report, and then head straight to LA. I’ll contact you when I know more.’
Chapter 10
‘ A re you serious?’ Malone asked incredulously.
‘Take a look for yourself,’ Daniel replied, handing the Fedexed letter and photo to him.
Malone took a good look at the photo before passing it to Taylor, and then he started to read the letter.
‘Well, weren’t you a cute kid,’ Taylor joked.
‘So, how do you feel?’ Malone asked once he’d finished reading.
‘To be honest, I don’t know what to feel. Part of me feels cheated that Sister Elizabeth kept this from me; but another part of me is excited that I’ve got a lead on my mother — plus, I guess if I can find her, then possibly, I can find my father.’
Malone winced slightly at Daniel’s excitement.
Taylor picked up on Malone’s discomfort; she knew he had basically taken on the role of Daniel’s father figure.
‘One step at a time though, Daniel,’ she said as she touched his hand.
During the preceding year, the three of them had been through a lot together. Besides the obvious bond that Malone and Daniel had discovered and nurtured, Taylor too had been touched by the young man’s maturity and loyalty.
‘I wonder what she means by she is a bad person ?’ Taylor asked, careful not to put a dampener on Daniel’s excitement.
‘Everyone would be classed as bad if held up against Sister Elizabeth; that woman was a saint ,’ Daniel replied flippantly.
‘But she obviously had her reasons to keep this information from you,’ Malone added.
‘Like she said in the letter, she was just selfish. Anyway, what really matters now is that I have a real mother. I’m not an orphan after all. Maybe now I can find out who I really am. Why aren’t you happy for me?’ Daniel’s voice was beginning to rise.
‘Calm down, Daniel, we just want to make sure you don’t get hurt,’ Taylor said.
‘You, you two are just like her; you’re selfish. You don’t want me to be happy. You want me all to yourself. All those years of wondering where I came from, the stories I imagined of who my mom and dad were, whether they were alive or dead. All the time I was being controlled by a woman who claimed to be my friend. Well I’m not gonna let it happen to me again. I am gonna find her, and I am gonna find out what really happened!’ He stormed out of the kitchen like a petulant child, slamming the door to his room behind him.
‘Daniel!’ Malone called as he went.
‘Leave him be for the moment. Let him cool down,’ Taylor said as she stopped Malone from going after him.
They moved to the living room and sat down together on the sofa.
‘He’s got every right to find out who his mother is,’ she began.
‘I know that, I just don’t want him to get hurt. What if she’s dead already, or if the Sister is right, she could be in jail for some heinous act? The kid is doing fine; he doesn’t need to have any more setbacks in his life.’
Taylor smiled lovingly at Malone.
‘That’s just it honey, he’s not a kid anymore, he’s a man. And as a man you can’t protect him, you can only offer help and guidance, and be there should he fall.’
‘But . . .’
‘There are no buts. Can you imagine not knowing your roots, your heritage, where you came from, why you were abandoned? Offer him your help. Malone; understand that he needs you more now than ever before.’
Malone took a breath and looked deep into Taylor’s blue eyes. ‘Beautiful and smart, what did I do to deserve you?’
The next morning, with Daniel not responding to his knock at the door, Malone was starting to get annoyed.
‘He’s got to venture out at some point doesn’t he?’
‘Like I said last night, let him be for the moment,’ Taylor said as she handed him a coffee.
‘It’s just…’
Taylor changed the subject. ‘Should we go and see Erin and Joshua’s place today?’
‘Sure, why not?’ Malone huffed, shrugging his shoulders but making no attempt to
Chapter 10
‘ A re you serious?’ Malone asked incredulously.
‘Take a look for yourself,’ Daniel replied, handing the Fedexed letter and photo to him.
Malone took a good look at the photo before passing it to Taylor, and then he started to read the letter.
‘Well, weren’t you a cute kid,’ Taylor joked.
‘So, how do you feel?’ Malone asked once he’d finished reading.
‘To be honest, I don’t know what to feel. Part of me feels cheated that Sister Elizabeth kept this from me; but another part of me is excited that I’ve got a lead on my mother — plus, I guess if I can find her, then possibly, I can find my father.’
Malone winced slightly at Daniel’s excitement.
Taylor picked up on Malone’s discomfort; she knew he had basically taken on the role of Daniel’s father figure.
‘One step at a time though, Daniel,’ she said as she touched his hand.
During the preceding year, the three of them had been through a lot together. Besides the obvious bond that Malone and Daniel had discovered and nurtured, Taylor too had been touched by the young man’s maturity and loyalty.
‘I wonder what she means by she is a bad person ?’ Taylor asked, careful not to put a dampener on Daniel’s excitement.
‘Everyone would be classed as bad if held up against Sister Elizabeth; that woman was a saint ,’ Daniel replied flippantly.
‘But she obviously had her reasons to keep this information from you,’ Malone added.
‘Like she said in the letter, she was just selfish. Anyway, what really matters now is that I have a real mother. I’m not an orphan after all. Maybe now I can find out who I really am. Why aren’t you happy for me?’ Daniel’s voice was beginning to rise.
‘Calm down, Daniel, we just want to make sure you don’t get hurt,’ Taylor said.
‘You, you two are just like her; you’re selfish. You don’t want me to be happy. You want me all to yourself. All those years of wondering where I came from, the stories I imagined of who my mom and dad were, whether they were alive or dead. All the time I was being controlled by a woman who claimed to be my friend. Well I’m not gonna let it happen to me again. I am gonna find her, and I am gonna find out what really happened!’ He stormed out of the kitchen like a petulant child, slamming the door to his room behind him.
‘Daniel!’ Malone called as he went.
‘Leave him be for the moment. Let him cool down,’ Taylor said as she stopped Malone from going after him.
They moved to the living room and sat down together on the sofa.
‘He’s got every right to find out who his mother is,’ she began.
‘I know that, I just don’t want him to get hurt. What if she’s dead already, or if the Sister is right, she could be in jail for some heinous act? The kid is doing fine; he doesn’t need to have any more setbacks in his life.’
Taylor smiled lovingly at Malone.
‘That’s just it honey, he’s not a kid anymore, he’s a man. And as a man you can’t protect him, you can only offer help and guidance, and be there should he fall.’
‘But . . .’
‘There are no buts. Can you imagine not knowing your roots, your heritage, where you came from, why you were abandoned? Offer him your help. Malone; understand that he needs you more now than ever before.’
Malone took a breath and looked deep into Taylor’s blue eyes. ‘Beautiful and smart, what did I do to deserve you?’
The next morning, with Daniel not responding to his knock at the door, Malone was starting to get annoyed.
‘He’s got to venture out at some point doesn’t he?’
‘Like I said last night, let him be for the moment,’ Taylor said as she handed him a coffee.
‘It’s just…’
Taylor changed the subject. ‘Should we go and see Erin and Joshua’s place today?’
‘Sure, why not?’ Malone huffed, shrugging his shoulders but making no attempt to
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