To Save a Child--A Clean Romance Read online

  Grace had made him see that.

  Amazing Grace.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON Frannie went with Grace to the funeral home to make arrangements for Brooke’s burial. The service would be at ten on Wednesday morning. That evening they sat together going through old photos of Brooke. Grace’s favorite was one of them as a family with their parents. Brooke was about three months old, and their dad was holding her. Grace was wedged in between their parents. She was staring at the camera, but her hand was on Brooke. It had been that way most of their lives. She’d been guiding Brooke each day, and she didn’t understand how it had turned out so badly. She should have never let go.

  On Monday morning she went to the retirement villas to talk to the director and told her that she would return to work on Thursday. The funeral would be stressful, but she had to get back into the swing of living. She couldn’t stay home and grieve. She had to be busy.

  On Tuesday morning Cole called with the DNA results: Kevin Colson was Zoe’s father. They didn’t talk long. She did tell him about the funeral, because he had asked about it. She wanted to hold on to his voice just a little longer, but she had to stop leaning on him.

  “Do you want me to tell him?” Cole asked.

  “No. I’ll do that.” She now had to handle her own life, and whatever Kevin decided, she had to be strong enough to handle it. On her own.

  She found Kevin’s number in Brooke’s phone, which was in the things the police had given her after Brooke’s death. She called him and arranged to meet at a small coffee shop not far from her house. Frannie looked after Zoe.

  Cole had faxed a copy of the DNA test, and she had it in her purse. If he wanted proof, she could show him. She was nervous about what he would say, but she didn’t bite her nails or run. She ordered a cup of coffee and sat at a small table near the windows so she could see the parking lot. A man of medium height in a multicolored plaid shirt and chinos walked in, and Grace knew it was Kevin.

  “Grace Bennett?”

  She nodded, and he took a seat across from her. “You look a lot like Brooke,” he remarked.

  “Yes. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “No, thanks. I just want to get this over with. I’m assuming you have the DNA results.”

  “Yes. You’re Zoe’s father. Ninety-nine point nine percent.” She opened her purse and laid the paper on the table.

  “Oh, man.” He ran his hands up his face. “I don’t understand how this happened. We used a condom, and we only had sex the one time. She was feeling down and I was, too. We drank a lot of wine and it just happened.”

  “As a doctor, you know it only takes one time.”

  He stared outside and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and then he said in a voice she could barely hear, “My wife gave birth to a baby girl yesterday. The baby was early, and I really should be at the hospital. I just found out I have another child. It’s unbelievable. I don’t know what to do.”

  Grace had no words to reassure him. He had to come to terms with his responsibility on his own.

  “My wife is a nurse, and she worked years to put me through med school. I can’t put this on her. She would not take it well, and she would leave me. I love my wife.” His shoulders sagged with the weight of his problem. “If...if I took Zoe into our lives and my wife accepted her, she would not treat Zoe well. I’m almost positive of that. Do you understand that I can’t take Zoe?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I understand what you’re saying, but Zoe is your child, your blood.”

  “Haven’t you been raising her?”

  “Yes,” she replied in stilted tones. Zoe was not an item to be bartered. She was a little baby who needed her parents. “I love her, and I want her to have a home where she’s happy and safe.”

  He studied his clasped hands on the table. “I’m okay with you raising her.”

  “Don’t you want to be a part of her life?”

  He shook his head immediately. “No. I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

  “That’s your plan for Zoe, just to step away and make believe that she was never born, to never acknowledge her existence?”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Yes. That’s the way it has to be. I know you’ll give her a good life, and that’s all I need to know.”

  Just like that, he shoved the responsibility for Zoe on to her. She would willingly take it, but it meant Zoe would never know her father. “Are you willing to sign away your paternal rights?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t even take a moment to think about it, and she thought that maybe Zoe was better off with him. Grace strongly believed in family—she wanted Zoe to be a part of a family, because that’s what’s counted in life. It gave a person roots, confidence and unconditional love. She wanted all that for Zoe.

  “Do you want time to think about this? Maybe talk to your wife?”

  “No,” he murmured.

  “I’ll have a lawyer draw up the papers, and you’ll have until that time to change your mind.”

  “I won’t,” he said, getting to his feet. “Call me when the papers are ready, and I will sign them. Do not have them delivered to my home. Once I sign them, Zoe will cease to exist for me, and she will be your full responsibility. I trust you to give her a nice home.”

  He walked out of the coffee shop, and Grace had to wonder how a man could just walk away from his own child. He already had a wife and kids. But why wasn’t there a place in his heart for Zoe? Why couldn’t he see her every now and then? Grace would be willing to allow that, but Zoe’s father didn’t even want her to exist. How was she supposed to explain that to Zoe years down the road?

  * * *

  WEDNESDAY DAWNED COOL and bright, and Cole and his grandpa made it to the funeral home early. People were already gathering inside. A well-rounded lady with reddish hair stood with Grace, as did Amber and Heather. They made their way to the front to see Grace, but he didn’t get to say much as people stood in line to offer their condolences. The place was full of nurses, doctors and neighbors. The weary look on Grace’s face tore at his heart. It would be a long day.

