“When she was pregnant, I rubbed her feet,” Dawn continued proudly. “Can I do that for Aunt Lissa?”
“Let’s not give Family Services the idea we’re treating you as a servant.” And now for a distraction. “How about some popcorn?”
“Sure.”
Among Melissa’s purchases had been an air popper and a jar of popping corn. “Let’s fix a bowlful and eat it while we play with your jigsaw puzzle.” A gift from her grandparents last night, it featured a colorful image of fish swimming through a coral reef. The printing inside the lid contained facts about tropical fish and coral.
Dawn scrunched her face. “Our hands will be greasy with butter. We’ll mess up the puzzle.”
“Good point. Let’s work on it for a while and then break for popcorn.”
“Okay.”
They set it up on the coffee table, where they could leave the puzzle in place until it was finished. Edmond showed his niece the trick of finding the edge pieces first, and she concentrated intently.
Nearly an hour later, when they paused for a snack, Edmond realized he was enjoying himself. But eventually Dawn would feel secure enough to challenge him, and he still had no idea how to respond.
* * *
DESPITE HER CURIOSITY about how Edmond and Dawn were faring on their second night alone, Melissa resisted the urge to call on Wednesday. If only she could magically peek in to make sure everything was going well.
She understood it was important for Edmond to relate to his niece without her running interference. But didn’t she belong anywhere in the equation? Maybe he couldn’t love the triplets but...but, then again, why couldn’t he?
She supposed she ought to be reasonable. But she’d spent a lifetime being reasonable. It was wearing thin.
Melissa had just slipped into her nightgown when her phone sounded. His name on the readout gave her a buzz, just as it had when they were first dating.
Sitting at her desk chair, she asked, “How’d it go?”
“It’s ridiculous to be pleased about such a small thing, but I was able to let her play in the yard while I fixed dinner.” Amusement infused Edmond’s voice. “I only checked on her every five minutes.”
“Lucky you didn’t burn the food.”
“It’s hard to burn beef stew,” he said.
“No, it isn’t.” She’d done that once, shocked to discover that despite the liquid, the ingredients stuck to the bottom of the pot. “Dare I ask if you made it from scratch?”
“Yes,” Edmond replied cheerily. “I believe that was the name on the label.”
“What else did you do?” Every detail fascinated her.
“We made progress on the puzzle,” he recounted. “Then we knocked off to read aloud.”
“Something educational?”
“The newspaper,” he replied.
“Seriously?” That might be rather deep for a seven-year-old. “Which section?”
Edmond cleared his throat. “The comics.” The Orange County Register ran two pages of them daily, in color.
“Of course.”
“I never figured fatherhood could be this fun,” he said. “But Dr. Brightman cautioned that there’d be a honeymoon period, and I guess this is it. What if we clash in the long run?”
“You and she have a lot in common,” Melissa ventured.
“Aside from our relatives, name three things.”
“You’re both smart.” That was easy. “You have strong personalities.”
“And?”
“And you both have the good taste to like me.”
He chuckled. “Very much. Oops. She just got up to use the bathroom. If she suspects you’re on the phone, she’ll insist on talking to you, and then she’ll never get to sleep.”
Reluctantly, she acquiesced. “Sleep well.”
“You, too.” He clicked off.
From the next room, Melissa heard Karen and Rod laughing together. They weren’t lovers yet, as far as she knew, but they grew closer almost daily.
How lovely to be at that stage of a relationship, when the future spread before you filled with possibilities. Those possibilities were still there for her and Edmond, if he would quit being so hardheaded.
But they were making progress. She hoped so, anyway. Or else she was setting herself up for another crushing disappointment.
* * *
DURING EDMOND’S SCHEDULED hospital hours on Thursday afternoon, Melissa was tempted to venture up to the fifth floor and poke her nose into his office, but her increasing size made every excursion a major effort. Stretching, she rubbed her sore abdomen.
At twenty weeks she was only halfway through a full-term pregnancy, yet she was already as large as many women at forty weeks. She’d be glad when she finally held these babies in her arms.
A tap drew her attention to Caroline’s anxious face at the door. “Were you expecting Mr. Grant?”
Melissa hadn’t been in touch with her daughters’ genetic parents for weeks. “No. Is Nell here, too?”
“Just him,” Caroline said. “And he seems agitated.”
“About what?”
Rolling her eyes to signal that she didn’t dare say more, the receptionist stepped aside. The man who stalked past her gave the impression he’d have thrust the other woman out of his path had she not moved.
Melissa avoided reacting to his body language. “Vern. Welcome!”
He glared at Caroline. “Privacy, please.”
The young woman’s gaze met Melissa’s, silently asking permission. Receiving a nod, she scooted out and closed the door.
“What’s up?” Although his attitude alarmed her, Melissa kept her tone pleasant.
“We want our babies back.”
“What?”
Vern scowled. “You took advantage of us.”
Dread squeezed her throat at the accusation. This had to be a misunderstanding. Or a bad dream. “Why would you say that?”
