“What’s the bad news?” Kari asked.
“The bad news is we’re running out of ideas. We’ve already ruled out anxiety and heartburn.”
“I know what’s wrong with my Dad,” Molly said matter-of-factly, her gaze still on Max’s neck.
Everybody looked at Molly with renewed interest.
“He’s got the same rash I get when I eat peanuts,” Molly said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been allergic to peanuts since I was a kid.”
Nobody bothered to remind her that she was still a kid.
Molly looked at Kari. “Remember the time I fainted and then I got that horrible rash and we found out later that the cookies the neighbor had made for us had chopped peanuts in them?”
Kari nodded. It was hard to believe Max’s troubles could be caused by something so simple, but her daughter made a good point. “I remember. You had difficulty breathing. I took her to see the doctor immediately,” she told Max.
Kari examined the rash on Max’s neck, then looked at Dr. Stone. “Do you think my daughter could be on to something? Could his fainting spells be an allergic reaction?”
“It’s possible.” He pulled out Max’s chart again. “It says here that you were recently tested at a facility for food allergies.”
Color crept into Max’s face.
Kari’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Were you tested before?”
“I didn’t have much time when I filled out some of those medical forms they gave me the last time I was rushed to the hospital. They wouldn’t let me leave until I assured them I would be tested for allergies. They pestered me for weeks until I sent them the necessary paperwork.”
Dr. Stone rifled through Max’s file. “The form has been signed off by—” Dr. Stone adjusted his glasses, “by a Dr. Einstein.” He huffed. “What are you trying to do, kill yourself?”
“Did you eat any peanuts last night?” Breanne asked.
“No. But this morning I ate a small handful from a can of nuts I found sitting on the kitchen counter.”
Breanne moaned. “Dan bought those.”
“I always knew Dan had it in for me,” Max teased.
Dr. Stone gathered his things and headed for the door. “I’ll send in the nurse and have her take some blood samples so we can get to the bottom of this.” He turned and pointed a finger at Molly. “You just might have saved your father’s life. You’re a smart kid.”
Molly smiled.
The door clicked shut.
Molly looked from Kari to Max. “Did you ask her?”
He nodded. “Three times now.”
“Did she say ‘yes’?”
He shook his head. “I thought I had a good chance while she thought I was dying, but now that she knows my condition might just be an allergic reaction to peanuts I don’t think I stand a chance.”
Molly huffed. “You guys are such dorks. I have spent my entire life praying that someday I would have two parents. And now that I do, I find out they’re not adults at all, just a couple of children.”
Breanne laughed.
“It’s not funny,” Molly told Breanne as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I might as well be the parent and I’m only thirteen.” She looked at her mom. “You love him. Everybody can see it but you, so why don’t you marry him?”
“Molly, this isn’t the time.”
“Lots of guys can’t say the words. Just because he’s not any good at communicating how he feels, Mom, he loves you. Why do you think he stands there like a dork staring at you every time you come into the room when he picks me up?”
“And you’re not any better,” she said, turning to her father, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Haven’t you seen Mom staring from the upstairs window when we drive off? Sheesh. I’m always tempted to wave at her, but I know I’d get grounded for embarrassing her. I don’t get it. Why are you both trying so hard not to be together? You never should have slept together in the first place.”
“Molly!”
“It was irresponsible,” Molly went on. “But even though you’re both irresponsible dorks, you lucked out because you got me. What if you had ended up with the twins? Or that kid I saw on that new reality nanny show the other night. The little boy wouldn’t stop screaming at the top of his lungs.” She sighed. “I refuse to do the whole parent trap thing and waste my time trying to get you two together.”
Max looked at his sister. “Do you mind?”
“Yes,” Breanne said, “as a matter of fact, I do. I brought Molly here and I’m not leaving without her.”
“Okay,” he asked Molly. “What do you suggest I do?”
“Tell Mom you love her, duh.”
He looked at Kari. “I love you, duh. I always have.”
Molly shook her head. “Tell her why you love her.”
A few seconds ticked by. “Her hair,” Molly blurted. “Do you like her hair?”
“Yeah, the hair’s good. I like it.”
“What does Mom say or do to make you want to spend the rest of your life with her?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but Molly interrupted again. “Tell her, Dad.”
“You’re getting on my nerves kid.”
“Okay,” she said. “Breanne and I are going to wait outside the door while you two talk.” Molly grabbed Breanne’s hand and led her out the door.
Kari and Max watched them leave.
The door clicked shut. “She’s some kid,” Max said.
Kari nodded. “She definitely has the Dutton gene. I didn’t see it until now.”
“I’m sure you meant that as a compliment.”
“Of course.”
