Forever My Baby

A shred of guilt snaked down his spine because he had not sought out the family after Parker’s death. The loss of his best friend had left such an empty hole in his own heart. Then losing his wife shortly after she had given birth to Kai had been almost too much to bear. Kai was all Ryker had left of Angela and he vowed to keep her close always.

He was thankful for his family and the way they’d surrounded him with love and support during each tragedy.

Ryker smiled as he pulled into his parking spot at the law firm and got out of his SUV. He checked his watch as he walked briskly across the lot and into the building.

His mother was in with the office manager. She spotted him and gestured for him to wait for her.

“How is my beautiful granddaughter?” his mother asked as she joined him on the walk to his office.

Rochelle DuGrandpre, hailed as one of the top family law attorneys in the state, was passionate when it came to children. He knew that she often worried about him raising Kai alone.

“She is great,” Ryker responded with a smile. “Kai recognizes most of the primary colors and some of her numbers.”

“That’s wonderful,” Rochelle exclaimed. “I’m not surprised, though. She’s a DuGrandpre.”

Ryker nodded. “That she is.”

Rochelle settled down in one of the visitor chairs in front of his desk and studied his face. “Son, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” he responded in earnest. “I stay busy here at work and when I’m home, my focus is my daughter.”

“Why don’t you and Kai move in with us?” Rochelle suggested. “It’s just your father and me in that huge house. We would love to have you both there.”

He shook his head. “Mom, stop worrying about me. I would think you’d be enjoying your empty nest.”

“It’s nice, but I have always felt that a house comes alive with children.”

“Mom, Kai and I are doing fine.”

“It’s not that I’m worried,” Rochelle confessed. “I really miss having young ones at home. With all of you gone, the house seems too quiet.”

“Maybe you and Dad should try for a baby,” Ryker teased.

“Don’t let your father hear you say that,” she warned with a chuckle. “He’d have a heart attack.”

“You are always talking about how much foster care is needed. Maybe you should consider becoming a foster parent.”

Rochelle seemed to consider the idea. “Maybe I’ll discuss it with your father, although I already know what he will say.”

He laughed. “Dad just wants to enjoy his grandchild. He’s not looking to raise more kids.”

“Maybe I can change his mind,” she said with a smile. “You think?”

He shook his head again. “I seriously doubt it.”

Rochelle rose to her feet. “I have a teleconference coming up. Don’t forget we’re going to the beach this weekend. We’re counting on you and Aubry to join us.”

“Kai and I will be there,” he responded. “She’s so excited.”

“I can’t wait to see my little darling. Maybe I can get her completely potty trained over the weekend. You were out of diapers by the time you turned two years old.”

Ryker loved his mother dearly, but there were days when she frustrated him to no end. She did not seem to know when to let go when it came to him and Aubry.

Although she had never said it, Ryker believed that his mother had little faith in his parenting abilities. It was in the way that she commented on certain things. For example, whenever Kai had an accident, his mother harped on the fact that he should have let her conduct the potty training.

Ryker did not want to fail Kai, but his mother often made him feel inadequate as a single parent. He tried not to let her words get to him but failed. The truth was that Angela would have been a great mother. She would have done all the right things and would’ve known what to do in every situation. But Angela was no longer there. She was gone and he was left to carry on without her.

He’d vowed to be the best father possible to their daughter. Ryker was determined that he would not let Angela down. He had made that promise to her before giving her a final kiss good-bye.

Ryker had never broken any promise he had ever made to Angela. This would be no different.

* * *

After two sun-filled days on the beach at Edisto Island, Ryker was ready to return to Charleston. He enjoyed spending time with his family and especially with Kai, but the stacks of cases on his desk awaiting his return Monday morning occupied his mind.

They had just finished having lunch two doors down with his family and were on their way to the car. “Look it...” Kai pointed at the dress in a boutique window. “Pretty.”

He glanced up at the name: Fairy Kisses Boutique. “I guess you want to go shopping.”

Bobbing her head, she responded, “Yessh.”

“You are definitely your mother’s daughter,” he said with a grin. “She loved to shop.”

