Page 85 of The Ice Sisters

She swallowed hard. “You’ll hate me if I tell you.”

His eyes narrowed, a myriad of emotions flickering in the depths. When he spoke, his voice was low and gruff. “Sweetheart, I could never hate you. Just talk to me.”

She exhaled, her breathing raspy. She could no longer lie to this man. Besides, she had to help find her daughter. “Years ago, after the miscarriages, I met Barb, Claire and Ros in a support group for women with fertility issues.”

He nodded. “That was a difficult time.”

She gently ran her fingers along his hair line. “For both of us. And I’ll never forget how you were there for me. Even when the IVF failed.”

His eyes searched hers and he gently tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. “I love you. And it was worth it. We have a beautiful daughter.”

Her chest squeezed. “I love you, too,” she said, her voice raspy. “And she is beautiful. But… and before I tell you this, I want you to know I did it for both of us.”

Confusion marred his face again. “You did what?”

“There was a problem at the fertility clinic with the freezing process and some eggs and embryos were lost.” She hesitated, praying he would understand. “Our last embryo was one of those.”

Emotions colored his eyes.

“Not just ours but Claire’s and Ros’s, too. But Barb had extra embryos and after her stillbirth, was told she could never carry a baby to term.”

He went stone cold still. “What are you saying?”

She inhaled and spit out the truth. “She made a deal with us. She offered us her embryos as long as we agreed to let her be in the babies’ lives.”

He swayed in his chair. “You’re saying Ivy isn’t my child?”

She gripped his hands. “Biologically no, not mine either.” She squeezed his hands hard. “But she is our daughter, Michael. She is.”

“Who is her birth father?” he asked, voice icy.

Loretta gave a little shrug. “Barbara’s ex-husband.”

His shoulders drooped and he sank into the couch and tunneled his hands through his hair. “Does Barbara’s ex know about Ivy? Did he take her?”

She squeezed his hand in hers. “No, Barbara said he agreed with her about giving away the embryos.”

Shock flashed in Michael’s eyes, then a sliver of anger and he pulled his hand from hers. “So Ros and Claire all gave birth to Barbara’s babies, too?’

She nodded.

His voice hardened, “Claire’s twins were murdered. What about Ros’s child?”

“Mazie. She was the little girl who was abducted yesterday.”

His face turned ashen, and he gripped her arms and shook her. Panic replaced the disappointment and hurt. “Are you sure this Thacker man didn’t abduct Ivy?”

“I… I’m not sure of anything right now.” Except that they should have gone to the police when Taylor and Heidi were killed.

And if she lost Ivy, it was her fault.

ONE HUNDRED FOUR

Ellie looked up from the coffee machine as Derrick returned.

“The doctor said Ros is going to recover. She’s still sedated though to give her body time to heal.”

“At least when we find Mazie, she’ll still have her mother,” Ellie murmured.

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