Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
I rapidly blinked my eyes as I turned away. Pretty sure Kenji caught me at it.
As we approached the group Susanna was trying to hold back, Pastor Scott approached me, all smiles. “Tully, there you are. Great to see you again. And let me get a look at my granddaughter. Hi, Eleanor, sweetie. What a big girl you are!”
Lellie immediately clung onto Dev more tightly and leaned her head against his shoulder. She wasn’t great with people she didn’t know well. While Katie hadn’t been estranged from her parents completely, she hadn’t spent much time with them and Lellie.
“Like I said,” Susanna said, stepping between Pastor Scott and Dev as we continued to move toward the clinic’s entrance, “you are welcome to wait out here or in the waiting room, but we simply ask you to allow my client to proceed straight to the appointment first. I’m sure you agree it’s in our best interest to collect this evidence as quickly as possible.”
“Of course, of course,” Pastor Scott said.
I recognized the attorney standing next to him and gave him a cool nod. Brock Lois was an attorney with his own practice who occasionally worked with Dunlevy, Pace, and Trumble. I assumed Orris had been the one to refer the Scotts to him since he was well-known at our firm as a bulldog in family law cases. I didn’t trust Brock for shit, but I was grateful the case was no longer causing a potential conflict of interest with my own firm.
Then I noticed the man behind Katie’s dad.
Orris Dunlevy stepped around Pastor Scott. “Tully! Good of you to come. Thank you for escorting everyone here safely. I’ll take it from here.”
Heat filled my face as a swell of embarrassment twisted my stomach. Before I could say anything, Dev broke his silent, stoic act. “He’s here at my request. Until this situation is settled, I believe it’s in everyone’s best interest for Lellie to have as much support as possible, both legally and personally.”
It was enough to stop the Scotts and their attorneys in their tracks and allow us to continue into the clinic without further interference.
“Well done,” I murmured as Susanna stepped forward to check Dev and Lellie in for the appointment.
Dev turned and shoved Lellie into my arms. Thankfully, she came willingly and clung to me as tightly as she’d clung to Dev. “If you’re her representative at this appointment, they’ll let you back with us,” he murmured.
I glanced up and saw the nerves in his expression. He was terrified, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Thankfully, a nurse called us back very quickly, and I followed Dev while Susanna held the door and ensured no one else followed us other than a nondescript junior attorney from Brock’s firm who had been sent as the eyewitness. Kenji settled himself in a chair in the waiting room and remained unruffled.
Orris shot me a final glare as the door closed behind us.
When we got to the exam cubicle, I reached for Dev’s arm. “Hey. You know it’s not a blood test, right? It’s a cheek swab.”
“I know.”
I lowered my voice. “Why are you shaking?”
“What if this is it? What if she’s not really mine?”
I wanted to bark out a laugh, but I could tell he wasn’t joking.
“Devon,” I said, making sure my voice was still low but also firm. “This child is your clone. Look at her. Look at her eyes. They’re the color of southern pine and sweet tea.” I flicked one of her dark curls and then reached out to wrap one of his thicker waves around my finger before tugging. “I wish you could see it like the rest of us do.”
Susanna must have realized what was happening because her expression softened, and she grinned at him. “He’s right. Anyone who saw you holding her out there knows how ridiculous this performance is. She looks more like you than my twin brother looks like me.”
Dev inhaled a shaky breath. “Thank you. I know it’s silly. I just got here and suddenly worried that they would find a way to take her from me. The fact I’m her biological parent is the only thing on my side.”
I wanted to tell him that wasn’t true, that there were a million other things about him that made him Lellie’s perfect choice, but a lab tech walked in before I had a chance to speak.
After briefly introducing himself, the tech had everyone sign the necessary consent forms before getting down to business. It seemed to take forever to gather multiple samples and line them up carefully in a tray with barcoded labels indicating Dev and Lellie’s names and birthdates. We even had to sign the envelopes the samples were being sent in. And then, just when it looked like we were done, we each had to sign off on witness statements to ensure proper chain of custody of the samples, too.