When You Least Expect It

by Whitney Gaskell

  “I understand. You want a healthy baby,” Mike said.

  “Yes,” I said, relieved that he had instantly understood my concerns. “That’s exactly it. We just want a healthy baby.”

  “But, all things being equal, we’d definitely prefer a pretty baby over an ugly one,” Jeremy chipped in. “And if you could find us one with superpowers, that would be even better.”

  I elbowed Jeremy in the side, harder than I meant to.

  “Ouch! Yikes, I was just kidding,” he said.

  “From what the birth mother tells me, she has not been living on the street,” Mike said. “Her boyfriend, who apparently does not support her decision to carry the pregnancy to term, kicked her out of their apartment yesterday.”

  Anger quickly displaced my fear. “He made her move out because she’s pregnant?” I asked. “What a jerk!”

  “So that means she’s going to need a place to live,” Jeremy said.

  “Yes, and quickly,” Mike said. “I know you wanted some more time to get your finances in order before you took on the cost of the adoption, and I should tell you that if you don’t want to work with this birth mother, I do have other couples who would jump on this chance. So there’s no pressure if you’re not ready. But she did pick out your portfolio, and wants to meet with you first.”

  “That’s great,” I said. She’d liked our portfolio best! I knew it rocked! “Can we meet her now?”

  “Sure, I’ll go get her,” Mike said.

  Once he’d left, Jeremy looked at me. “Nothing like the hard sell,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If we don’t jump on this, someone else will? No pressure there,” Jeremy said, shaking his head.

  “I think Mike was just being honest. He was saying that we shouldn’t feel pressured, because if we don’t decide to go forward with her, someone else will,” I said. “Besides, I think we should go forward if we like her. Don’t you?”

  “You heard what he said. She needs a place to live immediately. How are we possibly going to pay for that right now?” Jeremy asked.

  “I don’t know. We’ll think of something.”

  “India.” Jeremy sighed. “We have to be realistic.”

  But before he could continue, the door opened. Standing there, framed in the doorway, was a remarkably pretty girl dressed in a tight blue tank top and low-rider jeans. She was tall and lean, with high cheekbones and a square chin. Her eyes were so dark they almost looked black in the office light. Almost involuntarily, I glanced down at the girl’s abdomen, looking for signs of a bump, but it was so flat as to be almost concave.

  Is she really pregnant? I wondered.

  “I’m not showing yet,” the girl said, reading my thoughts.

  “Right. Sorry,” I said.

  Flushing, I stood so quickly the wheeled chair I’d been sitting on careened off and bumped into the glass wall behind me. I wiped my hands quickly against my skirt and then reached forward to offer my hand. She hesitated for a moment before shaking it. Her reluctance made me wonder if I’d done the wrong thing. Should I have hugged her instead? Surely that would have been too forward, too familiar?

  “Hi, I’m India Halloway. This is my husband, Jeremy,” I said, gesturing to Jeremy, who was also standing.

  “I’m Lainey,” she said.

  “You’ve met? Excellent,” Mike said, walking briskly into the conference room, a folder in his hand. “Why don’t we all take a seat and get started?”

  Mike sat at the head of the table, and Lainey sat to his left. Jeremy and I returned to our seats across from Lainey.

  “Normally at this point, I like to encourage you to get to know one another and ask any questions you have,” Mike said genially, as though we were all meeting at a cocktail party. “India, why don’t you begin. Tell Lainey a bit about yourself.”

  My heart jumped and then began racing. This was it. Time to sell myself. “Sure.” I gave Lainey what I hoped was a confident smile. “I’m a portrait photographer. I have my own studio, which I opened five years ago.”

  Lainey nodded. “I saw your pictures. In that profile thingy.”

  I’d included some examples of my work in our portfolio—mostly shots of older kids, romping on the beach or sitting in the back of the antique Ford pickup truck I used as a prop, but also some baby portraits. My favorite was a black-and-white close-up of a delicious little baby boy with wide, serious eyes. I knew all too well how pictures could manipulate—the most fractious family in the world could look idyllic and happy if I snapped the shot at just the right moment. But I thought it was important to show potential birth mothers my passion.

