No Exchanges, No Returns

by Laurie Kellogg

He snitched a piece of pineapple and slung his arm around Brianna’s shoulder. “Assuming I don’t get called out for an emergency, I’m all yours for the rest of the day, Gorgeous. How can I help?”

  “Wait.” Casey held up her hand. “Before you do anything, you and Brianna need to open one of your Christmas presents.” She pulled a miniature wrapped box from her slacks’ pocket and handed it to Brianna.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until everyone exchanges gifts this afternoon?” David asked.

  “No. Brie needs to get this before everyone shows up.”

  Brianna couldn’t imagine what Casey had bought them. The tiny box couldn’t hold more than a small piece of jewelry, except her sister had said the gift was for David, too. If the maxim about good things coming in small packages held true, she couldn’t wait to see what it was.

  Her hands trembled as she tore the paper off the box and slowly opened it, revealing a beautiful pewter bird’s nest cradling three sparkling crystal eggs. Her breath hitched as she lifted her gaze to her sister’s tense face. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

  Casey nodded, wearing a tentative smile.

  David took the tiny bird’s nest and studied it. “It’s very pretty, but I don’t get the significance.”

  Okay, so maybe her sister had hit the nail on the proverbial head calling him Dr. Clueless earlier.

  “Remember I told you Casey offered to be my surrogate, but I didn’t want her to do it unless we use her eggs?”

  His eyes widened as he turned his awe-filled gaze to Casey. “Are you sure, Tinkerbelle? You’re willing to have my baby for Brianna?”

  “Yes?” Casey said softly, almost as a question. “That is....I’m willing as long I have permission to be a doting aunt and spoil my niece or nephew rotten.”

  “Hell, if you like, you can even name the baby.”

  “Really?” she chuckled. “What if I want to call her Hortense?”

  David laughed. “I have no worry about that, Tink. There hasn’t been a girl born on the male side of my family since the Civil War.

  “Well, there’s always Horatio.”

  “In that case, we’re only letting you choose the middle name. Seriously, I don’t know how we can ever thank you.” He turned to Brianna, pulling her into his arms. “Can you believe it, honey? Our baby’s gonna be part me and part you.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “You and Casey are sisters, so you share a lot of the same genes.”

  “Let’s hope the baby doesn’t get too many of mine.”

  “No, I’m hoping he gets lots of them. My parents are gonna do back flips.” He tipped her chin up and tenderly kissed her neck right beneath her ear, murmuring softly, “Wanna sneak upstairs and celebrate before our company gets here?”

  “Hull-O?” Casey waved at them. “I know you think I’m too far away to hear, but I assure you I can.”

  “Sorry,” David muttered.

  She yanked him away from Brianna and pointed toward the empty dining room. “Before you do any celebrating, pal, you’ve got a folding table and chairs to set up.”

  He executed a deep, elegant bow. “For the next year, my dear sister-in-law, your every wish is my command.”

  “Wow, my own personal slave. Apparently becoming my sister’s surrogate has perks I hadn’t considered.”

  Brianna’s throat tightened as she listened to their customary banter—banter that frequently degraded into petty squabbles over nothing. The only reason she’d even considered this surrogate scheme was because she’d never in a million years expected her sister to agree.

  There was no way she could turn down such a selfless, amazing gift—especially after witnessing David’s excitement.

  She hugged Casey, whispering, “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to us.”

  Evidently her twin might just be a saint after all. Now Brianna had one more reason to both love and hate her sister. Casey would be giving David the Christmas miracle she never could.

  Chapter 1

  The first Tuesday in March

  David Lambert pulled into his driveway and parked his Camry next to his sister-in-law’s Escort. As he climbed from his car, he did a double take at a stack of boxes and suitcases on the front porch.

  Was Casey moving into the guest room sooner than they’d planned?

  He opened the front door, and Brianna’s angry voice raced down the center hall to greet him. “I don’t expect you to understand, damn it! All I’m asking for is your forgiveness.”

