“I don’t think that’s the kind of partner Heidi is looking for. But I might have to make a day trip to Charleston every now and then. Would that bother you?”
He draped his arm around her waist and drew her close. “Not at all, sweetheart. I’m excited for you. If this is something you really want to do, I’ll support you in every way.”
SIXTEEN
Faith
Faith left the others in the kitchen to finish preparing for dinner, and wandered back to Sam’s so-called living room, which was less formal and more an upscale family room conducive to lounging fireside and watching television. Standing at the bank of windows, she watched the pink sun disappear over the horizon at water’s edge. Faith’s porch, four houses down, offered the same view, but somehow the sunset from her sister’s charming bungalow was different. Sam and Eli’s stylish retreat away from the world. Their love shack. Faith admired what Sam and Jackie had done to the place. The neutral shades, more taupe than gray. Sofas covered in velvet and wool rugs in geometric patterns. Elements of wood and glass with accents in shades of cool blues that extended the indoors to the waterfront beyond the wall of windows.
Faith couldn’t imagine this decor in her home, not with a puppy’s muddy paws and a seven-year-old’s peanut butter fingers. Another baby would add highchairs and playpens and a host of other gadgets to the mix. Another baby would make her that much further removed from becoming an empty nester like Sam was now and Jackie would be in six months. She didn’t begrudge Sam her happily ever after. Her sister had devoted her life to her family and raised her son on her own for twenty years. She deserved to have the love of her life and her dream house on the water.
Faith and Mike would have their own couple’s paradise one day. Sooner rather than later if they didn’t adopt another baby. Every year, Bitsy became more independent. She’d be babysitting for the neighborhood children before long. Then driving. Then going to proms. Then applying to colleges. Why didn’t the idea of having more time to herself and more time alone with Mike seem more appealing? Because, if given the option, she’d rather fill her home with the sound of ten children’s laughter.
Moving across the room to the sitting area, she slipped off her ballet flats and curled up in the corner of the plush sofa, enjoying the crackling and popping of the fire while she sipped her champagne. To christen the new room and celebrate the day of love, Jackie had brought over two bottles, one alcoholic and one nonalcoholic. The bubbles tickled Faith’s nose and made her head feel fuzzy.
Sam had told Faith about Eli’s encounter with Thea’s brothers earlier that day. Faith was irritated with Eli for provoking the Bell boys, but, at the same time, she felt relieved. He had given her the excuse she needed to forbid Annie from visiting Thea’s home. A parent, biological or otherwise, was always in a position to forbid their child from doing something, but preventing that child from actually doing it, especially if they were determined to do it, was another matter entirely. Faith knew little about Annie’s relationship with Thea. She’d never known the girl existed until Thea appeared in the emergency room at the hospital the night of Annie’s accident. Maybe Faith was worrying about something she didn’t need to worry about. When she got home tonight, she would casually mention to Annie about Eli’s run-in with Thea’s brothers and suggest that the Bell home might not be the safest place for her to spend time.
Faith thought back to the conversation she’d had with Mike the night before, during the early hours of the morning when they’d both been unable to sleep from worrying about Annie. She had argued, “We can’t let her have an abortion, Mike. It’s just not right.”
“I don’t know how you plan to stop her,” Mike said, staring up at the ceiling, one arm propped behind his head. “We’ve tried talking to her. She appears to have made up her mind.”
“She’s still vulnerable from the accident. She needs more time to think things through. She can’t have an abortion without parental consent, anyway.”
“You’re forgetting that Annie has three parents. Do you really want her running to Heidi for help?”
“She wouldn’t do that. Heidi is not on her favorites list at the moment.”
