Accept Me

by Marion Ueckermann

  She was talking too much. Still, Heath hung on her every word. He really was as interested and invested in people as Riley had said.

  Dr. Brock had been upstairs settling the baby when they’d arrived. His wife, Julia had welcomed them at the door. Now her doctor ambled down the staircase. He walked across to where she and Heath chatted. “Haddie, I’m really glad you and Riley could make it. You’re looking way better than the last time I saw you.” He gave her a side hug.

  Huh? Oh well, this was a casual get together, not an appointment with him at the medical center.

  “Ha, you wouldn’t have wanted to see me the past two days—they were a medicated blur, although I am thankful for the strong pain killers you prescribed, Dr. Brock.”

  “Please, call me Hudson.”

  That would feel a little weird, but she’d try.

  “And how are you feeling today?” Hudson asked.

  “Today I feel pretty good. Riley and I even went for pancakes this afternoon on the boardwalk.”

  “Sinful chocolate pancake stacks?” With perfect brows arched, Reese waited for Haddie’s answer.

  Haddie grinned. “Absolutely. They’re my favorite.”

  “Mine too,” Hudson, Julia, and Reese chimed together.

  Everyone burst out laughing, and a warm feeling wrapped around Haddie like a cozy blanket. If this was what having family…siblings…was like, she loved it. If only she could keep them. If only they were hers.

  “Well, should we eat dinner while the distracting baby is sleeping?” Julia asked. “The peace won’t last forever, I can assure you. I hope you’re all hungry.”

  “Starving.” Finally, Riley had managed to get a word in. Even if it was only one.

  Julia smiled. “Good, because I’ve made oven-roasted Dungeness crab, sourdough bread, and a green salad with tarragon vinaigrette.”

  “Stop, wife. My mouth’s watering.” Hudson stuck out his tongue, panting like a man dying of thirst in the desert.

  Julia laughed at her husband’s antics. “And afterward, if you finish all your food, there’s Marionberry pie. And before you ask, no, Aileen did not make it. I did.”

  “Sounds as if you’ve been slaving in the kitchen all afternoon.” Haddie limped on her crutches as she followed Julia to the dining room.

  “Only a little. Hopefully it’ll be worthwhile.” Julia pulled out a chair for Haddie. The one at the head of the table. “I think you’ll be more comfortable here. Easier to move in and out.”

  There was an undeniable energy and excitement in the air as they cracked open their crabs and sopped up the buttery garlic sauce with chunks of sourdough bread. Not the average meal one would serve guests the first time they eat at your house…at least her late mom wouldn’t have served a meal like this where fingers and bibs were mandatory in the dining process. This was more fun, more friends and family-oriented. Haddie loved it.

  Bar the crab shells, everyone’s plates were clean. Seemed like Haddie was in good company—they were all food lovers. Even Reese. Riley had told Haddie that up until a year ago, Reese had been a supermodel.

  After they’d enjoyed their Marionberry pie, which Haddie was sure would rival anything Aileen made, Hudson suggested they enjoy coffee in the living room where it was more comfortable.

  Riley helped Haddie into a soft chair, propped her legs up on a footstool, and then sat down on the floor beside her, leaving the open seats on the sofa for the ever so slightly older generation. He was such a thoughtful guy, always putting others above himself.

  And she loved him for it. It was one of the qualities that had so attracted her to him.

  As they sipped their coffee, Hudson handed an envelope to Haddie. “This was emailed to me late this morning. From Portland. I think you’ll want to read it.”

  The envelope shook in Haddie’s hand. This had to be the DNA results. And it had to be good news, otherwise Hudson wouldn’t have had anything to show her.

  She looked up at him, her eyes blurring with moisture. “Y–you found my mother?”

  He shrugged. “In a manner of speaking. I think, however, you’ll like what you find in there more.”

  What could be better than finding her mother? Had Hudson found her family, brothers and sisters as she’d hoped?

