Heart Echoes (29 page)

Chapter 48

LOS ANGELES

Since her heart-to-heart with River a week ago, Teal had gone mushy on all fronts, even where the law was concerned. She resorted to an ooey-gooey, fuzzy-wuzzy approach with the Waltons. For the bottom-line talk, she went to their home.

They lived in a community nicer than hers, farther west than hers. They gave her a brief house tour, and she chatted with little Maddie playing in her room. She was a happy, contented child. Teal figured she would be too if she lived in such a beautiful place. She wanted to go home and redecorate.

Then they seated her in the family room. It had floor-to-ceiling windows and distant ocean views. Redecorating was not going to help a whole lot. Her 1920s bungalow tucked between a street, an alley, and other houses within spitting distance was cozy cute with a potential for cozy cute in different colors.

Teal set her bone china cup on the coffee table and looked at the Waltons seated on the white leather couch. They smiled back, their faces young and fresh and full of optimism. She wanted to crawl under her chair.

Dark-haired Ryan was as handsome as Hannah was pretty. A former lifeguard, he was an engineer who maintained his athletic body and watchful eye, obviously for the sole purpose of caring for his family. Teal had seen him in action. As husband and daddy, he ranked almost as high on the charts as River.

If anything, Hannah was more beautiful than when she had met her. Despite the stressful weeks of lawsuits, delays, a judge's ruling against throwing out her case, and Monday's disastrous deposition that shot more holes into her case, she glowed. Like a . . .

Teal cast her eyes downward. Hannah wore a loose-fitting top. It clung to her midsection. “Hannah?”

She laughed. “Yes! I was wondering when you'd notice.”

“Congratulations! When are you due?”

They chatted details. To her chagrin, Teal sensed a new onslaught of ooey-gooeyness. Her chest felt ready to burst with happiness and sadness. Happiness and sadness? No, it weighed too heavily, gouged too deeply. Joy and sorrow maybe fit.

Good grief. What was wrong with her?

She swallowed the lump in her throat and more coffee and made herself get down to business. “We need to talk about reaching an agreement with James Parkhurst.”

Hannah said, “I messed up big time, didn't I?”

“Let's just say things are a little more complicated than we first thought. Understandably you did not want a belligerent, abusive alcoholic near your baby. Of course you hid from him. You had no hope that he would divorce his wife, shape up, and turn into a dream guy like the one sitting next to you.”

Hannah and Ryan smiled. On another day, Teal might have thought them saccharine. Today she smiled with them. They were going to be all right. The trick was to convince them they had won no matter the outcome of the lawsuit.

Ryan said, “Will a judge understand it your way?”

“If she's a woman who hasn't told her daughter the identity of her biological father, she might.” Teal noticed their curious expressions. “I was like you, Hannah. The guy was a loser. I didn't want him anywhere near my baby. Now she's sixteen and wants to know him.” She paused. “She has a right to know him, and he has a right to know her. Blood is always thicker than water, literally. There is no rearranging the physical makeup of either. Genetically, there is a link between father and daughter. It may not lead to anything personally, but that's not for us to decide.”

Hannah reached for Ryan's hand. “What are you saying?”

“If James were still an abusive alcoholic, I would fight tooth and nail to keep him out of Maddie's life at this time. But he's not. A judge will most likely set the terms for his visitation rights. Or else we can come up with a plan and try to settle with him out of court.”

Hannah's face crumpled. Ryan put an arm around her.

Teal softened her voice. “He's a stranger to Maddie. That doesn't change with signatures on a paper. We'll take things very slowly.”

Panic filled their eyes.

“Try to work with me here, okay? Try to imagine a former friend who now regrets his behavior toward you. He knows he's to blame for destroying the friendship. He knows it can't really ever be fixed. But now he wants to have contact with you. Not as a good friend or confidant, but as someone out there on the fringes. Could there be a place for him in your life?”

Ryan held Hannah close, did not say a word, and kissed her cheek. Supportive, allowing her to decide.

She placed a hand on her abdomen, her expression blank as if she were lost in thought. After several moments, she sighed. “Okay, let's talk. Hypothetically.”

Teal nodded and nearly sighed herself.

The worst part was over. Like Teal, Hannah cracked open a new door to a frightening unknown. Whatever entered would forever change her world.

After meeting with the Waltons, Teal returned to the office, drained and yet filled up. What she had said to Hannah applied to herself. Bio Dad had rights. Daughter had rights. Mother could not control the outcome.

At least there was no Dutch Morgan in either scenario.

Hannah and Ryan agreed to give things a try. They would meet with Parkhurst and his wife in neutral territory, perhaps a park. They would introduce them like old acquaintances to Maddie.

Like people they did not fear or hate, Teal suggested.

Okay.

