One Heart to Give (Heart's Intent Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Dani strolled into her office with a smile on her face. That was her normal state after her evening with Ren over a week ago. She couldn’t have had a better night if she wished for it. Everything had gone so well she kept waiting for something to go wrong. Whenever she started to feel happy, something always came crashing through it. Whenever doubts crept into her thoughts, she reminded herself there was nothing to worry about.

“You look happy,” Amy said.

“I am.” It was surreal how much she was. “Do I have any messages?”

Amy handed her a couple slips of paper. She perused them and frowned when she read the one from Mr. Nettles. In the bliss of her week of joy with Ren she’d forgotten about him. Sullivan Brady had thrown her for a loop when she met him. She’d pushed him out of her mind as well. Whatever was going on between those two, she wasn’t sure she wanted to get in the middle of it. Even though the firm needed money to function, dealing with Mr. Nettles wasn’t worth it. She’d call him and tell him she could no longer represent his interests. Matt would understand. He hated the unreasonable man too. They didn’t need the stress of dealing with him on a daily basis. There were more important things they had to deal with.

“There was a delivery too. I placed it on your desk.”

“Thank you,” Dani said and headed to her office. She wasn’t expecting anything. Amy hadn’t mentioned what it was. It couldn’t be too important. When she saw the bouquet of flowers, the smile returned to her face in full force. A vase filled with roses in every color imaginable sat there waiting for her to admire them. It was like having a rainbow of happiness displayed only for her. She picked up the card and read the note.

Dani-

I have one heart to give. Lucky for us both, I was smart enough to give it to you years ago. It always leads me back to you. I never got over you, and I never will. Keep my heart with you forever, and wherever you are it will fill you with all my love.

Eternally yours,

Ren

“That must be some note to put such a glowing smile on your face.”

Dani spun around and faced Sullivan Brady. Had she conjured him up with her thoughts of him earlier? Why was he in her office? More importantly, why hadn’t Amy warned her he was on his way back to her work area? She’d have to talk to her receptionist later.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Brady?”

“Who are the flowers from?” He pointed to her bouquet of roses. “They’re from Ren, aren’t they?”

She frowned. He seemed too comfortable invading her space. Dani didn’t like it one bit. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze met hers. There was something she wasn’t following. The one and only time she’d met him he’d acted odd. He was even more so on their second encounter. He lifted his hand and tapped at his jacket. “I have something to discuss with you. Actually, I have a lot to say. We should perhaps sit down for this. It might take a while.” He gestured toward her chair.

She sighed and sat as he’d suggested. He followed suit. “I don’t have a lot of time. I have a full schedule today.” Not a total lie, but she did have a lot of work to do. The sooner she got him out of her office, the better she’d feel. “Let’s get this done quickly.”

“First, I want to apologize for my behavior when we met. I don’t usually behave in such a manner.” He attempted to appear chagrined. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat. “You took me by surprise.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How so?” Dani didn’t comprehend how she’d managed to do something she’d not intended to do. “I assure you I didn’t do anything to cause any such reaction.”

“I am aware of that. Your intentions have nothing to do with my reaction.” He nodded at her and began speaking, “You have to understand something. My family is close, and when my sister was kidnapped…”

“Wait,” she interrupted. “First, I don’t know anything about your sister or what happened to her years ago. Don’t feel like you need to tell me anything.” What did his sister have to do with her? She didn’t need the long explanation.

“Please, listen to me. Everything will make sense when I’m finished.”

She pursed her lips in displeasure. He wasn’t going to make any of this easy on her. The only solution she had was to listen to his lengthy discourse and then see him out. “Fine. Please proceed.”

“As I was saying, when Ella was kidnapped it put us all into a tailspin. I was eight years old, and even I understood what it meant. Our lives were torn apart, and my parents were never the same again.”

He was already telling her details she had no business knowing and didn’t want to either. Why did he insist on going through all of it with her? Dani sighed. “What does any of that have to do with me?”

He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a couple items. One was a photograph. He handed it to her. She glanced down at a lovely family portrait. There were four individuals, two parents and two small children. The older man had dark black hair and brilliant green eyes. Both children had the same hair and eyes. The woman had hair the shade of burnt chestnuts; her lips were full and wide as she grinned at the camera. Except for the differences in their coloring it was almost as if she were looking at a picture of herself. She shook as she stared at the picture. Her stomach tingled and alarm washed over her. “Who are these people?” Dani was afraid of the answer. She knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth.

“Those are my parents, Malachi and Siobhan Brady.” He tapped them off on the picture. “The little boy is, of course, me. The little girl is you.”

She sat back stunned. When she saw her resemblance to the woman she knew he’d claim she was his sister. It was a lie. It had to be. There was no way she was Ella Brady.

“You’re wrong,” she denied vehemently. “I’m not that little girl. Don’t try to make me into something I’m not.”

He remained quiet as he studied her. What he hoped to ascertain by his perusal, Dani didn’t have a clue—but it was disconcerting. Ren often remarked on her ability to make a person squirm with a look. This man had that affect on her. She found she didn’t like experiencing it from the other side. Sullivan Brady’s silence was horrible to sit through. It made her uneasy. She didn’t like it one bit. He had to go before she lost it.

“Do you think I’d come here if I wasn’t sure?” he asked. “I have proof. If the picture isn’t enough for you—I ran a DNA test.”

Dani stood up and paced around the room. She clenched her fists at her side. Sullivan Brady was wrong. She didn’t care how many tests he ran. Oh, hell. That was why he’d been acting so weird at the benefit. He’d suspected she was his sister, and he’d somehow obtained the means to attain the answer.

“How did you manage to get your DNA proof?”

He blanched at her question. “You’re not going to like it.”

