As she made her way down the hall, she could hear Maggie making breakfast. Lately, Maggie tried to be extra loud when Chris was still around the house so that Hailey would be warned and not call out to Maggie using her real name. Their lives were becoming so full of spy tactics just to survive that Hailey was starting to have trouble keeping it all straight. The baby was getting closer to making her debut and Hailey was extremely uncomfortable. She felt very strongly that she would have been a much better Jane Bond without the pregnancy but she wouldn’t regret this baby for a second.
“There’s my sleeping beauty!” Chris got up from the table and pulled out the chair for her. After she sat down, his hands lingered on her shoulders. It was a gentle touch meant to soothe her and convey affection but it made her want to throw up. “I was just telling Cassandra here that I couldn’t wait much longer for you to join us because I am simply bursting with good news today.” Chris took his seat next to her and Hailey was surprised to find that he was beaming.
Maggie came over with her breakfast plate and Hailey was surprised to find that it was brimming with eggs benedict, sausage, bacon and potatoes. She may have been a country girl but she never ate this much, even with the pregnancy cravings. “Thank you, Cassandra. As you can see, dear, I asked that Cassandra prepare an especially hearty breakfast for you. We have a big day today and you will need your strength.”
Hailey thanked Maggie and took a bite of food. “Delicious, Cassandra. I wish I had your skills in the kitchen. Now, Chris, you mentioned a surprise?”
“Yes, I did. It cost me the equivalent of a small country but my attorney was able to put together a pre-birth adoption agreement that seems to satisfy all of the needs of the Seattle district court. All we need to do is stop by his office to sign the document on the way out of town for the wedding and we are all set. We’ll be doing it right, just like we said.” Before Hailey could swallow the news or the food, Chris leaned forward and kissed her.
“Oh, wow. That was efficient.” Hailey did her best to smile brightly at the news. In any case, it would give her a right to the baby and she did have to be grateful for that. “I think the baby likes it too. She sure is kicking up a storm.” Hailey rubbed her stomach gently. “Chris, I don’t know if the bridal shop told you but my dress does have an intricate corset back to make sure it fits me with the pregnancy. I’m not sure I can do it myself if we leave town for the ceremony.”
“Yes, Hailey, they did tell me. Luckily, Cassandra has agreed to come along with us to assist in any of your needs. Isn’t that right, Cassandra?” Chris looked up as Cassandra refilled his coffee mug and brought Hailey her hot chocolate.
“Yes, sir. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to assist Ms. Hailey. It would be my pleasure.”
“Thank you, Cassandra. Now, darling, be sure to get ready as quickly as possible once you have finished eating. I have some work to attend to in the study but we need to get to the attorney’s office as soon as possible. Cassandra has already packed your bag, including your wedding dress. My bride needs only to say what she needs and we will make it happen.” Chris brushed her arm as he left to the study.
Hailey looked at Maggie and knew the tears were showing in her eyes. Maggie came over to her and grabbed her hands. “One step at a time, Hailey. It will be okay.”
Fifty Nine
The sign on the door read Smith, Shannon, & Smith, Attorneys at Law and Hailey wondered if it would be a Smith or a Shannon who they would be meeting with. She did not have much time, however, to ponder it as the receptionist jumped to action as soon as she saw Chris. It was clear that he used the firm’s services often and he was a well respected client. They were quickly ushered into a large conference room and Hailey was offered a variety of beverages and snacks.
“Oh, um, just water, please.” Hailey turned from the receptionist to Chris as he grabbed her hand and squeezed. The door opened again and six men in business suits came in with paperwork, followed by the receptionist with the water. Hailey thanked the woman as she accepted the water and took a sip to steady her nerves.