  “I have complete control over the hours I work,” I said. “If—when—we are able to adopt, I plan on taking some time off to be with the baby.”

  I thought the flexibility both Jeremy and I had with our jobs would be a good selling point. But Lainey just stared at me, her dark eyes inscrutable.

  “Jeremy and I have been married for seven years,” I continued. “We started trying for a family two years ago, but we found out that I can’t get pregnant.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Lainey asked.

  The bluntness of her question surprised me, until I realized she probably wanted to make sure I didn’t have any health issues that might affect my ability to parent.

  “My body went into early menopause,” I said.

  “Early menopause,” Lainey repeated, and frowned. “I didn’t know that could happen.”

  “I didn’t, either,” I said ruefully. “But otherwise, I’m very healthy. Jeremy and I both are.”

  I glanced at Jeremy.

  “Very healthy,” he echoed. “India power walks every day. And I ride a bike. Well, sometimes I do. It depends on how work is going. Sometimes, if I’m under a deadline, I let the exercise slack a little.”

  Jeremy always got chatty when he was nervous. I wondered if Lainey was having the same effect on him that she was having on me. There was something about her that put me off balance. Maybe it was just a case of reality not meeting expectation. She was certainly not the hormonal, tearful girl I’d pictured when Mike told us she was in crisis.

  “Jeremy’s a writer,” I explained.

  “What do you write?” Lainey asked.

  “Science fiction,” Jeremy said. “I write a series called Future Race. Have you heard of it?”

  Lainey shook her head.

  “It’s set in the future when extensive genetic manipulation has resulted in people having evolved into several different subspecies. And these different subspecies are at war with one another,” Jeremy said. “One group basically wants to live in peace, but other groups aspire to world domination.”

  I thought I saw interest flare in Lainey’s dark eyes. She leaned forward in her seat.

  “Cool,” she said. “Is there going to be a movie made out of it?”

  “No,” Jeremy said. “Although I did once get an email from a producer who seemed interested.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “Actually, nothing,” Jeremy said. He smiled wryly. “I never heard back from him again.”

  Lainey sat back and crossed her arms, clearly disappointed. Jeremy and I exchanged a nervous glance.

  I cleared my throat. “So, let’s see, what else can we tell you?” I began to rattle off the rest of our background information—where we grew up and went to school, where our parents lived, what our hobbies were—until I realized that I’d been talking for what felt like a long time, and began to worry that I was rambling.

  “Jeremy and I can’t wait to be parents. It’s something we’ve always wanted, always dreamed about,” I said. I took Jeremy’s hand. “To be honest, adoption wasn’t the path we thought we’d be taking to parenthood, but the more we think about it, and talk about it, the more excited we both are about the idea. So I really want to thank you for considering us.”

  Lainey looked at me, and I wondered if I’d come on too strong. It’s a f
ine line. It’s hard to say Please, please, please give us your baby without looking desperate. Then again, we were desperate. But Mike smiled at me as though I’d said just the right thing.

  “Do you have any questions for Lainey?” Mike asked.

  “When did you find out about your pregnancy?” Jeremy asked.

  “Two weeks ago,” Lainey said.

  We waited for her to go on, and when she didn’t, I said, “Have you seen a doctor yet or had any prenatal care?”

  “Not really. I went to the women’s clinic, but I was planning to get an abortion,” Lainey said.

  “Do you mind if we ask why you changed your mind and decided on adoption instead?” Jeremy asked.

  “When I was at the clinic, the nurse drew some blood, and I fainted. My friend Flaca thought it was a sign that I shouldn’t get an abortion,” Lainey said.

  I felt a twinge of discomfort. If she changed her mind so quickly, she could change it again. I tried to think of a tactful way to feel her out.

