“And you haven’t said anything about Mia yet?” Darcy says when I’m finished.
I shake my head.
“You should.”
Behind her, the corners of Ray’s mouth turn downward, but he manages a smile as he hands coffee to Darcy and me, gesturing toward the table, where he’s served up some simple French toast.
Pretending not to see his reaction, I take my mug and join them. Badly stocked kitchen or not, Ray has somehow whipped up excellent French toast and fried eggs.
“Are you sure about telling Lucas?” I ask Darcy after a few bites. “You aren’t worried that he might…want to take Mia back?”
“You know… I’m grateful for Mia. I always wanted a child, and frankly, I’d given up hope since we just didn’t have any luck no matter what we tried.” Darcy puts a hand on my arm. “But as much as I like telling myself that I’ll be around until I’m old enough to see her have children of her own, I’m fifty-five. And so is Ray. Life can be uncertain.” She squeezes me. “My mother passed away when she was only sixty-one. Aneurysm. Nothing to be done about it.”
“I’m so sorry, Darcy.”
“But there’s one consolation, which is that if something does happen to us, Mia won’t be alone. She’ll have you. And it eases my mind to know that she’ll have her father as well.”
My breath hitches as an unspeakable fear slithers through me. “Are you…?”
She smiles. “I’m fine. No cancer or anything. Same for Ray. But it’s something to think about. You just never know.” Her gaze turns to the bedroom where Mia is still sleeping. “And I don’t want her to be alone.”
“She won’t be. She’ll be loved and taken care of. I didn’t mention this to you, but Lucas gave me two million dollars back in Virginia.”
Ray and Darcy both stop eating. “Two—! What on earth for?” Ray asks.
“When we came back to the States, he made some promises, and the money happened to be one of them. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but he was serious.”
“My goodness.” Darcy blinks. “That’s a fortune.”
“I’m not touching a penny of it.”
“You going to give it back?” Ray grows thoughtful. “Guess that makes sense if you plan to be together.”
Darcy is shaking her head. “A woman needs to have her own money.”
I laugh. “I’ve set it aside for Mia. She deserves the money.”
Darcy grows quiet. “I see. But are you sure? We plan on leaving Mia plenty, so you shouldn’t…”
“She’s mine too, and I can always make my own money. Please don’t worry.”
Darcy and Ray nod. “So…when are you going to tell him?” Ray asks.
“Before tonight’s dinner. I’m going to call him and set a time so we can talk face to face.”
* * *
Ava
Finding a time to talk to with Lucas is easier said than done. Sadly, he’s unavailable all day long. “If it’s really important, I can swing by,” he offers.
“No, it’s okay,” I say, not wanting to disrupt his schedule. He’s been working with people in Asia, and like he told Ray yesterday, they don’t care that it’s Thanksgiving where we are. Koreans work straight through until a few days after Christmas.
“I’ll pick you and your family up around four,” he says. “We can talk in the car, or at Ryder’s. His place has lots of space.”
“Okay.”
I hang up. Normally I’d be jumping up and down at the idea of meeting a big movie star like Ryder Reed, but I’m too nervous. Lucas will be in for a shock, but I’m sure he’ll also understand why I couldn’t tell him about Mia before. I want him to be happy and proud of our daughter, even if she’s being raised by foster parents. He’s met Ray and Darcy and knows them a little now. Hopefully he realizes they’re good people who want the best for Mia.