“Hello, Hailey. My name is Terrence Smith and these are my partners, Joseph Shannon and Craig Smith. The other men in the room are our associate attorneys. Your fiance, Chris, came to us and explained your very unique situation. Usually, the law does not allow pre-birth adoption because the mother has the right to change her mind about adoption up to 6 months after the date of birth. In this situation, the biological mother is deceased and you are the surrogate mother. Since there is no one to change their mind unless you were to decide you did not want the baby, we were able to form an acceptable agreement for both you and Chris to sign.” The second Smith removed documents from his stack of paperwork and passed them to her. “All you need to do is sign here and then have Chris sign underneath your signature. My associates will witness the document and then one of our secretaries will file it with the courthouse. Today the courthouse is usually closed with it being Saturday but we have gotten Judge Rittenhouse to agree to hold a special session so that we can have the adoption finalized today. I understand that was important to you, Hailey.”
Hailey grabbed a pen and signed as fast as she could. “Yes, very important. Thank you very much. I know you all went to a lot of trouble to accomplish this and I just can’t tell you how much it means to me to finally feel like the mother of this baby.” Hailey looked up to see that the men were stunned. Clearly they were expecting her to be just as demanding as Chris and not be so grateful and gracious.
Chris cleared his throat and signed the paperwork. “Good work, Smith. Please have one of your associates call my cell phone as soon as it is all final.” He pushed the paperwork back to the second Smith and turned to Hailey. “It’s a big day today, my dear. I have a car waiting out front for you with Cassandra. You two will go ahead and get to the venue so that you can prepare for the ceremony. I have some more business to discuss and then I will meet you there.” He brushed his lips against Hailey’s cheek as one of the associates pressed a button on the wall and the receptionist came into the room to escort Hailey out.
Once she was outside, she walked down the steps to the town car and was relieved to see Maggie waiting for her. Maggie squeezed Hailey’s hand but didn’t say a word. Neither one of them knew the loyalties of the driver and did not want to chance being overheard. As Hailey looked out of the window, she was surprised to see that they were leaving the city. Not that she was terribly knowledgeable about places to elope in Seattle but she had pictured that Chris would have wanted something highly expensive in a top hotel where the photographers could “accidentally” gain access to the ceremony.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you know where we are going?” Hailey realized the folly in the question. Of course the driver knew where they were going. She just didn’t know if he would tell her.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I was told to keep it a surprise.” Hailey figured there was no surprise there. “However, I can tell you that it is known to be quite a romantic and exclusive spot. My wife was an anxious bride and I can’t imagine she would have let me surprise her like this. So just rest assured that you will be pleasantly surprised.” Hailey was surprised at the thoughtfulness in the response and for a brief moment considered taking the driver into her confidence and having him whisk them away to the safety of Chuck. But she couldn’t chance anything until the paperwork was official on the adoption to protect the baby. Instead she and Maggie both took turns squeezing each other’s hands and looking out the windows of the car.
The driver finally started to slow down and pulled into a parking lot. He came around and helped both Hailey and Maggie out of the car. They looked at the view in front of them and then at each other. Maggie was the one who spoke first. “Oh my God.”
Sixty
Chuck walked into the restaurant specified by Gamboli and immediately spotted him in the back right corner. He waived off the hostess and made his way to the table. The first thing he noticed was that Wilder wasn’
t there.
“Mr. Gamboli, thank you for meeting with me. I was able to track down the woman that was in the picture that Wilder found at your son’s apartment. After tracking her movements as well as the movements of some of her associates, I think I’ve discovered some crucial information that will help you get justice for your son. Is Wilder joining us? If so, I can wait until he gets here so you don’t have to sit through it twice.” Chuck paused to let Gamboli respond.
“Actually, it appears that Wilder was doing a little too much drinking and a little too much talking as a result. He’s no longer with us.” Gamboli folded his arms to signify that the discussion was closed. Chuck was unsure if that meant that Wilder was no longer part of the mob or was no longer living. He suspected the latter and knew that his own safety could be in question if he pushed the matter.
