Trusting Sydney: The Temptation Saga: Book Six by Helen Hardt Page B

said. “Now leave, please.”
    “Not until I say what I came to say.”
    “You heard the lady,” Sam said. “Get the hell out of here.”
    Rod was no match for muscular Sam. Yet he didn’t seem fazed.
    “You and your friend here might be interested in this.” He handed a paper to Sydney.
    She gulped. “Oh God.”
    “What is it?” Sam ripped the document out of her hands.
    He scanned the paper. “A birth certificate. Baby Boy Buchanan? With you as the mother?”
    Her heart sank. Now he knew the truth, and it wouldn’t take long for him to put two and two together.
    “September first? Five years ago? And you haven’t had sex with anyone since me?” He stalked toward her. “Goddamnit, you had my baby, and I never even knew it!”

Chapter Seven
    R od smiled a smug grin . “This just keeps getting better. I didn’t expect this turn of events. I just thought you had a child when you were a young maid of nineteen.”
    “Nineteen?” Sam reddened. “You were only nineteen? That makes you twenty-four now?”
    “Nearly twenty-five. Next month, in fact.”
    “Christ.” Sam raked his fingers through his hair. “Where is he? Where is my son?”
    She trembled, tried to keep her voice calm. “He was put up for adoption.”
    “Why didn’t you contact me? I would have helped. I would have taken the child. I would have—” He plunked down on the bed, his eyes wet and sunken. “I’ve always wanted kids.”
    Sydney ran to him and touched his cheek.
    He pushed her hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
    “Sam, I love you.”
    “I don’t want to hear that right now.”
    Her heart breaking, she rose and stalked toward Rod. “Why did you do this? I mean nothing to you. You admitted that this morning.”
    “I don’t like being rejected. Rodney Kyle doesn’t get rejected, certainly not by the likes of you.”
    “I was only some stupid trophy wife to you,” Sydney said. “Why does it matter?”
    “You’re the wife I want, and I mean to have you.”
    “Too bad. You can’t have me. You think you can show up with this birth certificate and turn my life upside down? And I’ll take you back?”
    “You might. If you want to keep this little tidbit of news from getting out.”
    Clearly he didn’t know everything. She’d have to tread carefully.
    “Why should I care if it gets out?”
    “I can see there’s a problem with my plan. I thought perhaps you’d want to keep the news from the father. I had no idea I’d find the actual father in your bed.”
    Sam finally spoke. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here, asshole.” He stood. “I’ll make you a deal, Kyle. You’re obviously good at finding information. Find out where my child is, and I won’t smash your face into this wall.”
    Sydney froze . Oh God.
    “Should be easy enough,” Rod said. “I’ll get right to it. I do value my face, after all. But not until Sydney agrees to reinstate our engagement.”
    Sydney looked pleadingly at Sam.
    “What?” His eyes flashed anger. Rage. “I don’t give a fuck what you do. You gave away my child.”
    Nausea crept into her throat. How could this be happening? “You just said you love me.”
    He sniffed. “I’ll get over it.” He put on his shirt and boots and grabbed his hat.
    He went to the desk and scribbled something on a piece of hotel stationery. He handed it to Rod. “Here’s my name and number. Find my kid. If I don’t hear from you within twenty-four hours, I swear to God I’ll hunt you down and kick your ass into next year.”
    He put his hat on and left.
    “What will it take for you not to find the kid?” she asked Rod.
    “Since I have no desire to have that Neanderthal pummel me, I don’t see why I shouldn’t acquiesce to his request. What do you care? Don’t you want to know where your son is?”
    What could she say to that? “It’s not that I don’t want to know. I just can’t dredge up that part of my life. It’s too painful.”
    “What will you do for me? Marry