by Cindy Kirk
Though she loved all of her sisters dearly, the sight of Prim’s car in her driveway nearly had her turning and heading the other way. Between the tears and the nausea, she didn’t have the energy for a visit.
If Prim hadn’t already spotted her and given a welcoming wave, Marigold might have turned or gone on by. Instead, she pulled in beside Prim’s minivan and got out.
“Where’s the fam?” Marigold asked, not used to seeing her sister without her husband and kids.
“Max took the boys and Adelyn kayaking.”
Marigold widened her eyes. “Isn’t Adelyn a little young?”
“She’s a good listener and loves being out on the water.” Prim smiled. “The boys think it’s a big deal to have their own kayak. They’ll behave and listen, because they know what will happen if they don’t.”
“Sounds like fun.”
Prim narrowed her gaze. “You look tired.”
“I’m exhausted.” Marigold shrugged. “What else is new?”
She wasn’t sure what had brought Prim to her home today, but asking her sister why she was here seemed rude. Marigold had no doubt Prim would tell her in short order.
“Sit.” Prim pointed to the porch swing. “I’ll get us something to drink while you relax and regroup.”
“I have lemonade in the refrigerator as well as sun tea. Help yourself to whatever sounds good.”
“What do you want?”
“My stomach has been upset off and on all day. I’ll pass on anything for now.”
Instead of going inside, Prim took a seat beside Marigold on the swing. She studied her sister for a long moment, no doubt taking note of the dark circles under her eyes and the lines of fatigue etched on her face.
“I’ve been thinking about you.”
“What about me?”
“Your symptoms, for starters.”
Marigold lifted her hands. “I’m fine, Prim, really. Please don’t worry about me.”
“You’re my baby sister.” The freckles on Prim’s face shone like bright pennies in the sunlight. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Marigold blinked furiously as Prim pulled her into an embrace.
“I think you should take a pregnancy test,” Prim whispered, her lips against Marigold’s hair.
Marigold jerked back. “What are you talking about?”
“Your symptoms are classic, the ones you see in early pregnancy. Just to be sure, I think you should—”
“Prim. Stop.” The words came out sharper than she wanted, but Marigold wouldn’t apologize. Not this time. Didn’t her sister realize that resurrecting this hope, this dream, was hurtful? “I went through years of infertility treatment. Nothing happened. This is simply my body adjusting to being off the hormones.”
“What if it’s not?” Prim’s voice turned pleading. “Take the test. Be sure.”
“Sorry. I don’t happen to have any pregnancy tests lying around.” Marigold’s flippant tone hung in the air. “Once that dream died, I got rid of them.”
At one time, Marigold had had a dozen such tests in her cupboard. Each time she’d even thought she might be pregnant, she’d taken a test. Not just once, but multiple times. Getting a negative result each time had been emotionally exhausting.
“An accountant is always prepared.” Leaning over, Prim opened her purse—a zebra-striped bag the size of Texas—and reached in to pull out a sack. “There are three different tests in here. If you’re like me, you’ll want to do more than one to confirm the results. Three seemed like a good, solid number.”
Prim held out the bag. When Marigold made no move to take it, she heaved a resigned sigh and dropped it on her lap. “You know it’s a possibility.”
Marigold closed her eyes, struggled against the desire to grab the tests and rush inside.
“I realize there’s a possibility,” she said at last. “The doctors found a few issues, but nothing that would explain all of our difficulties.”
“Then why—?”
“You know why, Prim. You know what it’s like to wish for something, but sometimes you have to accept it’s not going to happen.” Marigold met her sister’s gaze. “When Rory was sick, you prayed for him to be healed. It didn’t happen. I prayed for a baby. It didn’t happen.”
“Rory’s situation was different. My husband had CF. Yes, I prayed for him to be healed. I wanted him to live so he could continue to be a father to the boys and a husband to me.” Prim’s eyes grew dark. It was ironic that, in the end it hadn’t been CF that had killed Rory, but a rock-climbing accident. “Hope kept us all going during difficult times.”
“I still have hope,” Marigold admitted. “But now my hope is centered around being picked by a birth mother and her not changing her mind. I thought I’d given up hope of being pregnant. Now, you’ve raised that hope. That’s why what you’re asking is so difficult. I don’t know if I can bear to see another negative sign on the test stick.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but you need to do this.” Prim’s gaze remained firm and direct on Marigold. “If the test is negative, you need to see a doctor and figure out what’s going on with all these symptoms you’re having.”
A chill traveled up Marigold’s spine. She’d never considered she might be sick.
“I don’t think you’re ill.” Prim placed a hand on her arm, and Marigold knew she’d read her thoughts. “Take the test.”
Marigold gave in to hope and snatched up the sack. “I’ll do it. Only because you insist.”
“I can come and look at the stick if you don’t want to,” Prim offered.
“No.” Marigold shook her head. “I’m a big girl. I can do it.”
In the bathroom, she opened the package that contained the test that was her favorite. Not because it had ever given her the answer she wanted, but for ease of use. She was also familiar with the other two Prim had included.