  She ripped the envelope’s flap open and pulled out two pages titled DNA Test Report. Her heart thudded wildly, slamming against her ribs as she read. She couldn’t believe it. She looked up at Hudson. “Do you know what’s in this report?” Of course he knew—it was sent to his email.

  Before he could answer, she gazed across the room at Heath. His cheeks glistened with tears. “And you?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I hope you don’t mind that Hudson shared the information with me, but I was one of the samples tested, after all.”

  Riley looked up at Haddie. “I’m confused. What’s going on?”

  “So am I,” Reese said.

  “Me three,” Julia added with a laugh.

  “Haddie, do you want to tell them, or should I?” Hudson tilted his head as he stared at her.

  If Haddie could leap out of her chair, she would run to those two men and give them the biggest hug ever. Hudson was right—this was way better news than finding the woman who’d chosen to give her away. But she was certain she’d soon find out the reason why. At least, she hoped she would.

  “Y’all… These guys—” Haddie’s voice quivered. She drew in a deep breath while tears rolled unashamedly down her cheeks. Under different circumstances she would’ve feared another asthma attack. Now her inability to breathe properly could be blamed on sheer emotion alone. “Hudson and Heath…”

  “And Hunter. Don’t forget our big brother.” Heath had his hand raised slightly, as if asking for permission to interject.

  Another sob escaped Haddie’s throat. “I have three big brothers, y’all—Hudson, Hunter, and Heath.”

  “And we have a little sister. I can’t believe it. When I saw you in my rooms on Saturday, Haddie, then heard your story from Riley, heard our mother’s name from your own lips, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were family. You look just like I remember our mom. I didn’t need a DNA test, but you did.” Hudson helped Haddie to her feet so they could hug properly and weep together.

  Heath didn’t wait to join the group huddle and crying session.

  She felt so loved.

  She felt so wanted.

  She felt so accepted.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  RILEY HAD insisted that everyone clear the three-seater couch so that the newfound siblings could sit together. Haddie was placed in the middle, naturally, flanked on each side by her older brothers. Sitting there watching them, Riley could only think about how they would’ve protected her growing up. If only they’d been given a chance.

  Haddie’s relatively minor injuries from her terrible fall three days before had been a miracle. But finding her brothers? Now that was God’s hand moving in epic proportions. If Haddie’s accident hadn’t happened, if Hudson hadn’t been on duty Saturday past, if Haddie had left Chapel Cove and he hadn’t been able to catch up to her before she left on her flight…well, those two men might never have found their little sister and Haddie might never have known she had a family. Yes, she’d come to Chapel Cove seeking her mother, but she had found so much more. And judging by the look on Haddie’s face, the wideness of her smile, and the love in her eyes when she flashed Riley a glance, Haddie knew that too.

  Speaking of her mother…

  In all the excitement, the subject had yet to be raised. Hudson and Heath had immediately wanted to know all about Haddie and her life in Kentucky.

  Taking advantage of the brief lull in conversation, Riley asked, “So, Haddie’s mom… Where is she? Is she still living in Chapel Cove?” Riley knew that Hudson and Heath’s father had died a drunk, but they’d never spoken about their mother.

  Hudson pursed his lips. His chest expanded as he filled his lungs.

  Uh-oh. Touchy su
bject. But one that would have had to be raised sometime tonight.

  Heath clasped Haddie’s hands between his and gazed at her, compassion filling his eyes. “Haddie, I know you came here in search of your mother…our mother…but we don’t know where she is. We have no idea whether she’s still living.”

  “And we don’t really care, either.” Elbows on his knees, Hudson lowered his gaze and clasped his hands behind his head.

  “Hudson…” Heath cautioned.

  Hudson turned to Heath. “No, Heath. Haddie has a right to know what kind of a mother she would’ve had. Believe me, little sister, you’re better off having never met the woman. She did you a big favor giving you up for adoption. Probably the only selfless act she’s done in her life, but no doubt for totally selfish reasons. My only regret is that she robbed us of twenty-eight years of your life.”

  Haddie’s eyes filled with tears. She swallowed hard. “I–I don’t understand.”

