by Cindy Kirk
The edge to her tone, as tough as high-tensile steel, had him facing her.
“I said no.” His gaze turned pleading, as if expecting her to . . . what? Understand? Forgive? Pat him on the back?
“I couldn’t think of another baby, not when—”
“When you already had one on the way? A baby you’d walked away from after I refused to end her life?” Saying the words brought a profound ache to Abby’s heart. But her eyes remained dry, and her voice gave no indication of her inner pain.
“It wasn’t that way. I never stopped thinking of her. Or of—”
“Stop.” She spat the word. “I don’t want more lies.”
Jonah expelled a harsh breath. “I told Veronica we should wait. But time passed, and I couldn’t bring myself to—I finally told her I didn’t want another surrogate. Not then. Not ever. She was crushed. For her, that was the last straw. Having a child was so important to her.”
“Having a perfect child was important to her.”
He said nothing.
So they’d split over Veronica’s obsession with motherhood. How ironic that the one thing they’d stood together on had been the thing to tear them apart.
“I understand why Veronica isn’t with you.” Abby inclined her head. “Now tell me why you’re here.”
+
Jonah had wondered what seeing Abby again would be like. He recalled vividly that day in the office when the doctor had given her the news. Her face had been ghostly white, her dark eyes too large in her worried face.
When Veronica had suggested they move ahead with scheduling an abortion, Abby had looked at him. It had been the same way she’d looked at him when Jared Shuster had knocked her down in fourth grade. That time, he’d been there for her.
But in the office, he hadn’t come to her rescue. He’d wanted to, but all the years of infertility treatments followed by a failed adoption had taken their toll on Veronica’s emotional health.
Then she’d been in the room when her cousin’s baby—born with anencephaly—had passed away. Veronica had been still reeling from that experience when they’d gotten the news about the baby Abby had been carrying for them. The news had turned her relentless, fiendish about having a “perfect” baby.
“Tell me why you’re here.”
The demand, spoken in that cold tone, had Jonah jerking his thoughts back to the present. Back to Abby, who had once been his closest friend.
She looked like a woman who didn’t have a care in the world. Though her dark hair was longer than it had been the last time he’d seen her, it was still a glossy mahogany with hints of red. He’d thought her eyes, big and brown and full of life, were her best feature. When she’d seen him, they’d gone from warm to cold in a heartbeat.
Jonah had watched her for several minutes from across the room before Leo insisted he meet Abby Fine. Only then did he learn he would be serving on a committee she chaired.
When he’d crossed the room with Leo, Jonah hadn’t known what to expect. Abby hadn’t responded to any of his letters. He’d let her know he was considering moving to Hazel Green, mentioned when he’d gotten an interview, and asked what she thought when he’d been offered the position.
Radio silence.
He hadn’t been dissuaded. Not a day had gone by since Eva Grace’s birth that he hadn’t thought of her and Abby. He yearned to be a part of his daughter’s life. But he’d reconciled himself to the fact that as long as he was married to Veronica, that was an impossible dream. After his marriage ended, he started making plans.
His parents had been startled when he’d told them of his plan to move to Hazel Green. Harold’s retirement had come at the perfect time.
Although he’d told Abby when he’d be arriving, she’d been shocked to see him. Though she had a stellar poker face, he’d always been able to tell what she was thinking.
“I’m here because I’d like to get to know Eva Grace.” After a moment, his lips tipped in a slight smile. “You named her after my mother.”
It had been several months after Eva Grace’s birth when he’d run into a woman who once worked with Abby. For Jonah, hearing what she’d named the baby had been bittersweet.
Veronica had resisted the idea of naming their child after a family member. Then again, his ex-wife and his mother had never been particularly close.
“I like the name Grace.”
So she wasn’t going to admit that his mother, Nancy Grace Rollins, whom Abby had once adored, played any part in her decision. He remembered the day his mother had stopped over and mentioned that she planned to go to Abby, to see how she could help.
Veronica had gone ballistic. She’d told his mother and him that if they had anything to do with their former surrogate, she would take Abby to court for breach of contract. She didn’t care if she didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. She didn’t even care if the case was thrown out. She only cared that Abby would know the full fury of her displeasure.
His mom had kept her distance. As had he.
Family loyalty had cost all of them.
“I’d like to get to know Eva Grace. I’d like it if you and I could be friends again.” Jonah coupled the pronouncement with a slight smile. “I could help you out—”
That was as far as he got before she slapped a hand down on the table. Hard.
“Let me make one thing clear.” Her eyes were as dark as obsidian, her jaw set in a hard line. Waves of icy air rolled off her to slap him in the face. “You will stay away from my daughter.”
The finality in her words had his own temper rising. “I’m her father—”
“You’re a sperm donor.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “A father is there for his child. When she cried because the braces hurt, a father would have been there to comfort her. When she had bad dreams, a father would have been there to soothe her fears. You’ve never been there for her.”
He couldn’t argue the point. He hadn’t been there for Eva Grace or for Abby. But he was here now. And he would not let them down. Not again. Never again.
“I’ve made mistakes.” Jonah struggled to find the words. Talking about feelings and emotions never came easy. His mother teased that he was like his dad, who showed his love through acts, not through flowery words.
