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c h a p t e r n i n e t e e n
{Phone Calls}
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Skylar's POV
The next morning neither of us get out of bed right away; in fact we take too long. This poor decision is going to mess up our plans for the day, especially since we have so much running around to do. But I don't want to get up, I can't get enough of him.
The sunlight streams in from cracks in the blinds as I laugh. I slide my fingers through his hair while he kisses my stomach. "Your lips are cold."
"Do you want me to stop?"
I shake my head adamantly. "No, please don't."
Without hesitation he continues his slow, torturous decent down my torso. He does everything I silently plead him to do and surpassed my expectations.
When I've met my quota on pleasure, I try to return the favor but he refuses telling me 'not yet.' "We need to get going."
I lie in bed with the blanket around me and watch him get dressed. Eventually I get up too and get ready. My ankle isn't in pain like I thought it would be. It's definitely sore but most of all, it just stunned me last night. But it also got me laid so I'm not complaining.
I brush my teeth and decide to wear a short sleeve dress with a jacket and sandals. The weather is a lot warmer here than it is in New York.
When I emerge from the bathroom, he pulls me into his embrace and kisses my forehead. "You look amazing."
"And you look handsome."
"Ready to go?" He grabs his car keys and I grab my purse. While we ride the elevator down and walk to the car, I pull up directions to the county of adoption building. I have tried telling Jayden this isn't going to work because neither of us are part of the family. We can't just request adoption records. It's confidential, even to the adoptee unless their guardians are present or they're old enough to obtain it themselves.
I put the address in the GPS and lean back in my seat. "Jayden, I've said it before don't get your hopes up and don't get Noah's hopes up. The chances of getting these records are low."
He shrugs his shoulders. "I know, it's worth a shot though."
Eventually we pull into the parking lot and head into the agency.
"Hi, how may I help you?" The woman behind the desk smiles. Jayden beings telling her everything. He shows the paperwork that Noah gave him, hoping it will push her in the right direction. I stand by idly not sure what to do with myself.
"Sir, I'm sorry but it's against our policy to release records. Is the birth father or mother here?"
"Hold on one second." He turns to me frantic. "Could you check the car for the other folder?" I furrow my eyebrows and nod when I notice a folder missing from his hands. He throws me his keys and I run to the parking lot.
I check the entire car: front, back, under the seats, and trunk but there is nothing. I try to think back to where we set the folders but have no luck. We either left them in the room or they're back in New York.
When I walk back into the building Jayden is gone and my phone dings with a message.
Jayden: I found the folder tucked in another, she took me back to a room to wait. I'll be out in a few.
A huge smile lifts my lips. I cannot believe she is considering showing him the records. It's also terrifying so many policies are being broken right now, but we have no mal intentions. We want to find Noah's little girl.
I sit down on a couch and text Marlee that things are going well and ask how she is. Today was her first doctors appointment with Dylan. They still have a long way to go until they can clearly see their baby girl but they're getting an ultrasound today.
Marlee: We're going in right now, I'll tell you how it goes!! Love you to the moon and back.
As I type my reply, the door that leads to the back flies open. Jayden storms out, quickly thanking the desk clerk. His chagrined face causes concern in me. He definitely did not get the information he was looking for.
"What's wrong?"
He holds the small of my back and guides me out to the car without answering my question right away. When we're both secluded from the outside world, I place my hand on his knee and ask again. "Jayden what happened?"
He presses his palms into his eyes; I can feel the anger radiating from him. "There was no birth father."
"What do you mean?"
"The mother didn't put a biological father on the birth certificate." I stare at him baffled then he punches the wheel. "Fuck! This throws a complete loop in our plan. Actually, quite possibly ruins it."
My mind starts racing for solutions because we can't just stop here. This whole thing was done behind Noah's back without his consent, it's not fair. He had a right to know he had a child, and he should have a right to get custody. "He-he could file an affidavit of paternity or request a DNA test to solidify that he is the biological father. Don't give up hope."
I take his hand in mine. He whispers something I can't make out.
"What?"
"Ellie. Her name is Ellie now."
I try and meet his gaze but he avoids it. "Jayden, why don't we take the rest of the day off? We can get something to eat and maybe visit the beach. We don't have to tell Noah yet, let's wrap our heads around it."
I try and convince him to let me drive. He doesn't budge. Instead he inserts his key and drives toward our hotel. Although we didn't get the information we wanted, we still learned something. I look at this situation as a win. I mean, we were lucky to see the documents in the first place.
He pulls into a parking spot after the silent car ride and says, "We still have one more option but I don't know if it will work."
"What is it?"
His eyes close like he is in pain. "Visit Ellie's grandparents and confront them."
I immediately know it isn't a good idea. If we want to keep this entire process professional we cannot bring the family into it. It could jeopardize Noah's chances of getting Ellie back.
"I think we're good with what we have, bringing them into it won't help.." He is silent again. "I just don't understand why Noah isn't here with us."
Jayden stares at the parking garage wall and shrugs his shoulders. He abruptly opens the car door and I follow him to our hotel room.
The minute we unlock our door, he hurries into the bathroom. I feel bad. I see how much this is upsetting him and I'm not sure how to help. I deal with upset families more than I'd like but I've never been directly connected to one.
I sit on the bed and stare at his phone he left on the counter. Wanting nothing more than to ease this burden on him, I take it. "Jayden," I shout. "I'm going to call Noah for you."
I search Noah in his contacts and when the his name pops up, I hit call. My leg nervously bounces along with the dial tone and soon enough he picks up.
"Hello?" A confused woman's voice sounds into my ear.
I assume it's his girlfriend and continue talking. "Hi, this is Skylar, Jayden Brant's friend. Is Noah there to talk?"
"Who?"
"Noah..." I try and remember his last name but realize Jayden never told me. "Uh, Jayden's good friend."
"Um, I'm sorry I think you have the wrong number, there is no Noah here." Pure confusion causes my brows to furrow. I pull the phone away from my ear just to make sure the contact is correct. It reads 'Noah', the only contact named 'Noah' in Jayden's phone.
"My mistake, sorry to bother you." The words come out faster than I anticipate and I hang up the phone. I awkwardly stare at Noah's name in Jayden's phone wondering who just picked up and why it was a wrong number.
Jayden emerges from the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist. "I tried calling Noah for you." I hold up his phone and his face falters. "You had the wrong number, there is no Noah in your phone."
He takes a step toward me, a worried look floods his face as if he is about to tell me something. I feel a pang in my stomach as it knots up when I realize I've never seen Noah, I've never heard his voice, he's never met us in person and he Isn't on this trip to find his daughter.
"Does Noah even exist?"
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The juicy stuff is about to happen...
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Thanks for reading, xoxo Anna :)