Chapter Six
Latham pulled into the parking lot at the Women’s Medical Center. He’d give his favorite band saw to be anywhere but here. He hadn’t had a lot of girlfriends, hadn’t had that many dates, to be honest. Women were a mystery, and being here, in the middle of women’s land...well, it was awkward, no way around it.
There’d been very little talking on the thirty-minute drive. He found a parking place and parked, leaving his hands on the wheel. Neither he nor Wynn made any movement toward the door handle.
He cleared his throat. “So, are you excited?”
Her hands twisted in her lap. “Nervous and excited, I guess. I want everything to be okay.”
She still hadn’t moved to open the door. Her eyes skittered to his and away again.
Latham took the keys out of the ignition. “You ready?”
“This just makes it seem so real.” She whispered the words as she stared at the building.
Well, yeah. Okay, so he could admit it had to be weird...and weighty, growing a new life. He smiled at her and searched for the right words to reassure her. “You’re going to rock this. I’ve never seen an obstacle you couldn’t stare down, Wynn Sheehan. So let’s go.”
“I’m not one of your students. I don’t need a pep talk.” Wynn hadn’t taken her eyes off the door to the building.
He laughed at her words. “Oh, really? Then why don’t you stop acting like you need one?”
The barest hint of a smile curved one corner of her mouth. “I can do this.”
“You can do this.”
She drained her water bottle and got out of the car. He followed behind her as she walked through the door, signed in, filled out a million papers and, as she handed the clipboard over to the receptionist, her name was called.
“I’ll be right here.” He gestured around the waiting room, which was decorated like someone’s grandmother’s living room and filled with women who barely looked up from their phones.
He saw a brief wobble in her smile, but she nodded. “Okay.”
He walked to an empty chair and grabbed the magazine that looked the least likely to be embarrassing and tried not to worry. She was going to be fine.
But when he looked up, she’d stopped in the door, and for a second he thought she was going to chicken out. She said something to the nurse and then walked back to him. “You can come, if you want.”
If you want. Latham wasn’t at all sure he wanted to. What was beyond that door seemed foreign and mystical. But he nodded and followed her into the patient area, where a woman in scrubs waited.
“I’m Cass. I’ll be doing your ultrasound today, and if Dr. Reganza has time, she’ll pop her head in for a look, as well.” Cass showed them into a dim room with an examination table and a computer-looking machine and little else. He swallowed hard as he thought about Wynn lying on that table.
“So, Wynn, you’ll change into the gown here on the exam table and I’ll be right back.” Cass opened another door on the other side of the room and disappeared.
Latham stood staring at his shoes for a minute until he realized that Wynn was waiting on him so she could change.
“I’m sorry. Wow. I’ll, uh, just be out here.” He stepped into the hall, his face on fire. He’d definitely underestimated how awkward this was going to be.
He gave her a few minutes to change and then stepped inside the door as the technician came back in on the other side. She pointed at a chair on the other side of the exam table from where she would be sitting. “Dad, you can sit there.”
“He’s not the father,” Wynn said, too quickly.
Cass’s eyes didn’t move from the monitor as she typed. “Okay, got it.”
“He’s...”
Latham wasn’t sure what she was about to say...an old almost-boyfriend...my house renovator...on my brother’s pickup soccer team.
“...a friend and was kind enough to come with me today because I was nervous.”
Cass smiled and glanced at him. “That’s so nice.”
Latham realized at that point that Cass had probably seen all kinds of relationships walk through that door and, in the scheme of things, his relationship with Wynn wasn’t that weird. He settled back in the chair.
Cass pressed a small almost microphone-looking thing onto Wynn’s slightly rounded abdomen. “There are some measurements that I’ll be taking, so I’ll be moving the transducer around. It might be a little hard to see what we’re looking at, but I promise I’ve had lots of practice.”