  “Are you sure that adoption is the right choice for you?” I asked carefully.

  “Yes, I’m completely sure,” Lainey said.

  I nodded, relieved at her self-assurance. I didn’t want to talk her out of it, after all. “Do you have any health issues that you know about?”

  “I never get sick,” Lainey said.

  I wasn’t sure how to ask the next question—or if she’d give me a truthful answer—but I felt I had to ask. “Do you take recreational drugs? Or drink?”

  “Never,” Lainey said firmly.

  I breathed in, relief filling my lungs, and looked at Mike for guidance. He smiled at me reassuringly.

  “Lainey, do you have any questions for India and Jeremy, or is there anything else you’d like to share with them?” Mike asked.

  “How soon can I get an apartment?” Lainey asked. “Right now I’m crashing at my best friend’s place.”

  Jeremy and I glanced at each other. I could feel my heart rate kick back up.

  “Are you saying … you’re interested in … I mean, you’d consider letting us adopt your baby?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” Lainey looked surprised. “Isn’t that why you’re here? Don’t you want it?”

  Mike cleared his throat. “At this point, it’s really more about getting to know one another. This is the time to ask any questions you might have.”

  “Yes, we want the baby!” I said quickly.

  “India,” Jeremy said quietly.

  I looked at him and bit my lip.

  “Excuse me, Mike,” Jeremy said. “Is there somewhere India and I could talk privately for a moment?”

  “Absolutely,” Mike said, standing quickly. “Lainey, are you thirsty? Why don’t we go find you a drink? Would you like some bottled water?”

  After they left, closing the door behind them, I looked beseechingly at Jeremy. “Don’t you think she seems perfect? She’s young and healthy, and she doesn’t seem at all conflicted about putting the baby up for adoption.”

  “I know, but India …,” Jeremy said. He ran a hand over his head, causing his hair to ruffle up like feathers. “I don’t think we can afford this right now. We don’t have the money. Maybe if I get some freelance work, and we’re really careful, we’ll be able to save up. But right now, I don’t see how it will work.”

  “There has to be a way to make it work,” I said. Tears of frustration burned in my eyes.

  “Please don’t make me be the bad guy here,” Jeremy said gently. He took my hand. “I can’t snap my fingers and change the reality of our situation.”

  “What if I took on more work? I could try to get some jobs shooting weddings. They pay well.”

  “You hate doing weddings. The bridezillas always drive you crazy.”

  “I don’t care. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’ll even go to those awful bridal expos to drum up business.”

  “You could. But it would take months to expand your business. You heard Lainey. She needs a place to live now.”

  A place to live now. It was too bad she couldn’t just move in with us, I thought. But, no, that was crazy. Or was it?

  “I think I might have just had the most brilliant idea ever,” I said slowly.

  “What?”

  “What if Lainey stays with us?”

  “You mean in our house?”

  “No, of course not. She wouldn’t be comfortable with that. But she could stay in the guesthouse.”

  “The guesthouse,” Jeremy repeated.

  “Why not? It has its own bathroom and kitchenette,” I said, growing more enthusiastic with each passing moment. “We can fix it up for her, get it furnished.”

  “It’s my office,” Jeremy said.

  “You can work in the house for a few months. You did before, when we were renovating.”

  “A few months? She’s not even showing yet. It’ll be a lot longer than that.”

  “Jeremy, think about it—it’s the perfect solution. Between saving on her rent, and my picking up some weddings, we might just be able to swing this,” I said.

  “And have a stranger living in our backyard?”

  “She’s not a stranger. She’s the mother of our future child.”

  “She’s a stranger,” Jeremy said firmly. “We know next to nothing about her. What if she’s on drugs, or has sketchy friends who like to steal things? What if her boyfriend is some sort of a psychopath?”

  “She said the boyfriend kicked her out. I doubt they’ll be hanging out together,” I said. “And you heard her. She said she doesn’t do drugs.”

  “So she says,” Jeremy said.

