Picturing Perfect (32 page)

"Bababababababababa," Marty said, squirming beneath my arms as I changed his diaper.

"That's right, little stinker tush." I laughed, grinning at my boy. "After this, Mommy's going to give you a bottle."

The babbling was awesome. I never thought I'd enjoy listening to a baby rattle off sounds as much as I enjoyed everything my boy said. It was an unexpected joy of motherhood. The simple things that just seemed like a part of life…teeth, appetite, babbling, crawling…it was all so incredible. Soon he'd be saying real words, walking around like a little boy. The time was going by way too fast. I wanted to bottle up this feeling and keep it forever.

Just as I finished preparing his bottle, the doorbell rang. Jason was meeting with his agent today, and my mom was working. Perhaps it was a solicitor. We'd had so many of those lately. It was more than frustrating when the baby was taking a nap.
Maybe I should get one of those little stickers for the door.
I never thought I'd be one of those people to put "No Soliciting" on my door, but if Marty was woken up one more time, I would not be a happy woman.

Placing Marty on the Boppy pillow with his favorite blankie, I gave him his bottle before walking to the door. I gasped as the face on the other side of the peephole came into focus.
What on earth is she doing here? We haven't even taken the DNA test yet. Do I open the door? Should I pretend we're not here?

"Hadley?" she said with a sharp tone to her voice. She must've heard me coming.
Here we go.

"Lydia," I said, doing my best not to clench my teeth as I opened the door.

A plastic and rehearsed smile sat upon her clearly unhappy face. "Hadley, dear. How are you?"

"How…how did you know where I live?" I asked, my forehead creasing in confusion.

"Phonebook," she said dismissively. "This morning, I thought…where are my manners? I haven't given Hadley's son a gift."

"Oh," I replied. Conveniently, she neglected to mention he was
her grandson
.

"May I come in?" she asked. Her eyebrows raised, but her forehead didn't budge. Not a wrinkle in sight. No doubt, she just had her latest Botox injection.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

The makeup on her face was thick and I could smell her perfume. The same scent she'd worn for ages. Tucker used to joke that her perfume was called Old Money. That memory repulsed me as I studied her for the very first time in the seven years I'd known her. Her chocolate brown hair spilled down her shoulders. Her dark eyes were embellished with fake eyelashes and way too much eye shadow for 11 in the morning on a weekday.

She let out a sigh before handing me the metallic blue wrapped box. She then reached into her Dolce & Gabbana handbag. "Well, if we need to have this discussion here, so be it."

"Discussion? What is there to discuss? I already told Tucker we'd take the test." As much as I hated the idea of subjecting Marty to a DNA test, I had absolutely nothing to hide.

"That's just it. I've had some time to think it over. I'd like to ask you to reconsider."

"I don't understand. You planted the idea in Tucker's head."

"Yes, I know, but…" she stopped and looked down at my feet. Two little hazel eyes peeked out from behind my feet. Marty had abandoned his empty bottle and crawled to the door. Lydia turned pale, staring down at her grandson, really looking at him for the very first time. She had to know, even if she had no desire to be a grandmother. But, then again, maybe she'd had a change of heart? Maybe we could all move forward…have peace.

"He's so big," she said, tilting her head to the side and giving him a small smile. He sat back on his bottom and kicked his feet, a large smile plastered on his face and drool dripping from his chin.

"Seven months now," I said, relaxing my posture. Just as I relaxed, however, Lydia tensed right back up. She looked me dead in the eye, her eyes cold and distant. A complete 180 degree shift.

"Yes, well…" she cleared her throat before handing me a set of documents. I looked down at them in pure confusion.

"I—what is it you want?" I asked, looking up from the papers.

"You and Tucker have no future. Am I right?"

"You're right." My voice cracked with apprehension.

"I'd like to give you an opportunity, Hadley. If you'll sign these documents and have Tucker's name removed from the birth certificate, his father and I will place a very large trust fund in your son's name. College, car, you name it. We'll take care of it."

"Wait," I gasped. "You want me to lie?"

"For lack of a better word? Yes."

"Lydia, I don't understand. Tucker and I dated for six years…
you know me
. Why are you acting like this?"

"You don't understand. Tucker has a bright future ahead of him. He's not ready for a child. And a quality woman will never consider marrying him if he's a single father."

"Are you kidding? A
quality
woman?" My nose flared in shock. What decade were we living in? I knew his parents were part of the elite social group in Wilmette, but this was ridiculous.

"You and Tucker dated when you were children. You were never a good match. If you sign this, you can each have a fresh start. You can marry someone else. They can raise your son as their own. You can do
whatever you want
. And your son will want for
nothing
."

"But, you'll force me to lie to him. For his entire life.
My
son…I'm not going to lie to him, Lydia. And I don't want your goddamn money."

"Just think it over."

"I don't need to," I said, ripping the papers in half and handing them back to her. "Now, get the hell out of my house. You don't deserve to be anywhere near your grandson."

Slamming the door, I leaned back into the cold wood. My son's grandmother just tried to buy me off. How did I not see this family for what they were when I was dating Tucker? Keeping a brave face for Marty until naptime, we played on the floor with his pots and pans. The blue wrapped gift stared at me from the kitchen table.
Don't open it. Don't open it. Don't open it.

I was never the best with willpower, but at least I came by it honestly. I stood up, crossed the room to the box and brought it back to the floor. There was no card, but the wrapping was elegant. Foil wrapping paper with a large grosgrain ribbon tied at the top. Pulling the ribbon off the box, I quickly tied it in several knots so that it wouldn't be dangerous for Marty.