  The service was short, and they made the trip to the cemetery. Again Grace had lots of company, but he still worried about her. She asked that everyone return to her house for lunch. Cole and Grandpa went, because he wanted to make sure she was okay. Zoe was at the house. A lady from the neighborhood had kept her, and Grandpa picked her up just as soon as he could.

  There was a lot of talk and chatter as everyone moved around eating and trying to console Grace. People soon began to leave, and Cole spotted Grace in a chair with her feet tucked beneath her. She’d kicked off her heels and sat there like he’d seen her do before, all drawn into herself. He sat on the ottoman in front of her.

  “You okay?”

  She pushed her hair behind her ears. “I don’t know. I’m just going through the motions.”

  “It’ll take time.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Did you talk to Colson?”

  “Yes.” She dabbed at her eyes with the Kleenex in her hand. “He...he doesn’t want Zoe. He’s signing over his paternal rights.”

  The way she said it, he knew something was wrong. “That’s good, isn’t it? Now you can adopt Zoe and not worry about someone taking her ever again.”

  “He’s abandoning her. There’s no room in his life for her. How am I going to tell her that when she gets older?”

  He reached for her hands and squeezed them. “You will give her so much love that it won’t matter. When she finds out about her biological father, she might be curious, but it won’t change her heart.”

  She moved a hand to dab at her eyes again. “I’m going back to work tomorrow.”

  “Why so soon?”

  “I need to stay busy.”

  “I�
�m sorry for everything you had to go through to keep Zoe. But you saved her. She’s now safe and happy, and you should be proud of that.”

  “You saved her.” A small smile touched her face, and it was all he needed. She would be okay, but it would take time.

  * * *

  LIFE WENT ON. Grace told herself that many times during the next few days. She went back to work, and Frannie kept Zoe. She buried herself in helping other people. It was nearing Christmas, and the villas’ residents wanted to go shopping. Mr. Cravey was eighty-four years old and had four children, eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. He gave them money at Christmastime, and he always wanted her to help him pick out Christmas cards to put the money in. They spent almost an hour looking at cards. He was grouchy—he reminded her of Mr. Walt.

  Each resident had a different personality. Mrs. Pearce had her hair done every week, and she wore pearls, a nice dress and sensible heels every day. Mrs. Baranski, on the other hand, wore jeans, T-shirts and sneakers and could care less about her hair. She was a happy person involved in every activity she could attend.

  That was Grace’s job, planning events that would keep the residents busy and happy, and some days it proved to be a monumental task, since elderly people were known to have opinions and voiced them regularly. Their animated chatter went over her head as she smiled and talked and tried to do her job. By the time a new week rolled around, the sadness around her heart had eased enough so she could think about the future.

  Gabe drew up the papers and he and Grace met Kevin at the same coffee shop. He signed away his rights without a word. His name on a piece of paper would allow her full custody of Zoe. Gabe would now start the adoption process. She should be happy. It was what she wanted, but a part of her was still yearning for something more.

  * * *

  COLE SETTLED INTO his new job, and it was very much like his old job. He just had more authority. Grandpa was back to his old self and was enjoying his phone. Sometimes Cole couldn’t make it home at night, and his grandpa did just fine. Cole would call to remind him about taking his pill, and that was it. He was back to visiting with his old friends and playing forty-two at the community center. Cole never knew what he was going to do next. Grandpa had survived the grief of losing the woman he loved.

  Cole’s birthday was a few days away, and since he’d come home from the Army they didn’t do cupcakes in the barn anymore. They would go out to eat, and Grandpa always ordered chocolate cake for Cole. It had become a new tradition.

  When he arrived home on the day of his birthday, Grandpa seemed a little distracted. “We have to go,” Grandpa said. “You’re running late.”

  “I’m right on time.” He didn’t know what the hurry was about.

  They ate at a steakhouse in Temple, and Grandpa didn’t order chocolate cake for Cole. He thought that was a little strange, but it didn’t matter to him. On the way home, Grandpa tapped his fingers on his jeans, and then he turned up the radio. His antsiness started to get on Cole’s nerves, but he didn’t say anything.

  Grandpa hurried into the house. “I’m missing Andy Griffith.”

  They always had a beer on his birthday. Cole opened the refrigerator and saw beer inside. “How about a beer, Grandpa?”

  “In a minute.”

  A knock sounded at the back door, and Cole went to answer it. Before he reached it, it opened and Zoe toddled to him. He squatted and caught her. She was walking! He stood with her in his arms, and she rubbed her face against his. His heart melted all the way to his boots. His eyes went to Grace, who stood there with a cake carrier in her hand. Now he knew why Grandpa hadn’t ordered cake.

  “I made you a chocolate cake for your birthday,” she said in a soft, teasing voice. Her eyes were bright and clear. She was better. “It’s a thank-you. I made it from your grandmother’s recipe.”

  “Cole, are you talking to me?” Grandpa called.

  Cole set Zoe on her feet, and she toddled into the living room. Rascal barked loudly, and Grandpa shouted, “Oh, oh, oh, my baby’s walking.”

