In the Fullness of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  Taylor gently touched the soft little hand. Annie opened her eyes and yawned at her father before wrapping her hand around his finger. Taylor’s eyes filled with tears. “She’s so beautiful, Laura. How could we have made anything so beautiful?”

  “Love, Taylor. She’s pure love.”

  Like all parents throughout time, they counted her tiny fingers and toes and marveled at the shell-like perfection of her ears. She never let go of Taylor’s finger until, all too soon, the nurse came to take her back to the nursery.

  “So soon?” Taylor said.

  “Sorry, Mr. Morgan. Doctor’s orders. Besides, your girls need their rest.”

  Another nurse came in. “She’s right. And I’m here to give Mrs. Morgan something to help her sleep and to see that you leave, Mr. Morgan. They’ll be here in the morning waiting for you.”

  “May I stay until Laura falls asleep?”

  The nurses looked at each other. “If you promise me that you’ll leave right after that, I’ll pretend I don’t see you. But don’t push your luck, Mr. Morgan.” She helped Laura sit up to take a pill then lowered the lights. “No fair trying to stay awake, Mrs. Morgan.”

  “I won’t—I doubt if I could anyway.”

  “Sleep well.”

  Taylor held her hand. “Laura, I wish I could tell you how I feel but there aren’t words.”

  “I can see it in your eyes, Taylor. I don’t need words—at least not those kind of words. Taylor, how did my parents end up with you?”

  He laughed. “It’s a long story, darling, too long for now. I promise we’ll explain in the morning.”

  Laura yawned and fought to keep her eyes open. “It had better be a good story, Taylor.”

  “Oh, it is—with a very happy ending.”

  “I like happy endings,” Laura murmured as sleep overtook her.

  Taylor watched her for a moment before he released her hand and left the room. He waved goodbye at the nurse and waited for the elevator.

  Matteo was waiting in the lobby. “Matteo, you should be home asleep.”

  “Sleep can wait. I wanted to drive you home. How is Laura? And little Annie?”

  “Both sleeping. Both beautiful.”

  “Sì, bellisimi. Congratulations, Taylor.”

  “Thanks, Matteo. Let’s go home.”

  Chapter 25

  Taylor woke at seven, forgetting for a moment why he felt so tired. Then, as memory flooded his mind, he smiled. They had a little girl! A perfect, beautiful little girl! And in two hours he would see her and her mother and he couldn’t remember ever being happier than he was in this moment.

  The rest of the household could hear him singing in the shower. No one had gotten much sleep but they all wanted to be together at breakfast to discuss the miracle that had entered their lives. By the time Taylor came into the dining room, his mother-in-law was carrying in a plate of huevos rancheros for him with fresh tortillas and butter already waiting on the table.

  “Buenos Dias, Taylor.”

  “Good morning, Abuelita. I hope your newest granddaughter inherited your cooking skills.”

  “Laura and the baby were well when you left?”

  “They were wonderful, Maria. They let us have her for a little while and we counted all her fingers and toes.”

  Megan said from the doorway, “So I guess Betta and I have been replaced?” Her words were teasing. She knew Taylor loved them both and had more than enough love left over for the littlest Morgan sister.

  “No, not replaced. Redefined, maybe. How much are you going to charge for babysitting?”

  “How much are you going to pay us to get her back?” Betta chimed in. “Once we get our hands on her, you may never see her again. We have a lot to teach her.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of!” Taylor said as he sat down to eat. Matteo and Sean came in with their own plates as the girls went to get theirs. In a few minutes, the family was gathered at the table.

  “OK, enough of the mystery,” Meg demanded as she buttered a fresh tortilla. “How in the world did you manage to get Abuelo and Abuelita here with you? You were supposed to be in California!”

  “I wasn’t. I was in Albuquerque but I can’t tell you why just yet. I need to talk to Laura first.”

  “No fair, Taylor!”

  “It is fair. I promise, I’ll tell you the whole story tonight after I’ve talked with her. I’m going to the hospital at nine. You all can start visiting at eleven. You’ll probably have to take turns but you can go admire Annie in the nursery while you’re waiting.”

  “Does she really have your eyes, Taylor?” Betta asked.

  “She does. Even the doctor remarked on it.”

  “Wow! What a combination—Laura’s red hair, your turquoise eyes. It’s a good thing she’s our younger sister, Meg. We’d never be able to compete.”

  “I need to make a couple of phone calls before I leave. Did someone remember to call Beth last night?”

  “Call her? She was calling us every half-hour for updates.”

  “You can call her again later with details after you’ve seen Laura. Right now, I need to go authorize the press release to the fan club and to the media. I should be ready to leave in about twenty minutes, Matteo.”

  * * *

  Taylor called his agent first and authorized him to send out the press release he and Laura had prepared. All that needed filling in was Annie’s name. Taylor accepted the congratulations cheerfully then called the director of the show he’d just left. The whole cast had been aware of the pregnancy and had helped to keep it quiet. They deserved to hear before the general public did.

  His final call was to Elodie Nee.

  “Elodie, it’s Taylor. Sorry to call so early.”