  “This is so typical!” Casey yelled.

  What the hell was going on? The two of them never fought.

  “I don’t know why I expected anything else,” Casey continued. “Once again, you’ve made a mess and are leaving it for me to clean up. I can’t believe you’re doing this to him....and to me. You’re an absolute ass!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it! Don’t you think you should’ve decided this before you got me pregnant?”

  His stomach churned as he hurried to the back of the house and screeched to a halt, finding his wife toe-to-toe with Casey, both of them looking about as happy as the chief mourners in a funeral procession. He held out the two dozen roses he’d bought, trepidation tightening his throat. “What’s going on?”

  “Thank you.” Brianna accepted the bouquet without a trace of enthusiasm, and the furrow in her brow deepened. “I can’t believe you bought me flowers—today of all days.”

  “I sent some to Casey at her preschool, too. “He nodded to his sister-in-law. If anyone deserved roses, she did. Watching his baby’s first sonogram yesterday had been better than winning Pennsylvania’s Powerball.

  So then why did he now fear his lottery ticket might be counterfeit?

  Steeling himself, he jerked his head toward the front door and asked in a wary tone, “What’s with the suitcases and boxes? Is your sister moving in early?”

  “Yeah, right.” Casey snorted. “You try to talk to her. I’m outta here.” She snatched her purse off the end table and stomped down the hall, yelling, “When you come to your senses, Brie, call me!”

  As the front door slammed, Brianna tossed the bouquet on the sofa and closed her bright blue eyes. “Please don’t hate me, David.”

  “Hate you?” He stepped back to study her. The anxiety on her flawless face sent the acrid taste of dread welling up into his mouth. “Don’t be silly. I love you.”

  “You won’t in a minute.” She sucked in a shuddering breath and turned away, winding her long blond hair into a knot much like the one in his stomach. After several tense seconds, she finally spun her tall, model-slim body back toward him. “I’m sorry, but there’s no easy way to say this—so the faster, the better. I’m-filing-for-divorce.”

  He gripped the mantel over the stone fireplace and stared at her a moment, trying to make sense of her sudden turnabout. Only twenty-four hours ago, she’d been a happy mother-to-be. Or at least he’d thought so. Searching for words to articulate the thoughts tumbling in his head, he finally rasped, “Is this your sick idea of an early April Fool’s joke?”

  “No.” She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been living a lie ever since we met. Do you remember what you said after my sister introduced us?”

  As if he could ever forget the lame come-on he’d babbled. He’d nodded toward the sumptuous buffet, which he’d assumed she’d had a hand in since she was the party’s co-hostess, and said, Any woman who can cook like this is someone I want to know a lot better.

  “I let you believe I’d helped make all that food, and then, when I invited you to dinner,”—she paused to wipe her cheeks—“I talked my sister into cooking for us and passed the meal off as mine.”

  “You don’t think I’ve figured out you can’t fry an egg let alone fix veal saltimbocca? I don’t give a flying fig if you can cook. I was flirting with you. I would’ve agreed
to shave my head and tattoo your name on it if it would’ve guaranteed you’d go out with me.”

  “But I didn’t choose any of this, either.” She swept her hand around the family room. “Casey picked it all out. She’s the one with the artistic eye.”

  “Now she’s having my baby for you too, is that it?” He held Brianna by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I don’t care about any of that.”

  “Don’t you see? I’m not the woman you thought you married. I’m tired of pretending to be the perfect hostess and asking my sister to do everything behind the scenes. We’ve lived here five months, and the living and dining rooms are still completely empty.”

  “Then we’ll hire an interior designer. I’m not asking you to be anything you’re not. I didn’t fall in love with you because I thought you could cook or decorate our home.”

  “Why did you fall in love with me?”