If Maddie responded well, perhaps the Parkhursts could entertain her at the playground or buy her ice cream while Hannah and Ryan watched from a short distance. Perhaps when Maddie was older, she could spend time alone with them.

It wasn't much, but it was a reasonable beginning. Tomorrow she would try to sell it to Parkhurst. He would resist, especially when she brought up adoption. The Waltons wanted Maddie to have Ryan's last name rather than Hannah's maiden name. They wanted her secure with Ryan in case anything happened to Hannah.

Details would be tweaked. She might mention that winning the little girl's heart was the key and hope that Parkhurst did not ask how he was supposed to do that. If Bio Dad and wife were unable to figure that one out on their own, then any attempt at relationship would die a natural death.

Ditto for Cody with Maiya. It was his responsibility to connect with her.

And if he did win her heart?

Then Teal would be happy for both of them.

She grinned. Mere hours ago, when she last asked herself that question, she had replied that she
should
be happy for them.

Now as she rode the elevator from the parking garage up to her floor, she closed her eyes. For days a vague notion had played tag with her thoughts. She ignored it, easily letting the urgent push it aside.

Until a short while ago when she saw Hannah Walton lay her hand on her abdomen.

“I want a baby,” Teal whispered now. “Dear God, I want a baby.”

As the elevator jerked to a stop, she shook her head and put on her game face. River simply could not go there again. The loss of his wife and unborn child left him crippled for life in that area. She knew there was a part of him that he held back even from her. The pain was too deep for anyone to touch.

The doors swished open and she stepped into the office lobby, normally a quiet, plant-filled haven. At the moment some commotion from the back drowned the classical music and drew her past the empty reception desk.

Around the corner she heard her husband and smiled. He must be seated at a desk in the center of a bevy of women, employees who let phones ring and clients wait unattended. It always happened when he stopped in. Not only was he seriously good-looking, he was friendly and intriguing, artlessly flirty, full of stories about life at the academy. Today he would be telling them about that weekend's auction and winning at least half a dozen promises to attend.

She still remembered the first time he had come in, when his sister needed a lawyer. All eyes had followed him even before he cracked a smile or said a word.

Among the women at Canfield and Stone, Teal was not an obvious catch. She was not the most beautiful nor the smartest nor the sexiest. Back then, so crazy committed to being single, she had not been the most available, either. But he chose her.

And she really wanted to have his baby.

She would even consider locking her office door and trying to make one right now.

River stood up, as if he sensed her presence, and smiled. He wore his brown baseball cap backwards, blue jeans, and a white San Sebastian polo shirt.

Smiling, she waved and headed the other direction into her office.

By the time she had removed her jacket and set down her briefcase, he joined her.

“Hi.” She stepped into his embrace. “What are you doing here?”

He kissed her. He tossed his cap onto a chair and kicked the door shut with his foot. Then he kissed her again.

Long enough for her to forget what day it was.

He grinned. “Hi. Can we talk?”

“Yes. To whatever it is you want.”

“No debate? Aw, you're no fun anymore.” He guided her to one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Sit. This is serious stuff.”

She giggled and sat.

He knelt before her on one knee and held her hands between his.

He had proposed to her in that exact same position in that exact same office.

It was the time she had said yes.

She looked into his dark-blue eyes and knew that his choice of setting was no accident. What in the world?

“River, remember we're already married? I said yes.”

“True, but . . . well, I want to propose something new for us.” He paused. His shoulders moved up and down as he took a deep breath. “Love, I want us to have a baby.”

She gasped.

“I've always said no way. But something has changed. I can't explain it other than that. I'm okay with it now. More than okay. I'm ready. I want one yesterday. Will you say something?”

“If I can get a word in edgewise.” She smiled. “I already told you. I said yes to whatever it is you want.”

His knee slipped and he sat flat on the floor, speechless, his eyes filling.

A quiet weeping overcame her, its source a joy beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

The story about her ride up the elevator would have to wait.

Chapter 49

ONE MONTH LATER, THANKSGIVING WEEK

Seated on a chaise longue on Teal's patio, Lacey took her first sip of morning coffee. “Mm.”

Teal laughed. “Stop being so polite. It's lousy swill.”

Lacey smiled at her sister in the chair next to hers. “It's wonderful because I'm drinking it in LA, on a November day
outdoors
. Flowers are blooming and there's not a single cloud in the sky.”

“You kind of like it here, don't you?”

“I love it here.” Lacey sipped and pursed her lips. “And I can help you with the coffee.”

“And the turkey stuffing?”

“If you take me to Disneyland.”

Teal laughed again.

Lacey set her cup on the small table between them.

