by Jamie Beck
Colby and Gentry exchanged an inscrutable glance that ended with Gentry’s apprehensive shrug.
“Something’s wrong,” Sara said, disappointed by their lack of enthusiasm. “Are you mad at me for avoiding your calls?”
“No! We’re not upset with you,” Colby promised, casting another fretful look at her sister. “Not at all.”
Colby’s forced smile and stiff body suggested otherwise.
Sara tossed her purse on an empty chair. “Spill it, then. Something’s obviously going on. I’ve never seen you both so tongue-tied, especially you.” Sara nudged Gentry’s foot. “Is it Hunter? Is he bullying you about your shares or something? No matter what, you’re entitled to vote how you see fit.”
If either sister thought Sara’s remark was disloyal to Hunter, neither one said anything. In her own mind, stating the truth wasn’t disloyal or wrong. “Wrong” was a female body denied the basic ability to reproduce.
“No.” Colby gestured to the chair where Sara’s purse rested. “Maybe you should sit for a minute.”
Sara lowered herself onto the chair, trying and failing to read the wordless messages being passed between the two sisters, which were exactly like the kind she and Mimi might telegraph in some silent choreography of a dreaded conversation. A flush rose up her body. “This weirdness is scaring me now. Please just tell me what’s going on.”
Colby sank back onto her chair and exchanged another look—the resigned “We’ve got no choice” kind—with her sister.
Gentry sighed, then tucked her chin. She stared at her clasped hands as if fascinated by the way her thumbs were rolling over each other. Without realizing it, Sara had begun tapping her foot. That seemed to spur Gentry to talk. “Remember my escapade with ‘Smith’?”
Sara frowned, leg stilled, thinking back. “The Napa fling?”
Sara had kept Gentry’s secret fling to herself, partly because she worried about how the family would react. Colby didn’t appear to be taking the news well.
“Bingo.” Gentry shifted in her chair, her gaze still falling everywhere except on Sara’s face.
Sara leaned forward, looking at Colby. “I wasn’t any happier than you when I learned about it. It wasn’t a safe choice, but it isn’t the end of the world. Nothing bad happened, thank God.”
Gentry cleared her throat, her legs now crossed, one foot twitching. “Actually, something bad did happen.”
“Oh?” Sara sat upright, curiosity piqued. If Smith did something to hurt Gentry, Hunter would go ballistic. He’d be unhappy about Sara keeping it a secret, too. “Did he contact you? Please tell me he didn’t post photos!” When Gentry shook her head, Sara timidly asked, “An STD?”
“No STD! Jeez, chill. And he can’t contact me, remember? We never exchanged names or phone numbers. I don’t remember him taking any photos, but even if he had them, he couldn’t tag me.” She grimaced then, wrinkling her nose. “Guess I’ll never know about that one.”
Colby let loose an exasperated sigh, causing Gentry to lift her chin. That was the only sign of “normal” Gentry behavior Sara had witnessed so far.
“So what happened?” Sara asked, her body now strung tight in anticipation.
Mixed emotions washed over Gentry’s face while her boot-clad foot continued its spastic wiggling. Her sister-in-law still wouldn’t meet her gaze. As scenarios started running through Sara’s mind, one in particular finally dawned. She shook her head to clear the waking nightmare. The words wouldn’t come, either, as if her silence could make it untrue. The tense moment stretched out, ending with her whisper. “You’re pregnant.”
Gentry nodded and reached for Sara’s hand. Without thinking, Sara flinched, bolting from her chair and bending at the waist. The shock of this news—so unexpected and unfair—struck her system like the sharp nerve pain of biting down on a bad tooth. Her sanity might very well be whisked away, too.
Colby approached her and rubbed her back. “Sit before you pass out, Sara.”
Mutely, she obeyed, closing her eyes, hoping for darkness to hide her ugly thoughts. Jealousy washed over her in bitter-cold waves, drowning her until her mother’s voice cut through the noise in her head, telling her to find the grace to be a good sport. She managed to choke out “Congratulations.”
