blurting out the rest. “I even considered running away with him.” She shook her head at the foolish thought. “But I had enough legal issues as it was. It’s why I didn’t just take him to you and tell you what had happened. I didn’t know if you’d be angry that I waited weeks to do so. I couldn’t risk you pressing charges, so I staked out the shop to make sure you were home when I left him. Hardest day of my life.”
Orlando tipped his head. “I know now why the baby took to you the way he did from the very first day. But how’d you know I would?”
“I didn’t.” She shook her head adamantly. “The idea of trying to at least get to see him every now and again didn’t even come to me until after I’d given him up. I knew it’d be hard to be without him, but I hadn’t anticipated how utterly excruciating it was.” The tears were back as she thought back to that horrid time of her life. “My heart yearned to have him back in my life. I’d heard Beast mention your receptionist being out on leave the day I went into the shop with Ted,” she continued to explain as Orlando dabbed her tears with a tissue. “The evening I went into the shop, my only expectation was to be able to see him, but then Nine mentioned the messy counter and the shop’s need for a receptionist again, and I had a thought. If I could get a job there, I might be able to at least keep tabs on how the baby was doing and see him if you ever brought him in. So, I mentioned bringing in my resume.”
She told him how she’d overheard Orlando talking to his mom on the phone that evening about needing to find a nanny. How she’d tried to lie about being a child therapist and even thought she might pull off saying her name was Delia in case they did a background check, but all her lies fell through and she spilled the truth whenever she looked into his eyes. “I considered coming clean weeks ago, but then we had that conversation where you mentioned being pissed about being robbed of the baby’s birth and the weeks after Angie’s death.” The sheer terror of losing the baby washed over her suddenly, and she felt her face scrunch again. “Orlando, I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t bring myself to part with him. Especially because I didn’t know how you’d react to him. I was all he had. If I’d known you’d be such a wonderful dad, I would’ve handed him over immediately.”
Orlando took her hand, pulling her to him, and hugged her tightly, whispering against the side of her head into her ear. “Stop crying. Stop apologizing. You’re right. You’re all my boy had, and it’s because of you he even had a fighting chance. I hate to say it, babe, but without you, he might’ve ended up like Angie’s baby sister, and I love you for it. But I love you for a lot of other reasons.” He was quiet for a moment. “My only question now is why are you really here?”
Orlando
Holding Dani tightly against him, Orlando held his breath. Her entire explanation had been about how in love she’d been with the baby—all the lengths she’d gone through to stay in touch with him. She’d cared for and fallen in love with him from the moment he was born. He’d heard it in her voice, saw it in those pained eyes. Dani would’ve stopped at nothing to get her Oreo back in her life, and Orlando totally got it. Did that mean giving into a relationship with the baby’s dad, even if she had to fake feeling for him what she wasn’t?
She pulled away and searched his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I get how and why you’d fall for my boy the way you did. Why’d you go through such lengths to be a part of his life.” He choked back the emotion before going on as he stared into her beautiful eyes. “Ted said it and you just confirmed it. You were miserable without the baby, so you’d stop at nothing to get back in his life.” Feeling the warmth of the tears in his own eyes like the saps Ted mentioned the two of them were, he shook his head in anger. “I’ve completely fallen for you,