Marred

by Tess Thompson

  “I do love that ring,” Honor said. “Well done, Kyle.”

  Kyle caught Brody’s eye from across the table. “Brody helped me.”

  Brody shrugged. “I knew a guy.”

  “Is it from the Edwardian era?” Mary asked.

  “How did you know that?” Kyle asked.

  “I read a lot of books from that era,” she said.

  “But that’s not my announcement,” Kyle said. “There’s more. We talked about it and although it’s technically too soon to share we wanted you guys to know anyway. Violet’s pregnant. According to our calculations, she’s due sometime in mid-August.”

  Everyone stared at him for a moment before a chorus of congratulations echoed around the table.

  “Obviously, it was an accident.” Violet’s cheeks flamed pink.

  “A happy one,” he said.

  “These things happen, even on the pill,” Kara said.

  “Honey, doctor-patient privacy,” Brody said.

  Next, to him, Violet radiated heat. Embarrassed. She was so damn cute.

  “Anyway, given everything, we want to get married as soon as possible,” Kyle said. “Violet wants a wedding and I intend to give her one.”

  “Of course,” Honor said. “Whatever you want, we’ll make it happen.”

  “Well, we’ll need to shop immediately for a dress,” Kara said. “We don’t want a repeat of Honor’s dress.”

  “We’re going to,” Honor said. “If we’re going to get them hitched before a baby bump.” She looked over at Violet.

  Violet nodded. “I know it’s fast, but I’ve been dreaming of it since I was a little girl.”

  “We’re on it,” Honor said.

  Maggie and Jackson hadn’t said a word. Kyle looked over at them. Maggie was staring at her plate with a slight smile on her face. Kyle caught Jackson’s eye and he knew. They were pregnant too. Would he say anything? But it was Maggie who spilled their secret.

  She looked up from her plate. “We might as well fess up too. I’m pregnant and due right around the same time as you.”

  “What in the heck was in the water at Thanksgiving?” Honor asked. Only Honor would have figured the math in her head to come up with that fact.

  Maggie had started crying. Jackson put his arm around her. “She’s worried about what it will do to her career.”

  “I finally got my break,” Maggie said, wiping her eyes with a napkin. “I’m happy about the baby, but honestly, it couldn’t come at a worse time.”

  “My mom always said there was never a good time,” Lance said. “You just take it when it comes.”

  Mary looked small and pale. Maybe she suffered from social anxiety. Was she bullied as a kid?

  “Anyway, it won’t matter,” Sophie said. “The album’s ready. Dad said they’re going to release the first single in late January. You’re on your way, baby or not.” It took Kyle a moment to remember that Sophie’s adopted father was Maggie’s music producer.

  “You’ll be fine up until the end when you can’t see your shoes,” Violet said. “You can still do your concerts.”

  Honor’s eyes shone from the other end of the table. “And you’ll have the babies almost at the same time. How sweet is that?”

  Was it? Did Honor mean what she said or did her infertility eat away at her? Kyle glanced at Zane. From his expression, somewhere between protective and worried, Kyle knew he was wondering the same thing.

  Honor picked up her glass of wine. “Why is everyone staring at me? I’m fine. I keep telling you all that. We’ll figure out a way to have a baby. Don’t worry about me. I’m too busy taking care of the biggest baby ever anyway.” She pointed at Brody who grinned sheepishly.

  “I do need a lot of help lately,” Brody said. “This retirement thing is a lot of work.”

  “He has more requests for television interviews, endorsements, and offers from networks than we know what to do with,” Honor said.

  “Nothing finalized, but I might have an announcer position by next fall,” Brody said. “Honor’s been doing her magic and spreading rumors that I already have offers, so now they’re fighting over me.”

  “See? I don’t have time for a baby,” Honor said. “Not to mention you know who.” She gestured toward Jubie. Too busy giggling with Dakota, she didn’t notice the adults looking at her.

  Kyle wasn’t convinced. A hitch in her throat made him suspect the news of two of her best friends being pregnant was harder than she pretended.

  “I have a solution for them, but they’re too stubborn to agree to it,” Sophie said.

  “Sophie, don’t,” Zane said.

  Sophie smiled her twenty-one-year-old smile, so innocent and hopeful. “You guys all tell one another everything. Maybe we should run it by your friends and see what they think.”

  “It’s not a good time,” Zane said. “This is not a subject for dinner conversation.”