Kai pulled his arm, leading him toward the door.

“I’m coming, honey.”

Once inside, Ryker felt like he had been transported to a land filled with fairies and princesses. The atmosphere was magical. Kai, her expression one of pure joy, immediately walked over to a bear on display dressed in a lavender dress with wings.

His gaze landed on a young woman in a navy and white dress with matching flats.

He approached her. “Hey, you...” No matter how subtle her scent was, Ryker was sure he could find her, even in a room filled with a bunch of over-perfumed women.

She turned around to face him. “Ryker...what are you doing here?”

“My little one saw the dresses in the window, so here we are.”

Her eyes traveled to his side. “Your daughter is such a cutie.”

“Thank you,” he responded proudly.

“What brings you to Edisto Island, Ryker DuGrandpre?”

Ryker looked down to see Kai steal another peek at the bear.

“My family and I came here for the weekend,” he explained. “We had just had lunch and were heading to the car when Kai discovered this shop.” Ryker glanced around. “Are you the manager?”

“I’m the owner, actually.”

Ryker did not miss the subtle lifting of her chin as she spoke. “You really have a beautiful store.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’m very proud of it.”

“I thought chain stores had taken over, but it’s good to see smaller boutiques are still holding strong in the area.”

Garland smiled. “This neighborhood happens to be a haven of small and wonderful shops on the island. I love that they are all within walking distance from one another.”

She glanced down at Kai again. “She looks like a little fairy princess. I believe I have the perfect outfit for her. It matches the dress that the bear is wearing and comes complete with wings.”

“I can already tell that I’m not leaving the store without that bear, so I’ll take the outfit, too.” Just then, Kai raced from his side and grabbed the bear off the shelf. She quickly returned to his side and tugged at his hand.

The sound of a tinkling bell caught his attention and he heard familiar voices.

“Sorry, Mom, but not this time. I’m really not interested in being hooked up with the nephew of one of your friends.”

“And why not?” The woman glanced over at them and said, “We’ll discuss this later.” She then made her way toward where he, Kai and Garland stood.

“Honey, I thought that I saw you come in here,” she said, approaching them.

“My mother,” he said by way of introductions.

“Hello. I’m Garland Warner,” Garland said cheerfully.

“This is Parker’s sister, Mom. She owns this boutique.”

“Parker was a wonderful young man. We all miss him.” Rochelle’s eyes traveled the length of the store. “Your shop is lovely and very original. This is the perfect place for children to explore their fantasies.”

“That’s exactly what I had in mind when I opened it,” Garland said.

Rochelle took Kai by the hand and said to the group, “We’re going over here to look at some dresses.”

Ryker met Garland’s gaze. “I can’t believe I’ve run into you twice in a week after all of these years. It must be fate.”

Garland let out a small laugh.

“It really is good to see you again,” he told her.

“Ryker, it’s nice seeing you, too.”

“I still go out to the cemetery to visit Parker.”

Garland seemed surprised by his words. “Really?”

He nodded. “He was...is still my best friend.”

“I miss him terribly,” she admitted. “Losing both Dad and Parker has taken a toll on Mama. She has good days and bad days.” After a brief pause, she added, “She’s not the same woman you remember, Ryker.”

“He took a part of all of us when he left,” Ryker stated.

Garland nodded.

“It’s good to see that you’re doing so well. You have always been such a creative spirit.”

“Business is great,” she told him. “In fact, I’m thinking of adding a second store in Charleston.”

“I think it’s a good idea.”

Then Garland gave Ryker a sneak peek at a new collection that was not yet on the sales floor. Ryker could feel the heat of his mother’s gaze on them as they moved around the store. Her eyes seemed to follow Garland’s every movement.

Ryker settled on purchasing several items for Kai, which seemed to thrill Garland.

As she assisted an employee with bagging up his purchases, Ryker peered at her intently.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take another look at the Laurent Princess collection in the back?” Garland inquired.

“No, thank you,” he said with a grin. “I think that I need to get my daughter out of here right now before she finds something else she wants.”