  It was a fair question. He didn’t like to admit it, but he couldn’t deny that, if his wife hadn’t had the face and figure of a Victoria’s Secret model or a singing voice to rival Mariah Carey’s, he probably wouldn’t have been nearly as captivated. Although, it wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy her company and love her bubbly personality too.

  If he was completely honest, he’d have to admit he’d jumped into marriage so fast because he’d felt time slipping away. After spending all those years in school and establishing his practice, he’d been eager to settle down and finally give his parents the grandchildren they’d been waiting for. Only after he’d proposed, did Brianna tearfully admit she could never have children.

  Unlike a lot of his friends, David didn’t enjoy the whole singles scene, worrying about dates for the social events he had to attend. It certainly hadn’t hurt his ego to catch the eye of a woman every other man wanted. So, despite his disappointment in never having children of his own, he’d resigned himself to adopting.

  He’d tried to spare Brianna’s feelings by making light of their situation and joking about how much money they’d save on birth control. However, he’d never quite been able to erase the sadness she tried to hide

  “See?” She held her hand out. “You can’t even tell me what it is you love about me.”

  “I like being with you. Everyone does. You liven up every party. You sing like an angel. Why wouldn’t I love you?”

  “I’m sorry. Those aren’t good enough reasons. I’m flying to Nevada tomorrow. One of my college friends is letting me live with her for six weeks to establish residency so I can submit the papers. The divorce should be final by the beginning of June.”

  “Is there someone else?” He grabbed her wrist tighter than he meant to, causing her to wince. He immediately released her. “Is that what all your bedtime headaches have been about this past month?”

  Her back stiffened as she rubbed her wrist and glared at him. “I’ve never claimed to have a headache.”

  “Maybe not a headache, but you’ve had a dozen other excuses why you weren’t up to making love. So it only stands to reason there’s someone else, and that’s why you’re in such a damned hurry to be rid of me.”

  “I swear there’s no one else. We’ve been married such a short time, I want to make the split as fast and painless as possible.”

  As her vague explanation sunk in, his fury dissipated, leaving behind an emotional void. “Don’t you love me?” he whispered hoarsely, choking back the pain flooding the dark hole in his gut. “Did you ever?”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “Yes, but not the way I should. I’m sorry.”

  “So you’ve been faking it in bed?”

  “No! You’re a wonderful lover.” She buried her face in her hands. “But all we ever do together is have sex. We have nothing in common outside of the bedroom.”

  “So what? I love you.”

  “You only think you do. We’re just two people who share a house, have sex and sleep together—assuming you’re not working all night.”

  “Is that what this is about?” He peered at his wife’s face, hoping to find a crack in her resolve. “I can spend less time at the hospital.”

  “No-o. I want you to be appointed Chief of Pediatrics. It’s what you’ve been hoping for. Although, I don’t see why you want the extra work.” She swayed on her feet and lost her balance, making a soft landing on the overstuffed, steel-gray sofa behind her.

  “Are you okay?” He tilted her chin up, studying her pale complexion. For a second, she looked as if her mind was in another galaxy.

  “I’m just overtired, and my allergies are acting up. My swollen sinuses are probably affecting my middle ear.”

  “Could be.” He slid his hand to the side of her neck. “You don’t feel warm.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t be surprised if I’m coming down with something. I haven’t had much sleep the past week. Especially last night.”

  “No joke. For two people who don’t belong together, we certainly put some wear-and-tear on the sheets.” After nearly two weeks of cold showers, he’d been up half the night. Literally.

  “Like I said before, sex with you is phenomenal, but that’s all we’ve ever had between us.”

  He stared into her eyes, hoping to find some clue to what had brought about her metamorphosis. She couldn’t do this to him. “So what was that little performance last night supposed to be?” he asked, his anger mounting again. “Your fond farewell fuck?”

  Her head snapped up at the language he’d been taught to reserve for the locker room. “Maybe it was.” She jerked her gaze away. “Except, if you recall, I’m not the one who ripped my clothes off the second we got home from the doctor’s office.”

