In Shelter Cove (26 page)

“I didn’t think it would be this hard,” Annie said. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant or end up alone. I’m dependent on you and your mother, and we’re not even related.”

“My mother and I love having you here, and we have no intention of putting you or the baby out. Mom already pulled out Jamie’s old crib and some of the clothes she kept from when we were babies.”

“She’s being very nice. But Reverend Schilling said I need to think about what’s best for my child long-term.”

“Do any of these couples stand out?” Charlotte asked, glancing at the photos attached to each file.

Annie’s shoulders started to shake, and Charlotte saw not just worry on her teary cheeks but also fear.

“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, softly.

“He
wants to adopt the baby. He’s in one of these pictures.”

It took a moment for Annie’s words to sink in.
“He?
You mean the father?” Charlotte’s gaze flew back to the pictures. There were five possibilities, all of them married.

“He doesn’t want his wife to know that he’s the father. He wants to pretend that it’s just a straight adoption.”

“
That is wrong on so many levels. Did you talk to him, Annie?”

“He called me before I met him and his wife. He told me not to say anything, that this was the perfect way for him to help. He’d take the child and raise it as his own, and his wife would be a good mother, and no one would ever have to know that he was really the biological father.”

“And what did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything when I met with him and his wife and Reverend Schilling, but it was hard. I was afraid to look at him or her, scared I might give something away.”

“Who is he, Annie?”

“I can’t tell you yet. I don’t know if I can give up my baby and watch my child being raised by his wife.” Another tear slid down her cheek. “I know it was wrong of me to have sex with him. He was just so nice to me. He made me feel special, and I loved him.”

“I know you did, honey.”

“I shouldn’t have done it.”

All five of the men were at least a decade older than Annie. “You didn’t do it alone, and this guy knew how young and innocent you were. He took advantage of you, Annie.”

“It wasn’t like that. We talked. He was sad; things weren’t going well in his marriage. I was sad, too. My father rarely let me leave the house, and I was hungry for someone to listen to me. And now my baby will grow up without its parents being together.” She looked at Charlotte through pain-filled
eyes. “I never wanted that to happen. I know what it’s like not to have two parents. My mother died a few years ago, and my father has pretty much always been gone, at least in his head.”

“You’re not in the ideal situation, Annie, but families come in all shapes and sizes. Single mothers and single fathers can still be great parents. As long as there is love, understanding, and commitment to parenting, your baby can thrive. This is a big decision, one you need to consider very carefully.”

“I thought there was a chance that . . .” Her voice trailed off with another sob.

“That he might leave his wife and marry you?”

“Pretty stupid, huh? What should I do, Charlotte? Should I give him my baby?”

“What do you
want
to do, Annie?”

Annie put a hand to her abdomen. “I can’t imagine giving my child up. He or she is the only family I have left. My father barely remembers I exist, and when he does remember, I’m sure he hates me. But then I think, How selfish is that? If I give my baby to his father, that’s something, I guess.”

Charlotte didn’t want to put her own opinions into the mix, but she was very troubled by this new development. The baby would have his biological father, but he would be raised with a secret hanging over his head. What if the wife found out at some point about the deception and walked out? Did this child deserve to be put in the middle of what had to be a turbulent marriage since the husband had decided to cheat?

Her gaze strayed back to the pictures of the happy couples. One of their marriages was a sham.

“I don’t like the idea of this being a secret,” she said. “Secrets have a way of coming out. And think about yourself, Annie. You’d be living in the same town. Knowing what you know, could you really do that?”

“But how could I give my baby to another couple when
he
wants it?”

It was a difficult point to argue. “The most important thing is what’s good for the baby. Your needs and the father’s needs should be taken into consideration as well, but don’t make your decision based on him. I really wish you’d tell me who it was.”

Annie gave her a half smile. “So you can yell at him?”

“He deserves a little yelling. He cheated on his wife.” As she said the words, Charlotte felt a little guilty about flirting with Joe. She’d told herself she’d never take it any further, but maybe she’d already taken it too far. Joe hadn’t signed his divorce papers yet, and his hesitation was a telling sign.