She slid the wand thing around to the bottom of Wynn’s abdomen, and suddenly a whoosh-whoosh-whoosh filled the room. “Ah, there’s our strong heartbeat. Sounds perfect. One-forty.”
Latham’s own heart was in his throat. That sound wasn’t anything he’d expected to hear at this stage of pregnancy, but it was amazing. He couldn’t think anything but Thank You, Jesus, thank You.
Cass slid the transducer farther around and clicked a few buttons. “You’re measuring about sixteen weeks and three days.” She pointed to the screen. “That line is your baby’s femur.”
Wynn didn’t look at him, but her hand slid across the sheet and found his. He looked at their joined hands and thought I have made a terrible misjudgment.
He’d thought he could handle a simple trip to the doctor. He was a big boy, he’d gotten over his feelings for her a long time ago. But this—there was no preparing for this.
Cass made several more measurements and then said, “She’s cooperating this morning. This is her arm and hand and—” she moved the transducer in a slight circle “—there’s her little face.”
“She?” Tears instantly formed in Wynn’s eyes. “A little girl?”
Cass laughed. “Yep. Oh, look, she’s got her finger in her mouth.”
Wynn gasped and gripped his hand tighter, her eyes wide and shining, glued to the monitor. “Oh my goodness, she’s just so perfect. Look at her, Latham. She’s wiggling her fingers.”
The 3-D image seemed to materialize slightly slower than real time as the baby moved, and it was grainy, but there was her sweet little face. So clear.
His eyes hazed with tears. He could barely see. “She’s beautiful.”
“She is.” Wynn looked up. Her eyes were dark in the dim room, but they were shimmering with emotion. “She’s amazing. And I’m her mother.”
She stared at the screen as if trying to memorize the tiny features.
“I’m her mother,” she repeated.
Cass moved the transducer across Wynn’s belly one final time. “We’re done for today. Dr. Reganza must’ve gotten busy, but she’ll review this and let you know if she has any concerns. Otherwise, I’ll let them know at the front desk to set up an appointment for you in one month.”
Latham rubbed his thumb and fingers across his lashes, erasing any remaining sign of dampness, and cleared his throat. “I’ll just meet you back in the waiting room.”
He slipped out the door and into the waiting area, where he dropped into a chair, his mind reeling. At no time had he considered that seeing Wynn’s baby would rock his world the way it had.
His heart had been in his throat, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the tiny features. Wynn’s hand gripping his was the realest thing he’d ever felt.
Shell-shocked, he stared blankly at the window until he heard the door open from the patient area in the back. Wynn stopped at the reception desk, and the Wynn he knew was back, confident and in control.
Would that moment of vulnerability and the connection they’d made last? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that. Maybe he should take a step back, although he didn’t know how to do that since she was literally in his house every day.
She turned away from the desk and smiled at him. He’d already had to survive losing her once. Was he really prepared to do that again?
&nbs
p; * * *
Wynn sat in the sun on her sister-in-law Claire’s back porch and watched the kids play. She was supposed to be sketching, but honestly, she was mostly just letting her thoughts drift, her hand resting on her belly. Now that she knew she was having a healthy baby, she felt released to let herself dream a little.
She almost hadn’t dared believe that she was pregnant. Hadn’t wanted to believe it sometimes. She’d blown her life up with her actions. It would be easy to blame someone else, but she had to take responsibility for what she had done.
How gracious was God that she would be given the opportunity to be the mama of the baby girl growing inside her?
The sound of laughter drifted to her from where Pop was sitting at the picnic table helping Aleecya with her homework. Wynn laughed, too, as she saw Aleecya give Pop a high five.
Someone tapped at her shoulder. Seven-year-old Penny was trying to quit sucking her thumb and had a Band-Aid wrapped around it. She whispered to Wynn, “I want the grandpa to do my math with me.”
The grandpa. Wynn wondered if Penny had ever had a grandpa. If she had, she was certainly missing him now. “Why don’t you ask him if he’s feeling up to it?”