Although she and Will had just arrived the previous evening, she did indeed love everything about Los Angeles. Of course, it was more than the lovely weather and palm trees and plants she did not know the names of. It was more than Teal's comfortable home with its odd layout full of corners and French doors leading from three rooms onto the patio. It was more than plans to see the place she'd wanted to see since she was a little girl.

Those all paled in comparison to being with Teal, River, and Maiya.

In recent weeks, her niece had warmed again during their phone conversations. She had stopped asking questions and seemed happy. Lacey wondered if she had let go pursuing her father's identity because romance occupied her thoughts. Not surprisingly, she and Baker had kept in touch. Long-distance, their friendship blossomed. He had even applied to USC for college and declared the East Coast ivies off his list.

Lacey asked Teal, “How are you doing with Baker's plans to move down here next fall?”

“Stop laughing.”

“I'm not laughing.”

“Yes, you are. You think it's hysterical that Maiya would fall for a guy from Cedar Pointe.”

Lacey grinned. “Maybe a little, teensy bit.”

Teal smiled. “I deserve it. Anyway, I like Baker a lot. I like his mind and his lattes. In spite of his hometown, she has more in common with him than with Jake.”

“I heard she got her ‘closure' with him.”

Teal fluttered her eyelids. “‘Closure.' Good grief. Yes, she did. You would have been proud of me. I stayed out of sight.”

“You didn't watch?”

“I meant I was out of their sight. Of course I watched. They talked. He acted respectful. She kissed his cheek. Very classy. Except for all those tattoos. Bleagh.”

“I thought it was his trouble with the law that bothered you.”

“It was.” She shrugged. “But, okay, I have a bias against body art that covers eighty percent of the skin. Just please don't mention that to Maiya. She'll run out and get a tat the minute she turns eighteen.”

Lacey chuckled. “You don't think she knows you're biased?”

Teal laughed. “Let me keep some denial in place.”

Much as Lacey enjoyed the one-on-one time with Teal, she wished Maiya had not gone to school. That morning, her niece had begged to stay home. She said she
needed
to spend every possible minute with her aunt and uncle! Teal said no.

Lacey had wanted to beg with her but admitted that she was tired from the previous day's travel. It would be good for her to take it easy this morning. Will had gone with River to talk to his classes about running a business. This afternoon, he would join her for a tour of Teal's office. Teal had apologized profusely for having to go to work today, but she said she had one client she had to see before taking the rest of the week off. The remainder of the week was jam-packed with sightseeing and Thanksgiving.

Now she noticed her sister fidget. “Teal, I really am fine home alone. I don't mind if you go to the office. I'll nap in the sun and be happy as a clam.”

Teal swung around on the lounge chair, set her feet on the ground, and hunched toward the space between them. Her face crumpled, as if she were in pain. “Lace, we have to talk first.”

Lacey felt her breath catch. She intuited what was coming.

Teal raked her fingers through her hair. At last she clasped her hands, sat still, and looked at Lacey. “I'm so sorry.”

Lacey waited for more. When none came, she said, “And I'm sorry I'm not going to make this any easier for you.”

“Touché. You must be tired of sticking up for me, always thinking the best.”

“No, Teal, never. You're my hero, still and always.”

“I resented you. Good grief, I probably hated you on some level.”

Lacey felt the words like a punch to her stomach. Of course Teal would have felt left out. Her little sister was clearly their parents' favored one. But resentment?
Hatred?

Teal said, “I didn't mean to.” She took a ragged breath. “I had sex one time with Cody, in the back room of the shop, the night of your date with him.”

Lacey closed her eyes.

“I got pregnant. Apparently he never put two and two together because of my . . . because of my reputation. Which, by the by, was greatly exaggerated, basically to the point of being false.”

False?
Lacey looked at her.

Teal went on. “Which, by the by, does not matter. Lacey, I can't apologize enough. I did it to hurt you. Even if you realized that night that you wanted nothing further to do with Cody, what I did was vile. I never regretted that I had Maiya, but I do regret that I've kept the two of you from each other.”

Lacey planted her feet on the ground and reached out for Teal and clasped her hands. “I forgive you.”

Teal stared at her for a moment. “That was fast.”

“Not really. I've been mulling it over since September, you idiot. And it wasn't your fault.”

Teal snorted. “Of course it was. We can blame Randi and Owen and Dutch and Cody until the cows come home, but it was my decision to hurt you that night and then to keep on hurting you by being silent and not sharing my precious baby with you.”

“You kept her. Why? I still can't imagine how you made it work.”

“She was the family I never had. You'll do anything for family.” Teal smiled sadly. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

Lacey nodded. “Have you told Maiya?”

“Not yet. Only River. I had to tell you next. You suspected in September?”

“She felt so familiar to both me and Will. And then Nora arrived.”

