by Amy Clipston
Vera gasped. “Someone stole your things?”
Mia nodded. “They took our portable crib, baby seat, and baby swing.”
“Ach, that’s terrible.”
The door opened and closed and they turned to see Chace with Isaac, Adam, and Joel, all dripping wet.
“That’s everything.” Chace shucked his soaked sweatshirt. His damp hair was sticking up in all directions. When he pushed his hand through it, it continued to stand up, making him look younger, closer to eighteen than twenty-four. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Isaac,” Vera said. “Is that boppli portable crib of your sister’s still in our attic?”
Mia raised her eyebrows with surprise. Was Vera offering her baby supplies along with food? This family seemed too good to be true.
Isaac rubbed his bearded chin and shrugged. “It should be. She asked us to keep all her boppli supplies up there for her.”
“Adam, Joel,” Vera began, “please go up into the attic and bring down the portable crib.” Then she turned to Mia. “We’ll bring you the crib that’s up there tomorrow.”
“Vera, you don’t need to do that.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not doing anyone any gut up in our attic, is it?” Vera challenged before turning back to her sons. “Hurry over there so you can get to bed. You have to be up early for school tomorrow.”
Adam and Joel grabbed their lanterns and rushed out the door.
“Thank you.” Mia looked over at Chace to see his reaction to Vera’s generosity, but he was leaning over Kaitlyn as Rhoda held her. He whispered to her and tickled her chin, and she gurgled as she smiled up at him. Mia’s heart warmed at the sight. She relished watching Chace interact with their daughter.
“I made the bed and put the towels in the bathroom,” Susannah said as she reentered the family room. “Do you have a quilt or blanket? The bedroom is pretty cold.” She rubbed her arms over the sleeves of her green dress.
Chace stood, breaking free from the trance of staring at his baby. “Yeah, we have a couple of blankets.” He studied the sea of black trash bags. “They’re in one of these.”
“I’ll help you find them.” Mia joined him by the pile of bags and suitcases containing everything they owned in the world. She met his intense stare, and her heart pounded. Was he still angry with her for her negative comments about the cabin? Did he truly believe she would be willing to live only in a home with the luxury of the Hilton?
When a smile turned up the corner of his lips, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. They were still a team, still a family, despite all the hardship they’d endured since Mia had learned she was pregnant.
“I think the blankets are in this one.” Chace ripped open a bag, revealing a threadbare, blue-plaid comforter he had owned since before he and Mia met. “Here’s this.” He pulled it out and handed it to Mia before digging deeper in the bag. “And there’s a blanket too. And here’s one of Katie’s blankets.”
“I’ll take them to the bedroom.” Vera held out her hands. “Susannah and I will finish making the bed for you.”
“Thank you.” Mia handed off the blankets. Then she helped Chace search through a few more bags until they found two more blankets for Katie.
Soon Adam and Joel returned with the portable crib. Chace set it up in the bedroom as Mia and Vera located sheets for it.
“Thank you for everything,” Mia told the Allgyer family as they stood by the front door to leave. “I can’t thank you enough for your help and generosity.”
Vera squeezed Mia’s hand. “We’re happy to help you. I’ll send my boys over early tomorrow morning with that basket of food for you.”
“I’ll drive you to work tomorrow,” Chace told Isaac. “That way you don’t have to pay for a driver. I want to do something to thank you for the affordable rent.”
“I don’t expect a ride for free.” Isaac shook Chace’s hand.
Chace grinned. “Let’s argue about it in the morning, all right?”
“That sounds gut.” Isaac turned to Mia. “Gut night.”
“Good night, Isaac. Thank you again.”
As the family filed out through the front door, Rhoda and Susannah gave Mia a little wave. Then the door shut behind them.
Chace locked the door and turned off the propane lamp by the wing chair.
“I’m going to feed Katie and put her to bed.” Mia slipped into the bedroom and breastfed Katie before putting her down. Then she returned to the family room. “Katie went right to sleep when I put her in the portable crib. I put her warmest pajamas on her and covered her with a few blankets.”