If Abby would give him a chance, he’d show what a good dad he could be to Eva Grace . . . and what a good friend he could be to her. First, he had to convince her to give him that chance.
“I want to make up for the past.” Jonah swallowed hard. “Please give me that chance.”
“You want to drop into our lives now that it’s convenient for you. Now that the not-so-perfect child has survived all the trauma and pain, you’re ready to accept her.”
“I was ready to accept her back then.” He clenched his hands into fists at his sides as emotions roiled and raged inside him.
“You had a funny way of showing it, Rollins.” Abby’s laugh held no humor. “You didn’t even show up for the custody hearing.”
He could have told her he’d known that if he didn’t show up, she’d be awarded joint custody. That if he’d been there, she might have ended up with no custody. But before he could say anything, she sliced the air with her hand.
“Let me tell you how it’s going to be.” Abby clipped the words, her expression stony. “You’re going to stay away from Eva Grace. You come around, I’m calling the police. I don’t care if you are the chief.”
“I’m her father.” Keeping a tight rein on his emotions, Jonah reminded her of that one indisputable fact. “She’s five years old. You can’t tell me she doesn’t ask about me.”
Something flashed in her eyes that gave him the answer.
“She wants to know me.”
“She’s a child. My child.” Abby met his gaze. “I will do what’s best for her.”
Incredulous, he could only stare. “How can you say that not knowing me is what’s best for her?”
“You’ll hurt her.”
“I won’t.”
<
br /> “You chose your wife over your child’s life.” Abby’s voice shook with emotion. “When her very existence was on the line, she couldn’t count on you to have her back. Why would I ever let you get close to her now?”
Chapter Six
Abby had made it clear that Jonah was to keep his distance from her and from Eva Grace. But he’d waited five years to see his daughter.
“I’ve been impressed by Hazel Green’s school system.” Though his insides hummed with anticipation, Jonah’s tone remained even. “I’ve spent a good part of this week personally checking out each school.”
“I heard you’d been making the rounds.” Gage Sutter, the principal of Helen Potter Elementary, shot him a sideways look as they strolled down the hall.
Underfoot the linoleum gleamed, and the air had that new-school smell. Which made sense, considering Helen Potter had opened the week before. It brought the number of grade schools in Hazel Green to nine, eight of which Jonah had already visited. Along with six middle schools and three high schools.
Though he’d wanted to drop by Eva Grace’s school the instant school began for the year, he knew how crazy those first few days were, not only for students but for teachers. It had also been his first week on the job.
He’d bided his time and set up appointments at each of the schools, saving Eva Grace’s for last. The principals had been open to the visits, eager to explain how their schools complied with standard response protocols for hazards or threats to their students and staff.
Jonah had done some research on the guidelines before moving to Hazel Green so he could discuss incidents where law enforcement might need to be involved.
“I’ve enjoyed the tours.” Jonah kept his tone light. “There’s a big difference between a high school classroom and, say, a kindergarten one. I assume there is, anyway.”
Gage shot him a quick grin. “Well, let me show you one of ours.”
“How many sections do you have?”
“Only two.”
Which meant there was a fifty-fifty chance Eva Grace would be in the class they visited. If she wasn’t, Jonah figured he could think of a reason to check out the other room.
As Gage opened a brightly decorated door, Jonah had a moment to wonder whether he would recognize Eva Grace. He assumed she’d have blonde hair and blue eyes, since both he and the woman who’d donated the egg had that coloring. He hoped that at this school, the names of the children would be on the tables in front of where they sat.
Following the principal into the room, he was immediately struck by two things. The quiet and the color red. The teacher, a grandmotherly woman with salt-and-pepper hair, wore a bright-red shirt. The students were all dressed in varying shades of the same color.
“Today is red day for the kindergarteners.” Gage spoke softly in deference to the little boy who stood in front of the room. “They’re encouraged to wear red and to bring something red for Show and Share.”
Jonah wasn’t familiar with Show and Share but assumed it was an updated version of Show and Tell.
“This is Clifford.” The boy had dark-brown hair, a long face, and an earnest expression. He thrust out an arm, his fingers tight around the neck of a red stuffed dog. “Clifford is in books. He’s a good friend.”
The boy continued, speaking in halting sentences about Clifford the Big Red Dog while Jonah’s gaze scanned the classroom. There were three little girls with blonde hair. From where he stood, he couldn’t see their names.
He was considering how to make his move when the boy sat down and the teacher glanced at her list.
“Eva Grace, would you like to share?”
Like a jack-in-the-box, one of the three girls with blonde hair popped up from her seat. She had curly blonde hair pulled back from her face in a tail and tied with a bright-red ribbon.
She danced her way to the front of the classroom in a cherry-red top and black tulle skirt.
“She’s a dynamo.” Jonah murmured. He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Gage chuckled.
“That’s Eva Grace Fine.” The principal’s tone was indulgent. “She’s smart as a whip. Her mother owns the inn downtown.”
“The Inn at Hazel Green.” Jonah’s eyes remained fixed on his daughter. With her upturned nose and wide mouth, she looked just like his twin sister. “What is that in her hand?”