“I do like your hair and the way your eyes sparkle.”
Her lips curved upward.
“I do love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
“Marry me?”
“Absolutely.”
#
Lindsay thanked the nurses and the doctor as she headed back into the main lobby. Twice as many people as before filled the waiting room. Through the large-paned window she spotted the taxi she’d called, but first she couldn’t resist taking one last look at the baby wall. One woman had written, “After five long years, my husband and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first child. Without the help of DLS, my dreams would never have come true.” A picture was stapled to the note. A picture of the woman standing next to the man she loved—her eyes bright, her smile dazzling.
Lindsay turned away, her eyes welling again, so much so, she almost didn’t see Cole standing in the lobby. “What are you doing here?”
“I turned around two minutes after I dropped you off. I’ve been sitting here waiting for you to come through that door.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t want you to go through this alone. It’s a big step you’re taking and I thought you might need some support.”
“I thought you were angry with me.”
“No,” he said. “Never angry. Disappointed. Mostly because I wasn’t ready to give you what I know you want most. I had these absurd visions of dating for a while before we got married and had kids together.”
“You had visions of marrying and having kids with me?”
“Didn’t you?”
“I’m a woman. It’s expected of me. But you’re a man—”
“Ahh, that’s right. We men are cold, insensitive bastards who never dream of meeting that one perfect person and settling down. Men like me never waste valuable time fantasizing of a life with one special person.”
“You thought I could be that one perfect person?”
He exhaled. “I still do.”
“Even after all of this?” She gestured around the lobby.
He looked around. “After I dropped you off, I realized I wasn’t ready to give you up. I don’t think I knew until this morning how important having a baby was to you. Who am I to barge into your life and tell you what to do? I just want to give us a fair chance before we ever
consider calling it quits.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Taking hold of her waist, he pulled her close. Then he planted a good one on her mouth.
She sighed. A taste of Heaven.
Cole smiled. “I’ve never been more serious about anything or anyone in my life.”
She held his gaze and lifted her chin. “I didn’t do it.”
He raised a brow, prompting her to gesture toward the hallway where the examination rooms were. “I didn’t go through with the procedure because of you...because of us. I wasn’t ready to give up the chance, you know, the possibility that there could be something more between us. I’m not ready to give up the dream of a wedding, the honeymoon in Paris, the feel of my husband’s hand on my belly as our child grows inside of me. Maybe another day I will be ready to walk through that door again if destiny opens it. But not today.”
His eyes misted. “Move in with me,” he said.
She tucked her arm around his and ushered him out the door, enjoying the cool air against her face. “It’s tempting,” she said, taking in the streets of Los Angeles, enjoying the sounds of the city life before turning back to face the man she was falling in love with. “Let’s date for awhile before we do anything too crazy.”
“I’m already crazy,” he said. “Crazy for you.”
Their gazes held as images of her future danced in her head—a little boy with curly-blond hair and extraordinary blue-gray eyes smiling back at her.
#
Kari looked from the quaint house on Briar Street with its perfectly mowed lawn and newly planted flowerboxes, to Breanne. This was the house where Joey and Breanne had lived together for the past five years. “Are you sure you don’t want to move back in and give Joey another chance? I’ve been talking to him,” Kari told Breanne, “and he’s serious about wanting a family. I really think he’s ready to make things work.”
Breanne laid a hand on her stomach. “He accused me of trying to trap him with this baby. I can’t marry a man who’s going to resent me every time the baby cries. What if I’m not home and our baby needs to be changed? As much as I love him, he’s clearly not ready to have any major disruptions in his life.”
Kari pushed fly away strands from her eyes. Breanne had asked her to come to the house with her today while she collected a few of her things. Kari had agreed because she hoped to talk Breanne into giving Joey another chance, but Breanne’s mind appeared to be made up already.
Kari’s heart went out to Joey. She’d talked to him more than once since he first called a few weeks ago. He was still seeing the therapist and he admitted to Kari that he’d been a fool all along. He was scared to death when Breanne first told him she was pregnant, but now that he’d had time to do some soul searching and some serious thinking, he was ready to make some changes. He loved Breanne and more than anything he wanted their baby to have two loving parents.
“Are you ready to go inside?” Kari asked.
Breanne nodded. “I don’t see his car. He must be out.”
“Did you tell him you were coming?”
“No.” Breanne slipped her key into the lock.
The smell of daylilies and jasmine assaulted their senses the moment they stepped inside the house.
“Wow,” Kari said. “Is he always this clean?”
Breanne shook her head. “He must have hired a house cleaner. Come on,” she said, “my room is this way.”
The carpet had been vacuumed recently and Kari felt sort of guilty leaving footprints as they went.
