.
As he passed the conference room, his brother walked out, briefcase in hand. Ryder wasn’t sure if Brandon kept supplies besides gum and hair gel in that leather satchel. Because he didn’t use it for anything other than holding it up to wave, as he did now.
“Bro, you missed a hell of a meeting,” Brandon said. “I’m heading out to catch up with a few team members at the LC Club bar. Do you want to join us and congratulate me on how impressive I was?” His brother chucked him on the arm. “By impressive, I mean at least I had the good sense to attend a meeting with half the upper management staff and several key investors. I hope you had a good excuse this time, Ryder. Not like those bogus doctor’s appointments.”
Brandon emphasized the phrase doctor’s appointments with air quotes, and Ryder silently counted to ten. “Noah’s well visits aren’t bogus.” He forced a smile. “I’m glad things went smoothly. We all play for the same team. Remember, this isn’t horse under the basketball hoop in the backyard. You’re not trying to outshoot me. I want you to do well.”
Brandon’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times like he didn’t know how to respond to Ryder not engaging in an argument. Arguing was typically the bulk of his relationship with his brother, but no matter how much he wanted the CEO position, Ryder was sick and tired of fighting.
The events of this day had put his priorities into sharp focus. The truth was that even though he hustled to be the best parent he could, he hadn’t been doing enough, especially considering how effortless Esme made it look. Ryder would have ended up rocking in a corner if somebody had asked him to take care of two babies at once. Not that he could say any of that to his brother.
“Is Dad still in his office?”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to try to patch things up with him right now.” Brandon narrowed his eyes. “It’s not going to work. Give it a day or so. I doubt he’s in the mood for your excuses, Ry.”
Excuses. That was rich. “I need to talk to both of you,” Ryder said. “It has to do with Noah. This is serious, Bran.”
His brother’s demeanor changed instantly. He shifted from smug victor to concerned uncle, and Ryder knew it was genuine. Even though Noah couldn’t appreciate it yet, Brandon took his future role of a fun uncle, or “funcle” as he called himself, just as seriously as he took outdoing Ryder at every turn. “What’s going on with Noah?”
Instead of answering, Ryder continued toward their dad’s office, confident Brandon would follow. He waved off his father’s assistant, opening the door after a cursory knock.
Chandler Hayes sat behind his massive mahogany desk, the same one Ryder and Brandon had played under as young boys. The custom piece had been ordered from Italy early in their father’s career to commemorate Chandler’s first million-dollar deal.
The ornate desk looked out of place in the LC Club building, which boasted a rustic vibe, but it represented something to Ryder’s father, a reminder to everyone who walked in that Chandler Hayes was an important man.
Ryder recognized the look of dissatisfaction in his dad’s hard brown eyes. He’d seen it often enough over the years.
“I’m busy at the moment, Ryder,” his father said, glancing down at the papers before him. “Just like you apparently were this morning. You should have answered my calls. Make an appointment with—”
“Noah was switched at birth with another baby.” Ryder heard the soft click of the door shutting behind Brandon as his announcement was greeted with stunned silence.
“What are you talking about?” his father asked finally, pushing back from the desk, his fingers tightly gripping the edge.
“That was what kept me from being here earlier.”
“It has to be a mistake,” Brandon said, coming to stand next to Ryder. “Noah looks like a Hayes. He is a Hayes.”