“In that case, allow me to explain what Dalton has been up to. And further, I have a plan to stop him that I would like to share as well.” Dalton went into the details but was careful to protect Jessica’s identity and cooperation. Instead, he tried to make it sound as if someone in Dalton’s private security had leaked the information. Gamboli seemed to be pleased with the information that Chuck had uncovered and gave his blessing to the plan.
After the meeting with Gamboli, Chuck hopped in his car to head to his next stop and called John on the burner phone. John answered on the first ring and Chuck suspected he may have been waiting for the call. “Well, Chuck, how did it go?”
“Just as planned. Gamboli was grateful to finally have some answers and he is in with regards to the plan. Do you have an update on the girls?” Chuck pulled up the red light and hoped that Hailey had found a way to put off the wedding.
“I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Hailey got Dalton to wrangle his lawyers so that any minute now she will be the legal adoptive mother of the baby. I guess the laws are not above someone willing to pay for them to change but at least this time it’s in our favor. So if we can get rid of Dalton, Hailey legally doesn’t have to worry about losing her rights to the baby. They rushed the process because Hailey demanded that it be finalized before she walked down the aisle.”
Chuck was relieved to hear it. It was smart of Hailey to make sure that the legal loose ends were tied up before the baby arrived. It was also an extremely difficult task and a possible way to postpone the wedding. “That’s good news so I assume you haven’t told me the bad news yet.”
John took a deep breath. “The bad news is that since it was able to be finalized today, Maggie and Hailey are on their way to the wedding ceremony now.” He paused and waited for it to sink in with Chuck.
“Well, Dalton is determined. I’ll give him that. Did you hear anything else from Maggie? Do we know where the ceremony is supposed to take place?” Chuck was halfway tempted to just storm the ceremony and put a stop to the whole thing. But that would also be a one way ticket to blowing Maggie’s cover and putting Hailey, Maggie, and the baby in mortal danger.
“Maggie tried to get Dalton to tell her under the ruse of trying to make sure Hailey would have everything she needed. Instead, Dalton just said it was some place where they would be comfortable. He said he wanted it to be a surprise and didn’t want her to slip up and tell Hailey by mistake. But Maggie thinks she may have thought of a way to postpone the ceremony. It will give us a little more time but we need to act fast.”
Chuck tightened his grasp on the steering wheel. “If my next meeting goes well, I think we can finish this all by tomorrow.” He hung up the phone and made the commitment to himself that this would be done once and for all.
Sixty One
Hailey and Maggie both stood against the window in the hotel room. As much as they hated the reason for being there, they had to agree it was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. Neither one had been to Snoqualmie Falls before. The waterfall was breathtaking and the hotel was situated at the top of the falls. The staff at the Salish Lodge had been courteous since the second they stepped out of the car and Hailey was amazed at the thought they had put into her stay. A woman called the Romance Concierge even came by with chocolate dipped strawberries and a steamer for her wedding dress.
Hailey stepped away from the window and laid down on the bed. It was becoming harder and harder to get sleep between her late stage of pregnancy and the stress of the wedding. As good as it felt to lay in the bed, there was no way she could rest with her future in the balance.
“Hailey, are you feeling okay?” Maggie came over the bed and sat next to her. She stroked her back to try to comfort her. Hailey sat up and looked at her.
“As good as I can be, I guess. Maggie, I don’t know that I can do this.” Hailey started to cry and Maggie held her close.
“Hales, you don’t have to. You have the perfect excuse to get out of this at the last minute without suspicion.” Hailey sniffled and looked at Maggie. “Hailey, you’re close to the end of your pregnancy. With all the stress of the wedding, I don’t think anyone would be too shocked if your water suddenly broke…”
Hailey realized Maggie was right. It was the perfect way to show that she was compliant because technically birth was something out of her control. And Chris needed the baby to be alive and healthy. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.
“Okay, but how do I fake that? I mean, really.” Hailey watched as Maggie’s eyes lit up. Clearly this was a plan that Maggie had already been working on as a back up.