“He’s sorry,” Annie said with a sigh, referring to the father of her baby. Her gaze drifted toward the photos, but then she quickly looked up, probably afraid she would give something away.

“I’ll bet he is sorry. But that doesn’t excuse what he did then or what he’s doing now by staying silent and not supporting you.” Charlotte got up from the bed. “We’d better go to church before my mother sends a search party for us.”

“
You won’t tell Reverend Schilling that one of these men is the father, will you?”

She really wanted to, but since Annie had entrusted her with the information, she’d keep it to herself. “I won’t tell Andrew, but you have to tell anyone involved in the adoption. For the baby’s sake, they’d need to know his medical background. I understand that you want to protect this man, Annie. But sometimes you have to tell the truth, even if it hurts.”

“He could lose his wife.”

“Maybe that’s the price he has to pay.”

Annie sighed. “I wish I knew what to do.”

“You know,” Charlotte told her. “You just have to find the courage to do it.”

“Where’s Jason?” Lucas asked, for the tenth time since they’d arrived at the bluffs.

“He’ll be here,” Brianna said. “And so will your grandparents, and Kyle, too.” She was hoping for a huge crowd so that the Kanes and Jason could coexist without a scene.

“Jason!” Lucas cried.

She turned her head to see Jason approaching, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. His eye was still swollen and bruised, but it had improved considerably in the past few hours. He gave her a sexy smile, silently reminding her of all they’d shared in the past twenty-four hours. A rush of heat burned her cheeks, and she was extremely glad that the Kanes hadn’t arrived yet.

“Hey, buddy. You ready to make that thing fly?” Jason put one knee on the ground to take a look at the kite. “Looks good to go.”

Lucas gave a vigorous nod of his head. “Are you going to watch me?”

“You bet I am. I’m going to go down toward the other end of the bluff so I can see you better.”

“Do you think I’ll win?”

Brianna saw the need in Lucas’s eyes, but she didn’t think it was as much about winning as about gaining Jason’s approval. He’d certainly made an impact on Lucas’s life in a short period of time—hers, too.

“Just remember to have fun,” Jason said.

“Does your face hurt?” Lucas asked curiously.

“Not as much as the other guy’s.”

“Can you teach me how to fight?”

“I can teach you how to stay
out
of a fight. That’s more important. But right now, it’s all about the kites, buddy. And . . .” He leaned over and whispered something in Lucas’s ear.

Lucas gave a happy giggle. “Okay.”

Jason stood up, the grin still lingering on his face, as Kyle came running over, grabbing Lucas’s attention.

“What did you tell him?” Brianna asked.

“Run fast, and hold on tight.”

“Sounds like good advice.” She shifted her feet, wishing she didn’t feel the need to walk away, but the Kanes would be arriving any moment.

His smile dimmed, a shadow entering his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m going.”

“It’s not that I want you to.”

“Isn’t it?” he asked. “There’s always a choice.”

“
Not always.”

“You just tell yourself that because it’s easier than having to make one.”

“We’ve had one night together. Don’t push me.”

Jason nodded, then left. He didn’t get far, though, as a couple of attractive women stopped him. One very pretty woman put her hand on his bruised face, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to shrug her away. What did she expect? He was an attractive guy, a town hero, and single. Even if she didn’t want him, a lot of other women did.

Only she
did
want him. She just wasn’t sure she could have him.

Forcing herself to look away, she turned to Lucas. A moment later, Rick and Nancy joined them.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Nancy said with a smile. Rick looked equally delighted. “It’s been a long time since we had someone to root for in this contest,” she added.

“I’m going to win, Grandma,” Lucas declared.

“I bet you will,” Nancy said.

“I’ll take you over to the starting line,” Rick offered, grabbing Lucas’s hand.

“Just stay with the others, Lucas, and remember to watch where you’re going,” Brianna called, concerned that Lucas might get swallowed up in the big crowd.

“He’ll be fine,” Nancy said. “They let the little kids go first, and two adults run alongside them.”

“That’s good. There are so many people here. I didn’t expect it to be so crowded.”