  Hudson opened his mouth to speak.

  Heath stopped him.

  “Let me tell Haddie,” Heath said to Hudson. “Even after nearly three decades, you’re still too filled with anger at mom. I learned to deal with those feelings a long time ago. And I’ve forgiven her. That’s why what she did no longer has a hold on me.”

  “Wh–what did she do?” Haddie’s head oscillated between Heath and Hudson.

  Heath sighed. “Our parents had a turbulent marriage. How they stuck it out for eighteen years is still a mystery to me. But moving to Chapel Cove, to Uncle Trafford’s trailer park, after our father lost his job in Seattle and couldn’t get another… Well, that was the nail in the coffin. A month later, Mom left.”

  Only a month in town… Could explain why nobody he or Haddie had asked had known Kayleigh Scott. And of course, she would’ve been Brock, so she must’ve used her maiden name on Haddie’s birth certificate.

  “Scott was her maiden name?” Riley hoped for clarification.

  Heath turned to face Riley. “That’s right. Kayleigh Scott Brock, but she always went by her second name, Leigh. She didn’t like her first name. Ha, I can still hear her telling people that Kay sounded too old fashioned.”

  What? So her name wasn’t Kayleigh either. Folk around here, if they’d even met her in that month, would’ve known her as Leigh Brock.

  “She was selfish and self-centered. Not only did she leave without a goodbye to one of us, she did it in the middle of the night, like a coward.” Again, anger laced Hudson’s voice. He wasn’t about to let his mother’s transgressions rest today. But it was better that Haddie knew the whole truth, hard as it might be to hear. It still had to be easier than some of the things she’d shared with him of her concerns about her conception.

  “I wasn’t even thirteen.” Lips drawn in a thin line, Hudson shook his head. “But then, she’d never wanted to be a mother. That was evident from the lack of love she showed us. I don’t think she liked kids, period.”

  Heath inhaled. He seemed weary of this conversation he’d obviously had with his brother many times before. His shoulders moved in a slight shrug. “She just wanted more from life than Dad, or we boys, could give her. I’ve always maintained that some mother is better than no mother.”

  Thinking back to many of the foster homes he’d lived in, Riley had to disagree.

  “Do you think Dad knew she was expecting Haddie when she left?” Heath asked Hudson.

  “Well, she left toward the end of July, and Haddie was born on November 22nd.”

  Haddie leaned forward, curving toward Hudson. Just like a little sister, she gazed up into his face. “How did you know that’s my birthday?”

  Hudson laughed, his mood lightening. “I’m your doctor, remember? I read your file. Your birthdate was yet another thing that fueled my suspicions. Your blue eyes did throw me a little, we all have brown or hazel eyes—Dad had brown, our mother green. Then I remembered Genetics 101, that there was a chance, although small, for a blue-eyed baby.”

  He shifted his attention to Heath. “To answer your question, Mom must’ve been five months pregnant when she left. On her fourth pregnancy, she would definitely have been showing for a few weeks by then. If nobody else noticed, Dad certainly would have.”

  “A–actually, she would’ve been four months. I was born a month prematurely. My dad…adoptive dad…told me when I asked him about my mother’s—” Haddie floundered on her words again. “I–I mean my adoptive mother’s deathbed confession about my adoption, that I was meant to be a Christmas baby. Premature, I became their Thanksgiving baby instead. And they’d been so thankful to welcome me into their lives earlier.”

  Riley shot to his feet. He bolted around the couch then leaned over the backrest and wrapped his arms around Haddie’s shoulders. He gave her a light squeeze—hard enough to let her know he loved her and was there for her, gentle enough not to hurt her bruised body.

  “Haddie, you don’t have to call them your adoptive mom and dad,” he said. “They were your parents for twenty-eight years—your entire life—and they loved you. Parents don’t need the same DNA as you to be your mother and father. All they need is love. And from what you’ve told me, yours had a boatload full. Your father still does.”