With slight hesitation, I peeled back the paper on the box, revealing clothes…lots and lots of clothes. Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and several other labels. Sweater vests, hats, jeans and chambray shirts. As I held up each item, though, it was obvious that Marty would never fit into anything in this box. Everything was size 3 months. Hundreds of dollars worth of clothing that we couldn't use.
How could she think he was this small?
This woman never ceased to amaze me. Scooping up the clothes, I placed them back in the box. Our local Goodwill would be thrilled to receive brand new clothes in their donation box. And I'd be happy to never have to dress Marty in something that woman purchased. Ever.

The rich scent of coffee surrounded me as I pushed the clunky stroller through the door of Beans. A smile crossed my lips when I heard my name called from a large table near the back of the shop.

"Hey there, lady. We've missed ya," Warren said, planting a kiss on my cheek. His smile was so wide, his bright eyes shined as he beamed at me. God, I'd missed that face. I'd missed his greetings each morning when he stepped off that bus. I took his hand briefly, giving it a squeeze before greeting the rest of the smiling faces at the table.

Violet was hopping up and down as she looked down at the baby. "He's so pretty."

"Thanks," I said, pulling her in for a hug. Lucy dove in for a group hug and I held her tight. When the girls pulled away, Bryce tore out his earbuds and practically pounced on me, hugging me with his strong arms.

"I miss you," he said softly into my ear. The pain in his voice killed me.

"I miss you, too, Bryce. I really do," I said, tapping him gently on the back as he clutched me. I tried to step back, but his grip on me didn't lessen.

"What music does he listen to?" He pointed to Marty with a look of suspicion covering his normally chipper face.

"His favorite is Jack Johnson."

"No, no, no. I don't know him."

"He sings the 'Upside Down' song from the Curious George movie. His voice settles the baby."

"I don't like it." Bryce glowered down at Marty. "He should be listening to Tears for Fears. Or Flock of Seagulls."

"Well, those aren't really appropriate for a ba—" My eyes widened as I interrupted myself, "Bryce, are you listening to 80s music?"

"Maybe," Bryce said, staring at the floor, before pulling me in for another strong hug. I guess he missed me more than I realized.

"Okay, buddy," Nick said, stepping in and pulling Bryce gently from me. Bryce looked annoyed with Nick but took a seat next to me.

Nick opened up his arms and gave me a warm smile. I didn't realize just how much I'd missed him until this very moment. Ellie had come by many times to visit the baby and me, but I hadn't seen Nick since before the baby was born. Funny, easy-going, would-do-anything-for-our-clients Nick. He was a gem. It was so good to see him.

Nick pulled me in for a hug. "Missed ya, kid."

"Same here."

"So tell us about the man, the myth, the legend…Marty," he said, crouching down to get a better look at the baby. He was wide awake and playing with his squishy book with bright colored pictures of animals. He glanced up briefly at Nick, offered him a toothy grin with his two front teeth before cramming his fist into his mouth with a laugh.

Pulling up a chair, I told Nick all about Marty. How he was crawling, sitting, getting teeth and eating solid foods. After a few minutes, I realized everyone else was feeling left out of the conversation. It was time to focus on what they'd been doing since I left.

"So, how's Sunnyside?"

"It's awful," Lucy said, pouting, pulling at her curls.

"No, it's not!" Violet argued with her. "It's fii-iiine."

"They miss you," Nick said matter-of-factly. Clearly, he didn't want me to feel guilty.

"When are you coming back?" Warren asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm not sure, buddy."

The truth is, I really wasn't. I would have loved to go back and work for Sunnyside again. But, having this time with my son was priceless and it was time I'd never get back. The idea of working full-time gave me knots in my stomach.

"Why not?"

"Well…Marty needs me."

"So do we," Lucy said, her lips forming a full-on pout. My heart ached.

"Listen, guys. Right now, Hadley is where she needs to be. Let's enjoy our time today instead of making her feel bad," Nick said in his best authoritative voice.

"I'll visit more often. I'm sorry it's taken me so long. Motherhood takes time to get used to, I guess."

"Is it hard?" Violet asked.

"Sometimes."

"Does he poop a lot?" Bryce asked with a laugh.

"All the time," I responded with a chuckle.

"Babies like milk," Warren said.

"Yes, they do. He also likes bananas and pears."

"I like pears!" Lucy sat up straight in her seat with a new appreciation for the baby. She'd found common ground with him. Sometimes that's all we needed. All of us.

"Me too," Violet added. "I have one in my lunch today."

"That's awesome," I replied, remembering just how much these wonderful people made me smile and laugh. I'd really missed them. A lot.

"They still haven't filled your position," Nick said, pursing his lips with hesitation. As if he couldn't decide whether or not to tell me.

"Seriously? Why not?"

"Everyone's kinda filling in with the classes. And Ellie and I are taking over the show."

"But, why? I don't understand."

"I guess Pamela is hoping you'll come back."

My stomach flipped. I didn't want anyone to wait around for me. But, I was flattered.

"Why didn't you tell me about the show? You know I'd help out. Jason and I both."

"We didn't want to pressure you. That's all."

"Pressure me." I nodded assertively.

"Fine," he said, raising his hands up near his head in surrender. "Still bossy, I see."

"You'd better believe it. Sounds like I need to have a conversation with Pamela, huh?"

"That's up to you," Nick said. "You have to put your family first."

Taking Bryce and Violet's hands in my own. "This is my family, too. I need all of you. I'll figure something out."