“My wife’s in tears every night.” He paced across the office, his light brown hair disheveled—a contrast to his usually trim appearance.
“What’s wrong?” Melissa noted dark circles under the man’s eyes. Caring for seven-month-old triplets must be stressful, yet sleep deprivation alone couldn’t account for his barging in and throwing around wild claims.
“What’s wrong?” he repeated mockingly. “You took our girls, that’s what’s wrong.”
“I took your girls?” She felt foolish, echoing his words, but the charge blindsided her.
“You caught us in a weak moment.” He planted himself in front of her with his hands in fists. “You were desperate for babies and you manipulated us into giving you ours.”
His unfairness was so shocking that she hardly knew where to start. “I was far from desperate. As far as I’m aware, I could have conceived on my own.”
He leaped to another point of attack. “You saw how cute our babies were, and you wanted our embryos for yourself.”
“Vern, please sit down.” Arguing was fruitless. They needed to get to the root of this situation. “Where’s Nell? She should be part of this discussion.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” he snarled, still on his feet. “When our daughters are born, you’re handing them over to us.”
Aghast, Melissa gripped the edge of the desk. “These are my daughters now. You signed a contract.”
“Under duress.”
She blinked in astonishment. “What duress?”
Vern resumed pacing. “What you did was wrong. You played us.”
As much as Melissa tried to remain objective, she couldn’t. “The embryo transfer was your suggestion, yours and Nell’s, not mine.”
“That isn’t true.” A muscle bulged in his jaw. “My wife and I wo
uld never have agreed to give away our daughters if we’d been thinking straight. You were supposed to be there for us, not for your own gain.”
Did he speak even a grain of truth? Melissa tried to recall what they’d said at the time, but her brain refused to cooperate. One matter stood out, however. “You and Nell insisted I decide immediately or you threatened to choose someone else.”
He ignored the remark. “I could go to the administrator and have you fired for unethical conduct, but I’ll give you a chance to fix this. You have until tomorrow to tear up that contract and agree to our terms.” With that, he pivoted and stomped out.
Melissa could hardly breathe. Of all the possible problems that might arise, it had never occurred to her that the Grants would try to claim her daughters and threaten her career.
Overwhelmed, she burst into tears.
* * *
“IT’S NOT AS unusual as you might imagine,” Edmond told the clients seated across from him. “About a quarter of surrogates are friends or relatives.”
Bev and Mick Landry, the couple he’d met a few weeks earlier while they were conferring with Melissa, had scheduled the meeting to ask about Bev’s younger sister serving as their surrogate.
“I’d feel more comfortable sharing the pregnancy with my sister than with a stranger,” Bev said.
“Let’s review the issues.” Edmond brought up the question of whether Bev’s sister would use her own eggs and whether her insurance would pay part of the medical expenses. They’d also have to resolve in advance how they’d respond if anything went wrong with the baby, whether the brother-in-law fully agreed to the surrogacy, and what they’d tell the child about her “aunt.”
“This sure is complicated,” Mick grumbled.
“Of course it’s complicated,” his wife said. “Most people would think we’re weird for even considering it.”
“There’s a surrogate mother in the Bible, so it’s not that weird,” her husband retorted.
“On the other hand, I don’t recall anybody suing anybody in the Bible, which is why I advise covering all the bases,” Edmond answered calmly. “It would be wise to draw up a contract, including what expenses you’ll pay and whether your sister-in-law will have visitation rights. Both sides should bring their own lawyer, and your brother-in-law should sign the surrogacy agreement also.”
Bev toyed with her purse strap. “Could we hire you as our attorney?”
“Certainly, but in my private practice. I’m only a consultant at the hospital.” Quickly Edmond added, “Or I’d be happy to suggest other family law firms in the area.” While part of his motive in affiliating with the hospital had been to expand his business, it was important that clients chose the representation that suited them best.
When the couple departed, it was almost five o’clock. He wouldn’t mind picking up Dawn earlier than scheduled, especially since this was their evening to visit the therapist, but first he checked his email. There was welcome news: Portia Adams had agreed to his suggestion of a playdate for the girls.
“Saturday morning at the Oahu Lane Shelter is fine,” she’d written. “However, a certain person volunteers there in the afternoon and we do not want to run into him.”
That would be Rod, Edmond reflected. He typed a quick response, promising to set up the volunteer stint at a time when they wouldn’t run into “a certain person.”
He pressed Send and had begun collecting his belongings when his phone rang—Melissa.
Smiling, he answered, “Hi.”
“Can you come down?” A sob shook her voice. “Something awful has happened.”
“I’m on my way.” Barely pausing to click off the phone, he sprinted for the stairs.
Chapter Sixteen
The urgency in Melissa’s words flooded Edmond with fear. He had to force himself to slow for a gurney in the corridor, barely avoided skidding down the last flight of stairs, and raced through the empty reception area where Caroline usually sat.
