“My memories that night weren’t so great,” she murmured.
He didn’t know what to say to that. He’d thought they’d had something special for two people who didn’t know each other.
She blinked and her cheeks pinkened. “I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I have wonderful memories of you and our time together. Before you sat down next to me, I… Well, that night was the anniversary of my kidnapping, and it was always a hard day for me.” Her eyes locked on his. “You helped me forget, and for that, I was grateful.”
“I wish I’d known then. I would’ve been gentler with you.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t want gentler. I needed what you gave me, and the best thing that came from that night was Livie.After I had her, those anniversaries aren’t as difficult anymore, so thank you for that.”
“I still wish I had known.” He couldn’t know for sure, but he thought he would have tried harder to get her to tell him her name.
“Can we not talk about this anymore?”
“Sure.” But he hoped she would eventually share that part of her life with him. He picked up the menu and scanned it. “What are you having?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat something, Kendall, even if it’s a bowl of soup and a little bread. You’re no good to Olivia if you end up making yourself sick.” He picked up the menu again. “How about a bowl of vegetable soup?”
“I don’t know if I can eat.”
“At least try.” The waiter came to their table, and he ordered a melted ham and cheese on sourdough with a side salad, along with a bowl of the soup, and asked for some bread.
When they were alone again, he said, “Tell me about Olivia.”
She opened her purse and took out her phone. “Here’s a picture of her. She has your eyes and mouth.”
He took her phone and saw his daughter for the first time. Something cracked open in his chest as he traced the outline of Olivia’s face in the photograph, feeling a surge of love and protectiveness wash over him. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion.
“I’ll forward it to you.”
“Thank you.” A few seconds later, a text notification alert sounded. If you’d told him yesterday that he’d have a photo of his daughter on his phone, he would’ve laughed in disbelief. He really was shocked by how okay he was with that.
“Will you… Will you want to be a part of her life now?”
He met her gaze, wanting her to see the truth in his eyes. “Yes. I want to be there for her. I want to make up for all the lost time and be a father to her.”
She tore little strips from her napkin. “Do you blame me for someone taking her? Are you going to try to take her away from me?”
“Hey, now.” He reached across the table and pulled the napkin she was shredding from her hands. “No, I’m not going to take her away from you. I’ll never do that. And no one blames you for what happened, okay? I want to be in my daughter’s life, but how we manage that will be a decision we make together. After we have her back with you.”
“I’m sorry. You’re being amazing about everything, and here I’m worried about what you might do.” She raised tear-filled eyes to his. “What if we don’t find her?”
“Kendall, listen to me. We’re going to find her even if we have to tear this county apart or the state of Georgia if it comes to that.”
The waiter came to their table with their dinner. “Eat some,” he said when she just sat, staring at the soup. He buttered a slice of the corn bread the waiter had brought with the soup and slid the plate across to her. “Please, eat a little.”
She looked exhausted, not just physically, but mentally, too. Even with red, puffy eyes and the lines of tension, she was as beautiful as he remembered. Her black hair had been halfway down her waist when he’d met her, but now it was shoulder length. Framed by that black hair, her baby blue eyes were a startling contrast. Over the years, he’d dreamed of kissing those full lips. He’d never forgotten her, had always regretted not getting her name and contact information.
Now, he was sitting across from her in the same place he’d met her. Was it fate? Destiny? He’d never been a believer in such things, but he found he was open to the possibility that therewas such a thing as destiny. That they were meant to find each other again. He only wished that it hadn’t taken Olivia being kidnapped for him to find Kendall again.
“Eat,” he said, putting a touch of command into his voice. He dug into his sandwich, pleased when she picked up her spoon and started on her soup. Not wanting to distract her from eating, he kept quiet. He didn’t think she even realized she’d finished the bowl of soup and half of the corn bread.
His phone chimed as the waiter was handing him the check. It was a Decatur area code. “Cooper Devlin here,” he said as he handed the waiter his credit card.
“This is Detective Rossi. You can come to the station tomorrow and see the video.”
“Excellent. We’ll be there in the morning.”