  “It is early, Taylor. What’s so important it couldn’t wait until a civilized hour?”

  “I could wait but then the fans would hear it on the news first. I thought you might want to get the news out right away.”

  “News? The baby’s here? Already?”

  “Last night—actually early this morning. We have a little girl, Annie Collins Morgan.”

  “Taylor, how wonderful! But she’s early, isn’t she?”

  “She was but she and Laura are both fine. I’m on my way to the hospital to see them in just a few minutes.”

  “Give me the details, Taylor and I’ll put it out on the Internet right away.”

  He gave them to her then hung up. As he picked up a few things to take to Laura, he realized that Elodie had never congratulated him. Probably too early for her to even think about it, he thought, and promptly dismissed it as he left for the hospital.

  * * *

  Elodie hung up the phone. So the great and wonderful Laura Collins had survived all the drama. Too bad. And a girl? Everyone knew Taylor had been hoping for a boy. He must be so disappointed. She’d find a way to console him later but for now she’d better get the message out before someone heard it first on the media. Then she’d send flowers to the wretched woman because it was the thing to do. Too bad she couldn’t include something poisonous.

  * * *

  Taylor paused in the doorway. Laura was sitting up in bed, their daughter against her raised knees. A beam of sunlight streamed through the window and highlighted their beautiful hair. “How are my girls?”

  Laura’s smiled. “We’re fine. Come see Annie. Look who’s here, little one. It’s your Daddy.”

  Taylor reached out and gingerly took the baby in his arms. She waved her hands in the air and screwed up her face as if to cry. “None of that, Miss Annie. It’s my job to make you happy, not to make you cry.” At the sound of his voice she opened her eyes wide and tried to focus on the face behind the voice. “That’s better, my girl. I brought a present for you.” Taylor reached into the shopping bag he had carried in and pulled out a purple dragon that was almost as big as she was.

  “It’s darling, Taylor. She’ll love it.”

  “Only the first of many things I’ll be spoiling
you with, my little love,” Taylor crooned to her. “Mommy may never find you in the crib, with the toys we’ve all bought for you. You’re going to be one pampered princess.”

  He looked up and met Laura’s eyes. “Mommy and Daddy. Sounds a little scary to me, Laura. Are we ready for this?”

  “We’re in deep trouble if we’re not.”

  The nurse came in a few minutes later to take Annie back to the nursery. “You can have her back at ten-thirty before visiting hours start.”

  Taylor handed her over reluctantly and followed the nurse to the door watching until she turned a corner that took her from his sight.

  “You are in so much trouble, Taylor. If she’s got you this wrapped around her little finger now, what will it be like when she’s a teenager?”

  “Can I help it if I have a weakness for redheads?”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly then more deeply. “I love you, Laura. How are you this morning, really?”

  “I’m fine. I slept well and ate breakfast and even managed a shower before you got here. Annie and I had a little time together about seven and I told her all the secret ways to get around you.”

  “I have a present for you, too.” He took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Just something to mark this momentous occasion, my love.”

  She opened it and caught her breath. “It’s beautiful.” Her hands were shaking so he reached in and took out the ring and placed it on her right hand. “It’s a family ring, Laura. Look, it starts over here with a sapphire for you, then an emerald for Meg, a diamond for Annie, another emerald for Betta, and a garnet for me. We’ve always been a family, Laura, it just seemed like a good time to mark it.”

  “It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful. When did you have time?”

  “Tiffany’s has had it ready for a couple of months. All they needed was the final stone. I picked it up on the way this morning.”

  She reached out and he drew her into his arms. They held each other quietly for a long time, enjoying the small space of peace in their lives before the new responsibilities took over.

  When they finally broke apart, Laura held her hand up so the light could catch the ring. “You did that the morning after we got engaged, remember?” Taylor said.

  “Always,” she said with a soft smile before she changed the look to a glare. “It’s beautiful but I’m not distracted. I want to know where you were and how you and my parents hooked up.”

  “I figured you’d get back to that. Can I get away with blaming it on your father? It was his idea.”

  “What was his idea? Tell me now so I can decide if I’m going to blame him when he gets here.”

  “I was in Albuquerque, not California. Sean had called with something interesting the night before we saw the doctor.” He spent the next half-hour filling her in on the job offer and the mad race across the country to get to her.

  “Did they offer you the job finally?”

  “I don’t know. I need to call Kris Straub and find out. They may have hated me and this could have all been for nothing. But, now that you know, I’d like to know what you think before I call her. If this isn’t what you want, I can still explore that Hollywood thing.” He said it with a grin because he knew her answer already. “I hear Pierce Brosnan is looking for someone to co-star in his next film.”

  Laura shook her head at him. “Pierce Brosnan or going home to Albuquerque? It’s a rough choice. But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home, please.”

  He picked up her hand and kissed the palm. “Your wish is my command. Let me call, then we can tell everyone when they get here.”

  Chapter 26

  UNM’s answer had, of course, been yes. They were thrilled to have Taylor join the faculty. Maria and Sean were beside themselves with joy and Taylor had heard Beth’s scream from across the room when Laura had phoned her with the news. Meg and Betta were pleased as well. It meant there would be no choosing who to spend holidays with and New Mexico was much closer to Meg’s school in California than New York was. Rosina was going to be their Nanny and Matteo had decided that New Mexico would be a good place to retire. He was looking forward to a little garden and a lot of time with Annie.

