The Reluctant Fiancée (The Taylor Triplets Book 3) Read online

  “Bridget let slip a tidbit or two, like she was positive there were only twins, and from that we pieced together the hospital where we were delivered, and a name, so from there we discovered the name of the nurse who’d helped. We actually contacted her, but she wouldn’t budge on giving any more information. Closed adoption.” Lacy exaggerated the words, then performed the old zip-of-the-lips bit. “Though she wouldn’t confirm or deny the name we suggested was of the surrogate mother. Which we understand, but sheesh!”

  “And you said you were here visiting Zack’s family?” Paul continued.

  “Yes. They’re also from Iron County, but in St. George.”

  Right, right. She’d already mentioned that, but the emotionally charged information was flying, and it was hard to keep up.

  “But I made him bring me here because Eva’s husband, Joe, is a lawyer, and he also happens to be the mayor of my hometown.” Pride was clear in her voice, and it accompanied the expression on her face. “He did some research and asked a lot of questions, and with Eva’s help they found a nonprofit that assists in opening closed adoptions.” Lacy stopped, checked out Brynne, as if wondering if she could handle the rest. “When Eva and I both got pregnant, we really wanted to know about our health history. You should also know that Eva has the same middle name as I do. Taylor.” She waited for that tidbit to sink in to Brynne. “Your last name.” Then she pinned her with an earnest look. “You weren’t adopted, were you.” It wasn’t a question.

  Brynne shook her head slowly, but she also shrugged, which under the circumstances seemed appropriate.

  Lacy continued. “Joe got us a court date and represented us to a female judge, who was sympathetic to Eva being in her third trimester, and me in the first. She opened the documents for health reasons. The name we discovered as our birth mother was Jessica Taylor, and when we traced her to Utah, we discovered she’d recently died.” Lacy went silent, watching Brynne, empathy for the loss pouring from her eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss, but without her consent, we couldn’t get the medical history.”

  Brynne gasped, and Paul went back to rubbing her knuckles, for which she was grateful. With her head spinning from this news, she could hardly put thoughts together. She leaned into him for comfort, and he put his free arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer, his hand soothing her upper arm, up and down. Yes, she was grateful he’d insisted on coming with her, because this information was mind boggling.

  “My mother was the surrogate.” Brynne needed to say the obvious aloud, which also proved she was indeed her birth mother, forcing her to swallow the lump in her throat. “She told me she was from California but came here to make a new start. She didn’t want me to be raised in a big city.”

  It was embarrassing how little she actually knew about her mother. Obviously, if Lacy and Eva were her sisters, there was a huge reason her mother kept everything so close.

  Lacy and Paul let the silence stretch on as Brynne came to grips with evidence that knocked her sideways. Her heart palpitated and it seemed she was on the verge of an out of body experience. Thankfully Paul anchored her.

  “She always insisted she didn’t have any family.” Brynne stared at the floor, her thoughts flying.

  “And I never met my grandparents,” she continued. “Mom never spoke about anyone.” Brynne’s hands flew to her mouth, in prayer fashion, where they rested against her lips as she deepened her thoughts. There was so much she didn’t know. Or understand.

  “She must’ve been carrying triplets and gave two away, then thirty-two years ago moved to Cedars in the City.” For the first time Lacy sounded solemn.

  “I was about to ask why your father and mother allowed twins to be separated, but do you think they knew about a third baby?”

  “Bridget, Eva’s mom, swears the surrogate only had twins. Evidently they weren’t told. It wasn’t until Joe got ahold of hospital records that we thought they’d made a mistake stating triplets had been born. Since I was having a baby, and Eva had recently had one, too, we’d hoped to come here to find our birth mother for the health history.” Lacy locked her gaze with Brynne’s. “Not to find another sister. But then, like I said, we found out she’d died.”

  Brynne broke into tears, her mother’s death being all the more tragic. She leaned forward, and Lacy swung her legs over the bedside then hugged her with one arm while holding the baby with the other. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  The baby’s chin quivered, and his eyes popped open, then just as quickly sealed tight again, dropping a huge tender spot in the center of her chest.