Minutes later, she stood, transfixed, every fiber of her being focused on the tiny stick in her hand. Instead of the minus sign, which she’d seen more times than she could count, there was a plus.
Her heart pounded, and she swayed slightly, grabbing hold of the sink for support until she steadied. Holding her breath, she brought the stick close and studied it intently. There was no doubt it was a plus.
With trembling hands, she unwrapped the next test. When the word pregnant appeared, tears slipped down her cheeks.
How could it be? After all this time and everything they’d been through, how could she be pregnant? Joy flooded her, and she began to sob.
A knock sounded at the door. “Is everything okay?”
“I took the tests,” Marigold said, her voice thick with tears.
“May I come in?” Prim asked.
“The door is unlocked.”
Prim paused in the doorway, concern furrowing her brow. She glanced at the bathroom vanity top, littered with pregnancy test supplies, before her gaze returned to Marigold’s tear-streaked face.
“I’m so sorry, Marigold.” Prim took a step forward, though there wasn’t much room to spare. “Your symptoms were just so classic that—”
“I’m pregnant.” Marigold pushed the words she’d longed to say for years past frozen lips. She gestured to the vanity. “Two tests. I did two tests. They both gave the same result.”
Prim studied the sticks Marigold had arranged on the vanity. A smile slowly blossomed on her lips, and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her sister.
“Congratulations. I’m so happy for you and Cade.”
“I’m so happy, too.” Marigold laughed and hugged her sister tight. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.”
“Well, I’m going to head home.” Prim smiled. “I can’t wait to hear Cade’s reaction when you tell him.”
Though happiness flowed through Marigold’s veins like warm honey, she still found herself unable to fully embrace the idea. She gripped her sister’s arm. “Promise you won’t tell anyone, not even Max, until I give
the go-ahead?”
Prim frowned. “Why?”
“I want to tell Cade, then I want to see a doctor. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, we’ll tell the family.”
Prim’s gaze searched hers. “You’re still not convinced.”
“I’m ninety percent convinced,” Marigold told her sister. “I want to be a hundred percent before sharing the news with the world.”
Prim smiled. “It’s such wonderful news.”
“You’ll keep it on the down low for now?”
“My lips are,” Prim mimed zipping her lips shut, “sealed.”
Chapter Four
Cade couldn’t wait for a quiet evening at home with his wife. Especially since Marigold had called that afternoon and told him she was planning on grilling salmon, a personal favorite of his.
Things had been rough between him and Marigold lately, and that was his fault. Granted, she’d been moody and weepy, but that was to be expected considering the heavy-duty drugs she’d been on.
His unexpected trips to Milwaukee and the overheard phone conversation with Alice hadn’t helped. He knew Marigold worried about his relationship with his former fiancée. And he hadn’t been able to dispel her fears. That would mean telling her exactly why he was texting and talking and visiting Alice.
Maybe he would stop and get Marigold flowers on the way home. He pulled open the door to his truck and considered. Stopping by the General Store would add an extra ten minutes to his trip, but it’d be worth it to see a smile light up Marigold’s face.
His phone rang just as the truck’s engine roared to life. “This is Cade.”
“Cade. It’s Alice. I have news.”
He waited a second for the Bluetooth to kick in and for her voice to come through the speakers in the truck. “What kind of news?”
“Nina wants to meet you.” Alice’s voice shook with excitement. “She’s narrowed it down to two couples. You and Marigold made the finals.”
“When?”
“Tonight if you can make it.”
Cade’s mind raced.
“I’ll swing by and pick up Marigold.” He did the quick calculation in his head. “Depending on traffic, it’ll take a good three hours for us to get there. Will that work?”
“I guess I wasn’t clear.” Alice cleared her throat. “She wants to meet you first. Alone. Then, if you’re acceptable, she will meet with both of you.”
Cade frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Sometimes things in independent adoptions don’t make sense.” Alice’s voice gentled. “Nina’s baby is due in three weeks. She knows it’s a boy. Her father was a detective. Her grandfather a US marshal. Service runs in her family. It’s important to her to have her son grow up in a law enforcement family.”
Clay knew the birth father was out of the picture and had relinquished his parental rights. “If family is so important, why hasn’t she told her family she’s pregnant?”
“She says they’ll try to talk her out of adoption, and she doesn’t want the extra hassle. Her words, not mine. Nina strongly feels adoption is the best option for her and the baby.”
Cade hoped that when he had a child, that boy or girl would always feel like they could confide in him. But he didn’t know Nina’s parents, and she was twenty-one. This was her decision to make.
“It’s not uncommon for a birth mother to not tell her family,” Alice said into the lengthening silence. “But it’s not as common as you might think.”
Alice had left her Detroit law practice to move to Milwaukee to work in a firm that specialized in private adoptions.
When he and Marigold had run into Alice, she’d mentioned her new position in passing. At that point, Marigold had already left for the concession stands. Cade had told Alice he and Marigold had been screened and approved by an agency, but had been warned the wait might be long.
Alice wanted to help. When she contacted him, he’d given her the information she requested and told her to keep a lookout. A couple of weeks ago, she’d contacted him about Nina.
