Page 7 of Dark of Night

He was in no hurry to face his daughter’s wrath when she found out Nate wasn’t her birth father.

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The quiet cottage felt like a welcoming hug. Jon sat next to Annie on the sofa with the aroma of buttered popcorn hanging in the room. Only a few handfuls of their snack were left in the bowl. Tonight they decided to embark on aMatrixmarathon, but he couldn’t keep his mind on the movie. Not with his life about to take a dramatic change.

There were no guarantees with this life change. Questions about the future remained unanswered. He knew he loved Annie, but was it enough to overcome the obstacles? Kylie might never accept him. If she didn’t, he couldn’t see Annie putting their happiness ahead of her daughter’s.

No,theirdaughter. It was a reality he still struggled to accept. He’d missed out on her first tooth, her first step. She called someone elsedada. It would take the right timing to broach the subject with her. He hoped Annie had a better idea of how to break the news than he did.

Annie scooped up a handful of popcorn. “You’re quiet tonight.”

“Just thinking about Kylie. When do you think we should tell her?”

She scooted away a few inches. “Not yet. I can’t deal with that right now when I’m waiting to hear if Taylor is really Sarah.”

He could accept that. After searching for Sarah for so many years, this had to be all-consuming. He wanted it to work out, but he had his doubts about Taylor. She’d tried to frame him—allbecause she was jealous he was in love with Annie. He’d tried to let Taylor down easy, but he’d only succeeded in angering her.

His face must have radiated his skepticism because Annie stared at him. “What? You don’t think Taylor is Sarah?”

The pain in her eyes told him how much she hoped he was wrong. “I have no way of knowing that, but Taylor hasn’t been exactly truthful. She tried to implicate me in the murders, and for all we know, she participated in Sean’s plot. Others probably know about the stuffed animal and Sarah’s scar. Neighbors, friends of your parents. Sarah was part of the fabric of life here for five years. I’ll bet you still have that stuffed kitten, right?”

Annie nodded. “Kylie has it now. She loves Cocoa, too, but it’s getting a little ratty looking after all these years.”

“So even her friends would have heard the name. And Kylie might have told her where she got the plushy and how it got its name.”

“That’s true.” She sighed and looked down at the popcorn bowl. “At least the DNA will tell us the truth.”

“And what if sheisSarah? You welcome her into your life in spite of the character flaws we’ve already witnessed? You let her still have access to Kylie? I’m sure there are other things we still don’t know about her. While it’s a terrible thing she was stolen at such a young age, that experience would’ve shaped her.”

Tears leaked from the corners of Annie’s eyes, and he felt like a heel for causing her pain. But he didn’t trust Taylor not to hurt Annie and Kylie. Even if the DNA matched, Sarah wasn’t the same little girl who was taken away. Annie would open her heart and life to the other woman, and that scared him.

He pushed away his feelings of guilt. “She came here resorting to subterfuge. That’s never a good thing.”

“Maybe she wanted to get to know us before she told us the truth.”

“And maybe she had a more sinister motive.”

Annie’s nod was reluctant. “She admitted she blames me for what went wrong in her life.”

“Maybe she wanted revenge. She could harm Kylie.”

“She could’ve done that already if that was her intention.”

“Unless she’s biding her time. I don’t want you to trust her, Annie. Can you at least be on your guard?”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “If Taylor’s really Sarah, I have a lot to make up for. Half the resort would belong to her too.”

“So give it to her and move into another place. The marina is a drain on your resources and your life. Without it, you could concentrate on the job you love and on Kylie. You only try to keep it afloat because of your parents.”

She shrugged. “There’s an element of truth to that. There are so many times I’ve wished I could close it and forget it. But if I gave it to Taylor, she wouldn’t know the ins and outs of running the place. I’d have to help her. I don’t think it would be that easy to sign it over and move on.”

Jon could see how this was going to play out. Annie’s life would be totally entwined with Taylor’s. “What if she’s not Sarah?”

“Then I need to find out why she came here and who fed her information. But I just don’t know, Jon. She twisted her hair around her finger the same way. And that scar. She would’ve had to have inflicted a wound on purpose to have a scar just like Sarah’s. It’s an old scar, too, Jon. That injury didn’t happen last month. Or even last year.”

He saw the hope and fear twisting her insides. What goodcould come from this with Taylor’s animosity? He moved closer and embraced Annie. Her shoulders stiffened a moment before she relaxed against his chest.

“I’m so scared,” she whispered. “Be patient with me.”

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