“Maybe. Or maybe not. People take drastic measures when they’re desperate. Especially teenagers.” He rolled over to face Faith. “Listen, honey,” he said, fingering a strand of hair off her forehead. “As her legal guardian, I’m not gung ho about Annie terminating her pregnancy. But as a doctor, I feel she has the right to make her own decisions about her body. She’s an astute young woman. I trust her judgment. If she’s determined to terminate the pregnancy, I will find the right clinic and take her there myself. I’ll insist she talk to Cooper first beforehand. That goes without saying. But I’m convinced we’ll lose Annie if we don’t support whatever decision she makes.”
Placing her back to him, Faith moved in close, letting him spoon her from behind. “We’ve already lost her. She just hasn’t left the nest yet.”
“There comes a point in life when all parents lose their children. At least the children as we know them. We can’t stop them from growing up. But the role we get to play in their future depends on how we handle them during these volatile years. If we treat them with the respect they deserve and offer guidance when they ask for it, we can transition our relationships from one of authority to one of friendship.” Mike blew in her ear. “And that, my lovely wife, means we get to babysit our grandchildren whenever we want.”
“There you are, Mama. I’ve been looking all over for you.” Bitsy climbed onto the couch and snuggled in close to Faith. “I made this for you.” She handed her a heart fashioned out of pink construction paper. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Faith kissed the top of her head. “And Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, my little lovely. I will keep this in my special Bitsy folder. When I look at it, I’ll think of you just as you are right now, with chocolate all over your lips.”
“Oops.” Bitsy’s tiny fingers covered her mouth. “Sam made chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. Mike said I could have just one.” She held up her pointer finger to demonstrate.
“Well … okay.” Faith lifted her eyes to the ceiling, pretending to be upset. “Since it’s Valentine’s Day, and you only had one, I guess it’s okay. Just this once.”
“But I can have more for dessert, right?” Bitsy asked and stuck her tongue way out to lick her lips.
“As long as you eat your dinner. Speaking of which. What’s going on in the kitchen? Is the food almost ready? My tummy is hungry for Eli’s barbecue ribs.”
“Mine too! Aunt Sam said that dinner will be ready soon.” Bitsy tilted her head back and looked at Faith upside down. “Mama, where do babies come from?”
Faith touched her daughter’s nose. “They come from God. You learned that in Sunday school.”
“Does the daddy help put the baby in the mama’s tummy?”
“It’s a complicated process but, in a nutshell, that’s exactly what happens. I’ll explain it to you when you’re a little older.” Faith lifted her daughter up off the sofa. “Come on. Let’s go see if we can help make dinner ready sooner.”
Ten minutes later, all eight family members gathered around Sam’s new heart pine farm table. Eli said the blessing and they all dug in. Smacking lips and licking fingers, they polished off four racks of ribs, a large bowl of Caesar salad, and a platter of twice-baked potatoes. The conversation was relaxed as everyone shared events from their lives since they were last together on Christmas Eve.
Faith’s mother was wiping barbecue sauce off Bitsy’s face with a wet wipe when the child blurted, “Guess what, Lovie? Cooper helped God put a baby in Annie’s tummy.”
Faith froze with a forkful of baked potato poised in midair. Silence fell over the room as seven sets of eyes darted around the table. Faith set her fork down.
“Oh really?” Lovie said, clearing her throat. “Isn’t that interesting.” She rose from her chair and took her granddaughter by the ha
nd. “Why don’t you and I go into the kitchen and cut that yummy lemon chess pie Sam brought home from the market?”
“But I want more chocolate-covered strawberries too,” Bitsy said, skipping alongside her grandmother.
“You can have both, my sweet little granddaughter,” Lovie said, swinging her arm in rhythm with Bitsy’s.
The awkward silence remained until Lovie and Bitsy had left the room. “Is this true?” Jackie asked, her hazel eyes radiating fury.
Faith wiped her mouth and returned her napkin to her lap. “I’m afraid so.”
Jackie reached for her glass and drained the rest of her champagne. “And just when were you planning to tell me about this development?”
Mike placed his arm around the back of Faith’s chair. “We only just learned about it ourselves.”
“Does Cooper know?” Bill asked.
“Not yet,” Mike said. “At least not that we’re aware of.”