A senior at Marquette University in Milwaukee, with everything in place to attend law school in Chicago in the fall, Nina had said a baby didn’t fit into her plans. She could have gone with an agency, but a friend of a friend’s father worked for Alice’s law firm.
In addition to wanting the father to be someone with a law enforcement background, she preferred a couple who already had at least one child. Apparently, Nina was an only child, so she wanted her son to have siblings.
Alice had confided that the other couple met both criteria. He and Marigold met only one. Another reason he hadn’t wanted to get Marigold’s hopes up.
Nina’s plan was to have the baby, sign the adoption papers and move to Chicago. He wanted to wait until he was certain they stood a real chance at adopting this baby before saying anything to his wife.
“If you pass muster, she’ll meet Marigold.” Excitement filled Alice’s voice. “Depending on what she decides, you could have a baby by Independence Day.”
“I’m on my way.”
He’d meet with Nina tonight.
Once he got home after the meeting, he’d tell Marigold everything.
Hours earlier, Marigold had stowed the salmon and spears of asparagus in the refrigerator. She’d snuffed out the candles that had been on the table, then put away the linen tablecloth.
Her celebration had fallen apart the second Cade had called. Instead of coming home, he was already on his way to Milwaukee.
Though stunned, she’d had enough sense to ask if he’d be seeing Alice. His momentary hesitation had told her all she needed to know.
“Safe trip,” she told him, not able at that moment to think of anything else to say.
“We’ll talk when I get home.” There was a long pause. “Or tomorrow. It might be late tonight.”
“Whatever.”
“Marigold.” His voice was quiet and intense. “There’s so much I need to say.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe.
“You said you have something to tell me.”
“It can wait.” She pressed her hand against her flat belly and felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. She almost added, It isn’t important, but the words died on her tongue.
What she had to tell him was important.
Now, they had a baby to discuss, plus whatever was going on between him and Alice.
“Tell me something, Cade.”
“Sure.”
“Are you and Alice getting back together?”
“Are you kidding? No.” The shock in his voice rang true. “That’s not what’s happening at all.”
“Then why are you seeing her?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get back.” His voice was fierce. “But I can tell you that there is no woman in this world I love the way I love you.”
Keeping this from Marigold had been a mistake. In all their married life, he’d never kept anything from her. Their relationship was built on honesty and trust. Now, he’d rocked that foundation with his desire to protect her from more heartbreak.
That ended tonight. Regardless of how things went with Nina, he would tell his wife everything when he got home.
His mind conjured up all sorts of scenarios on the long drive to Milwaukee. Like Marigold, he’d come to expect disappointment.
Cade told himself that if it didn’t work out tonight with Nina, it wasn’t meant to be. The office building that housed the law offices was quiet as a tomb. It had good security. He’d had to call Alice to come down and let him in.
Alice smiled as she unlocked the door. She was an attractive woman with a confident manner and a ready smile. His reaction to being around her had only confirmed what he’d already known. Marrying her would have been a mistake. There was only one woman he was meant to be with, and she was waiting at home for him.
“How is Nina?” Cade asked on the elevator ride to the tenth floor.
“She’s an amazing
young woman.” Alice’s voice rang with approval. “Loads of ambition. She’ll be very successful one day.”
Success had always been important to Alice. Important enough that she’d urged him not to endanger his own career by reporting fellow cops who were dirty.
He’d followed his conscience, and that had ended their relationship. He’d realized in the years since that they’d been on shaky ground prior to that defining incident.
“I was asking more about her feelings regarding the baby. The birth is close. Do you see her having second thoughts?”
Surprise flickered across Alice’s face. “Not at all. She’s very driven. Reminds me of myself at that age.”
“It’s a big decision.”
Alice placed a hand on his arm. “I don’t see her changing her mind. The only question up in the air right now is if you and Marigold will be her choice.”
As Cade sat across from the young woman, he told himself he had to trust that whatever Nina decided would be the right decision for her and for him and Marigold.
“After serving in the Marines, I was on the police force in Detroit for a number of years,” Cade told the girl, who looked impossibly young, her blond hair pulled back in a tail. “I started out as an officer, eventually received my detective’s shield. I enjoyed the work, but eventually wanted something different. I’m now the sheriff in Good Hope, Wisconsin. It’s a small community on the Door County peninsula.”
“Big city to small town.” Nina’s blue eyes narrowed, and her gaze turned speculative. “Quite a change.”
“Best move I ever made.” Cade smiled. “I get to do the work I love, but have time for family and friends. Good Hope is an amazing community. My wife has a lot of family there, and—”
“I want to hear more about your service record,” Nina interrupted. “If I decide to move forward, your wife can tell me more about her family and the community. Why did you leave Detroit? Did you do something wrong? Were you in danger of being kicked off the force?”
Cade met her gaze. Normally, he didn’t speak of that time. But the arrests and convictions were public record, and he sensed Nina wouldn’t accept any evasion. “I discovered several officers in my unit had failed to log into evidence money and drugs seized during searches of homes. I turned them in to Internal Affairs. They were eventually indicted and convicted.”