Garland laughed. “I understand. I have to keep my own daughter out of the shop. She thinks she should personally own everything here.”

“You have children?” he asked, his eyes straying to her left hand.

“One,” she responded. “I have a daughter.”

Ryker stepped closer to embrace Garland. “I meant what I said,” he told her. “Let’s get together soon.”

“It was very nice meeting you, Miss Warner,” Rochelle interjected. “You have a lovely store.”

“Thank you.”

“Son, we’d better get Kai home. She’s sleepy and you know how she gets when she’s tired.”

He glanced over at Garland and said, “I hope to hear from you soon.”

Ryker gave her one final smile before quickly escorting his daughter out the door. Kai had just spotted another stuffed animal. He needed to get her out of the store before she begged him to buy it.

* * *

“Do you know that man?” her employee asked in a low whisper after Ryker and his family had exited the shop.

“He’s a DuGrandpre, Robyn,” Garland responded with a tiny smile. “Ryker DuGrandpre.”

“I knew he looked familiar. There was a huge feature about their law firm in one of the magazines I read recently.” Robyn broke into a grin before adding, “He’s handsome, don’t you think?”

“And very married,” Garland stated. “Or didn’t you notice the wedding ring on his finger?” However, she noted that he had not mentioned his wife in their conversation at all. But still Ryker was very good-looking with firm muscles. It was obvious that he spent a lot of time at the gym working out and taking great care of his body. And his aftershave was as delicious as his appearance.

“I never moved past his face,” Robyn responded with a shake of her head.

She laughed. “You’re bad.”

“There’s no harm in looking, Garland.”

“Well, I make it a habit to never pay attention to married men.”

“When it comes to a married man, I just look at them every now and then,” Robyn admitted. “I wouldn’t deal with one—that’s for sure.”

“I know that.” Garland knew Robyn well. She had been with her from the inception of the boutique. She was the assistant manager, and Garland loved working with her and having her on the team.

“He may be married, but I couldn’t help but notice that he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off you.” Robyn straightened a dress that hung lopsided on a hanger.

Garland shrugged in nonchalance. “It’s not what you think. He was best friends with my brother. They were college roommates and frat brothers.”

“Oh, I had no idea.”

“Parker and Ryker had been inseparable,” Garland said. “He really took it hard when Parker passed away. I never saw him again after the funeral.”

“So this is the first time you two are reconnecting?”

“I actually ran into him in Charleston on Wednesday,” she said. “That was almost a week ago.”

“So what’s up with his mother?” Robyn inquired. “She could barely focus on shopping because she was eyeballing you so hard.”

Garland shrugged. “This is the first time I’ve ever met her. Parker had known her pretty well from spending a lot of time at their house when we were all in college. She was probably making sure I wasn’t flirting with her married son.”

Garland decided to change the conversation back to work.

“I just ordered the cutest little flower girl dresses,” Garland announced. “Wait until you see them, Robyn. The entire collection is stunning.”

“I’m glad we’re adding more dresses for weddings. They sell very well.”

“Go on and say it, Robyn. You were right.”

“I was, wasn’t I?” she responded with a chuckle. “Garland, I appreciate you so much. You actually listen to your employees.”

“So I will be expecting my world’s greatest boss mug.”

They both laughed.

Garland went to her office a few minutes later to go over sales orders. Her smile broadened over the memory of seeing Ryker again.

But an odd twinge of disappointment interrupted as she reminded herself that he was married with a family.

Chapter 3

“The State of South Carolina released the results of an investigation into how the switch took place. The report concluded that the cause of the mishap remains a mystery. No evidence was uncovered to suggest foul play and the medical center has heightened its security in order to prevent another inadvertent baby switch...”

Garland turned off the television as soon as the story of the nurse’s deathbed confession came on yet again. It was all everyone had been talking about these past weeks. It made her feel uneasy. But she knew that Amya was her daughter, despite being born on September 8 at that same hospital during the time the nurse was believed to have mistakenly switched the babies.

She sat down on the sofa beside her napping daughter, her thin fingers tensed in her lap. Biting her lip, Garland glanced over at Amya. She refused to believe that the baby switch had anything to do with them. Garland knew without a doubt that Amya was her little girl.