“I had John do a little research. He found a special type of balloon that disintegrates after holding water for at least five minutes. The water just bursts and there’s no trace of the balloon. I guess they use it to deliver poison overseas. I have one sown into the lining of my bag. Right before you walk down the aisle, we’ll take you to powder room under the guise of freshening your makeup and get you all ready to pop.” Maggie winked and Hailey was surprised at her level of planning. Although she probably shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Maggie was the one who volunteered to go undercover in the lion’s den in the first place. “But in the meantime, you need to act like a happy bride to pull it off. Maybe pause and grab your stomach gently from time to time to indicate the baby has some activity so it feels real when it happens. But other than that - you are thrilled to be here and thrilled to marry that scumbag.”
Hailey and Maggie smiled at each other as the phone rang. Maggie got up and answered it. “Hello… Yes, Mr. Dalton, we arrived safe and sound… She’s a little tired from the drive with the pregnancy but very excited… Yes, she’s right here, Mr. Dalton. Let me get her for you.” Maggie held the phone to her chest to muffle the sound. “It’s Chris, Hailey.” She held the receiver out to her. “Remember - thrilled to be marrying him.”
Hailey reached over and grabbed the phone. “Oh my gosh, Chris. This place is amazing! I never even knew it existed. And the hotel is just perfect! The staff is so kind and generous. They even have a Romance Concierge who has thought of everything! Oh, Chris, it’s so romantic!” Hailey looked at Maggie and rolled her eyes while she said it. It was killing her to be so complacent with the man who was destroying her life and the lives of those around her.
Chris laughed. “I’ll admit that I was hopeful you would love it but I am beyond pleased to hear you as such as happy bride. Hailey, you are making my wildest dreams come true. I know you may not believe me but I am falling wildly in love with you. And that makes my news that much more sweet. I just heard from our attorneys that the adoption has been finalized. I’ve had one of the associates fax a copy of the documents to the Salish Lodge. Someone will be bringing them up to you shortly. It’s real, Hailey. This is our baby.”
Hailey’s heart skipped a beat as someone knocked on the door. “Hold on, Chris. Someone is here.” Maggie opened the door and took the documents from the staff member. The young man at the door also had two dozen red roses, which he handed to Maggie. Maggie looked at the documents and nodded to Hailey with a smile. “I’ve got the documents, dear, and t
he roses are lovely! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world today! Are you heading up soon? They told me that the ceremony would be at sunset and it’s already 5:30 pm. I was hoping we could have dinner together before getting ready.”
Hailey watched Maggie set down the roses on the table by the window while she waited for Chris’ response. She heard him sigh and already knew the response. “Darling, I still have business to take care of. But I will see you for the ceremony and we will have time together then. I’m glad you have the documents, dear. I’ll see you at the altar.” Chris hung up the phone before Hailey could respond.
Hailey looked at Maggie and smiled. “He won’t be here until the ceremony. What do you say we go down to the Dining Room and spend Chris’ money? The menu by the bed looks delicious and expensive.”
Maggie grabbed the room key and held open the door to the room. “I like the way you think.”
Sixty Two
Chris walked into the restaurant and gave the usual false reservation name at the front. “Reservation for Samuel Strong.” The hostess nodded and he followed her into private room. He saw that he was the first one there and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. He didn’t usually drink during the meetings but he had a lot to celebrate today. Soon he was going to have the money and life that he was after. Life was good.
The door opened again and Jessica walked in. Normally her red hair and the memories of what they had done together behind a different closed door would get his blood flowing. But today he had only thoughts of marrying Hailey as soon as possible to move on with his plan. She smiled at him and winked as she took her seat. Following behind her was Chang. Chris wasn’t terribly fond of Chang but he served his purpose in offering protection against the Gamboli family and offering a means of tripling his money.
Last Chance Baby Page 15