  “Hopefully, it’ll make more sense after the shock wears off,” Paul said, in his usual reassuring fashion, though clearly out of his depth. Still, she was glad he’d insisted on coming.

  “For the record,” Brynne said, “rest assured, Mom was healthy until that crazy virus took her out.”

  There was a rustle at the door. Brynne assumed it was Zack and Emma, but shaken and emotionally drained her sole focus was on Lacy’s sweet and innocent baby. Paul held her and kissed her hair. She didn’t fight it.

  Lacy glanced in the direction of the door. “Eva!”

  Brynne turned and nearly fell out of the chair. Identical sister number three had just walked in.

  Chapter Four

  Eva burst into the room, and Brynne’s lungs shut down. Her heart seemed on the verge of exploding. Eva rushed to the bedside to get a close look at the bundle in Lacy’s arms.

  “He’s beautiful,” Eva said, her voice so like Lacy’s, who smiled up at her identical twin.

  “How could he not be, with Zack as his dad?” came Lacy’s wry response. They chuckled knowingly together, then hugged.

  For only having met in the last year, they already seemed as though they’d known each other a lifetime, and Brynne felt unreasonably left out.

  Dumbstruck, she sat perfectly still, holding on to Paul’s hand as though he was her lifeline. And yes, she was glad he was with her. Engaged or not. Once the initial greeting between sisters ended—sisters who were clearly close to each other—Lacy rolled her eyes in a wide arc to indicate Brynne on the other side of the bed.

  Eva followed her lead. “Oh my God.” She glanced back to Lacy. “You weren’t kidding.”

  Lacy gave an exaggerated headshake.

  Brynne held her breath as another double approached. She thought about rising to meet her, but her legs weren’t cooperating, and it would mean having to let go of Paul’s hand, which she wasn’t ready to do.

  “You’ve given me chills,” Eva said, a warm smile on her face. She bent and wrapped her arms around Brynne. “Hello, sister. Long time no see.”

  Their shared birth date, which Brynne had picked up on from the hospital admission notes, insisted this was true, yet it was still so hard to believe.

  The attempt at humor helped Brynne break through her shock. Though the image of sharing a womb with the two redheads was beyond her comprehension. She dropped Paul’s hand and reached for Eva’s, which rested on her shoulders, once making contact, patting them. “This is all too much for me.”

  Eva pulled back, empathy in her glassing-up eyes. “Believe me—well, us.” Her head tilted in Lacy’s direction. “We understand.”

  Lacy snagged some tissues from the bedside box, saved one, then handed a couple to Eva, who kept one and passed the other to Brynne. Contagious as yawning or laughing, Eva’s eyes brimmed. Lacy’s did, too. Overwhelmed by the unfathomable moment, Brynne’s eyes pricked and stung. Though a long-overdue group cry might be in order, they’d only just met, and each fought valiantly to keep things under control. Though now Brynne’s chin quivered, driven by confusion and more questions she’d never get to ask her mother.

  What kind of screwed-up history had they shared without ever knowing until now?

  As Brynne, Lacy and Eva recovered from their initial triplet introduction, Zack
and Emma arrived. “Hey, Eva!” Zack said.

  “Hey, yourself,” Eva said, in a familiar old-friend fashion, oddly evoking another envious twinge from Brynne. “You and my sister do good work.”

  Zack greeted Eva with a big family-style hug, as more envy perked up. “Christopher’s a little scrawny, but still beautiful, and Lacy’ll get him fattened up soon enough.”

  Eva kissed Zack’s cheek, while Brynne felt like a fly on the wall. How must Paul feel? “I have no doubt. But I thought it was John?”

  “Where’s Joe?” Zack obviously steered the in-process baby naming to a new subject, his vote solidly cast.

  “In the lobby trying to keep our kids quiet.” More children for Brynne to learn about, more names, more everything involved with discovering a lost family. It was all too much to take. She didn’t want to interrupt but wondered how many more there were and who they belonged to.

  “How’d I manage to miss them?”