“That’s good.” Chace opened another trash bag and rifled through its contents before moving on to another. “I think my clothes are in here somewhere.”
Mia took in their pile of possessions and the stark cabin. She hugged her arms to her middle, shivering once more in the cold. Would the cabin ever warm up?
Suddenly, a memory hit Mia, nearly knocking her off balance. It was last February, and Mia sat in her parents’ family room, surrounded by their expensive furniture and her mother’s vast collection of priceless paintings and prized figurines. A roaring fire in the brick fireplace warmed her body under the pink cashmere sweater Mom had given her for her birthday a month earlier.
Mia’s hands shook and her stomach pitched. “I have something to tell you.” Her voice trembled with anxiety.
“What is it, dear?” Mom’s perfectly manicured, dark eyebrows careened toward her hairline.
“I’m pregnant.” Mia’s voice sounded strange to her—small and unsure, like a child’s.
“What?” Mom’s voice pitched higher than usual. “You’re pregnant? How could you let this happen? I thought you were smarter than that.”
“It wasn’t planned, but Chace loves me, and I love him. I’m going to drop out of school and marry him.”
Her parents studied her as their eyes widened. Her words seemed to hang in the air as the ticking of the antique mantel clock and the intermittent pop and hiss of the fire were the only noises echoing throughout the large room. Mia held her breath, awaiting her mother’s response. Her father, she knew, would let his wife speak for both of them. He always had. She folded her shaking hands in her lap.
“Mia, you can’t possibly be serious. You’ll be a horrible mother.” Mom’s face twisted into a deep scowl. “You’re too young to even consider becoming a mother. You have no idea what it takes to raise a child.”
“I’ll learn.” Mia sat a little taller in the chair. “I’ll work hard and be the best mother I can be.”
Mom clicked her tongue. “You have your entire future ahead of you. You don’t need an unplanned pregnancy to ruin your life.”
“Ruin my life? How can a child ruin my life? I’ve thought long and hard about this, and I want this baby. This child is a part of both Chace and me, and we’re in love.”
“You believe you’re in love, but life isn’t that simple. You think you want this baby, but you haven’t truly weighed all the consequences of having a child at a young age. This doesn’t just affect you, Mia. It will reflect on our entire family.”
Mom’s expression hardened. “Can you imagine the scandal when our friends at church and the club find out you’re pregnant? It will ruin our family’s name. I can’t believe you let this happen. I’m very disappointed in you.”
“It was an accident, but I’m going to make things right.” Mia hated the quaver in her voice. She was stronger than this. “I’m going to have this baby.”
“Now, wait a minute.” Mom wagged her finger at Mia as if she were a petulant child. “There’s only one way to make this right.” She shifted on her chair and crossed one long leg over her opposite knee. “You should live with your aunt Briana in San Diego until after the baby is born. Then you can give it up for adoption. No one will ever know of your mistake. Then you can go back to college and get on with your life like it never happened, and you’ll be much hap
pier.”
“You want me to just give up my child?” Mia gasped and turned to her father. Surely, he would understand.
Dad nodded. “Sweetie, your mom is right. Don’t let an unplanned pregnancy ruin your good name or your future.”
“All your friends from high school are getting their degrees and heading toward a bright future,” Mom chimed in. “Don’t you want to be like them? I’m certain they won’t want to associate with you when they find out you’re pregnant out of wedlock.”
A surge of fury mixed with confidence bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her. “I’m going to marry Chace and have this baby with or without your blessing.”
Mia didn’t want to think about the rest of their conversation that day. She had stuck to her decision and marched out of her parents’ house without their blessing or approval.
But now, as Mia stood in the middle of the cold cabin, her mother’s hurtful words echoed through her mind. Was Mom right? Maybe I’m not capable of being a good mother.
Without warning, a sob escaped from Mia’s throat. She covered her face with her hands as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Strong arms encircled her as Chace pulled her to his muscular chest. She inhaled the comforting scent of his spicy aftershave as she buried her face in his collarbone. She relaxed against him, pulling strength from the sound of his heartbeat.