  “Look, I hear what you’re saying. You’re worried that we don’t know much about her. But we could set some rules ahead of time, and just do it on a trial basis,” I said. “If we run into a problem, we’ll deal with it then.”

  “You don’t even know if she’d want to live so near us. There are probably lots of couples out there who’d be happy to rent her a condo,” Jeremy said.

  “But for whatever reason, she chose us. Out of all of the adoptive-couple profiles, she liked ours the best. You heard her. She wants us to adopt her baby. The least we can do is ask her. All she can say is no,” I pleaded.

  Jeremy hesitated, but finally he nodded. “Let’s just run it by Mike first.”

  I could tell Mike wasn’t thrilled with the idea. “It’s unorthodox,” he said.

  “You told us to get creative,” I argued. “Besides, this way we’ll be able to look after Lainey. Make sure she’s eating properly, getting enough sleep.”

  “It’s possible that knowing you’re nearby might keep her from engaging in negative behavior,” Mike admitted. I was pleased that he saw the wisdom in this, until Mike continued. “But there’s another factor I think you’re missing. What if you get too close to her? Or she to you?”

  “What exactly are you saying? Birth mothers who get to know the adoptive parents are less likely to go through with the adoption? Or that she would go through with it, but might then be stopping by the house every day for the next eighteen years?” Jeremy asked.

  “Actually, no. Lainey has specified that she doesn’t want to have any contact with the child or the adoptive parents after the adoption is finalized. She doesn’t even want a yearly update or photo. So that will be written into the contract,” Mike said.

  I glanced at Jeremy. I could tell he was somewhat mollified.

  “If either of you has a better solution for how we can cover her living expenses, please tell me. Because we don’t have an extra three grand a month right now, but we do have an empty guest cottage,” I said.

  Mike spread his hands, a motion of defeat. “We might as well present the idea to Lainey. But be prepared that she might not want to do this.”

  I nodded, my nerves jangling. Jeremy didn’t say a word, although when Mike left to fetch Lainey back, he gave me a long look.

  “What?” I said.

  Jeremy just shook his head. “This worries
me,” he said.

  “If you’re really against this, we don’t have to do it,” I said.

  “I’m not saying I’m against it. I’m just concerned.”

  “Should I go stop Mike before he talks to Lainey?”

  Jeremy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “No. Let’s give it a try.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What’s the worst that can happen? Wait, no, don’t answer that,” Jeremy joked.

  Mike returned, leading Lainey back into the conference room.

  “India and Jeremy have a proposal to make,” Mike said, once they were seated. “They want to make it clear that they’re not putting any pressure on you to agree to this, and that the decision is totally up to you. If you’re not comfortable with the idea, just say so.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be annoyed with Mike for what could be read as a caution, or grateful that he was delivering our proposal in such a way that Lainey wouldn’t feel pressured. I folded my hands on the table, and attempted to look maternal, while Mike explained our proposal. When he was finished, Lainey looked from Mike to us, and then back at Mike again.

  “Okay,” she said. “When can I move in?”

  “Really?” I asked, barely believing it. She hadn’t even hesitated.

  Lainey shrugged. “I just need a place to stay for a while. Is your guesthouse nice?”

  “Yes, very nice,” I said. “It’s right off the swimming pool. It has two rooms—a bedroom and a sitting room—and a private bath. There’s a little kitchenette in the sitting room.” I decided to leave out the fact that for now, at least, the sitting room was actually Jeremy’s office.

  “Yeah, it’s fine with me,” Lainey said, with another shrug.

  “Lainey, do you mind if I ask what your plans are after you have the baby?” Jeremy asked suddenly. I tensed. What if she took the question the wrong way? What if Lainey thought he was implying that she’d be a freeloader and would never leave?

  “I’m moving to Los Angeles. I’ve been saving up to go. I do nails,” she added.

  “Nails?” Jeremy asked.

  “Manicures, pedicures, you know. I work in a place at the mall,” Lainey said.