“Whoa! Let’s not pretend this is something to celebrate.” Gentry stretched out in her chair, one hand on her abdomen. “I don’t want to be anyone’s mother. Not now, maybe not ever.”
Colby bugged her eyes at her sister for the insensitive remark. Sara bit her tongue. She would not cause a rift today. Gentry had never learned to think before speaking, but she also never meant to hurt most people. Breathe.
Gentry then dropped another whopper. “My mom wants me to terminate the pregnancy.”
“What?” Sara blinked rapidly. The windowless room seemed impossibly bright, like a spotlight had been pointed in her direction. “Gentry, please don’t do that. Not when so many women would trade places with you in an instant. If you don’t want to raise the baby, there are other options. I know I have no right to tell you what to do, but please. Please think about that before you make any decisions.”
“I have thought about it, actually. That’s why I came to talk to Colby.” Gentry finally looked Sara in the eye. “I wanted her opinion about the idea I got after leaving my dad’s office. That’s what we were discussing when you walked in.”
Suddenly Sara wanted to be any place else. At home alone now sounded perfect. “I’ll leave so you two can finish that discussion.”
“No, don’t. This involves you.” Gentry took a deep breath.
“Me?” Sara glanced at Colby, who’d never looked less certain about anything in her life.
“Yep. I’d planned to come see you and Hunter together, but since you’re here, I’ll just ask you. Would you and Hunter want to adopt this baby?”
Sara didn’t know what she’d expected Gentry to say, but that wasn’t it. She felt the weight of their gazes but couldn’t speak. Adoption wasn’t something she and Hunter had discussed in great detail, because he’d always been convinced they’d get pregnant. He’d reluctantly gone along with the foster care certification, but only to satisfy her. She’d no doubt he’d believed, all along, that they’d have their own kids, and then she’d be too busy to take on others.
Now that he’d been proven wrong, would he agree to this? If so, was Gentry’s offer worth considering?
She stood and paced, her body warm and sticky from the stagnant air. “What about the father? Can you give up the baby without him signing away his rights?”
Gentry snickered. “Trust me, Smith isn’t looking to become a daddy. And I told you I have no idea where to find him.”
That still shocked Sara. So much so she stopped moving. What if Gentry was wrong? What if Smith resurfaced and objected? Sara couldn’t take another loss. Yet the idea of being handed a baby in several months made her heart heat with hope. Was she crazy to think it might work?
“You’re very quiet,” Sara said to Colby. “You have reservations?”
Colby calmly repositioned the crystal vase on her desk and straightened her pile of mail, carefully avoiding eye contact. “It’s not my decision.”
Typical Colby. Like her brother, she could detach and rely on logic when most others slogged around an emotional tidal pool. Unlike her brother, however, she didn’t bombard others with her judgments or try to control the outcome.
“I’d still like to hear your opinion,” Sara said.
“Like I told Gentry, this is something you, Hunter, and she need to discuss. My opinions, whatever they may be, aren’t relevant.” She leaned forward. “Whatever you all decide, I’ll support you. If you three choose to proceed, I’ll call my old firm and find the right lawyer to paper this.”
“Lawyer?” Gentry rolled her eyes. “We’re family. We don’t need lawyers.”
“Gentry . . .” Colby began, then clamped her mouth shut. “Actually, this conversation can wait. Before anyt
hing happens, Hunter and Sara have to agree.”
Colby’s suggestion reinforced the ramifications of this decision. Sara did need to speak with Hunter and consider all the potential pitfalls. Even so, the mere idea of having a newborn to mother in only two hundred or so days glittered like the lake on a sunny day. After years of trying and failing, that wait would pass like no time at all.
She envisioned turning the guest room closest to the master into a nursery, imagining the two a.m. feedings, where she’d cradle the infant in her lap and stare through the window in wondrous silence at the stars. Then she reminded herself that Gentry hadn’t always been reliable, Smith was a wild card, and Hunter would have concerns. Many concerns.
Sara’s phone rang.
“Speak of the devil.” She held it up. “Hi, Hunter.”
