David arrived at Peninsula State Park fifteen minutes early. He’d requested Hadley meet him at the picnic area closest to Eagle Tower at noon, but had given her no other details.

After placing the picnic basket on the bench, he pulled out a cloth and covered the tabletop. His hands shook a little as he lifted out the bottle of champagne and two glasses.

It had been so long since he’d tried to impress a woman that he feared falling miserably short. He’d hated putting Hadley through the past few days, hated keeping her at arm’s length until the DNA results came in, but had felt he had no choice.

Brynn’s welfare was his priority, and he wouldn’t be a good father if he hadn’t verified Hadley’s story. But he hadn’t been surprised when the results showed she was Brynn’s mother. In his heart, he’d known it all along. Now, his head knew it, too.

As he emptied the food from the basket, Hadley’s words to Brynn kept circling in his head. When she’d said that sometimes when we lash out, it isn’t really about the other person, it’s about something going on inside us, he’d thought, Bingo.

He and Whitney had rarely fought, mainly because she hadn’t been around much. When they had argued, it usually had started over something small, like her texting with friends one of the few times they ate dinner as a family.

The texting disagreement hadn’t really been about phone usage at dinner as much as it had been about Whitney being gone so much. And the fact that even when she was in town, she was checked out.

Would it have made a difference if he’d phrased his concerns differently? He had his doubts. Whitney was a master at twisting to her advantage anything he said. They hadn’t had a heart-to-heart in years.

He didn’t want that kind of relationship with Hadley. They had a chance to build something special, a closeness and trust strong enough to endure the ups and downs of the years to come. In order for that to happen, they needed to start out solid.

“Well, this is a nice surprise.”

David looked up, and there she was, dressed casually in khaki shorts and a shirt the same color as her cherry-red lipstick. Her hair, hanging in loose waves to her shoulders, fluttered in the breeze. “It’s noon. I thought you might be hungry.”

“You made lunch.” Pleasure rippled through the statement.

“It’s not much.” He gestured to the table. If he’d had more time, he’d have asked his mother’s cook to whip together something, instead of raiding the refrigerator. “Hummus with carrots and celery. And grapes.”

“I love hummus.” Her gaze shifted to the bottle. “And Cristal. Are we celebrating?”

“I hope so.” David made short work of uncorking the bottle, then filled each glass, handing one to her. He lifted his glass.

Her gaze turned watchful.

“To fresh starts and honesty.”

She took a cautious sip. “I assume you got the DNA results.”

“I did.” David gestured to the table. “Let’s sit.”

Once Hadley had taken a seat, he slid onto the bench across from her and reminded himself this woman wasn’t Whitney. She didn’t hold a grudge. She didn’t stalk off or refuse to speak to him when he’d done something that upset her.

“It hurt you when I asked for the sample.”

She opened her mouth, as if to deny it, then nodded. “It felt as if you didn’t trust me.”

“My heart knew you spoke the truth. And I see so much of you in Brynn.” He smiled, then sobered. “But this is my child. I might trust, but for her sake, I had to verify.”

“You’re a protective dad. That’s a good thing.” Hadley’s lips quirked upward. “I’m sure I’d have done the same thing in your position.”

Without his gaze leaving her face, David took her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. “Still, I’m sorry for what I put you through the past few days.”

“I wasn’t worried.” Hadley shrugged. “Besides, I’m the one who turned your life upside down.”

“What you’ve done is bring joy into my life and the life of my daughter.”

Hadley picked up a carrot stick, bit into it. “I guess the burning question now is where we go from here.”

He lifted his glass. “We celebrate and move forward.”

She clinked her glass against his, then surveyed him over the rim. “Any ideas about the moving forward part?”

Oh, David had a lot of ideas, but there was the matter of a confession…

Hadley Newhouse didn’t run or shy away from the truth.

He could do no less.

“Being with you made me realize how empty my life was before.”

Hadley took a sip of champagne, her warm blue eyes inviting confidences. God, she was beautiful.

“While we eat, I have a story to tell you.”

She reached for another carrot stick. “I love stories. Will it have a happy ending?”

He nearly crossed his fingers, something he hadn’t done since he’d been a boy. “I hope so.”

“Once upon a time,” she prompted.

“Once upon a time, a couple and their daughter moved back to Good Hope. The man hoped the change would give the marriage a much-needed boost.”