  Cole turned to Grace. “You look great.”

  She set the cake on the table. “I’m better. I’m busy with the people at the villas, and that’s what I needed. I’ve come to grips with everything that happened. I just can’t understand how my sister could let a man have that much control over her.”

  “It happens. Briggs’s problem was the steroids. That was the cause of the mood swings, the rages and the anger. He couldn’t have been a good person to live with, but she stuck it out because she thought she had a child by him and wanted them to be a family.”

  “Yeah.” A sad look revisited her face, and he just wanted to hold her.

  “Grace, I’m taking Zoe Grace outside,” Grandpa said.

  “Why? It’s getting dark.”

  “I just am.”

  “Mr. Walt...”

  Grandpa hurried out the French doors before she could stop them. She stared at the huge swing set in the backyard. “Where did that come from?”

  “Grandpa bought it.”

  She glanced at him, her eyes narrowed. “And you let him?”

  “You’ve been with us long enough to know that I can’t stop Grandpa from doing anything. He’s as stubborn as that old mule in the barn.”

  Grace stepped outside. “Mr. Walt...”

  Dusk had settled in like an old friend, nice and easy and comfortable. Cole watched as Grace tried to talk to Grandpa, but he was pushing Zoe in the baby swing. Zoe giggled, and Grandpa laughed and paid no attention to Grace.

  Cole sat in one of the swings. “Come on, try it,” he said to Grace.

  “It’s getting cold out here, and Zoe doesn’t have on her jacket.”

  “Lighten up. Zoe is enjoying it. Look at her.”

  Tiny giggles floated through the cool air like bubbles. Grace walked over and sat in the swing next to Cole. As she was watching Zoe, he got up and stood at the back of her and pushed her.

  She grabbed the ropes. “Cole!”

  He kept pushing, and she kept screaming. “Cole!”

  She finally jumped out and chased him around the swing. “I’m going to get you, Cole Chisholm.” She chased him all the way into the house. He stopped in the kitchen with his arms in the air. “You got me.”

  Her face scrunched up, and he thought she was mad, but he realized she was trying to hold the laughter in. She gave up, and laughter burst from her throat in a soft, infectious sound. Then he laughed, unable to resist her. All he could see was forever in her dark, flashing eyes. If he had to wait this long for a good birthday, it was worth the wait.

  Grace was worth the wait.

  * * *

  GRANDPA CAME THROUGH the French doors with Zoe in his arms. “Are you two through playing?”

  “I’m sorry,” Grace apologized to Grandpa. “The swing set is very nice. I was being silly.” In that moment, she realized she was almost afraid to live because of everything that had happened. Living brought pain, and she somehow had banked everything down. When Cole was pushing her in the cool air, she’d felt an invigoration that she couldn’t explain. She was alive, and a handsome man was flirting with her.

  She took Zoe and put her in her high chair, which was still in the same place as when she had left. “Now let’s have a birthday party.” She got plates out of the cabinet. Mr. Walt brought the ice cream from the freezer in the utility room.

  As they were sitting down, a knock sounded at the back door, and Bo walked in with a six-pack in his hand. “Hey, happy birthday, friend.”

  Grace grabbed another plate, but before she could put it on the table, Miss Bertie came through the back door with a cake in her hand. She placed it on the table. “Who else made a cake?”

  “I did,” Grace replied. “I made Miss Cora’s recipe.”

  Miss Bertie waved a
hand. “Mine’s better, so we’ll eat mine.”

  “Says who?” Mr. Walt confronted her. “Your cake is no better than Cora’s. I believe it’s the same recipe. Now let’s just sit down and enjoy ourselves. My boy is thirty-five years old today.”

  Grace grabbed another plate and paused as there was another knock at the door. How many people had Mr. Walt invited? A black couple walked in, and the woman had a cake carrier in her hand. Another cake!

  She was introduced to Lamar and Dori Jones. It the first time she’d met them. Lamar was tall and thin and wore an old baseball cap. Dori was petite with graying dark hair and a sweet smile. They had to be somewhere in their sixties. “I’m sorry I called so many times about my car.”

  Lamar removed his cap and took a seat at the table. “You don’t have to call anymore. I brought your car over. It’s parked outside.” He laid her keys on the table.

  “Oh, thank you!” She had her own wheels again. She felt like dancing.

  “Now, what cake are we going to eat?” Bo asked with a daring look at Cole.

  Cole sat in the chair next to her. “I plan on eating a piece from each cake. It’s not every day I get three birthday cakes. Thanks, everybody.”

  Grace served the cake, and everyone took a small piece of each. The conversation became lively as Mr. Walt, Miss Bertie and Mr. Lamar teased Bo and Cole about their childhood. They were good friends and probably had been for a long time. They said what they thought, and no one got their feelings hurt. Grace looked around the room and saw all the pictures of Jamie. She’d almost forgotten they were there. She guessed Cole was right. They didn’t bother him. As she sat there and soaked up the conversation and the company, she knew what was missing in her life. This—closeness. Family.