  “Why?” Sophie asked, somewhat petulantly. “I want so desperately to help. Now is the perfect time in my life to do so.”

  Tense silence was as pregnant as Maggie and Violet.

  It was Zane’s turn to stare down at his plate. Honor opened her mouth to speak but seemed to decide against it and drank from her wineglass instead.

  “I want to be their surrogate,” Sophie said. “A donor egg from a stranger, of course, with Zane’s sperm, implanted in me.”

  More awkward silence.

  “Sophie, I asked you not to say anything,” Zane said.

  “Well, she did, so we may as well talk about it,” Honor said with a wink at Sophie.

  “You want to be their surrogate?” Brody asked.

  “Yes, it’s the perfect solution. I’ll present my case,” Sophie said. “I’m just the incubator, so it’s not weird when you really think about it. The egg and sperm will have already been merged into an embryo by the time it’s implanted into my uterus. Furthermore, they can trust me. I’m family. I’m not going to decide I want to keep it or something weird like that. And, it’s my way to pay homage to Hugh, who sacrificed so much for me to have a good life.”

  Honor teared up at the mention of Hugh. “Zane and I initially reacted with a strong no.”

  “Not to sound like a prude, but it’s weird, right?” Zane asked.

  “Anyone want to weigh in?” Sophie asked.

  “I think it’s lovely,” Mary said.

  Mary thought it was lovely. He hadn’t seen that coming.

  “What greater gift can you give someone than a child?” Mary continued. “And I agree, it’s the least risky solution if you’re considering going the surrogate route.”

  “As a medical professional, I have to agree that Sophie is only the vessel in which the baby grows. It’s not a matter of anything incestual,” Jackson said. “As a friend, I can’t imagine anything better for you guys. And Sophie, wow, I’m amazed at your generosity. It’s incredibly sweet.”

  “I agree,” Maggie said. “I’m all for it. Sophie, what a gift you would give them.”

  Sophie ducked her head before speaking, sounding less matter of fact and more emotional. “If you guys could read Hugh’s journal—the one he kept for me—you’d be inspired to do something for someone else too. He was such a remarkably generous man. It’s changed my whole life to read his words, to be a witness to someone doing the unimaginable and letting his child grow up without him to make sure she was safe. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s made me want to be a better person.”

  “He would be bowled over by you,” Honor said.

  “Yes, he would,” Maggie said.

  “I agree about the medical assessment,” Kara said. “As the practical one in the group, it’s a practical solution.”

  “But you think it’s weird?” Honor asked.

  “A little. But not enough that I would advocate against doing it,” Kara said. “We’re in the twenty-first century. Science allows us to do things we couldn’t even imagine a hundred years ago.”

  Brody looke
d over at Honor, his usually stoic expression—or what the Dogs called his resting douche face—was replaced by one of sympathy. “You should think about it, seriously. You both want to grow your family.” He glanced at Zane. “You hate to ask for help and I understand that, but this is different.”

  “I’m not ready to decide,” Zane said. “We’ve had a lot of changes already. To add this on top might be enough to break us.”

  “I get that,” Violet said.

  “What about you, Violet?” Sophie asked. “You’ve been quiet.”

  Violet tilted her head as she looked over at Honor. “I want my best friend to have whatever she wants. She deserves to be happy. But it has to feel right, both the timing and the mechanism. For both of you.”

  “Well, we don’t have to figure it out tonight,” Honor said. “For now, I’ll revel in the fact that I can still have wine. So, you two pregnant ladies can stop pretending like you’re drinking yours and pass it on down.”

  Good old Honor. Tough as nails no matter what the situation.

  Chapter Twenty

  Violet

  * * *

  WITH MOLLIE ON her lap, Violet sat in a chair on the front patio watching Kyle teach Dakota how to ride his new bicycle. The sky had cleared, and the subdued winter sun shone down on the yard. They’d chosen a spot on the grass. If he fell a forgiving cushion would save him from harm. They’d been at it for fifteen minutes. Each time Kyle had let go, Dakota had fallen shortly thereafter. But her little man didn’t care. He was right back up trying again. Now, Kyle held onto the back as Dakota’s legs pumped. After he was going, Kyle let go. This time he stayed up, riding across the grass yelling.

  “Dad, Dad, I’m doing it.”

  Dad.

  Kyle’s gift had arrived.

  Did you hear that, he mouthed?