Big blue eyes opened wide, and she shook her head with a vehemence that sent her two ponytails bouncing. “Can you ask him? It’s double numbers and it’s really hard.”
“Sure. Come on.” Wynn stood and Penny slid her hand into Wynn’s larger one. Penny’s hand was small and soft and so trusting. Wynn swallowed hard. Before too long, her own daughter’s hand would be sliding into hers.
What would her daughter be like? Would she have white-blond hair like Wynn had as a child? Would she have the famous Sheehan blue eyes?
At the picnic table, Wynn sat beside Pop, her feet facing away from the table, his underneath it. She studied his face. He didn’t look tired. His blue eyes, sometimes so distant and hazy, didn’t look confused. They sparkled. “Hey, Pop, when you and Aleecya are finished, Penny here would like ‘the grandpa’ to give her some help with her math homework.”
He turned to Penny. “You would?”
She nodded, her thumb creeping to her mouth and back again when she remembered the Band-Aid.
His eyes met Wynn’s, and she could see the compassion there for a little girl who just needed a grandpa. He pretended to think about it. “My friends call me Pop. I’m pretty good at math. You have to be when you own a store.”
Her eyes widened. “You own a store? Does it have candy?”
He laughed. “It used to, when it was open.”
A frown creased his forehead, and Wynn had a moment of panic that he was going to slide away from them. “Pop, Penny is adding double numbers. It’s really hard.”
Aleecya slammed her book, and Pop looked up. “I’m done with mine. Thanks, Pop!”
She stopped in her stride toward the house to give Pop a quick squeeze around the neck. His eyes widened and then got suspiciously shiny. “You’re welcome, little missy. You’re very smart and you’ll catch on in no time.”
Aleecya beamed. “Will you be back tomorrow?”
Pop glanced at Wynn, who nodded and shrugged. “I can be.”
“Okay, see ya then!” The teen, who’d had precious little positive male influence in her life, skipped toward the house.
Pop bent his head over Penny’s math page. “Well, then. Let’s see about those double numbers.”
Wynn smiled and started back to her chair on the porch. She stopped short when she saw Latham standing there, his tool belt over his shoulder and an expression on his face like he’d been struck by lightning.
She walked closer, placing a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t seen him that happy in years. He’s been moving from one recliner to the other with his crossword.” His voice was a little shaky.
“It’s good to be outdoors. I’ll get him home shortly. As fun as the children are, they’re also exhausting.”
“When he’s like this, it almost makes me think he could be getting better. I know that’s probably impossible, but I want it so badly.” A fleeting smile crossed his face as he watched his Pop being so patient with sweet Penny.
He took a breath and squared his shoulders. “I’m headed to the cottage for an hour or two. Will you still be here?”
“No. I’ll take Pop home and get him some supper. You take your time. I mean, you know.” She laughed. He was working on her soon-to-be home and she was telling him to take his time.
He grinned and started toward the house. From behind her, a little boy yelled and ran toward Latham, who dropped his tool belt and took a few minutes to toss the football, even though he had work to do.
Wynn breathed a small sigh. Such kindness that was just ingrained in him. It came from his heart with barely a thought. It just was.
Claire opened the back door and stepped out onto the porch, a glass of sweet tea in her hand. “Mind if I sit with you for a minute?”
Wynn’s eyes opened wide. She jumped to her feet. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Pop and Penny for a sec? I’ve got to... There’s just something I’ve got to do.”
“Yeah, okay, sure.” The bewildered look on Claire’s face didn’t slow Wynn down.
She needed to talk to Latham right now.
* * *
Latham tossed his tool belt onto the island in the cottage, placed his palms flat on the cool granite surface and let his head drop. He was almost ready to call in his work crew to do the build-out, so he wanted to make sure there were no questions about the build that he didn’t know the answer to. But first he needed a minute—just a minute—to process. Pop seemed to come to life before his eyes. Wynn and the baby. Her baby.
