Accidental Family

by Kristin Gabriel

  “Well, I’m sorry it happened,” Maureen said, “but I’m also relieved that Max wasn’t involved. And I have a confession to make.”

  Rowena looked up at her friend. “What is it?”

  “I contacted a cop I know in New York City and asked him to see what he could find out about Heller.” She held up both hands before Rowena could protest. “I know it’s none of my business, but I didn’t like the sound of that letter.”

  “So maybe that’s why I’ve only gotten one letter. Your cop friend probably scared Max off.”

  Maureen shrugged. “Maybe. Although I haven’t heard anything yet. As soon as I do, I’ll let you know.”

  Rowena nodded. “Thank you, Maureen. I really do appreciate it. Although I still think Max is relatively harmless. At least with him, I know what to expect. With Alan, my feelings change from one moment to the next.”

  “Your feelings about him as the father of your baby?” Maureen asked. “Or as a man?”

  “Both.” Rowena stared at the ceiling. “I think I might be falling in love with him. I never expected it to happen. I never wanted it to happen.”

  Maureen sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s how love works, Rowena. It comes when we least expect it. I think you and Alan make a good couple.”

  “But we’re not just a couple,” Rowena countered. “With the baby coming, we’re almost a family. An accidental family. So how do I know if Alan is really interested in me or if I’m just part of a package deal? If there was no baby, would he still want me?”

  “Would you still want him?” Maureen countered.

  “Yes,” she said slowly. “I think I would. At least, I’d want the man he’s been since the car accident. Not the one I saw as a controlling pain in the butt the first day we met. The problem is that I don’t know for certain which one is real.”

  Maureen gave her a sympathetic pat on the knee. “I think all this worrying is probably making you hungry. How about if I fix us a snack?”

  Rowena smiled. “I see Alan left orders to feed me until I grow as round as the Cooper’s Corner water tower.”

  “He might have mentioned something about making sure you keep up your strength.”

  “Okay, I’ll take an apple if there are any left.”

  “How about a glass of milk to go with it?”

  “That would be wonderful. Thanks, Maureen.”

  Five minutes later, Maureen was back with a sliced apple and a glass of milk on the serving tray. “I’ve been thinking about what you said and I’ve come up with a possible solution.”

  Rowena sat up straighter in bed before taking the tray out of Maureen’s hands. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

  “Tell him you’ll give him legal rights as the father of your baby.”

  She gaped at her friend. “What?”

  “Don’t you see?” Maureen sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re afraid the only reason Alan might be romancing you is because he wants access to the baby. If you give him that access, he doesn’t have any reason to stick around. Unless he truly wants to be with you.”

  Rowena picked up an apple slice and bit into it, savoring the tartness on her tongue. “But give him legal rights to the baby? Doesn’t that seem a little extreme?”

  “You just told me he’ll make a wonderful father.”

  It was true. No matter what happened between them in the future, she did believe Alan would be a positive influence in her baby’s life. So maybe her reluctance to tell him that had more to do with protecting her heart than her baby. What if, after she granted him those rights, he just walked away from her? What if all he really wanted was the baby?

  It was one more worry to add to her collection.

  * * *

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Alan walked into Rowena’s bedroom with his arms full of packages. “Wait until you see what I found for the baby.”

  “It looks like you cleared out the store,” she said as he dumped the bags on the end of her bed. “Is Maureen still here?”

  “She just left. I’m sorry I was gone so long. The general store was out of fresh peaches, so I drove to New Ashford.” He pulled a tiny yellow sleeper out of a sack. “Isn’t this great?”

  Rowena arched a brow. “That’s the strangest peach I’ve ever seen.”

  He grinned. “There was a children’s clothing store next to the grocery store there.” He folded up the sleeper. “I know it looks small, but the saleslady promised me it was the right size for a newborn.”

  “That’s because she probably knows a sucker when she sees one,” Rowena said, reaching out to rub the soft fabric. “But it’s very cute.”

  “I’m glad you like it because I bought one in every color.” He reached for another sack and pulled out a stuffed animal. “And look at this.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at the excitement in his voice. “It looks like an orange monkey.”

  He grinned. “It is. But a very special orange monkey. Just listen.” He pushed the monkey’s belly, and the music of “Pop, Goes the Weasel” began to play.

  “Anything else?” she asked as he sorted through the sacks.

  “All kinds of stuff. Bibs, rattles, little undershirts and some booties. And this,” he said, reaching into another sack.

  She laughed. “A baseball?”

  “Hey,” he replied, tossing it into the air and catching it with one hand, “a star pitcher can’t start too young.”

  “Which team is she going to pitch for?”

  His grin turned sheepish. “Okay, so I might have gone a little overboard.”

  “A little?” She waved one hand over the items spilled across the bed. “If this is any indication, the baby will be spoiled rotten.”

  “I’ll try to restrict myself to buying one toy a day from now on.”

  She shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

  “I just want to be a father.” He looked at her, his gaze serious. “I know I came on too strong the first day we met.”