“Babe, are you still at the Angel House?” Trepidation colored his voice.
“No. Why?” Both of her sisters-in-law were staring at her, making her self-conscious.
He paused before answering. “I’d like to have lunch with you and talk. I’m at the house. Can you come home?”
Sara frowned. He was home in the middle of the day? She must’ve seriously worried him with her behavior these past several days.
She looked at Gentry for a long moment and made an impulsive decision. “Actually, that’s perfect. I want to talk about something, too. I’ll be there soon.”
Sara stuffed the phone in her purse. “Gentry, if you don’t have other plans, maybe the three of us could discuss this now.”
“I might not ambush him this way,” Colby cautioned.
“It’s not an ambush,” Sara insisted. “It’s a discussion. Nothing is decided, but it makes sense for the three of us to talk about it together. What’s the point of delaying? Let’s start the discussion. Unless, of course, you have someplace to be.”
“I don’t want to go back to CTC today. One go-round with my parents is enough for now.”
Gentry backing down from confrontation? The pregnancy had clearly rocked her.
“Hunter’s actually at home. He must’ve come by to check on me. You won’t have to see your dad or Jenna until you go home later.”
“I really don’t need a lecture from Hunter, either.” Gentry actually looked a tad green sitting there gripping her stomach like she might barf. Sara supposed the prospect of Hunter’s disapproval could be daunting. “Why don’t you break it to him?”
“It’ll be better if we all hash it out together. He’ll be too floored to lecture. That might come later, or not at all.” Not knowing where the conversation would lead seemed to intensify the sense of urgency building inside. “Come with me, please.”
“Fine.” Gentry stood and crossed to Colby. “Give me a hug in case I don’t survive Hunter’s death stare.”
Colby snickered. “It can be quite lethal.”
They were right, but Sara was willing to brave it for a chance to be a mother instead of an aunt. Her limbs hummed with energy as the idea of adopting Gentry’s child blossomed like a field of sunflowers.
Before she realized it, tears had filled her eyes. She gathered Gentry into a tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you for this generous, beautiful gift you’re willing to give to your brother and me. Whatever happens, know that I’m honored.”
Gentry, who’d never embraced shows of affection, eased away, hiding her face. “You’re welcome.”
“Sara,” Colby said.
“Hmm?”
Colby pressed her lips together for a second, as if taking measure of her words before speaking. “You sound decided, but remember, this decision isn’t yours alone.”
Chapter Nine
Hunter sat on the sofa, head bowed, hiding his expression from his sister and wife. Of all the ill-conceived ideas Gentry had suggested throughout the years, surely this was the biggest whopper of all.
He would’ve dismissed it outright had it not been for the hopeful look on Sara’s face. Even now, she sat poised at the edge of the sofa, looking like a kid waiting for her turn on Santa’s lap. As usual, he’d have to play the grinch, shoveling a dose of reality on this naive plan.
“Gentry, I appreciate the love and trust behind this offer. It means so much to Sara and me that you’d choose us as your baby’s parents.” He cleared his throat, loosening the tightness caused by the sentiment. Beautiful gestures aside, he needed time to adjust to his sister’s pregnancy, let alone consider this crazy adoption proposal. “But I’m not sure you’ve considered the problems with this arrangement.”
“What problems?” Gentry asked.
“For starters, what about the baby’s father? He might want some say.” Hunter kept his focus on his sister, although peripherally he became aware of Sara’s gaze boring into him.
Gentry laughed. “Not in a million years.”
How she found humor in that, he surely had no idea.
Sara set her hand on Gentry’s arm. “Of course that’s a worry. Maybe we could hire an investigator to find him?”
“No way!” Gentry protested. “Aside from being a monumental waste of time, it’d be humiliating.”
“You really don’t know anything about him other than a nickname and what he looks like?” Hunter scowled. Could the guy assert rights when he didn’t even know Gentry’s name? And what of the child? Didn’t he or she have the right to know his or her father? The facts leading to this present circumstance raised so many questions he didn’t know where to begin. “Setting ‘Smith’ aside, this idea is loaded with other complexities we wouldn’t face in a typical adoption.”