David rose and began to pace. “In Chicago, their social life centered around parties and galas, rarely anything family-related.”

Hadley snapped the carrot stick in two, dipped one half in the hummus. “You mentioned the woman wasn’t close to her family.”

Had he said that? For years, David had steered clear of discussing the potential minefield that was Whitney’s family. “Not close at all. But I was referring to the man and his wife doing things with their daughter.”

Hadley’s fingers tightened around the carrot.

“Once in Good Hope, he looked forward to picnics, barbecues and parties where kids weren’t just invited, but welcomed.”

“From what I’ve observed, there are a lot of those activities here.” Hadley’s comment served as a nudge to continue.

“The couple received an abundance of invitations, especially at first.” David raked a hand through his hair. “The woman refused to even consider most of them. Not surprisingly, the invitations dried up after a while.”

“What about his family?”

“They didn’t give up. Family events became the only ones the woman would occasionally agree to attend. More often than not, he and the child went alone.”

Hadley studied him for a long moment, and a softness filled her eyes. “That had to be difficult for him.”

“It wasn’t the life he envisioned, the kind of life he wanted for himself. Or for his daughter.”

Listening to his friends talk about their wives and children had only made David think of the dreams he’d once shared with Whitney and how empty his life had become.

“There was little emotional intimacy between the man and woman. She never shared her thoughts or fears. And he’d quit asking. They separated, divorced.”

David dropped back onto the bench.

“I’m sorry.” She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. “I hate to point it out, but so far I’m not hearing a happy ending.”

“The story is still being written.” David laced his fingers with hers. “The man met another woman. A woman who was his perfect match. There were ups and downs, but the trials allowed them to see what each other was like, down deep.”

Hadley pulled back her hand, causing him to look up. Her eyes were dark and serious. “What are you saying, David?”

“I see today as a day of new beginnings.” His gaze didn’t waver. He was certain of the course he was proposing. “I want you and I to continue to develop a solid relationship. One built on trust and mutual respect. I’d like Brynn to grow up seeing what a healthy relationship between two adults looks like.”

Her fingers shook slightly as she reached for another carrot. She cleared her throat. “I’d like that, too.”

“I made mistakes in my first marriage.” His voice cracked. He paused to clear his throat. “You told me something that could easily have ended the closeness we were building. My request for confirmation could have had the same effect. But we approached the issue like adults and made it through difficult days.”

“We did.”

“I have another story that I’d like to tell you.” When she opened her mouth, he hurried on. “This one involves a promise of secrecy made years ago.”

Curiosity flickered in her baby blues, but she didn’t push, instead taking another sip of wine and nodding to show she was listening.

“When I proposed, Whitney didn’t immediately accept. She told me she wouldn’t be able to give me the children she knew I wanted.” David resumed pacing. “I thought it was because of female problems. She said no, it was something more serious. Before she told me, she made me swear never to tell anyone else. I gave her my word. Until now, I’ve kept that promise.”

“Why tell me?”

David didn’t hesitate. He’d given this a lot of thought.

“I believe, because of our relationship and yours with Brynn, you need the information.” He moved around the table to sit beside her. “I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”

“Truly, don’t feel like you have to—”

“Have you heard of Huntington’s chorea?”

Hadley blinked. “Isn’t it a neurological condition?”

“It’s a hereditary brain disorder.” In the early years, David had read everything he could about HD. “Whitney’s father died from it. It’s a horrible condition with an ugly death. There is no effective treatment.”

Understanding filled her eyes. “That must be the genetic condition you mentioned that runs in Whitney’s family. The reason she doesn’t want to have children.”

He nodded. “If your parent has HD, you have a fifty percent chance of carrying the defective gene.”

Hadley cocked her head, and he could see her trying to process the information. “Whitney made you promise not to tell anyone she’s a carrier. But why? She can’t help being a carrier, and she did what she felt was best for her by not having children.”

“If you have the faulty gene, you don’t carry the disease, you get it.”

Hadley inhaled sharply. “She has the gene?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. She’s refused to be tested.”

“Living your life under such a dark cloud has to be horrible. I wonder if that’s why she holds herself back from forming attachments.” For a second, sympathy hovered in Hadley’s blue eyes, then they were ice. “While I can sympathize, that information should have been on the adoption application.”

