Page 174 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

He shook his head. “Bob’s fairly certain we stopped in the area where he found the locket, but otherwise there’s not a whole lot to work with.”

She sighed. “That’s really good.”

He stopped their dance. “Can I talk to you upstairs for a minute?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Talk like have sex or talk like talk?”

He chuckled. “Talk like talk.”

She grinned. “Sure.”

He walked with her to the sweeping, curving staircase, taking her hand as they moved up the steps. “I’ve missed this—seeing you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Happy. Smiling again.” He closed the door behind her as they stepped into his old room.

“Your sisters are wonderful for any girl who’s dealing with PR issues and an identity crisis.”

Smiling, he sat down on the bed and tugged her to his side, kissing her and drawing out the meeting of their lips. “I missed you today,” he said quietly.

She stroked her fingers through his hair. “I missed you too. I’m glad you’re out of the weather and home safe.”

Clenching his jaw, he took her hand as he rested his forehead against hers. “Part of me doesn’t want to do this right now. Part of me wants to push you back on the bed and make out with you for a little while—just be us.”

Her bright mood plummeted as she felt her cloak coming up—her shield against all things awful and hurtful. “What is it?”

Sighing, he stroked his thumb along her soft skin. “We’ve had a big day with your case.”

She eased back and pressed her hand to her stomach as a quick rush of anxiety made her nauseated. “But you didn’t find anything.”

“Not in the woods. A woman called in to the station. Danielle. She knew you and your biological mother. You lived with her for three years.”

Callie rushed to her feet, absorbing the latest shockwave. “I don’t know that name. I don’t remember a Danielle.”

“I ran her information before I came home. She has no criminal background. As far as I can tell, she’s one hundred percent legit.”

“I don’t know her,” Callie repeated.

“What about Samantha Fletcher?”

She shook her head and walked to the window, opening the curtains to the darkness beyond. Currently, she didn’t give a damn about someone from the press seeing her—not that there was anyone out in the storm. “No. I don’t know that one either.”

“Samantha was your mother.”

She flinched with the next blow and closed her eyes, exhaling a shuddering breath as her heart beat too fast. “The S on the locket.”

“Yeah, the S on the locket.” The bed squeaked as he stood and stepped up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders as he held her gaze in the glass’s reflection. “Your birthdate is June 4, 1991. On Monday, I’m going to work on getting your birth certificate.”

She fisted her hands at her sides and fought the urge to shake her head. Why did she want to tell him to be quiet? Why did she have to stop herself from turning around and insisting that her birthday was June 21? That she already had a birth certificate? “I’m from Connecticut?”

“No.” He slid his hands down her arms, wrapping them around her waist and holding her close as he nuzzled her neck. “Massachusetts. You were born at Boston Medical Center.”

Tears blurred her vision. “I see.” She cleared the emotion from her throat. “And why is this person coming forward now? After all of these years?”

“She said she saw you on TV yesterday.”

“Did she happen to mention why Samantha dumped me off at the diner in Hartford? I know Captain Bob found her locket in the woods. I know what you think that means, but she left me in that restaurant, Nate. There’s really no other explanation.” Or she didn’t want there to be one.