Theo was twenty-five when he discovered something that would change his life -- his adoption certificate, with any information about his birthmother other than her given names, Lilliana Nichole, blacked out. His father is dead and his mother away on business, so he can't ask them why they hadn't told him he was adopted ... and why the certificate had been defaced. He decides his only recourse is to hire a private detective agency to search for Lilliana.<br><br>It doesn't take long for Ric Baron of Moore Investigations to determine that locating Lilliana might be impossible. But he's more than willing to give it his all for the interesting young man who asked for the agency's help.<br><br>Soon after Ric begins his search, he receives a threatening email from someone who wants him to stop looking for Lilliana. From there, things escalate as Ric and Theo deal with the aftermath of the threat and their growing interest in each other. Can they learn the man's identity before he discovers Theo is Lilliana's son and goes after him? Only time will tell.

A Secret Uncovered

Theo nodded. “Mom’s due back tomorrow and I can’t decide what to tell her.”


“That you’re glad to see her?” Ric smiled. “You will be, right?”


“Well, yeah, but…” Theo sighed. “Have you found out anything?”


“Yes and no. Most of it you probably know already. They grew up, met, and got married in Ashland, Ohio. Then they moved to Cleveland so your dad could go to college.”


“Yeah. He got a job there after he graduated. He told me all about that.” Theo worried his lip before asking, “Was he really adopted?”


“He was, when he was six months old. His adoptive parents fostered him, first, and then adopted him. All that’s on record.”


“Good. At least he wasn’t lying about it.”


“Nope. Now comes the part you probably won’t like. The hospital listed on your birth certificate doesn’t exist. Neither does the address where they said they were living when you were born.”


“Why aren’t I surprised,” Theo replied sadly. “Nothing about me is real. Why? Why did they do that?”


Chapter 9