  The hospital lobby wasn’t big, but there were corners and alcoves where a dad trying not to make a spectacle of himself could gravitate to. Oh, and the gift shop. There was always something for little ones in there. Mainly candy, but little stuffed toys and books, too. Brynne knew because her bookstore kept that section stocked.

  “Good point.” Eva grinned at Zack. “Noah is bound to be running around, and Estrella is such a loudmouth. Her cries no doubt are reverberating off the walls as we speak.”

  Paul jumped up, probably sensing how left out Brynne was beginning to feel, and though at first she’d been annoyed he’d pushed his way in today, she couldn’t be more grateful he was there.

  “Zack, this is Paul, Brynne’s...?” Lacy piped up from the hospital bed.

  “Fiancé,” Paul said out of habit.

  “Ex-fiancé,” Brynne corrected, obvious tension returning between her and Paul even after secretly being glad he had come. It also garnered a questioning exchange between the redheads and Zack. But she’d been serious when she’d ended it. He’d pushed her too hard and she’d pushed back. She wasn’t nearly as sure about getting married and immediately have babies.

  Like a gentleman, Paul ignored the clarification and offered Zack a handshake. Brynne, still in moderate shock, had already failed at hospitality 101 by not beating Lacy to the introduction, but with a great excuse! Still, if she had, the awkward moment could’ve been avoided. Now word was out, there was tension between her and Paul.

  “I know of a nearby park,” Paul said, slipping easily into his usual helpful mode. “I’ll go find your family and take them there if you’d like,” he generously suggested to Eva. Though Brynne wondered if it wasn’t to get away after what she’d just said.

  “Can I go, too?” Emma, the young girl with thick, wavy hair like her father’s, but a shade darker, called out.

  “Of course,” Paul said to a tween he’d never laid eyes on before, his welcoming, Italian, family-centered roots taking over. The man had no fewer than eight nieces and nephews—he’d know how to deal with Emma.

  Brynne could practically read Paul’s kind and considerate mind. He must’ve figured this was one big happy family, but the three sisters could use some getting-to-know-you time, so he’d offered an easy solution. Though Brynne wasn’t sure if she wanted to be left alone with these strangers who looked like her.

  Zack gave Lacy a quick kiss. “How are you two?”

  “We’re doing great.”

  “Should us menfolk clear out?” Zack hiked his thumb over his shoulder.

  Lacy kissed him back, then nodded. “Probably a good idea.” Christopher—or, to be fair, John, which was still in the running, depending completely on which parent got their way—began crying, and Lacy handed him off to Zack. “He’s due for a diaper change. After, can you give him to the nurse for me?” Obviously taking advantage of the hospital setting while she could.

  Zack dutifully took his son, grinned at him, then kissed Lacy again, this time goodbye. “We’ll be back later,” he said. “Paul, wait up for me.”

  * * *

  The three sisters sat on Lacy’s hospital bed. Brynne still emotionally teetering, and unsure about wanting to delve deeper into this crazy new discovery. All her life, the yearning she’d had for something more, was most likely for her sisters. Could a person instinctively remember all the way back to the womb? Yet now that they’d materialized, she resisted opening the gift.

  Lacy and Eva reached over and took Brynne’s hands. Something like electricity tickled up her arms when their fingers met. Could they feel it, too?

  For several seconds they simply sat in a circle, hands clasped, eyes examining each other up close. It was freaky looking at her own face on two other people. The chills wouldn’t stop.

  “You’ve obviously got the best hair,” Eva said to Brynne, checking out her long thick braid.

  “But your bone structure is the most pronounced,” Brynne said to Eva.

  “Probably because she eats like a mouse,” Lacy broke in.

  Eva stuck her tongue out at Lacy, which, coming from such a sophisticated-looking woman, with the blown-out hair and salon style, surprised Brynne.

  “Your eyes are the bluest,” Brynne told Lacy.

  “You think?” Lacy batted her lashes at Eva for confirmation, who, by the tip of her head, agreed with Brynne.

