The Family They Chose

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Again, she flopped onto her back, lacing her hands over her stomach.

  How could she possibly keep the secret of using donor eggs from Jamison? Especially if there was a chance Derek was going to spill the beans.

  But Derek would have to come up to D.C. if he wanted to have the discussion he seemed so dead set on having. Because she’d decided that’s where she was going to be spending most of her time until the baby was born. It wasn’t what she wanted—especially because it meant leaving Danny and Kevin again—but putting a safe buffer of four hundred and fifty miles between her and her brother seemed like the best survival tactic right now.

  If nothing else, it would force Derek to really think about his actions.

  Wouldn’t it?

  Even though Jamison wanted his wife with him in Washington, he knew she was much more at home in Boston. Her family and her volunteer work were there—as were her boys.

  That’s why he was torn when she asked Chance Demetrios to refer her to a specialist in D.C., claiming that she wanted to live there full-time with Jamison for the rest of the congressional session.

  On one hand, he wanted her to be there with him. That’s what he’d wanted since they’d reconciled; but on the other, he knew it wasn’t realistic. In fact, it would be selfish to ask her to leave behind all the things she loved to be by his side. But in the end, she went back with him, returning to D.C. two days after their family dinner.

  Exactly two weeks later, he could tell that Olivia was bored out of her mind. She’d tried to make friends, but the political circles in which they traveled were transient at best, and other times power-hungry and shallow. In a city of grand dames who were often traded in for trophy wives and mistresses who were vying to become trophy wives, a woman as beautiful as Olivia proved a substantial threat to those who were insecure in their station.

  After wearing herself out shopping, setting up the kitchen in their Georgetown apartment so that she could cook, and going to see every ballet, museum exhibition and concert offered in the city, Olivia finally confessed to her husband that she missed Boston. He was in the process of persuading her to go home for a visit when, out of the blue, his mother called him at the office to see when he and Olivia would be back in Boston because she wanted to have lunch with them.

  This was a huge gesture on his mother’s part. Though Jamison wanted to believe his words on Valentine’s Day night had made an impact on her, she was Helen Mallory. Nobody told the Ice Queen how to behave.

  So when Helen said, “I realize it’s difficult for you to just pop back into town since you’re not exactly next door. However, I’d like to get something on the calendar because…Well, Jamison, I simply feel as if Olivia and I need to bond,” Jamison was determined to make it work.

  “Mom, that sounds wonderful. I’m sure Olivia would be delighted to see you. The only problem is that I don’t know when I can get away. You and Olivia should schedule something without me.”

  He leaned back in his leather chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he waited for his mother’s reply. The pause seemed to last for years…nearly as long as the tense relations between his mother and his wife.

  “I’d really hoped to see both of you together, Jamison. The luncheon date can wait until you’re free.”

  “Mother, take Olivia to lunch and the three of us can schedule something for another time. This is important. Especially since she’s carrying your grandchild.”

  Another stretch of silence loomed.

  “Mother, call Olivia. Invite her to lunch.”

  Helen’s sigh was audible even over the telephone line.

  “All right. If you insist. I’ll call her later this afternoon.”

  Jamison smiled to himself as he disconnected the call. All peace talks began with a single kind gesture. This was a huge step for his mother. One that made him very hopeful. One, he was certain, Olivia would appreciate.

  Even so, he thought it might be a good idea to prepare her for his mother’s call. He hit the speed dial key that connected him to Olivia’s phone. As it rang, a warm glow of satisfaction coursed through him.

  Fate was finally smiling on them.

  After Olivia digested the idea of lunching with his mother, she’d see it that way, too.

  Olivia hated hiding from Derek. To be completely truthful, that’s what she’d been doing—hiding in Washington, D.C., from the implied threat he’d flung the last time she saw him.

  At first, she brushed off the need to stay away as simply wanting to be with her husband, but the wakeup call came—literally—after Helen phoned and invited her to come to Boston for a “girls’ getaway” during which they’d go to a spa, take in a special production of Swan Lake staged by Olivia’s former Harvard Ballet Company, and collaborate on a fundraiser for the Children’s Home.

  Olivia’s first impulse had been No! because she couldn’t imagine spending several awkward manipedi, salad-lunching days with her mother-in-law. Helen’s call hadn’t caught her off guard since Jamison had prepared her. Though she was only expecting a lunch date offer—not a “girls’ getaway.”

  Though she was touched by Helen’s effort to connect with her through a Children’s Home fundraiser, Olivia wasn’t kidding herself. Helen hadn’t suddenly awakened a changed woman, wanting to embrace the daughter-in-law she’d kept at arm’s length for years. Olivia understood that Helen’s motivation was the baby Olivia was carrying. For a fleeting moment, she wondered what Helen would do if she knew the baby growing inside Olivia wasn’t her biological child.

  That’s what made Olivia apprehensive. Because when she thought about coming home, she heard her brother’s malevolent words about how they were due to talk about their “little secret,” and the thought of coming face-to-face with her scheming, black-hearted brother was what had Olivia thinking about saying, “thanks, but no thanks,” to Helen’s generous offer.