The door slammed against the wall and Wynn stood in the opening, her hair a little wild, eyes a little wild, too.
He jerked upright. “What’s wrong? Is it Pop?”
“No. I just—I had to talk to you. I’ve let this go for so long. I thought it would make things less hard or less complicated or something. But instead I feel like there’s this huge wall between us, a wall that I built because of what I did ten years ago.”
His shoulders relaxed. Now she wanted to talk about this? “It’s fine. It’s over.”
She took two steps closer. “It’s not fine. I hurt you, and I’m so deeply sorry.”
“Wynn. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. Is that what you want to hear?” He was so tired that he forgot—didn’t have the bandwidth, really—to filter his thoughts.
“You deserve to know what really happened that night.”
“I was there, Wynn. I think I know what happened.”
On the night she graduated, while some kids had a bonfire by the river, they sat on a floating dock, their feet in the water, talking, dreaming. Moon shining on the water, music playing in the distance, magic.
When he kissed her it felt like the most perfect, most right thing in the world. All his life he’d told himself she was off-limits, but in that moment, he’d been willing to take on her brothers. Truth, he’d have taken on the whole football team if he had to if it meant he could be with her.
He looked in her eyes, and he could see the wonder and the emotion. She felt the same way.
One of her friends had called to her from the bonfire, and she’d obligingly gotten to her feet, laughing at some crazy antic. She’d looked back at him with regret, and he’d smiled at her. No worries, he’d said, we can talk tomorrow. We have all the time in the world.
The next day, he’d dropped by her house, palms sweaty, to see her, to face her brothers. Instead he found out she’d left. Not a word. No goodbye, no explanation. Just gone.
He looked away, staring beyond her at the spring-fed pond. The surface was just turning pink as the sun began to set, ripples spreading as a frog jumped into the water. She put her hand on his arm, a
nd he took a deep breath. “What can you possibly say now that will make a difference? We’re fine. I got over this a long time ago.”
“I was so in love with you. I had been for years, all of high school at least. When you kissed me that night, I could see it all unfolding—dating each other through college, then a wedding, a house, a couple of kids. And I didn’t just see it—I wanted it.”
“It was just a kiss, Wynn.” Frustration had his shoulders edging up again.
“It wasn’t. Not to me. That kiss scared the daylights out of me because for longer than I’d been wanting you, I’d dreamed of getting out of Red Hill Springs and making a difference in the world. I had no idea what that even meant, I just knew I had to do it.”
He shrugged, honestly not seeing the connection. “Okay.”
“If you’d asked me to stay, I would have. I would have thrown away a scholarship to Columbia for a full ride to the University of South Alabama. I would’ve spent my summers with you at the creek and Christmas holidays snuggled by the fire at my parents’ house. And I would’ve loved it.” Emotion twisted her face as she battled to keep it under control. “But I would’ve known that somewhere out there, an opportunity had been there waiting and I’d missed it.”
Tears brimmed in her eyes, and he wondered how they could just hang there. He looked away. He didn’t want to hear this.
“So I left. I packed a bag and went to stay with my great-aunt in Upstate New York for the summer and started at Columbia in the fall. And I tried to put you and what we could’ve had out of my mind. I tried to forget you.”
He’d never felt more forgettable in his life. Here he was dressed in his work boots and jeans, a flannel over his favorite ragged-out T-shirt. He spread his work-rough hands wide. “I think you accomplished that. I didn’t hear from you or see you until I walked into the Hilltop a few weeks ago.”
Wynn shook her head. “No, I didn’t accomplish it. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I didn’t see you when I was home because I knew what I did to you was wrong.”
He took a deep breath. “Okay, so you’ve apologized. It was just a kiss, Wynn. I wasn’t planning white-picket fences and two-point-five kids.”
Their Secret Baby Bond Page 6