  A nurse broke into their mutual admiration society with a freshly changed and swaddled baby. “Wow, Brynne, I really am seeing triple.”

  “You can only image how I’m feeling,” Brynne replied to her former coworker Kris. There was no explaining how she felt both drawn to the possibility of being a triplet and seriously bothered by it being a fact. I’m used to being by myself.

  Kris handed the baby over to his mother. “He’s all yours. Time to nurse.” She then made a quick exit, as though she might be asked to do one extra thing if she didn’t. Brynne, having worked shifts with her, knew her minimalist style.

  After their tight circle got broken up, Eva and Brynne backed away, allowing Lacy room to guide her son’s little head as he rooted for her breast.

  Normally, meeting a person for the first time, Brynne was shy, and she felt no different now. They glanced back and forth at each other, each shaking their heads.

  “To think you guys were out there all this time” was the only coherent thing Brynne could think to say.

  Eva’s beautifully made-up face crumpled into tears. “It isn’t fair.”

  In the middle of a chill storm, Brynne felt bad, not meaning to make her cry, yet completely understanding her comment. It wasn’t fair, and finding out something like this at this point in her life was beyond baffling. How was she supposed to take it? She couldn’t exactly just jump right into having sisters, the way they’d seemed to. Even while knowing without a doubt they were triplets. They were still strangers.

  Like a yawn or laughter, Eva’s tears were contagious. Soon Brynne joined in. No. It wasn’t fair.

  “Oh my God, you guys even cry the same!” Lacy said, lightening the mood and helping Brynne and Eva laugh in between their sobs.

  “As if you don’t!” Eva snarked back when she wiped her eyes, as Lacy’s happy tears dripped onto her baby’s head.

  These women lived in California. They wouldn’t be here for long. Knowing that helped ease some of Brynne’s mounting anxiety. She should be more excited about meeting them but, once again, her life was getting turned upside down, and she could barely cope as it was.

  Finally a lucid thought bubbled up. While they were here, maybe they could unravel more of how they came to be separated at birth, which struck Brynne as a horrible thing to do to babies. “Mom may be dead, but her closest friend in the world, Rory, is like a second mother to me. Maybe she can answer some of our questions.”

  * * *

  Paul, amid the noise of kids running and squealing at the large and well-manicured park, n
oticed Emma taking charge. His guess was she was eleven or twelve, and being the oldest kid on the large composite play unit, it made sense. Currently, she guided Eva’s adopted son, Noah, who looked to be around two or three and had jet-black hair, up the climbing section toward the slide exit.

  He studied Zack and Joe, the husbands to the long lost sisters. It boggled his mind that these people had been out there in the world all these years without Brynne ever knowing. The men were engaged in friendly, casual conversation, obviously comfortable with being brothers-in-law. Brawny Zack, a fellow Utahn was the owner of a construction company, and was fair haired and broad shouldered. Joe, the Hispanic mayor of Little River Valley, had fashionably groomed black hair and, though he’d just flown in on an early-morning flight, looked photo ready in jeans and a thin crew-necked beige pullover sweater. Though both men were fit, it was obvious Joe was either a runner or a gym regular, whereas Zack’s muscles were from a lifetime in construction.

  Paul worried he wouldn’t measure up in Brynne’s mind. Being more bookish, and needing reading glasses to prove it, he did his fair share of workouts and loved being outdoors, but he wasn’t nearly as polished as these two from the Golden State. Whatever Brynne’s hesitation was about getting married, maybe these guys would add to her list. Still, Paul liked them and wanted to know them all better. He only hoped Brynne would let him come around while they were here.

  “Eva told me you’re a history professor?” Joe broke the ice.

  “Yes, I teach twentieth-century US history, which makes me a World War II geek, I’m afraid.”

  “I watch a lot of that on cable TV, but Lacy makes me turn it off if she’s around.”

  “Is it politically incorrect to call it a guy thing?” They all chuckled knowingly.

  “How long you been at the university?” Joe asked, shifting the little girl with auburn hair from one arm to the other. Judging by Paul’s experiences with multiple nieces and nephews, she looked to be six to eight months old.