“Cooper broke up with Annie right after the accident, while she was still in the hospital,” Faith explained. “Which makes things a little awkward for Annie. As you can imagine, she’s quite upset.”
“Upset!” Jackie leapt to her feet. “She damn well better be upset. She just ruined both their lives.” Turning her back on them, she stalked to the window. “This is a parent’s worst nightmare come true. Seriously, Faith. I specifically remember us talking about this at Christmas. How could you let this happen?”
Faith inhaled deeply, steadying her breath. “I could say the same thing to you,” she said to Jackie’s back. “Why was Cooper not carrying a condom in his wallet? Why did you leave your house unchaperoned on New Year’s Eve when both your teenage sons have girlfriends? But casting blame will not solve this problem. We need to rally behind our kids, to help them make the right decision about the baby.”
Jackie spun around on her heels. “And what is the right decision about the baby, Faith? Sounds to me like you’ve already made it for them.”
“Nothing has been decided for sure,” Faith said. “For the record, I think it would be a mistake for Annie to have an … to terminate the pregnancy. But my opinion isn’t the one that matters.”
“Neither is mine. But, for the record, I don’t think they should consider getting married and raising this child on their own. I’m not ready to be a grandmother anymore than my son is ready to be a father. They have their whole lives ahead of them.”
Bill stood up from the table to face his wife. “Let’s go home. We’re not going to settle this matter tonight. Not here, in front of your family.”
“I agree.” Jackie snatched up her bag from a nearby chair. “We need to break the news to Cooper and hear his side of the story before we decide our next move.”
“If you’ll excuse us,” Bill said to the table. “You can understand this has come as a shock to us. We’ll be in touch when we’re ready to discuss the matter.” They retrieved their coats from the closet in the foyer and disappeared out the front door.
“That went well,” Sam said once they were gone.
“It could’ve been worse.” Eli tossed his wadded-up napkin on his plate. “Imagine if Bill hadn’t been here.”
A series of moans and groans circled the table.
Mike tipped his head in the direction of the kitchen. “What I want to know is, how did she find out about the baby?”
“She overheard Sam and me talking to Annie on Sunday.” Faith elbowed Mike. “When you were supposed to be keeping her occupied.”
Mike’s face turned as red as the centerpiece, a bouquet of roses that Eli had brought home to Sam.
“If you ask me, we got off easy tonight,” Sam said. “But we need to prepare ourselves for the wrath of Jackie yet to come.”
SEVENTEEN
Annie
Annie was doing her homework at the kitchen table, with her books spread out in front of her and Snowflake asleep at her feet, when the others arrived home from dinner at Sam’s. Instead of the usual thirty-minute story time, Faith and Mike put Bitsy straight to bed. With solemn expressions, they joined her, taking seats on the opposite side of the table as though preparing to interview her for a job position.
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” Annie asked, looking from one to the other.
Faith placed her hands on the table, fingers splayed. “Remember the other day when we were in the living room with Sam, when you broke the news to us about being pregnant?”
Annie nodded. “Why?”
“Bitsy overheard us talking. She blurted out about the baby at dinner tonight.”
Annie’s stomach turned sour and bile rose in her throat. “Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Mike said. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
She cupped her good hand over her mouth. “Oh shit. Was everyone there?”
“All the adults including Lovie,” Faith said as though reading Annie’s mind. “She handled it well. She’s been through it before with Sam.”
Annie tossed her pen down on the table. “That’s different, don’t you think? Sam was thirty years old and engaged to be married to Jamie’s father at the time.”
“My mother loves you, Annie. She’s doesn’t cast judgment on others. Except on her three daughters.” Faith offered her a weak smile.
Annie spoke out loud as she considered the implications of Faith’s news. “Thank goodness Cooper wasn’t there. But Jackie was, so I’m guessing he knows by now. Did she go ballistic?”
“Having Bill there helped temper the situation,” Mike said. “He hurried Jackie out the door before she exploded.”