  “Shoot me for wanting to make love to my wife.” He’d thought after witnessing his baby growing inside her sister, Brianna might need a little reassurance as a woman.

  “Look, you have the right to be furious. I know my timing is terrible, but I’ve made up my mind. We’ll both be happier with more compatible partners. We need to end this before things go any further.”

  “I don’t want someone else, damn it! And what about Casey? As she pointed out earlier, don’t you think you should’ve decided this before we did the insemination?”

  “I wish I had realized this before, but I didn’t. You’ll never know how sorry I am that I let her talk me into this surrogacy.”

  “So now this is her fault?”

  Brianna stood and spread her arms. “Well, it wasn’t my idea. I always expected to adopt until Casey offered to be my surrogate.”

  When he’d first met his wife’s fraternal twin—a tiny preschool teacher who could never do enough for her family—she’d reminded him of a fairy who constantly swooped in with a loving smile instead of pixie dust and fixed everything. So when Tinkerbelle, as he’d affectionately dubbed her, proposed pinch-hitting for Brianna, he’d been reluctant to impose on her....for about thirty seconds.

  He might have had the gumption to refuse her generous offer if it hadn’t seemed like the answer to his prayers. He’d hoped, if he and Brianna had their own baby, maybe it would banish the sorrow in his wife’s eyes that suggested she felt as if she’d let him down. And perhaps he could stop feeling guilty his parents didn’t have the grandchildren his older brother James, no doubt, would’ve given them by now if he hadn’t been killed.

  “I was fine with adopting too,” he reminded her. “But my parents were disappointed, and everyone could see you felt deficient. I didn’t want you beating yourself up that way. I didn’t choose to go with the surrogacy for me.”

  “And I didn’t care how we had a family. It’s why I asked to use Casey’s eggs.”

  He plowed his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Evidently, they all shouldered some blame for this mess.

  “Maybe I was a little too eager to agree,” he admitted, “but you should’ve said something during the surrogacy counseling.” A lot of good that had done.

  “I know. There’re many things I should’ve done. At any rate, you’re mi
ssing the point,” Brianna continued. “Our divorce has nothing to do with the baby and everything to do with our future happiness. Pretending any longer will only add to my mistake.”

  “Maybe. But you can’t simply return our baby like some gift that doesn’t suit you. Even if you don’t want me, our child needs two parents.”

  “You mean your child.” She turned her face away.

  He spread his arms, bewildered. “Now you suddenly don’t want to be a mother, either?”

  “I’d love a houseful of kids. But I don’t want to get into a custody battle or become a single mom. This way Casey can raise her baby.” She shot a patronizing glare at him. “Or are you so blind you can’t see her pain?”

  He was very aware of the sacrifice Casey was making for them and what a difficult time she was having doing it. He didn’t know how he could ever repay her.

  “I know my sister wanted to do this for me. But from the time we were born, she’s paid the price for my health problems and gotten shoved to the back of the line. Didn’t you see the look on her face while we watched the ultrasound? It would be easier for her to cut off a body part than give up this baby.”

  He’d noticed. But a small, less-than-noble part of him had selfishly refused to acknowledge Casey’s understandable regret. “Can’t we at least try counseling?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I refuse to take my sister’s child from her.”

  “Then we’ll let Casey be the baby’s mom and share custody,” he suggested. “It’d be the same as if I had a child from a previous marriage.”

  “No. We’re not happy. I’m leaving now, before she has her baby.”

  “Don’t tell me I’m not happy, damn it!” he shouted, his anger rebounding.

  “Okay. I’m not happy.” Anguish twisted her beautiful face. “I’ve gotten reassigned to the Minneapolis sales region for a fresh start.”

  In other words, she was running away and leaving him and Casey to deal with it. “Please, Brianna, don’t be pigheaded. You can’t end our marriage without at least trying to make it work. Give us a chance.”

  “I’m really sorry,” she whispered for the umpteenth time.