“Yeah, I noticed it too. It's such a subtle thing, something in their mannerisms.”

“And the not-so-subtle attached earlobes.”

“Maiya and her biology.” Teal sighed. “Do you think she suspects?”

“For being such a smart lawyer, you sure do a good rendition of a turtle.”

“Okay, okay. But if I put out my head, I have to admit things I don't want to admit. Not yet, anyway. Did you call me an idiot?”

“I did. I've been holding it in for a while.”

“Hm. Anything else?”

“You're still my hero, Teal.”

“You should get out of Camp Poppycock more often.”

Lacey smiled briefly. “Um, speaking of camps, there is something else I need to tell you. Cody is being transferred to Camp Pendleton.”

Teal stared at her. “I thought it was Virginia.”

“It got changed to California. It's near here, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” Teal whispered. “A couple hours or so.”

“When are you going to tell her?”

Teal shook her head.

“Teal, she's all but asked me if it could be Cody. I am not the one to tell her. And I am not going to keep dodging the subject and jeopardize my relationship with her.” She took a deep breath. The rule book for little sisters said that sometimes they should switch roles with the big one. “Therefore, you are going to tell her, and you are going to tell her while I am here. Got that?”

Teal let go of Lacey's hands and hugged herself tightly. “On Wednesday. No, on Thursday. On Thanksgiving. First thing.”

“Perfect. She'll be grateful for the gift. Okay if I tell Will?”

“Please do.”

“And then Cody needs to be told.”

Teal grimaced. “It's just too much. This is why I keep postponing. . . .”

“All right. If you can't tell him, Will and I can.”

“You act like it's good news.”

Lacey moved to sit on the other lounge chair beside her sister. She put her arms around her. “Hon, my cancer wasn't good news, but it was the truth. Without the truth, we would all have to live like turtles—in a shell, always protecting ourselves, hiding from others.”

Teal rested her head on Lacey's shoulder. “Getting stiff-necked and cranky.”

“Exactly. You've been there and done that. You've probably even used up your lifetime cranky quota.”

“Yeah, well, you've used up your tell-me-like-it-is quota.”

Lacey giggled.

Teal giggled.

And Lacey savored the moment that freed them from the shadows of their childhood, that freed them at last to be sisters.

Later that morning, Lacey and Will toured Teal's office, a scene right out of a Hollywood movie. Muted floral wallpaper softened the traditional masculine decor of dark wood. The ambience continued into her sister's private office, where sunlight streamed through tall windows ten stories above the busy downtown sidewalks.

Lacey and Will sank onto a leather love seat behind a coffee table, sipped decent coffee from bone china cups, and wondered why Teal had insisted they stay to meet her client, now seated in an armchair across from them.

Teal had told them that the widowed Ellen Moore was the late Gammy Jayne's daughter. She was small and somewhat frail in appearance, with white hair cut short in a carefree hairstyle. Her face shone with what Lacey could only describe as ethereal joy.

Within moments, Lacey and Ellen fell easily into conversation. There was an instant heart connection of women who had suffered the loss of a child.

Ellen's loss happened much later in life than Lacey's. Her only child, a daughter, and her son-in-law had been killed in a car accident three months before, on their way home from the hospital with their newborn.

Little Jason had survived. He had no other family except Ellen. Ellen, who had become a mother at the age of forty and was now not in the best of health, hired nurses to help care for the baby. She could not keep it up for long. The expense, her age . . .

The conversation continued. One thing led to another.

“What will happen to Jason?”

“That's why I'm here. Teal has always taken good care of us. I want her to walk me through the adoption process. I want to see Jason placed in a good home. I do not want to go through some agency.”

Lacey met Teal's eyes across the table.

Teal nodded.

Lacey said, “You want to do a private adoption?”

“Yes,” Ellen said. “I want to know the parents. I want to be near them and continue to be Jason's grandma.”

Now Ellen looked at Teal. “You have something up your sleeve.” It was a statement, not a question.

Teal smiled. “No. You were both coming in today. I'm just letting nature take its course.”

“Or God,” Lacey and Ellen said in unison.

Will's grin brightened the room.

Heart thumping, Lacey tried to speak. She opened her mouth, closed it, and made another attempt. “My health—”

“Is not the deciding factor,” Ellen interrupted. “You've told me about your good prognosis. You've told me about Will's parents and your support group, which sounds like it encompasses the entire town.” Her eyes twinkled and she leaned closer to Lacey. “Did I mention that my husband and I raised Jason's mother in Oregon? In Banbury. I've missed it. We only moved down here because she did. I still have a bit of a support group myself up that way.”

Teal sat back, an expression of disbelief in her raised brows and mouth askew.

Lacey knew what she was thinking. “Yes, Virginia, there are people who adore the Northwest and small-town life.”