“Everything is going to be fine, Mee,” he whispered into her hair before kissing the top of her head. “I promise I’ll take care of us. This is temporary. As soon as we pay off all the hospital bills and save up some money, I’ll build us a house. Does that sound good?” He placed his fingertip under her chin and angled her face so she looked up into his eyes.
“Yeah.”
He wiped away her tears with his fingers and then smiled before kissing her. As Chace pulled her close for another hug, Mia closed her eyes and prayed she and Chace could give Kaitlyn everything she needed.
CHAPTER TWO
ANGUISH COVERED CHACE LIKE A LEAD BLANKET AS HE folded one arm behind his head and stared up at the bedroom ceiling through the dark. Mia’s stricken expression after Isaac and his family left the cabin filled Chace’s mind. Each tear that slipped down her pink cheeks had chipped away at his heart. He was grateful he was able to calm her down and convince her to go to bed since they both were exhausted after the stressful day they had endured.
All Chace wanted was to be the husband she deserved and the father Kaitlyn needed, but no matter how hard he worked, the rug had been repeatedly yanked out from under him. He had been mortified when he received the Notice to Quit, but he was certain he could find a way to get a loan to pay the past-due rent and keep their apartment. He had tried to explain their situation to the landlord and convince Mr. Newman to give them an extension, but Mr. Newman insisted he was forced to evict them. Chace had hoped to find them a place to go before today’s deadline, but there weren’t any decent apartments in their price range. Also, the medical bills they had incurred with Kaitlyn’s birth had destroyed their chances of finding a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood.
Mia sighed in her sleep beside him and nestled deeper under the pile of blankets. Chace touched the long, thick, dark-brown hair fanning over her pillow. He smiled as the moment he’d first seen her two years ago took over his thoughts.
Chace hadn’t wanted to go to the party since he wasn’t a student at the college where it was held, but his coworker at the construction company had insisted he go. He felt out of place surrounded by young people who were getting an education and would ultimately make something of themselves—unlike Chace, who had ricocheted from foster home to foster home and barely managed to graduate from high school. While his friend flirted with a sorority girl, Chace leaned against a far wall and sipped a can of soda.
But everything changed when Chace spotted Mia across the crowded room. It had been love at first sight, just like one of those sappy movies Mia loved to watch. She was breathtakingly dressed in a short black skirt and an emerald green sweater. When her milk-chocolate eyes met his gaze, he was certain she’d dismiss him with a haughty glare, but she didn’t. Instead, she smiled and raised her diet soda can in a silent toast. He mustered all his confidence and crossed the room to ask her name. They spent the rest of the evening talking in a quiet corner, and she allowed him to call her the next day. They’d been inseparable ever since.
A quiet snore sounded from the portable crib next to his side of the bed. Chace leaned over and smiled. How he adored his baby girl. Kaitlyn was the greatest blessing in his life, his greatest accomplishment. He often felt the urge to pinch himself to make certain he hadn’t dreamed his family.
When his thoughts turned to Mia’s parents, Chace’s shoulders tightened. Why didn’t they want to meet their only grandchild? How could they so easily throw away their only child and her baby? Guilt filled him as he recalled the biting remark he’d made to Mia earlier, accusing her of wanting to live at the Hilton. That was a low blow since Mia was nothing like her elitist parents, but sometimes his insecurities got the best of him. He had to work harder at curbing his temper. His job was to cherish Mia, not cut her down.
Chace moved under the blankets and shifted closer to Mia, his leg resting against hers. Closing his eyes, he listened to the soft sound of his wife’s breathing until sleep found him.
Mia woke at the sound of Kaitlyn’s first whimper. She glanced at the battery-operated clock on the nightstand. It was six thirty. Since Chace had fifteen minutes more to sleep, she gingerly climbed from the bed, shivering as she pulled on her pink terry-cloth robe and pushed her socked feet into slippers. She tiptoed around the bed and lifted Kaitlyn from the portable crib, holding her close to her body for warmth. Did this little cabin have any insulation at all? She scooped up one of the blankets from the portable crib.