“I agree.” David blew out a breath. “I thought she’d included it. It wasn’t until after the adoption was finalized that she confided she’d deliberately left it off.”

Blowing out a breath, Hadley took a long drink of champagne. “Well, we can’t go back and change the past. When will she know if she has the disease?”

“Symptoms usually start when the person is between thirty and fifty.” David rubbed his jaw. “It will be difficult for Brynn if she gets sick.”

A muscle in Hadley’s jaw jumped. “Is she showing any signs?”

David hesitated. “I didn’t notice anything when she was here over the Fourth. Then again, she wasn’t here long, and we weren’t around each other much.”

Hadley dipped a carrot stick into the hummus, but made no move to eat. “Do you anticipate she’ll change her mind and get tested?”

David was struck by how nice it was to have a meaningful conversation that showed no signs of deteriorating into uncontrolled drama.

“Whitney and I haven’t spoken of HD in years.” David shrugged. “Even when her dad died, she shut me out and refused to discuss what she was feeling.”

“Not talking about it doesn’t mean it isn’t on her mind.”

David nodded. “I sometimes wonder if that’s part of all the partying with friends. When she’s at the clubs, drinking and dancing, she’s simply a young, beautiful woman with her whole life ahead of her.”

“Being in Good Hope had to be difficult for that reason.”

David inclined his head.

“Seeing the happy families could have been a reminder of what might be taken from her.” Hadley shook her head, her eyes dark with sympathy. “Watching children playing and wondering whether you’d be around when your child was ten or fifteen, or looking at your husband and worrying you’d shortchanged him.”

“Maybe.” David’s voice came out raspy, as if he hadn’t used it in a while. He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure Whitney is as self-aware as you think. Or as unselfish in her thoughts.”

Hadley blinked, as if surprised at the coldness seeping into his voice.

“I sympathize, I do. That doesn’t make me blind to her faults. Whitney is a selfish, self-absorbed woman.” He finished off his champagne, splashed more in his glass. “You should know her friend Kim texted me last week, concerned about Whitney’s recent behavior.”

“You stay in touch with your ex-wife’s friends?” The sharpness of Hadley’s tone appeared to surprise her as much as him. “Sorry.”

David tightened his fingers around the stem of the glass. “Whitney is Brynn’s mother. What happens to her affects Brynn.”

“You’re right, of course.” Two bright spots of pink dotted Hadley’s cheeks.

“The problem is, Whitney has a mercurial temperament. That makes it difficult to distinguish between what’s normal and what might be signs of the disease.” David heaved a sigh. “Kim promised to contact me if things deteriorate.”

“It must have been incredibly lonely.”

“What do you mean?”

“Keeping the secret. Not being able to share your fears with your family and friends.” The compassion in her voice stroked and soothed. “Whitney had you. You had no one.”

The concern in her eyes touched him.

“You’re a good father,” she added.

Coming from her, David knew that was high praise.

“I loved Brynn the second I held her in my arms.” He smiled at the memory. “That first month, I was terrified. Every day.”

“Bringing an infant home has to be scary.”

“It wasn’t just that.” He waved a hand. “Birth fathers in Illinois have thirty days to stake their claim. Despite being assured by the attorney that you didn’t know his name and he didn’t know you were pregnant, I worried he’d show up and want her back.”

“About that…”

Hadley had gone pale, and David wondered if she was reliving that difficult time in her life.

“It’s okay.” He attempted to pull her close, but she pushed back.

“No, it isn’t okay.” She gripped his forearms, her eyes dark with distress. “I’ve still been lying to you, David. That ends today. It ends now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“For nearly ten years, I’ve kept what happened the summer I got pregnant locked tight inside me. I convinced myself that not telling anyone the whole story was the only way to keep my daughter safe. But like your promise to Whitney, the truth about Brynn’s father has eaten at me.”

David’s heart stopped beating. Simply stopped. He pulled away from her. “What about him?”

“It’s true Brynn’s birth father never knew I was pregnant.” Hadley twisted her hands together, then lifted her gaze to meet his head on. “I do know his name. I know where he is. I can also assure you that, if by some fluke he discovers he fathered a child, you don’t need to worry about him showing up on your doorstep.”

David raised a hand to his head. The roller coaster was poised for a drop at the top of a hill. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s in prison.”