She caught herself glancing uneasily at the blank television screen, her thoughts dark and disquieting. Garland tried to ignore the warning voice in her head. “I’m thinking too much,” she whispered. “That story has nothing to do with me. Besides, I would’ve heard from the hospital by now if this involved Amya.”

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

Garland leaned over and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

“Mom...my,” Amya murmured sleepily.

She rubbed her back. “Go back to sleep, sweetie.”

The doorbell rang.

As she opened the door, she said, “Hey, what are you doing here?” to her best friend, Trina, who stood in the doorway. “I thought you were in Arizona visiting your family. C’mon in here.”

“I flew back this morning, so I thought I’d come by to see my bestie and my goddaughter.”

“I’m so glad you did,” Garland said. “I really missed you and so did Amya. She is napping in the family room. Let’s talk in here.”

They settled down in the living room.

“Have you heard about the hospital situation?” Trina inquired as she picked up one of the small decorative pillows and held it close to her chest.

Garland nodded. “Can’t help but hear about it. It’s on the news all of the time.”

“Have you been contacted by anyone from the hospital?” Trina asked.

“No,” she responded as casually as she could manage. “I don’t expect to be contacted because I know that Amya is my child.” Biting her lip, Garland looked away.

“Maybe you should have a DNA test completed anyway,” Trina suggested. “This way there will never be any doubt in your mind.”

Garland awkwardly cleared her throat. “I don’t have any doubt, Trina.”

Trina eyed her in bewilderment. “How could you not? Any parent who gave birth to a daughter on that day should be worried.”

Garland stirred uneasily in her chair. “They’re sure it was a girl?”

Trina nodded. “Yeah. There were six girls born that day within a four-hour period.”

“I feel sorry for those parents,” Garland said. “I really do, but I don’t need a DNA test to tell me what I already know. I have the child I gave birth to—she is a part of me.”

“For the record, I believe Amya is yours, as well.”

“Then let’s change the subject, please.”

“Sure,” Trina responded hesitantly.

Garland silently struggled with the uncertainty that had been aroused by their conversation.

“While I was in Arizona, I reconnected with an old boyfriend.”

“Really? How did that go?”

Trina broke into a grin. “It actually went very well.”

Garland smiled. “Is this the one from college you were telling me about?”

Her friend nodded. “Yeah. He works for a pharmaceutical company, but get this...he’s been thinking about relocating to Charleston. He has a frat brother in the area who’s offered him a nice position.”

“Wow...that’s wonderful.”

“He did mention the guy is single, Garland.”

She quickly shook her head. “I have no time for men right now. I want to focus on Amya and my shop.”

“Garland, I know that you’ve been through a lot, but you can’t lock your heart away forever.”

“I’m not,” she responded. “I just don’t have any more time for lies and games. Maybe in a few years I’ll consider dating again, but right now Amya needs me most.”

“What do you need, Garland?” Trina inquired. “You can’t live your life just for your daughter or your business.”

“I’m human, Trina,” she uttered. “Of course, I would like to spend time with someone special. But right now that’s something I can live without. Besides, I have extremely bad taste in men. Remember Noah?”

Trina burst into laughter. “I do.”

“He was supposed to steal my heart, not my flat-screen TV and my laptop.”

“Noah had a serious drug addiction.”

“I had no idea, though.”

“Well, he did apologize to you,” Trina stated. “That’s more than you got from Calvin.”

“I had no expectations of Calvin being sorry for anything. He was a dog and he expected me to be okay with it.”

“He was a screwup for sure.” Trina shook her head. “Hey, I’ve had my share of nightmare relationships, as well.”

“Our lives have been filled with so much more glamour and romance since we got rid of those deadbeat dates,” Garland said with a chuckle.

“So far, this guy I’m seeing again is good,” Trina stated. “He’s still on my mandatory trial period, though.”

Garland shook her head at her friend’s usual antics. “When am I going to meet Mr. Wonderful?”