Standing in the doorway, Mia peered over at her husband, snuggled under the blankets as he snored into his pillow. Even with spittle at the corner of his mouth, Chace O’Conner remained the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She grinned as she pulled the door closed.
“Did you sleep well, sweet pea?” Mia carried her baby to the sofa.
Kaitlyn gurgled a response as Mia began to change her diaper. When she was done, she lifted her daughter into her arms.
She balanced Kaitlyn on her hip before heading to the kitchen. She glanced at the coal stove, trying in vain to remember Vera’s instructions for adding more coal to increase the heat in the house. She had no business touching the stove.
Then she turned toward the cookstove and examined it, wondering how she’d ever figure it out so she could cook for Chace. She bit her lip as confusion settled over her. She’d cooked easy meals and warmed bottles with the help of a pot of water when they lived in their apartment, but the stove there had been electric. What if she made a mistake when she tried to light the burner?
Visions of an exploding stove filled her mind as Kaitlyn’s whine transformed into a steady cry. Mia examined the knobs and dials on the stove for a moment longer, but her lack of confidence in her domestic skills won out over her determination. She would figure out how to work the stove later. Right now, she needed to worry about feeding her baby.
She returned to the sofa, covered Kaitlyn with the blanket for warmth, and began to breastfeed her.
A short while later Mia supported Kaitlyn on her shoulder and rubbed her back in an attempt to burp her. The bedroom door opened with a whoosh, revealing Chace clad in worn navy blue sweatpants and a faded, long-sleeved T-shirt featuring a muscle car. Clean clothes were draped over his arm, and he yawned and rubbed his eyes as he crossed the small space to the sofa.
“How are my two favorite girls this morning?” He planted a soft kiss on Mia’s lips before kissing Kaitlyn’s shock of blond hair.
“We’re fine, Daddy,” Mia simpered. “How are you, sleepyhead?”
He shrugged, but she observed dark circles under his eyes as he gave her a crooked grin. “I slept okay.” He jammed a t
humb toward the kitchen. “Did you see if the stove needed more coal?”
Mia continued to caress Kaitlyn’s back. “I didn’t feel comfortable touching it. I couldn’t remember exactly what Vera told me about adding coal.”
“I’ll take a look.” Chace touched Kaitlyn’s back, and she responded with a loud belch. “That’s my girl.” He snickered as he walked toward the kitchen. He reappeared a few moments later, rubbing his hands together. “I added some coal. Maybe we’ll finally get some heat in here. I’m going to shower.”
Mia resumed feeding Kaitlyn, and just as she had finished burping her, a knock sounded on the front door. She covered Kaitlyn with the blanket again and walked to the door. Peering out the glass, she saw Adam and Joel standing on the steps.
Mia unlocked the door and opened it. “Good morning.”
“Hi. Our mamm asked us to bring these to you.” Adam held up a basket. “I can set this on the counter for you if you’d like.”
“She also said she thought you could use this.” Joel held up a baby seat. “We cleaned it up for you.”
Mia beamed. A baby seat! This is just what she needed since someone had taken their baby seat from the truck.
Adam put the basket on the counter as Joel put the seat on the kitchen table.
“Please tell your mother I said thank you so much. I’ll try to stop by to see her later,” Mia told the boys before they left.
After securing Kaitlyn in the seat and giving her a pacifier, Mia investigated the basket and found a homemade coffee cake and butter tucked inside. Tears stung her eyes.
Mia was setting two plates with coffee cake on the table when Chace reappeared wearing jeans and a gray Henley shirt. His hair was damp, and his chin was clean-shaven. He was adorable.
“Wow.” He approached the table. “Is that homemade?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Joel and Adam brought it and the butter, along with this seat.” Mia touched the seat as Kaitlyn gazed up at Chace. “I think the Allgyers are our guardian angels.”