Sullivan was stalling. She didn’t know why, but it was obvious. “Spill it. I don’t have time for your shenanigans.”

He smiled. It was an easy lift of his lips that spread his amusement across his features. She wanted to slap it off his pretty face. “I did what any self-respecting brother would do.”

“An assumption. I’m still not sure we’re related.” Although the more he spoke, she could see the connection. That didn’t mean she believed it or even wanted to. “What did you do?”

“It was simple.” He shrugged. “I snatched your champagne glass after you set it down. It was easy enough to pull your DNA from it and have it tested against mine, and my parents. It was a match.”

“It was that easy?” She snapped her fingers. “I somehow doubt it was.”

“It was the only way to make sure. I hope you understand.” He gestured his hand, pleading with her. “There are no doubts you are a part of my family.”

Hell and damnation, she wanted to scream. Things were already complicated in her life. She didn’t want to add another one onto the ever growing pile. “I don’t recognize your proof.” She couldn’t deal with any of this. Her heart raced against her chest. What did he expect her to do? Run into his arms and thank him for welcoming her into his family? “It’s not valid without my consent, and you could have used any DNA to test it with.”

“I also tested it against the DNA we had on file for my sister. The others were for confirmation.” He stood up and walked over to her. Sullivan reached up and lifted her chin with his hand. “I realize this can’t be easy for you, but please accept what I already know is the truth. You’re a Brady. The one we lost and have been searching for.”

Dani stepped back out of his reach. She put some distance between them and lifted her chin defiantly. “I don’t have to accept anything. You’re a stranger to me.” She was grasping at straws, and she knew it. He knew it. In a matter of time the world would know it. The Brady family wasn’t going to leave her in peace. She lifted her shaky hand and clenched her stomach. Trouble always seemed to find her. Why couldn’t the fates let her be happy? She’d finally found a little bit with Ren.

“We can run as many tests as you want. What will it take for you to believe me?”

The problem was a part of her believed him, had known when she met him. They shared an undeniable connection. She’d been comfortable around him. That didn’t make any of his news an easy pill to swallow. She wasn’t ready for a readymade family. They would smother her. The little she knew about the Brady family told her that much. She was their long lost daughter. They’d want to wrap her in cotton and keep her safe. Dani would die before she let them do that to her.

“I can’t do this right now.” She shook harder. “You need to leave.”

A full panic sent in. Her breaths became shallow and heavy. She fought to get air into her lungs. Dani waved her hand and tears fell from her eyes.
No, no, no.
The mantra kept playing on a loop inside her head.

Sullivan crossed the distance of the room and pulled her into his arms. “Breathe, it’s going to be all right.” He rubbed her back and cooed soothingly.

Dani hiccupped. Why did he have to be so damn nice? She stepped back.

“I don’t handle surprise well.”

“I can see that.” He lifted his hand and wiped a tear from her cheek. “We don’t bite, Ella. Come home to your family.”

“That’s not my name.” She stepped back, needing the space to think. His presence muddled everything.

Sullivan smiled. “Your full name is actually Daniella Haven Brady. Father refused to call you Dani. He said it was a boy’s name and you were his fairy princess. So you’ve always been Ella to us. I doubt they’re going to call you anything different.”

Dani straightened. “They can think and do whatever they want, but I’m Daniella Brosen, Dani to my friends. I don’t know you, and I sure as hell don’t know them.”

He sighed. “I haven’t told them about you yet. I wanted to come see you first.”

She didn’t know what to make of that pronouncement. Did he want to get her measure before exposing his precious parents—her parents—to her crudeness? She still couldn’t wrap her head around that little tidbit. She’d been on her own for so long. Now she had a whole family. Accepting Ren back into her life had been a big step for her. This? It was beyond her comprehension. She’d longed for a family years ago. Back then it would have mattered more to her. Now? She wasn’t so sure she was cut out for one. She was far too independent. Ren knew more than anyone her penchant for running away from things that terrified her. Facing Malachi and Siobhan Brady not only topped that list, they were the epitome of it.

“Well, perhaps we should keep this to ourselves.” She ran her hands over her skirt to smooth out wrinkles it didn’t have. “No reason to bother them with it.”

Dani didn’t look at Sullivan. She didn’t want to see disappoint reflecting back at her from him. No doubt this wasn’t going the way he’d envisioned when he marched into her office. Ren could have warned him how surly she could be.

“Why, don’t you want to meet them?”

She turned to him and shrugged. “I’ve been on my own for years. Don’t see any reason to change that now.”

“You’d rather be alone when you have a family that wants you?” He tilted his head. “I’m not sure I understand why you’d choose to ignore us.”

Dani didn’t know how to illuminate him on her damaged psyche. How did you explain the defense mechanisms you built over the years? She had walls in place for a reason. The things she went through going from foster home to foster home… Well she would rather forget them. The walls allowed her that luxury.

“I’m damaged, Sullivan.” She glanced at him. “There’s no reason to cause them the pain of knowing who their daughter has become.”

“At least you’re admitting who you are. That’s a start.” He smiled. “It’s something I can work with.”

“Don’t get false hope.” She shook her head. “I’m intelligent enough to recognize the truth when I see it. Do me a favor and do the same.”

He studied her in silence. “We’ve been looking for you for too long. They never gave up hope they’d find you. It would be wrong to not tell them I have and chose not to enlighten them to that fact.”

Damn him and his integrity. “You’d cause them unnecessary pain?”

“I don’t see it the same way you do. You’re not damaged.” He smiled softly. “They will see what I do. You’re a strong, independent, and successful young woman. One who fought against all odds to make something of yourself. You’re so far beyond broken it’s ridiculous you see yourself that way.”