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And yet, he’d done it anyway.
Sawyer walked quickly out of the building, trying to ignore the disgusted looks from the tenants as he went by. They knew exactly who he was with his expensive suit and his dark sunglasses. He was the one who was ruining everything.
As he stepped outside into the summer sun, he could finally breathe again. As hot as it was in the parking lot, the old building was stifling without air conditioning and only a few old windows for a cross breeze. He didn’t know how anyone could work here in the summer. That was number one on his list of things to fix, and if he was a tenant here, he’d be happy to pay more not to sweat to death.
As he climbed into his Audi, his cell phone rang and his brother’s number came up on the screen. “Finn,” he said as he answered.
“Twin,” Finn responded. “How are things going at home?”
“Hmm...let’s see... Our parents are badgering me relentlessly about the mystery woman at the wedding. Grandma Ingrid is home from Europe for good. Oh, and it turns out the mother of your child is the one trying to shut down my District renovations.”
“Really? That must’ve been why she kept asking me about it that night. I dodged the questions because I didn’t know the answers.”
It would’ve been nice if his brother had bothered to mention the inquisitive woman from the party three months ago. “Yes, apparently she came there looking for me to talk about changing my plans. Sleeping with you was just a...”
“Bonus?” Finn suggested.
“I was going to say mistake, but use whatever word you like.”
“I’ve been talking to my lawyers. They recommend coming in with a high offer to keep things quiet, so they’re working on a package now.”
Sawyer was surprised his brother was moving so quickly with his attorneys. He’d asked his future brother-in-law, Harley Dalton, to run a background check on her, but the report wasn’t back yet. “This seems awfully premature. Are you sure you want to do that before you know if the baby is yours?”
“Well, actually, that’s why I’m calling. I could use your help. They can do a prenatal paternity test with a blood sample from the mother and the father. But to speed things along, it would help if you could pop by the lab and do that for me.”
Sawyer shook his head in the empty cab of his SUV. “Are you serious?”
“Come on, for a standard paternity test, we share all the same markers as identical twins. It’s not a murder case, it’s a baby, so unless you’ve slept with her, too, your DNA would be enough to determine if I’m the father. Doing the testing in China and trying to send the sample to the States would be a hassle and would take forever. This can’t wait until I get back either.”
“Finn...”
“Please. I’ve got an appointment all set up if you can swing by. I’ll text you the lab address. Just donate some blood and I’ll handle the rest. I just need to know for certain before I tell Mom and Dad.”
Somehow Sawyer doubted that Finn would be handling much of anything. “When is the appointment?”
“This afternoon at three.”
Sawyer glanced at the console of his car. It was almost two, so Finn expected him to drop everything for him, per usual. “You have no idea how much you owe me for this, Finn.”
“If it’s a boy, we’ll name him after you,” Finn offered brightly.
In irritation, Sawyer hit the button to hang up the phone. “You’re welcome,” he snapped as he drove the car out of the District parking lot and headed for the lab.
Four
Kat came home to find a FedEx package on her doorstep. She hadn’t ordered anything, so when she picked up the envelope, she eyed the return address with curiosity.
Carson, Turner and Leeds. Attorneys at Law.
Lovely. She’d been expecting this package since someone from the lawyer’s office called and asked her to take a paternity test. She’d complied but thought perhaps she might actually speak to Finn before she received anything else from them. Guess not.
With a sigh, she carried it in and let the hand-carved wooden door to the piazza swing shut behind her. Dumping her things onto the nearest patio chair, she sat down on the chaise and looked at the envelope again. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the tab to open it and removed the contents.
A thick pouch of paperwork slid out, clamped together with a heavy-duty binder clip. Her eyes scanned the cover letter, but it was what she expected. Finn’s first volley in the legal battle ahead. She could’ve saved him a lot of time if he’d just called her instead of running to his attorneys at the first word of a child.
Flipping through, she eyed the paragraph about the paternity test results—surprise, it was Finn’s baby. Then she moved on to the topics of shared custody arrangements, monthly financial support, a trust fund for the baby, and even an offer to purchase and maintain a residence for them both. To say that Finn was being generous was an understatement. She was stunned by the numbers she was seeing. He wasn’t a man to walk away from his responsibility, but was the kind willing to pay enough to keep everyone quiet and happy. This was more than she ever expected. And absolutely nothing she wanted.
Maybe she was stupid and naive to hope for more, but she did. Not just a weekend daddy and a big check for her child. She wanted a family. A real, legitimate family. If she had to choose her future husband from a catalog, no, Finn wouldn’t be the one she would pick, but she had to play the hand Fate had dealt her.