  * * *

  In the chaos of the new baby and the pending move, the fan club mail had piled up. Knowing they didn’t want to take it cross-country with them, Laura corralled Taylor, Meg, and Betta one afternoon during Annie’s nap to help her sort through it all.

  The girls were put to work opening all the baby gifts. Most would be donated to charity but every gift would be acknowledged so they made a list of gifts and givers as they worked. Taylor’s job was to open anything that looked like a letter and decide if it needed answering while Laura opened the envelopes that were obviously cards. Many of them would contain checks for the charity so she kept a notepad by her side.

  There had been no threatening letters for some time now. Once Elodie had dismissed Lisa Kindrick, they had stopped. Laura hated to admit it but it looked like Elodie had been right about her.

  There were only so many ways to exclaim over a cute bib or blanket or stuffed animal. After the first few, the girls quit commenting and worked quietly.

  Taylor skimmed the letters as he opened them. Most didn’t need answering but he made a small stack of those that did. Any checks, he passed across to Laura who added them to her list. As he ran his hand through the pile of envelopes in front of him, he thought he might never get through them all. Maybe quiet obscurity at UNM would have some advantages! As he reached to pick up another envelope, one caught his eye and his hand stilled before he carefully picked it up by the corner. Plain white, cheap paper, the envelope stood out among all the others. A mostly illegible number was scribbled in the corner and a clear label, printed with his name and the fan club address, stood out starkly against the white.

  He didn’t want to alarm the girls so he broke the silence to ask, “Meg? Would you go ask Rosina for something to drink? I’m getting parched here. And Betta? Would you go get my letter opener off my desk? This one is dull already.”

  The girls were glad of a chance to stretch and left the room. “Laura?”

  She looked up from the pile of envelopes in front of her and her face went white when she saw the envelope in his hand. “Oh, God. That can’t be what we think it is!”

  “I hope not. But we’d better call Pierce.”

  Laura dialed his office. “Pierce? It’s Laura. I think we have another letter.”

  He asked them to drop it in another envelope and send it over to him by courier. Taylor decided to deliver it to him personally. Together they took it to the lab where Pierce asked a friend to take a quick look at it. The gloved lab tech carefully slit the letter open then slid it into a plastic protector before handing the letter back to Pierce. He turned his attention to the envelope while Taylor and

  Pierce read the letter.

  Darling Taylor—

  So you have a little girl! How wonderful! How sweet! But you wanted a little boy didn’t you? You must be so disappointed. Laura really let you down, didn’t she?

  And to give you a child with her horrible hair! A constant reminder of how she failed you.

  My poor, poor Taylor.

  It’s time to leave her, darling. She can’t provide what you really need. No son. No bright lights of Broadway. Instead she’s offering you a life in the middle of nowhere?

  She’s destroying you, Taylor.

  Give me a sign, my darling, by staying here in New York where you belong. Give me a sign and I’ll be by your side in moments and we can live the life you were meant to have.

  Your TRUE Love

  As usual, the letter was machine printed and unsigned. But Taylor suddenly knew who had sent it. Hoping he was wrong, he asked the tech, “Is there a postmark on the letter?”

  “Postmark? Let me see. No postmark. Sorry.”

  “Anything else we can work with?” Pierce asked.

  “Give me some time, Alb
right! Go get some coffee. Come back in an hour.”

  Taylor was silent as they made their way to the coffee machine then to a small staff lounge.

  “What is it, Taylor? What did you see in that letter?”

  “Two things. The writer knew I wanted a son. I didn’t. I adore Annie. It was just a family joke—a family joke, Pierce. That means the writer has to be someone close to me. Only our close friends knew about it. The regular fans wouldn’t.”

  “Okay, that’s one thing. You said there were two. What else?”

  “The move. The writer knew about the move. It hasn’t been announced yet. The only fan club person who knows is the president. Elodie knows. And she knows about the joke. Pierce, I think Elodie wrote those letters. Laura’s been right about her all along.”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions, Taylor. The pieces add up but maybe not to what you think. Could that Kindrick woman be the one?”

  “No, she’s left the club entirely. When Elodie removed her from her responsibilities, Laura said Lisa was devastated. She resigned her membership. She’d have no way of knowing about the move or the family joke. Elodie is the only one in position to know both things and still get a letter in my mail.”

  “We need more than that to go on, Taylor. We can’t accuse her without more evidence.”

  “How’s this for evidence?” Both men looked up as the lab tech walked into the room. “The letter writer left us a nice clear finger- print on the back of the address label. Evidently forgot that the adhesive on those things picks up everything. I’m running it now.”

  “Let’s go,” Pierce said. “Start another search. Narrow it to here in the city.”

  Taylor felt sick as he followed them back to the lab. Elodie? How could it be Elodie? She’d been his friend for years. He could hear Laura telling him that Elodie was in love with him. She’d been right. Laura had been right all along and he’d never believed her.