  While she was cautiously pleased by her mother-in-law’s reaching out, the main thing that prevented her from completely burying her head, or even enticing Helen to come down to D.C. for their getaway, was what her avoiding Boston would cost the Children’s Home. The support Helen Mallory could generate with a simple nod of approval was amazing. By attaching her name to a fundraiser, the potential was staggering.

  So there was no way she could refuse.

  There was no way Olivia could fly her down to Washington because that meant she wouldn’t be able to give Helen a tour of the Children’s Home—the final determining factor in exactly how much support Helen would offer, and Olivia was determined to get the maximum.

  And if she followed Helen’s rules, there was always the potential that she and her mother-in-law might actually bond. Wishful thinking, but a girl could dream. Olivia knew that nothing would make her husband happier than for Olivia and Helen to have a relationship. That in itself was enough incentive to keep believing.

  She just had to figure out a way to keep her brother from ruining everything. Maybe the best defense was a little offense.

  Maybe she needed to see her brother while she was there and set things straight once and for all. She had to stop hiding from Derek and go back to Boston. The reality was, if her brother wanted so badly to get this message to her, he could call her…or Jamison. He hadn’t done so since they’d last spoken on Valentine’s Day.

  Derek was evil, but would he actually stoop so low as to blackmail his sister? She’d been over and over their conversation and she couldn’t figure out what else he might have meant by it. Unless he was messing with her. But Derek didn’t have the time or patience for games like that. Not unless he stood to gain from them.

  Olivia was more than a little nervous when she met Helen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. Of course, she was nervous about the one-on-one time with her mother-in-law, but she was also afraid of running into Derek.

  He was the last person she wanted to see. Especially in the company of Helen.

  She’d made up her mind to hope for th
e best. That’s all she could do. It helped a little when Jamison assured her that his mother was determined to make peace between them. Olivia could see how important it was to him. How could she not try?

  It was simply two nights in a hotel suite; one day of spa treatments, which actually proved to be quite relaxing; and finally, on their second day together, the moment that Olivia had been waiting for—her chance to show off the Children’s Home.

  Though Helen had been a little aloof yesterday in the spa, Olivia reminded herself that just the fact that they were together—just the two of them, doing girly things together—was a milestone. Olivia knew not to expect Helen to make an effort at small talk. So she took the reins. By the time their limo stopped in front of the old Georgian mansion, Olivia had given Helen a rundown of the nonprofit’s history and mission statement as well as their current financial needs.

  “There are two small boys of whom I’ve become especially fond. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

  “Well, I certainly must say, you are quite passionate about this organization, aren’t you?”

  Olivia nodded. “Yes, I certainly am.”

  Wanting to give Helen the full experience, she led her up the wide steps to the front door, rather than escorting her around back to the kitchen entrance, where Olivia usually entered when she visited.

  Pam was right there to greet them and welcome Helen. Since it was the middle of the day, Kevin was at school, but Danny was sitting in his usual spot with his beloved truck, spinning the wheels, every bit the same as the last time she saw him. It made her a little sad to think of him sitting there alone while his brother was in school. Had Pam talked to Danny’s doctor about enrolling him in a program to help him?

  She made a mental note to ask her before she left.

  Pam led them on an extensive tour, which ended with her presenting Helen with a packet of information, including a sheet that prioritized the home’s needs.

  “As you can see, this is a worthy organization and we appreciate all the financial help we can get. Even though we’re fiscally sound, we do encounter surprises periodically. For example, if you’ll look over there, you’ll see little Danny Kelso. He and his brother were orphaned on the evening after Christmas. It’s a sad, sad story. No relatives. The parents hadn’t made any provisions as to who was to get custody of the boys in the event of their death. Because of Danny’s special needs, the Department of Children and Family asked us to take them in, even though technically we were at our budget-dictated capacity. We have a reserve fund that we can dip into for special cases such as this, so that we never have to turn away a child in need.”

  “Well, you can’t keep them indefinitely. What will become of them?”

  Pam glanced at Olivia and bit her bottom lip, a gesture that betrayed the fact that her friend had something on her mind.

  “We’re constantly working to place the children in loving families. In fact, just last week I successfully placed a ten-year-old girl. She’ll be joining her adoptive family next week. As far as the Kelso boys are concerned, we’re working hard to find a family to take them both, but because of Danny’s autism, it’s proving difficult.”

  Helen regarded Danny. “Autism, is it? I wondered what was wrong with him.”

  A mother tiger instinct that Olivia had never experienced before sprang to life inside her. The boy was autistic, but he wasn’t deaf. Olivia had no idea if he knew when people were talking about him, but it didn’t feel right carrying on as if he weren’t in the room. Olivia had to bite her tongue to keep from telling Helen as much, but she held off. Embarrassing Helen Mallory was not the way to endear her to the Children’s Home.

  Pam’s phone rang and she excused herself to answer it.

  “I’m waiting for calls about the pending adoption and I see by the number this is one of them. If you’ll excuse me, I have to take this.”

  Olivia took that opportunity to walk over to Danny. She knelt beside him. “Hi, honey. How are you?” Danny didn’t look up. “I’ve missed you, little guy.”