“
It’s the last event of the festival. Wait until you see the adult kites—they’re spectacular. Professional kite flyers from all over the world come to participate.”

“I didn’t know one could be a professional kite flyer.”

Nancy laughed. “I guess there’s something for everyone. At least we have a good wind today. Some say this bluff is where the angels play. One year, we had a bright blue sky, then out of nowhere, wispy clouds started blowing in. The angels wanted to dance among the colorful kites.” She lifted her gaze toward the sky, where there wasn’t a cloud in sight. “I wonder if that will happen today. Even if it doesn’t, I know that Derek is up there watching his son.”

Rick returned, announcing that the kids were about to start. The starter blew a whistle, and Lucas and three other children took off running. Lucas was by the far the shortest and the youngest, and the look of excitement on his face reminded Brianna so much of Derek. The comparison didn’t make her feel sad today but happy. Derek might be gone, but he’d left a piece of himself behind in his son.

As Lucas’s kite leaped into the air, Brianna started running along the sidelines. She didn’t know if Rick and Nancy followed; she was too caught up in sharing the moment with her son. She shouted encouragement but doubted he could hear her; he was too busy having the time of his life.

At the finish line, Lucas dropped the kite at her feet and ran straight to Jason. Jason swung him up in
his arms and gave him a high five, and it was all Brianna could do not to fling herself into their huddle.

Jason set Lucas down, and the little boy ran back to her. “Do you think I won, Mommy?”

“I don’t know. They’ll announce the winners soon; we’ll have to wait and see.”

“My kite went really high!”

“It did,” she agreed, happy to see the joy in his face. “Did you have fun?”

He gave a vigorous nod and took off again, running into his grandfather’s arms this time. “Grandpa, did you see how good I did?”

Brianna suddenly realized she was exactly where she hadn’t wanted to be—caught between Jason and the Kanes. She took a surreptitious glance over her shoulder and saw that Jason was gone. She wished she felt relieved instead of disappointed.

They returned to the staging area to await the announcement of the awards. Lucas came in second and was given a red ribbon for his efforts. Unfortunately, he was not a gracious loser. “I should have won, Mommy!” he declared angrily. “My kite was better than the other one.”

“You did your best, and that’s what counts.”

“But I want a blue ribbon,” he said stubbornly. “Not this stupid red one.”

“Your dad would be proud of you,” Rick told Lucas. “He got second place a few times, too.”

“He did?” Lucas wavered, clearly torn between wanting to be like his dad and wanting to be first and best.

“
Absolutely. Now, why don’t you and I take a look at the big fancy kites over there?”

“Okay. Will you hold my ribbon, Mommy? I want to show it to Jason later.”

“I’ve got it.” She didn’t have to look at Nancy’s face to feel the sudden tension between them, and she was relieved when Nancy was distracted by one of her friends.

Alone in the crowd for a few minutes, she enjoyed the spectacle in front of her. Angel’s Bay had come to life in full, vibrant color, and she felt much the same way. The thick fog of uncertainty and despair that had surrounded her life had slowly been lifting. She was feeling lighter, more in the mood to look up instead of down, to stop thinking so much about where she’d been and more about where she was going.

“Brianna, hi,” Kara said as she pushed a baby stroller up to her. “I saw your little boy. He was having a blast.”

“I’ve never seen him have so much fun. Look at your sweet little girl,” she added, peering down at the tiny baby who was bundled up in blankets, awake, her wide gaze taking in the scene.

“She loves being outside,” Kara said. “In a few years, she’ll be running with the kites, too. I thought I saw Jason with you, but then he disappeared.”

Brianna knew the curious look in Kara’s eyes had more to do with Jason’s relationship with her than his whereabouts. “I don’t know where he went.”

“It’s none of my business,” Kara began, then
stopped with a rueful smile. “I should leave it at that, shouldn’t I?”

It was difficult not to like such a friendly, warm-spirited person who obviously cared about her friend. “It’s probably best that you do,” Brianna said lightly. “I don’t think I could give you the answers you’d want to hear, anyway.”