His heart was still pounding when he entered Melissa’s office. It was a relief to find her sitting upright rather than lying down, screaming in pain, as he’d feared. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Sniffing, she wiped her eyes on a tissue. Her skin was unusually pale, he noted. “Thanks for coming. Do you need to pick up Dawn?”
“Not yet.” Keeping track of his niece’s schedule was becoming instinctive. “What happened?”
Her voice breaking, she described a threatening visit from Vern Grant. The man was completely out of line, in Edmond’s opinion.
“I don’t think they can force me to do anything but I’m not sure,” she concluded.
“Legally, you’re the mother.” Edmond had researched the subject after learning the facts of Melissa’s pregnancy. “Embryos are considered property, and the Grants transferred ownership to you. They can’t simply change their minds, walk in here and demand the babies.”
“Vern just did.” She hurried on. “Whatever the law says, he contends I took advantage of him and Nell when they were vulnerable. Given my position of trust here at the hospital, I’m terrified he might have a case.”
“Didn’t you say the embryo transfer was their idea?” It infuriated Edmond that the man had hurled such accusations and upset Melissa in her condition. Or any condition.
“Yes, but...” She released a ragged breath. “Even if they can’t win in court, they could wreck my reputation. I hope Mark would stand by me, but he has to answer to a corporation based on the other side of the country. And if this damages the hospital’s reputation, I’d feel awful.”
Now that he’d learned she was in no immediate danger, Edmond’s wrath focused on the person who’d put her in this position. “What he’s saying could be considered slander.”
“So I should spend years and all my money suing him?” Melissa asked. “Even if I won, between the internet and the press, it’d still ruin my career.”
His outrage refused to yield. “One might make a case that they manipulated you into serving as their surrogate, without your consent.”
“I don’t believe they planned this,” she said unhappily. “But there’s no time for tempers to cool. They’re insisting that I agree to their terms by tomorrow.”
“What terms?” Edmond countered.
“Tear up the contract and give them my babies.” The devastation on her face cut him to the core.
“What about your terms?” he responded. “Even if you went along, which you won’t, are they proposing to pay for your lost work and suffering? Surrogates are paid between twenty and forty thousand dollars, plus expenses.”
He paused, aware that he was letting his emotions control him. Melissa had a right to his best advice and clearest thinking.
“I hadn’t considered that.” She folded her arms as if holding in her emotions. “I want to fight, only I keep seeing their side of this, too. They must miss their little girls, now that their little boys are getting bigger.”
Edmond ached to defend her with all his expertise, but this wasn’t his decision. Also, he still believed in collaborative rather than adversarial family law, even with people who ticked him off.
Reaching across the desk, he stroked her hands. “As soon as fire stops shooting out of my ears, I’ll call the Grants and suggest we meet. I’ll explain that I’m attending as your friend, but that they’re welcome to bring an attorney if they’d like.”
“My schedule’s packed tomorrow,” Melissa said worriedly. “But if necessary, I’ll rearrange it.”
“This weekend should be soon enough. As you said, everyone’s tempers need to cool.” He’d find a sitter for his niece. That raised another point. “We should avoid mentioning this to Dawn. This is a touchy subject.”
“Especially while it’s unresolved.” Tears flowed down he
r cheeks again. “It feels like a judgment. I’ve wondered if I’m capable of caring for three babies.”
“If you weren’t frightened about raising triplets by yourself, you wouldn’t be human,” Edmond assured her. “But you aren’t by yourself anymore. I’ll support whatever you choose.”
Melissa’s mouth quirked with a hint of a smile. “I appreciate that.”
A few minutes later, possessed of the Grants’ phone number and with Melissa in slightly better spirits, Edmond headed for his office. As he climbed the stairs to burn off nervous energy, he recalled his impulsive statement that he’d support whatever she chose. Melissa must be wondering what he meant by that, and in truth, so was he.
He’d begun to imagine a future in which he and Dawn frequently visited Melissa and her babies. He’d pictured the triplets becoming toddlers, old enough to read stories to and play games with.
But that didn’t mean he could be their father. Despite his progress with Dawn, Edmond wasn’t convinced he could succeed with even one child. But it was unthinkable for Melissa to be forced to give up the daughters she loved.
At his office, he decided he’d calmed enough to place the call. Besides, the Grants had set tomorrow as a deadline, which meant he’d better contact them before then.
Holding himself steady, Edmond dialed their number.
* * *
THAT NIGHT, MELISSA barely touched her dinner. Luckily, Jack and Anya had joined the group and the conversation flowed merrily around her. The newlyweds laughed a lot and occasionally finished each other’s sentences as they recounted their adventures snorkeling and swimming on Catalina Island.
Only a little over a month from her due date, Anya also reported on the flood of gifts from her large family for baby Rachel Lenore. “There’s more clothing than she can possibly wear,” she told Zora and Melissa. “I’ll share them with you guys, although you’ll probably be inundated, as well.”
“I’ll organize a shower in September.” Karen slanted a concerned glance at Melissa. She’d been the only one at the table who’d noticed her friend’s withdrawal that evening.
The Surprise Triplets Page 16