  Still no response.

  “I’m off to have another look around.” Helen sounded bored and she left Olivia to her one-sided conversation with the boy.

  Olivia missed her work at the Children’s Home. She missed seeing the boys. She’d been checking on them often via phone calls to Pam, but it wasn’t the same as being in the same room with them. The only thing missing now was Kevin. Olivia’s heart ached with how much she wished she could see him.

  A moment later, Pam reappeared. “I’m sorry about that—where did Helen go?”

  “She’s looking around.”

  “What do you think? Will she take on our cause?”

  Frankly, Olivia had no idea. It had been impossible to read her mother-in-law’s impassive poker face. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, because Helen had obviously perfected it a long time ago.

  Pam glanced around the living room, as if she were making sure the coast was clear. “I have to tell you something. I’m not sure this is the best time to break it to you, but there’s news.”

  Pam nodded in Danny’s direction and Olivia’s heart flip-flopped.

  “You got him enrolled in the special education program?”

  Pam grimaced. “Not exactly. Well, not yet, anyway.” She gestured toward her office with a flick of her head. “Come in here where we can talk privately.”

  Every muscle in Olivia’s body tensed. She had a feeling she knew what Pam was going to say before she said it. Even so, the words, we’ve found a family that wants to adopt Danny, sounded surreal when they bounced off her ears.

  “What about Kevin?”

  Pam shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid they can’t take both of the boys. They want Danny. They’re even willing to pay for private education for him.”

  Olivia felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. She’d known it was going to be tough to get them into the same household, but it saddened her to think of those sweet boys spending the rest of their childhood in an orphanage. However, it was even sadder to think of them being split up and sent to different homes. Kevin would be devastated, too young to understand that this was a good opportunity for his little brother. She couldn’t let him suffer another crushing blow like that.

  What in the world was she going to do?

  “Pam, please. No—”

  But before Olivia could finish her sentence, Helen appeared in Pam’s office doorway.

  “I’ve seen enough. I’m ready to go. Thank you for your time, Ms. Wilson.”

  Pam looked at Olivia. Olivia looked at Helen.

  Helen’s face was impassive.

  “What did you think? Will you help us with a fundraiser?” asked Olivia.

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to get back to you. Come, Olivia, let’s go.”

  Despite how much she wanted to stay, needed to stay, to ask Pam how they could rectify the situation and keep the boys together, Olivia tore herself away.

  Neither woman said a word until they were tucked safely inside the limo. Olivia’s head was too full of the news Pam had just sprung on her. Too full of sadness for Kevin. She barely heard her mother-in-law when she said, “Rule number one about supporting charities, Olivia, never commit yourself right out of the gate. Especially if you have every heartrending, poignant nonprofit in the northeast begging for your help. You can only choose a handful at best. And believe me, they’re all worthy causes.”

  Helen sat and studied Olivia for a moment. Her perusal was so bold, it almost felt as if she were picking her apart piece by piece.

  Olivia felt so weighted down, all she wanted to do was turn away and rest her head on the car window. She had no fight in her right now and if Helen was going to pick her apart like a vulture on carrion, well—

  “I mean, of course, I’m going to support your Children’s Home, but we need not tell that Pam so right off the bat. Let her worry for a while. Oh, but that’s right, you’re on the board, aren’t you?”r />
  And then the strangest thing happened—Helen smiled. She actually smiled at Olivia.

  “Congratulations, dear, I’m quite impressed with your charity. Together, you and I are going to raise a lot of money for it. But let’s get you through this pregnancy first. Events of the magnitude that we’re going to throw are exhausting.” Helen reached out and laid a hand on Olivia’s stomach. “I must confess, since you’re going to be the mother of my grandchild, I realized that you and I needed some time to get to know each other better.”

  So Olivia had finally earned her spot next to Helen.

  This was the equivalent of Helen patting the couch and beckoning Payton to sit next to her.

  Olivia heard herself uttering words of thanks, but it was almost as if it were someone else saying the words. While she was glad the Children’s Home would benefit, she was heartsick over the news that the Kelso boys would be split up. And underneath it all, she couldn’t help but feel like a fraud.

  What would Helen do if she knew the baby Olivia was carrying wasn’t really hers? It was Jamison’s seed fertilizing some mystery woman’s egg. Olivia was just the incubator.

  Well, Helen would never find out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Olivia was relieved when her visit to Boston passed with no contact from Derek. Actually, it put her worried mind to rest.

  Had she misunderstood what he’d said?

  Maybe.

  Who knew?

  But he had been pretty cryptic that night in the kitchen. Why?

  Forget why. She really didn’t want to know.

  Still, that didn’t keep her from pondering the puzzle and worrying over the pending adoption of Danny Kelso. She told Jamison, hoping that somehow, someway they could find a solution that would allow the boys to stay together. It might be possible because the adoption process was not going smoothly. Pam had even decided to wait until all the paperwork had been approved before breaking the news to Kevin.

  With this scant glimmer of hope, Olivia prayed for a miracle that somehow, someway her boys could stay together.