  “You already apologized for that,” she interjected.

  “I know, but I didn’t explain why I was acting like such a jerk,” he said. “I was afraid, Rowena. I met an intelligent, headstrong woman that day who was the mother of the only child I might ever have. If it came down to a fight, I wasn’t sure I could win.”

  She wrinkled her brow. “What do you mean, the only child you might ever have? You’re a young man, Alan. You could have a dozen children.”

  A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Do you want to know the reason I made a deposit at the Orr Fertility Clinic? Because my oncologist recommended it.”

  “Oncologist?” The word sent a shiver through her.

  He nodded. “I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease three years ago. The oncologist assured me it was highly treatable, but he told me those treatments might leave me sterile.”

  “And did they?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “I never went in for the test. I suppose I was afraid to find out. If I have a low sperm count, my chances of ever creating another child aren’t good.”

  “But the Hodgkin’s disease...you’re all right now?”

  He nodded. “I’m fine. The cancer is gone.”

  Rowena sat for a few moments, trying to absorb what he’d just told her. “So when the Orr Clinic impregnated me with your sperm, they might have destroyed your chance to have a baby with a woman of your choice.”

  He reached for her hand. “Just the opposite. They created that chance. If it wasn’t for the Orr Clinic’s mistake, we never would have met.”

  Her throat tightened. “So you’re not...sorry?”

  He placed his hand on her stomach, drawing a tiny kick from the baby. “At this moment, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

  Tears filled her
eyes and spilled over. All this time, she’d been so worried about herself. The chaos this situation had caused in her life. And all the while Alan had known this might be his only chance to have a child.

  “Hey,” he chided, skimming a tear off her cheek with his knuckle. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  “It’s my hormones,” she lied. But she couldn’t deny the truth any longer.

  She was falling in love with him.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ALAN SAT IMPATIENTLY in Dr. Milburn’s waiting room, resisting the urge to pace up and down the carpet. As before, he was the only male in the room. His gaze fell on a woman who had to be in the last stages of pregnancy. She looked enormous. And extremely uncomfortable.

  He tried to imagine Rowena growing that large and smiled at the image. It was hard to believe that in five short months, he could become a father.

  If nothing goes wrong.

  He glanced at his watch, wondering what was taking so long. Rowena had been strangely silent on their trip to Williamstown this morning, and he knew she was nervous. Dr. Milburn was going to perform some more tests to make certain the baby was out of danger.

  Alan wished he’d gone in the examination room with her. But when the nurse told him Rowena would be having an internal exam, he’d decided to give her some privacy and wait out here. A wait that was lasting forever.

  A man entered the office, his gaze scanning the room. Then he walked over and sat down by Alan. “Pretty crowded in here today.”

  “The doctor had a delivery earlier,” Alan replied, “so he’s running behind.”

  “As usual,” the man said, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. “This your first time?”

  “Yes. How about you?”

  The man shook his head. “Fourth. I’ve got three daughters. We’re having a boy this time. My wife’s gotten too big to fit behind the steering wheel of our car, so I came to pick her up.”

  “How do you know it’s a boy?” Alan asked.

  “Ultrasound.” The man unbuttoned his coat. “They’ve got a machine that can look inside the womb and take a picture of the baby. It all looks like a bunch of fuzz to me, but the technician can tell if it’s a boy or a girl.”

  Alan nodded, remembering that Dr. Milburn had asked if Rowena and Alan wanted to know the sex of the baby. At this point, he didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl, so long as it was healthy.

  “So are you going to be a coach?” the man asked.

  “Coach?” Alan echoed, thinking it was a little early to be planning Little League games even if he had already bought the baby a baseball.

  “A Lamaze coach,” the man explained. “To help your wife through labor and delivery.”

  Alan didn’t bother to correct the man. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything about it.”

  “Well, it’s an experience, let me tell you.” The man laughed. “My wife just about broke all the bones in my hand, she gripped it so hard. But it gets a little easier with each baby. Although my wife might not use the word easy.”

  Alan turned to him, intrigued. “So how do you know what to do?”

  “They have Lamaze classes couples can take where they teach the woman how to breathe and stuff. Tell you what you should pack to take to the hospital. You get to watch a childbirth film, too, that just about sends some men screaming out of the room. But it’s all worth it in the end.”

  Alan slowly nodded, wondering when they’d have to take these classes and how long they would last. He couldn’t stay in Cooper’s Corner much longer. Especially if he wanted a job waiting for him when he got back to Toronto. And what if Dr. Milburn didn’t give Rowena a clean bill of health? What if she needed him to take care of her until the baby was born?

  A nurse stepped into the waiting room. “Mr. Rand?”

  He looked up, startled from his thoughts. “Yes?”

  “Would you come with me, please?”

  Alan stood, trepidation filling him. He rounded the chair, stumbling slightly. The man next to him held out his hand.

  “Good luck, buddy,” he said.