  She nodded and placed her hand over her heart. She looked down at Mollie who was burbling and kicking her arms and legs. Dressed in a fuzzy bunny suit, only her precious face showed. Her blue eyes that were so like Kyle’s investigated Violet’s. “I love you, sweet Mollie.”

  Mollie smiled and touched Violet’s cheek with her chubby fingers.

  Dakota continued to ride back and forth across the lawn. He didn’t know how to turn yet, so he would leap off the bike and face it the other direction when he wanted to ride to the other side. Kyle joined her on the patio. He sat back and closed his eyes with his face turned toward the sun.

  “How did I get this lucky, Lettie?”

  “It started with a dance.”

  “A super-hot dance with the world’s sexiest woman.” His eyes were still closed as a sleepy smile settled on his face.

  “Then a picket sign.”

  “Then a baby,” Kyle said.

  “And an Edwardian ring.”

  “And a pregnancy test.”

  “And soon a house of our own with a white picket fence.”

  Violet touched her flat stomach. A baby grew inside her at this very moment. Kyle’s baby. Their baby.

  He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. “You and me. Forever and ever.”

  She kissed him on the mouth, lingering for a second or two.

  “You’ve made me so happy, Lettie.”

  Holding hands, they turned to watch Dakota. He shouted with glee every time he crossed the lawn. Mollie cooed, focused on the sparkle of Violet’s earring. Sunlight filtered through the tall pines and fat sycamores. Out on the ocean, the sun paired with the sea to paint the horizon blue. The slight breeze brought the scent of salt water and marine life and the winter soil.

  Are you happy? This was always the question people asked when they hadn’t seen you for a while. Violet had always thought it impossible to answer correctly. What did it even mean to be happy? Surely it was impossible to answer. Life was too complicated to describe in such a generic way. But here, right now, she knew. Happy was the sun and the sea and her son’s jubilant shouts and the cooing of the baby and the little peanut that grew inside her and the bulk of the man that held her hand in his. This was happy.

  “Kyle, this is it. This is everything I’ve ever wanted. You’ve made every dream come true.”

  “I didn’t even know what my dreams were until you arrived. But this, this is it. Family.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder and memorized every detail of this moment. One day it would be one of many memories she shared with her children about how their family came to be.

  It started when an angel named Mollie Blue arrived in the lobby of your daddy’s hotel.

  * * *

  The End.

  Also by Tess Thompson

  Traded: Brody and Kara

  Deleted: Jackson and Maggie

  * * *

  Jaded: Zane and Honor

  About the Author

  Tess Thompson writes small-town romances and historical fiction. Her female protagonists are strong women who face challenges with courage and dignity. Her heroes are loyal, smart and funny, even if a bit misguided at times. While her stories are character driven, she weaves suspenseful plots that keep readers turning pages long into the night.

  * * *

  Her desire is to inspire readers on their journey toward their best life, just as her characters are on the way to theirs. In her fiction, she celebrates friendships, community, motherhood, family, and how love can change the world. If you like happy endings that leave you with the glow of possibility, her books are for you.

  * * *

  Like her characters in the River Valley Collection, Tess Thompson hails from a small town in southern Oregon, and will always feel like a small town girl, despite the fact she’s lived in Seattle for over twenty-five years. She loves music and dancing, books and bubble baths, cooking and wine, movies and snuggling. She cries at sappy commercials and thinks kissing in the rain should be done whenever possible. Although she tries to act like a lady, there may or may not have been a few times in the last several years when she’s gotten slightly carried away watching the Seattle Seahawks play, but that could also just be a nasty rumor.

  Her historical fiction novel, Duet for Three Hands won the first runner-up in the 2016 RONE awards. Miller's Secret, her second historical, was released in 2017, as were the fourth and fifth River Valley Series books: Riversnow and Riverstorm. The sixth River Valley book will (hopefully) release in the latter part of 2018.

  * * *

  Traded: Brody and Kara, the first in her new contemporary, small town romance series, Cliffside Bay, released on February 15th, 2018. The second in the series, Deleted: Jackson and Maggie released May 7th. The subsequent three Cliffside Bay books will release every couple months in 2018.

  * * *

  She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her recent groom, the hero of her own love story, and their Brady Bunch clan of two sons, two daughters and five cats, all of whom keep her too busy, often confused, but always amazed. Yes, that’s four kids, three of whom are teenagers, and five cats. Pray for her.

  * * *

  Tess loves to hear from you. You can visit her website http://tesswrites.weebly.com/ or find her on social media.