  She pressed her head lovingly against Riley’s. “You’re so right, my love. And you would know. You’ve experienced the same.”

  “I second that, Riley,” Julia said. “I might not have carried little Emma in my belly, or given birth to her, but Hudson and I love her as if we had made her ourselves. She’s ours, and I can guarantee you, Haddie, that your parents, the ones who raised you, felt exactly the same way about you.”

  Haddie wiped her cheeks with the edge of her sweater. “A–and my biological father? Our father…?” she questioned her brothers.

  Heath was the one hefting a sigh this time. “Dad never got over Mom’s leaving. He turned to the bottle to ease his pain. Eleven years later, he passed away. Maybe being alone got to him, I don’t know—it was shortly after I’d started Bible college. Many days I wonder whether Dad died as a result of the liquor, loneliness, or a broken heart.”

  Upstairs, a baby cried.

  “Uh-oh, that’s our cue, honey.” Hudson rose from the couch.

  Julia followed.

  One good thing about the baby waking—she’d broken the melancholy that had descended on the room with the discussion of Kay Leigh Scott Brock.

  Soon both proud parents inched their way down the stairs, a pink bundle safely tucked in her father’s arms.

  “Oooh, blessed little thing.” Haddie held out her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Can I hold her? Please?”

  “Of course.” Hudson placed the baby in Haddie’s arms and Riley wished he was still sitting on the other side of the living room, opposite Haddie. What he wouldn’t give to see her face right now. “Little Emma also wants to get to know her Auntie Haddie. Don’t you sweetheart?” Hudson’s voice lapsed into baby tone as he prodded her tiny chin in an attempt to make her smile.

  Emma satisfied her daddy with the widest smile and a loud gurgle.

  Haddie pulled the baby close to her chest. “Oh, little Emma. I love you so much already. And I’m going to be right here to see you grow up and teach you to read. Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and definitely your namesake, Jane Austen’s Emma.”

  Reese, who up until now had been rather quiet, laughed. “Haddie, don’t you think you should start with something simpler, like Charlotte’s Web or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?”

  Haddie chuckled too. “Probably.”

  “Well, while you’re busy offering literary lessons to your brother’s child…” Reese rose and rubbed her stomach. “Do you mind adding another niece, or nephew, to your English class?”

  Everyone, except for Heath, burst out in unison. “You’re pregnant?”

  Heath stood and strode across to Reese. He wrapped her in a loving embrace. “We found out on Sunday, but wanted to keep the news to share with all of you tonight, or y’all as
our little sister would say.”

  A lump formed in Riley’s throat. He couldn’t wait until the day when it was his and Haddie’s turn to break such news. Yes, he’d only known this girl for a month, but he knew how he felt about her. Those feelings wouldn’t change.

  Still, he’d take this as slow, or as fast, as Haddie wanted. Just as long as he got to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Haddie thought her heart couldn’t be fuller tonight, until Riley paused at the backdoor to her apartment and stole a lengthy kiss.

  “Some night, hey?” He smiled at Haddie then swung the door open for her.

  “The best night ever.” If she hadn’t had an injury on both legs, she would’ve let the crutches fall to the floor, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him silly. Instead, she opted for what she could do—the latter.

  “And that, has made it perfect,” she said as their lips finally parted.

  Riley helped Haddie to the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then walked to the kitchenette, a few feet from where she lay. “Something to drink? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate?”

  “Is it sinful hot chocolate?” She bit the inside of her lip to hide her smile.

  Riley’s low chuckle filled the small room. “That would depend on how many spoonsful I put into the mug, I guess.”

  “Make it three…no five.”

  She should call her dad while Riley puttered around in the kitchen, but it would be the middle of the night in Kentucky.

  She could call Cara. And she should. Her friend would definitely want to know everything that had happened tonight, and get that news hot off the press. But it was late—almost midnight—and even though that meant eight in the morning in Ireland, Haddie was tired.

  And Riley looked exhausted.

  “I really wish you’d go home and get a decent night’s rest in your own bed instead of trying to curl up in that armchair.”