Page 17 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

I was in no hurry to get to the Lark Cove Motel. We’d driven by on our tour, and while it looked nice enough, I didn’t need to step inside a room to know that it held only the bare essentials. Bed. Bathroom. TV. I doubted there was a minibar or room service. I could use some dinner followed by a plethora of alcohol.

“I apologize for bailing on you earlier,” I told Nolan.

“It’s not me who needs the apology. I mean, it wasn’t me who tried to tell you that you had a secret daughter, only to have you disappear before I could explain.”

Shit. I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. “How bad is it?”

Nolan chuckled. “Lucky for you, she seemed just as shocked as you were. I’d say you’ll be able to recover. Just use that Kendrick charm.”

“What a fucking mess.”

“You had no idea?” he asked.

“None. I haven’t seen Thea in six years. It was just a one-night thing.”

“Damn. That’s tough. What’s your plan?”

“I don’t know.” I started walking again. “I need to find Thea.”

Except I’d been in such a rush to leave the bar, I hadn’t gotten anything from her. Not a phone number. A last name. Anything.

For all I knew, she was at home with her husband. Maybe she had other kids. Maybe Charlie wouldn’t want a thing to do with me because she already had a dad and a family.

My stomach twisted at the thought of losing something I’d just found.

I might have only become a dad four hours ago, but that didn’t mean I was going to walk away. Charlie was my daughter and I wanted to get to know her.

I just hoped she wanted to get to know me too.

“I don’t know what to do, Nolan,” I confessed. “What if she hates me? What if she says she doesn’t want anything to do with me? What if she’s already got a dad?”

“Don’t start on the what-ifs just yet.” His gentle voice helped calm some nerves. “Start by talking this out with Thea.”

“I don’t suppose she—”

“Gave me her phone number? Yeah. I’ve got it and her address.”

“Thanks.” I was glad my levelheaded friend and coworker had been there when I hadn’t. “I owe you one.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“What else happened?”

“Not much. We were all pretty stunned, to say the least. Thea came over and introduced herself. I told her your last name and gave her your number. She said she’d give you some time before calling. But if I could give you some advice, don’t make her wait. She’s just as anxious as you to talk this through.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll call her soon. Just text me her info.”

“Okay. What else do you need me to do? I’ve already called the hospital in Kalispell and they told me they could arrange for a paternity test to be taken tomorrow. The results will take a week or so, but you could leave your sample before we head back to the city.”

During the first part of my walk around Lark Cove, I’d contemplated getting a paternity test. If not for Charlie’s pinky and the fact that she looked just like a Kendrick, I probably would have insisted on one.

But I’d decided against it. Thea wasn’t lying. I’d made a career out of reading people and spotting lies. An Oscar-winning actress couldn’t have pulled off Thea’s reaction.

“Thanks, but I don’t think the paternity test is necessary.”

“Logan, I don’t think that’s a good—”

“You saw her. You saw Charlie. You had to see the resemblance.”