The elevator doors slid open. “Mr. Langford. I’m so sorry if there was a miscommunication. I promise this will be quick. Five minutes and I’m out of your hair.”
Aiden nodded. “No, it’s fine. We have to get it done. What do you need?”
“It’s a cheek swab from you and one from the baby. That’s it.”
“He’s in the other room.”
Sarah followed Liam and Aiden into the library.
“Mom, I need Oliver for a minute. The lawyer’s office needs to do the cheek swabs for the paternity test so we can take care of the legal end of things.”
Evelyn picked up the baby, handing him to Aiden. “This seems silly. One look at him and it’s obvious he’s your son.”
Aiden snatched Oliver away, much as he had the day Sarah had mentioned the idea of Evelyn caring for him. “It’s important for Oliver and me, too. That we know he’s my son, for sure.”
She took a sip of her soda. “Of course.”
Liam took out two plastic tubes and asked Aiden to open his mouth. He swabbed the inside of his cheek, then did the same to Oliver. “All done. We’ll have this expedited. I understand the paperwork needs to be taken care of this week.”
Aiden nodded. “Yes.”
“If it takes until next week, I could always come back down from Boston, I suppose.” Had she just said that? She should not be straying from the timeline she’d established. With every passing day, they were more comfortable with each other, she more attracted to him, her resolve becoming flimsy. There were signs he might be feeling the same way—the moment when he’d slid his fingers under her chin? The comments about how good she looked?
“It’s best if we wrap this up quickly,” Aiden said. “Sarah needs to leave on Sunday and return to her business. Oliver and I need to start our life together, too.”
Why was her body filled with such utter disappointment at his words? This was what she’d wanted, and it was no time to switch her priorities. Stay with the plan, Sarah. “Aiden’s right. I really can’t be running back to New York.”
“Certainly.” Liam packed up everything in a messenger bag, which he slung across his chest. “We’ll take care of it, Mr. Langford. We should have the results by Friday.”
Aiden walked Liam to the elevator and returned with Oliver. There was a shift in the mood, one impossible to ignore. Aiden had said he wanted to keep things short with his mother for this first visit. Evelyn showed no sign of leaving.
“Can I hold him again?” she asked, getting up from the sofa.
Aiden took in a deep breath. “For a few minutes, then Sarah and I have some things to do. Oliver needs a bath and quiet time before bed.”
Even if it might have been an excuse, Aiden was clinging to the schedule, and it was adorable. He sat on the couch next to his mother and tried to hand over the baby, but Oliver wanted to stay with Daddy.
“Don’t you want to spend time with Grandma?” Evelyn leaned into Aiden, trying to catch Oliver’s attention.
“He’s still getting used to you, Mom. It might take time.”
“Maybe he’s unhappy after having that strange man put a stick in his mouth. The whole thing really is silly. He looks just like you.”
“We have to follow the proper channels. It’s important.” Aiden held Oliver close. “He lost his mother a month ago, and that will be something he’ll always wonder about. A child needs to know where he came from. He needs to know where he belongs.” Aiden’s voice cracked, which Sarah had never heard before, not even in the tender moments with Oliver.
“I wasn’t trying to upset you.”
Aiden cleared his throat. “Mom. Listen to yourself. There’s this dark cloud hanging over us and Oliver has given us the perfect chance to talk about it, but you won’t let yourself go there, will you? You’d rather keep your secret.”
“I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. I’ve brought this up with you at least three times since I’ve been back in New York. It’s the reason I’ve been unhappy for most of my life. It’s the reason I tried to take over LangTel. And you’re sitting here, talking about the paternity of my son like this hasn’t been a question in your own life. It’s so frustrating I want to scream.” His voice didn’t waver in the slightest now. It was sheer determination.
Oliver whimpered.
“You’ve upset the baby,” she said.
Oh no.
Aiden pulled Oliver closer and rubbed his back, pecking him on the forehead. “I think you need to leave. I’m not going to pretend that my entire existence in this family hasn’t been built on a lie and you won’t own up to it. I know that your husband was not my father. I know it with every fiber of my being. And we all act as if that isn’t the case.”