Stalemate by Dahlia Rose Read Free Book Online Page B

dropped. I was just enjoying the thought of being a dad and I almost lost it.”
    Isa took his hand, placed it on the round mound of her stomach, and said gently, “There they are.”
    Feeling Bryce run his hand gently across her stomach filled her with something more than just need. She recalled the connection they felt that night of his party and what they shared.
    “It’s kinda firm,” Bryce said, His hand was warm against her skin.
    “I promise as soon as they kick the first time, you be the first one I call,” Isa vowed.
    Bryce grinned. “Deal. I’ll drop everything at the office and come home for that.”
    “Okay.” She smiled in return.
    Together, they shared a new plateau in their relationship.  Isa was grateful they’d come to an agreement and hoped that that they could continue to build something good. They would have two babies to nurture from October until they were adults. They would share children for the rest of their lives. Isa knew her attraction for Bryce was still there, but she held on to reality. Even if they couldn’t be together, they could learn to parent as a team.  Their children deserved the best from both of them.
    * * * *
    T wo days later, she was settled in a guest bedroom and Tawny was helping her put away the last of her things. It was more like she was doing all the putting away while Isa lay in bed directing her. For the next week, she was allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and that was pretty much it.  Dr. Allary wanted to be certain that she wasn’t at risk for a miscarriage. Being in the hospital had scared her enough that she would follow his directions to the letter.
    “Isa, are you listening to me?” Tawny’s voice broke into her thoughts.
    “Sorry, I wasn’t.”
    Tawny sat on the side of the bed. “I said, are you going to be okay here? I can try to get my shoot pushed back for a few months.”
    “Tee, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. You are not staying here because of me,” Isa answered firmly. “Besides, you have a new romance in the works... I’m going to miss you, but, Tawny, you have your own life to live.”
    Tawny crawled into bed to sit up beside her. “Remember how you used to take care of me, make sure I had snacks in case the food was crappy at the home?  You did so much for me. You’ve been looking out for me or protecting me all my life. I should be here for you.”
    Isa shook her head. “No, you don’t. Seeing succeed is all I ever wanted for my sister.”
    “I’m going to change my name,” Tawny said suddenly.
    Isa looked at her in surprise. “Why, sweetie?”
    Tawny smiled sadly. “Never was really a name, it was my skin color and very unimaginative people. I thought it was cool to drop the Smith and just be Tawny, the mysterious girl in the fashion industry. It worked for a while, but looking at you with your twins... You’re going to be a mom and it made me think about what my kids would say or ask about their mother and her name. Tawny doesn’t cut it.”
    “Then what?” Isa asked gently as she took her friend’s hand.
    “I never told you, but a few years back, I found out who my mother was. I searched hundreds and hundreds of birth records for my birth date,” Tawny explained. “I went through the list cross-checking and taking families off the list. Hundreds became forty, and then ten, and then I was down to one.”
    “What did you find?” Isa was amazed at the new information and hopeful for her friend.
    “My mother died having me and my father couldn’t take raising a kid alone, so he abandoned me. My grandmother is still alive in Arizona. She lives in an assisted living community. I went there, and the DNA test confirmed that I’m her granddaughter.”
    “Tawny, why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I didn’t want you to feel like I found a grandmother and would forget we are the only family we’ve ever known,” Tawny explained, and swiped a tear from her cheek.
    “That’s dumb,” Isa said with a