Annie turned away from them, staring out the window into the dark night. “I should thank Bitsy. She did me a favor. At least I don’t have to be the one to tell Cooper that I’m pregnant.”
“We’ll give everyone a few days to settle down before we proceed to the next step,” Mike said.
“I guess that next step is me talking to Cooper.” Annie dreaded the confrontation. She envisioned his face, full of pity. Or would it be anger? She was never sure of his emotions anymore.
Mike reached for Annie’s good hand. “We understand if you don’t want to talk to him alone. Either or both of us are more than willing to be there with you.”
“Cooper will agree to terminate the pregnancy. I’m not worried about that. He is all about leaving for college with no strings attached.” Annie spun her laptop around and slid it across the table to Mike. “I was researching the procedure when you came in. Too bad the baby granny can’t sign the consent forms. I’m sure Jackie will be eager to get rid of the fetus. Oops, my bad. It’s still considered an embryo until eight weeks after conception.”
Annie saw Faith cringe, the reaction she’d sought. She hated being such a bitch to her when all Faith had ever been was kind, but she didn’t understand why Faith was being so stubborn. Terminating the pregnancy was what Annie wanted and the best solution for everyone. Get rid of the unwanted pregnancy. Poof, problem solved.
“Annie, please,” Faith said. “Do you have to be so graphic?”
“All I need is one parent, grandparent, or guardian to sign,” Annie said. “But Lovie isn’t my biological grandmother, and my guardians don’t support my decision. And since I’m not quite desperate enough to go to Heidi yet, looks like I’m stuck having this baby.”
Mike closed the computer. “We’ll figure something out, sweetheart. We will support you, whichever way you decide. We just want to make certain you give all your options ample consideration first.”
Annie’s gaze fell on Faith. “Do you feel the same way?”
“I’m not going to lie. I would prefer you have the baby. Even if that means putting it up for adoption. I’m worried you’ll regret it down the road if you have an abortion.”
“By down the road, do you mean when I’m living my dream life and studying culinary arts in Italy?”
Faith placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands. “You can still have your dream career if you put the baby up f
or adoption. You’ll easily be able to hide your pregnancy until the end of the school year. Then, I can homeschool you next fall until after the baby comes.”
“Actually, I’m thinking about skipping my last year of high school and getting my GED, regardless of what I decide about the baby. I want to study food, not British literature and US history.” Annie gestured at the books on the table in front of her. “You think I haven’t thought this thing through, but I have. I know myself. I will have a hard time giving this baby up if I carry it to term. Being a single mother at age seventeen is not what I want from life. I know that sounds selfish, but—”
“All I ask is that you take a few more days to think about it,” Faith said. “Please.”
“That’s asking a lot, Faith.” Annie picked up her pen and began doodling little hearts on her notebook. She felt their eyes on her, willing her to agree to their plea. “Okay, fine,” she said at last. “I’ll give it until the weekend. I need to talk to Cooper anyway.”
“Good.” Mike fell back in his chair. “That’s settled, then. At least for now.” He eyed her books. “I’m glad to see you’re getting caught up on your work. I assume that means you’re feeling better. How’s your pain?”
“Manageable with ibuprofen. I’m going back to school tomorrow. Can one of you give me a ride or should I ask Thea to swing by and pick me up?”
When Faith and Mike exchanged a look of concern, Annie asked, “What now?”
“Eli pulled Thea’s brothers over for some type of moving violation today,” Mike explained. “He exchanged unpleasant words with them during the encounter. I’m telling you this to make you aware of the situation. Not to scare you. One of Thea’s brothers said something derogatory about you. Eli doesn’t think, and Faith and I agree, that Thea’s home is a safe place for you to be.”
Goose pimples broke out on Annie’s skin. “What could they possibly say about me? I’ve never even met Thea’s brothers. And I’ve never been to her house either.”
Tangle of Strings (Sweeney Sisters Series Book 4) Page 9