“Complexities?” Gentry teasingly mocked him with a snobby pronunciation, then turned her palms out in question. “How so? It’ll be easier, faster, and cheaper. Usually you like efficiency.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the gravity of this discussion. He did prefer efficiency, but he also needed logic and good judgment to be part of the equation. Control over the possible outcomes and a known—or at least highly predictable—result. This idea lacked those important foundations.
He stalled for time by rubbing his forehead and looking at the ground. The weight of Sara’s disappointment in his reluctance settled on his shoulders like a yoke. “Gentry, how long have you known of your . . . situation?”
“I had a light bulb moment at my birthday dinner, then took a couple of at-home pregnancy tests. I didn’t want to announce it the same day that you and Sara got bad news. Plus I needed time to figure out how to tell Dad.”
“So you’ve known for less than a week.” He shot Sara a wide-eyed look before returning his attention to his sister. “Not much time to sort through your feelings and consider all your options. Are you ready to carry this baby to term and then give it up?”
“Unless you and your genius friends know of a way to shorten gestation,” she joked.
He ignored her sassy attitude, determined to make her get real about what she was offering. The toll it would take on her body. The changes it would force in her lifestyle. “Nine months without drinking or smoking or sex with strangers like Smith, who could be dangerous or a disease carrier, by the way. Sara has a whole list of dietary restrictions written out somewhere, and so much more. Not exactly the kind of lifestyle you’re used to. And that doesn’t even get into the maternal attachment that will form during the pregnancy.”
Sara’s expression turned gloomy. Although he was relieved to see her brain finally kicking in, he was sorry to see the light in her eyes dim. “Hunter’s right. You might get attached and change your mind.”
“I’ll hardly get attached to something that’s making me fat and keeping me from all my favorite vices. Trust me, nine months will be my limit. I’ve no interest in years of sleepless nights and diapers, potty training, and helping with homework. You and Sara can take over the minute this baby pops out, and I can go back to my debauchery.” Gentry’s irreverent remark reinforced her immaturity—yet another reason this was a terrible idea.
“This isn’t funny. Stop
the act and be serious,” Hunter commanded. Both Sara and Gentry winced at his tone. He sighed and blew out a breath. This was coming out all wrong. He loved his sister for her willingness to do this for them, but it wasn’t the kind of thing people decided on a whim. Certainly not people like him. “Have you talked to your mom and dad about this idea? I can’t imagine Jenna wants me raising her grandchild.”
Hell, would he like raising Jenna’s grandchild? The kid would have that woman’s DNA. She’d likely feel possessive of him or her, too, and probably butt her nose into Hunter and Sara’s parenting choices over and over and over.
“I don’t need to talk to them. This is my child and my choice. Unlike my mom, I won’t keep a child that I’m not interested in raising. Better to give this baby a mother like Sara.”
His wife’s grateful smile came into view as she reached for Gentry’s hands. Then, as if steeling herself to battle, she turned to him with grave solemnity.
“Hunter, I know we’ve only talked about adoption in a generalized way, and I hear all of your concerns, but at the same time, this feels like a miracle.” Sara’s cheeks and eyes glowed with hope, making him feel like an ogre for being unenthusiastic. “What if this is the way we’re supposed to start our family?”
Sara liked adventure. She’d always been able to handle chaos, a by-product of being raised in a large, loud family, he supposed. He wanted to embrace this for her sake, but warning bells rang everywhere.
“Won’t it be confusing for the kid to have his biological mom as his aunt? And what if Gentry doesn’t like the way we do things? How much say does she get? And those are just a couple of concerns off the top of my head. This is a huge decision.” He stood and paced in a circle. “It’s not like giving someone a car.”
“Here’s the deal.” Gentry stood, too, and began ticking off her fingers. “I feel bad about the results of your last IVF, and I really, really don’t want to be a single mom. I won’t interfere with your decisions in the future. I don’t need this baby to know that I gave him or her up, either. I’ll simply be Aunt Gentry, the fun one in the family.”