“I said he was good. He’s not wonderful yet—if he survives probation, then he might graduate to wonderful.”

Garland laughed. “He might as well be dating someone of the highest social class in society the way you’re vetting him.”

“Honey, he is dating royalty,” Trina interjected. “I am a queen.”

“I hear you,” Garland said.

“Enough about me. Now I’m serious—it’s time for you to get back into the dating pool. Amya can’t be your whole life, sweetie.”

“For now, she’s enough,” Garland insisted. “Speaking of your godchild, it’s time we woke her up.”

* * *

“Thanks for taking care of Kai for me,” Ryker told Jordin when he arrived home shortly after 6 p.m. “Her teacher was sick and I didn’t want to expose Kai to whatever may be going around. The administrator said it is some type of stomach virus.”

“It’s my pleasure. You know how much I love that little girl.” She rose to her feet and began putting away a stack of papers.

He gestured toward her laptop. “Were you able to get any work done?”

Jordin nodded. “Quite a bit, actually. Kai watched television and played with her toys until lunch. After we ate, I took her to the park. She took a nap as soon as we got back.”

Her eyes traveled to the television in the family room. A news reporter was going over the dead nurse’s confession.

“Can you believe that?” Jordin asked. “I just don’t understand why that nurse didn’t come forward sooner, especially if she even suspected she may have switched the babies. This could have been corrected much sooner. It must have haunted her all this time, from what I’m hearing.”

“I suppose she was worried more about her job,” Ryker responded. “It was selfish for her to keep this secret. She’s not even sure she gave the babies to the wrong parents. It may create upset for no reason at all.”

“This is true, Ryker, but we have no idea what her life was like,” Jordin pointed out. “Maybe all she had was her work as a nurse. At least she left the hospital and found other work so that she couldn’t make the same mistake again.”

He shrugged in nonchalance. “It was still wrong.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I just feel bad for her.”

Jordin followed Ryker into his office. “Kai was born at that very same hospital on the same day,” she said. “Yet you don’t seem worried about this at all.”

He met her gaze. “I’m not worried, Jordin. I know that she is my daughter. I’m sure I would know if she wasn’t my child.”

“Would you really?” She sat down in the plush leather chair across from Ryker.

“What are you trying to say?”

“We all love her, Ryker, but wouldn’t you want to know if there’s a chance that you were given the wrong baby? It would mean that your biological child is still out there in the world somewhere.” Jordin studied his face. “You mean, with everything that’s going on, you haven’t considered this possibility at all?”

“No, I haven’t. Kai is my daughter, Jordin,” Ryker stated in a tone that brooked no argument. “I feel bad for the people involved. If it happened to me, I would sue the hospital for everything it’s worth and I hope they will, too. In fact, I may offer my services pro bono to the parents. This is something awful to have to deal with. I don’t know what I’d do if someone came to me saying that Kai may not be my child.”

Jordin’s expression was solemn. “I don’t know what we’d do either, quite honestly. But I know we’d find a way if that were ever the case. We’re a strong family. Ryker, we’d figure it out.”

Jordin then collected her belongings before moving toward the door. “Remember, anytime you need me, I’m a phone call away.”

Ryker offered her a slight smile and watched from the doorway as she walked to her car, which was parked directly out front.

After Jordin pulled off, Ryker walked back inside, secured the door, and spent time with his daughter until it was time for her to go to bed.

Kai now settled and sleeping, Ryker sat down in the family room to watch television. During a commercial, Ryker checked his voice mail messages. Only one in particular caught and held his attention—the one from the hospital.

Why are they calling me? he wondered. It was probably just to assure him that his daughter was not affected by the current uproar. With that in mind, Ryker did not dwell on the message. He made a mental note to call the chief of staff tomorrow, then filed it away for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day, Ryker scanned through the stack of messages his secretary had handed him when he arrived in the office. His gaze paused on one note in particular—a second message from the hospital. He immediately asked his secretary to hold his calls, then he walked back to his office. He had no idea how long he sat there, trying to figure out what all this could mean. Ryker was so focused on that one note that he did not notice his father’s arrival.