  “Same to you,” Alan replied, shaking the man’s hand before following the nurse down the long hallway.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked,

  She smiled. “No, Rowena asked me to have you join her in Dr. Milburn’s office. He’s already examined her and will be in there soon for the consultation.”

  The nurse stopped in front of a door and swung it open. “Here we are.”

  “Thank you,” Alan said, before joining Rowena inside. She sat in one of the brown leather chairs opposite a massive mahogany desk.

  He took the seat next to her. “How are you?”

  “Fine,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “Dr. Milburn just wanted to wait for a couple of test results before he let me go.”

  The door to the office opened again, and Dr. Milburn stepped inside.

  “Sorry to keep you two waiting.”

  Alan rose to his feet and shook the doctor’s hand. “We’re anxious to hear about the tests.”

  “Of course.” Dr. Milburn rounded his desk and sat down. He pulled his bifocals out of the pocket of his lab coat. “Just let me take a look here.”

  Alan and Rowena exchanged nervous glances as Dr. Milburn studied the chart.

  At last the doctor looked at them. “I’m very pleased with your progress, Rowena. I think the danger period is finally over.”

  Alan breathed an audible sigh of relief. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

  “Rowena passed all the tests with flying colors,” Dr. Milburn announced. “And since you’ve reported no new contractions, I believe we can safely assume it was a one-time incident caused by the trauma of the car accident.”

  “I’m so glad,” Rowena replied. “I’ve been feeling pretty good for the most part.”

  Dr. Milburn studied her chart. “And gaining weight, too, I see. Good job.”

  “Anyone would gain weight with Alan offering food every five minutes,” she replied with a smile that warmed him from the inside out.

  “Well, I’m pleased to see he’s taking good care of you.”

  “So does this mean she’s off bed rest?” Alan asked the doctor.

  “Absolutely. You can resume your normal activities, Rowena, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

  “Maybe you should define normal activities, Doctor,” Alan said, “just so we’re both clear.”

  Dr. Milburn perched on a stool, then turned toward Rowena. “You can work, do light housework, travel, have sexual intercourse and just about anything else you want to do. No skiing or ice skating, though.” He grinned. “Those activities will just have to wait until next winter.”

  But Alan barely heard that last part. He was too focused on the two little words that Dr. Milburn had breezily added to the list of activities.

  Sexual intercourse.

  A clinical way of saying Alan was free to make love to Rowena. Something he’d dreamed about almost every night since moving in with her. And judging by the deep flush on her cheeks, it was something she was thinking about, too.

  “So I’ll see you in three weeks,” Dr. Milburn said, flipping the chart closed, “for your scheduled sonogram. Until then, I don’t anticipate any problems. But give me a call if you have any questions or concerns.”

  Rowena looked at Alan, obviously waiting for him to pepper the obstetrician with more questions. But he couldn’t think about anything at this moment except the possibility of making love to her.

  “Thank you, Doctor,” she said at last, slipping her purse over her shoulder. “I truly appreciate everything you’ve done.”

  “Glad to be of service,” he said, shaking Alan’s hand on his way out the door. “And happy Valentine�
��s Day.”

  Rowena turned to Alan once they were alone in the exam room. “Are you ready?”

  He blinked, momentarily disconcerted by her question. He’d been ready since that kiss they’d shared in her bed a week ago. “Sure. You wait right here while I go warm up the car.”

  “Didn’t you hear the doctor, Alan?” she teased, following him out of the office. “You don’t have to spoil me anymore. I’m perfectly fine.”

  “What if I like spoiling you?” he asked, taking her arm as they walked outside so she wouldn’t slip on the snowy sidewalk.

  She smiled. “Then I guess I’ll just have to suffer through it.”

  Neither one of them had talked about how long he’d stay with her. But he wasn’t going anywhere until this matter with Heller was put to rest. No doubt his office in Toronto was getting antsy for his return, but surprisingly, Alan didn’t miss his work at all. Maybe his boss had been right when he’d suggested Alan might be suffering from burnout.

  Rowena settled into the car, moving a little slower now that her pregnancy was becoming more apparent. He thought she’d never looked as beautiful.

  “Whoa,” she said, placing her hand on her stomach as he climbed into the driver’s seat beside her. “That was quite a kick.”

  “So the little one woke up,” Alan said, gently rubbing his palm over her rounded belly. It seemed like such a natural thing for him to do. “I think the baby’s trying to tell me something. Good thing I can decipher Morse code.”

  She arched a skeptical brow. “Morse code?”

  “We’ve got good father and baby communication.” He feigned intense concentration. “Let’s see...the first two letters were a B and an A. There’s an N, another A, another N and another A.”

  She laughed. “Banana?”

  “Now, wait a minute,” he replied. “The kid isn’t done. There’s an S and a P and an L....” He grinned at her. “I’ve got it. The baby wants a banana split.”

  “In February?” she asked, still laughing in spite of herself.

  “Hey, someone told me New Ashford has a great ice cream parlor that’s open all year long. Why don’t we stop there on the way home? Give the baby a treat?”