“I don’t know. You never know what the kids will bring for Show and Share.” Gage glanced at his watch. “We can stay for a few minutes and find out. Unless you need to get back to the station.”
This couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. Jonah kept his tone offhand. “I have time.”
Like the boy before her, Eva Grace thrust out her hand, palm up. “These are red wax lips. They were first made over a hundred years ago. Not these lips.”
The quick clarification, made when some of the girls wrinkled their noses, brought a smile to Jonah’s lips. Unlike the boy, Eva Grace appeared comfortable standing in front of her classmates.
“They’re fun to play with.” Quick as a snake, she popped them into her mouth, and the class erupted in laughter.
A lifting of the teacher’s hand silenced them immediately.
“Thank you, Eva Grace. Now—”
“That isn’t all, Mrs. Leininger.” Eva Grace gave the teacher a charming smile. “You can also chew these lips like gum. They taste like cherries.” Her little mouth struggled to chew the big lips into a manageable wad.
“That’s very interesting, Eva Grace.” The teacher pulled several tissues from a square box on her desk and held out her hand. “Unfortunately, chewing gum isn’t allowed in school, so I have to ask you to spit it out.”
After a momentary hesitation, the child complied.
Jonah wasn’t prepared when Eva Grace’s curious gaze shifted from the principal to settle on him. His breath hitched as his eyes locked on this child who had come from him.
A wave of regret hit like a tsunami. He’d made so many mistakes, lost so many years. Abby was right. He didn’t deserve a second chance.
Then Eva Grace flashed a brilliant smile, and love flooded him.
Right then, Jonah knew that while he might not deserve that second chance, he was going to take it.
One way or another, he was going to know his daughter.
+
Hearing a soft tap at the door, Abby rose from the sofa. She padded across the hardwood, her feet encased in her favorite UGG slippers. After she’d put Eva Grace to bed, she had removed her makeup and topped yoga pants with an oversize top.
The thought struck her, as she gazed through the peephole before opening the door, just how different her life was from most thirty-year-old single females. Instead of clubbing and drinking martinis with friends after work, the highlight of her night had been playing the Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel game with Eva Grace and now having a glass of wine with a friend.
Abby stepped aside to let Matilda enter. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it. From all the people standing in the lobby, it appeared business was booming tonight.”
“We were on a wait until nine.” Matilda still wore the Victorian attire she preferred when overseeing the dining room, which told Abby her friend had come straight from the restaurant.
The trim black skirt went nearly to her ankles while the white Weddington blouse, with its white stand collar edged in lace, presented a perfect picture of demure Victorian elegance. Matilda had swept her auburn hair up into a Gibson Girl–inspired bouffant bun.
The style suited Matilda’s strong yet feminine features and drew attention to her green eyes.
Matilda glanced at the kitchen table where the game still sat open. She arched a brow. “Who was the first to fill their log with acorns?”
“Eva Grace won the first game. I edged her out on the second. I should have picked up, but I got involved doing some ordering.” Abby gestured carelessly toward her laptop. “The new soap we’ve switched to has been very popular. I’m ordering extra and making it available for
purchase in the hotel and online.”
“Smart.” Matilda nodded. “Always good to have an extra revenue stream.”
“Since the soap is locally made, I’ll be helping out another small business. Win-win.” Abby picked up the bottle of wine she’d had breathing on the counter. “Will you have a glass with me? It’s Country Red from Galena Cellars.”
“Absolutely. I’ve heard good things about their wines.” Matilda accepted the glass Abby poured and handed to her. Instead of sitting on the sofa, she sat at the table and spread the colorful acorns over the board. “I love this game.”
“Do you want to play?” With the bottle in one hand and her own glass in the other, Abby took a seat on the other side of the table. “I’ll let you go first.”
“You’re so kind. And I love you to death”—Matilda flashed a smile that had a dimple in her left cheek winking—“but be warned, I play to win.”
“Me too. I had this neighbor who loved games even more than her kids did. We’d play—” Abby stopped abruptly. Jonah’s unwelcome appearance had to be the reason she’d thought of his mother.
When Nancy Rollins had ignored the birth of her grandchild, Abby had pushed the woman out of her mind. Pushing her out of her heart had proven more difficult. Abby had loved Jonah’s mother. Nancy, neighbor and stay-at-home mom, had affectionately dubbed Abby her fifth child.
Considering Abby had spent more time in the Rollins house than her own, it made sense. Jonah’s home had been far more comfortable than the duplex she and her mom shared after her father took off.
“My mother and I played a lot of games.” Matilda picked up several acorns and shook them like dice.
“My mom was too busy working.” Abby glanced toward the hall leading to her daughter’s bedroom. “I work to put food on the table, but spending time with Eva Grace is a priority.”
“As it should be.” After returning the acorns to the board, Matilda held her finger poised above the spinner. “Ready?”
The warmth in Matilda’s smile had the tension easing from Abby’s body. She took a gulp of wine. “Game on.”
Four spins later, Abby groaned as she landed on the furious storm, which, according to the rules, blew away all the acorns she’d gathered.