“There are some books I want to grab while I’m here, but the office is so packed with junk I’ll probably never find what I need.” Kari followed Breanne into the first door on the right. A beautiful sleigh crib, matching armoire, rocking chair, bassinet and changing table filled the room. Silky bed linens and curtains, small fluffy pillows, and two soft downy bunnies completed the room. Kari had never seen such a beautiful nursery. “This is amazing.”
Without saying a word, Breanne lifted a bunny from the crib and squeezed it tight. She opened the armoire where dozens of baby outfits hung in a neat row. The sound of the front door opening caused both of them to stay still.
A baby cried.
Breanne cocked her head to one side. “Does that sound like a baby to you?”
Kari followed Breanne back the way they had come, down the hallway and to the right until they spotted Joey putting a pan on the stove in the kitchen. He had a cloth baby Karir attached to his chest...with a baby inside. At least it sounded like a baby.
Breanne stepped into the kitchen and plunked a hand on her hip. “What are you doing?”
Joey lifted a finger. “Just give me one minute and I’ll explain.”
Kari watched curiously as Joey warmed a bottle on the stove. He splashed a few drops of formula on the inside of his wrist to make sure it wasn’t too hot. After he turned off the stove, they followed him into the family room and waited patiently for him to unhook the crying baby and quiet it with a bottle.
Breanne scrunched her nose. “Is that a real baby?”
“No,” Joey said, making sure the baby had a good suction going. “The hospital loaned it to me for a small fee.”
Breanne moved closer to Joey so she could get a better look. “That thing is scary looking.”
“You get used to it after a while. In fact I think she’s kind of cute.”
Breanne glanced over her shoulder at Kari before she looked at Joey again. “How long have you had that thing?”
“Her name is Ciara Lynn.”
“They gave you a girl named Ciara Lynn?”
“I asked for a girl and I named her myself.”
Breanne crossed her arms. “What else does it—I mean Ciara Lynn—do?”
“Everything a real baby does. She eats, sleeps, cries and soils her diapers.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Puffy dark circles lined the bottom of Joey’s eyes. “I think I picked a tough one. She doesn’t like to sleep much.”
Kari tried not to laugh.
Breanne took a seat next to Joey on the couch. “Can’t you just turn her off?”
“I could unscrew her and take out the batteries, but if I do, it will trigger some sort of alarm signal and I won’t get certified.”
“Certified?”
“After seven days I become a Certified Dad.”
Breanne chuckled. “That’s crazy. What did you do with her last week while you were at work?”
“I brought her with me. Tomorrow’s my last day with Ciara Lynn, so my boss gave me today and tomorrow off.”
“Can I feed her?”
“Sure, but you have to be careful. She likes to be held real tight.” He handed Breanne the baby and watched her closely, making sure she was doing it right. “If she starts wriggling a lot it means she needs to be burped.”
He pulled a clean cloth from the contraption wrapped around his body and laid it on Breanne’s shoulder. “You don’t want to get any spit up on your shirt.”
“This is amazing,” Breanne said. “Do you want to give it a try, Kari?”
“No-no. Been there, done that. Besides, I prefer the real thing.”
“Ciara Lynn,” Breanne said to Joey. “I sort of like that name. It has a nice ring to it.”
“I noticed you had circled the name Ciara in one of your baby books. And then I remembered you telling me that your mom’s middle name was Lynn.”
Breanne listened intently as Joey rambled on about what type of music a baby should listen to for growth and mental stimulation. After he finished talking about homemade baby foods, Kari stepped quietly from the room. By the time she reached the door, he had moved on to discussing the pain babies go through when teething.
Outside, the sun’s rays hit Kari’s diamond ring just so, reminding Kari that she was the luckiest woman in the world. Although she and Max hadn’t set a wedding date, they were working on it. A lot had changed in the past two weeks. Max was in go
od health and back on the field. His teammates, including Derek Hoffman, Max’s temporary replacement, had welcomed him back wholeheartedly, although Max didn’t appreciate the guys joking about his being brought down by a peanut.
Not only was Molly back to her old self, she had a new confidence about her. She had broken up with Grant, insisting they remain friends despite his reluctance to do so, since no girl had ever dumped him before.
Lindsay and Cole were inseparable, and Kari, Molly and Max had made a bet on when they would announce their engagement. Molly and Max thought it would be sooner rather than later while Kari guessed six months.
As icing on the cake, the twin’s mother had already found a new man, a doctor, no less. Although her husband had come crawling back two weeks after he left her for his secretary, she wasn’t budging.
Life was good, and as Lindsay was fond of saying, late was definitely better than never.
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Max looked around as long lines of people came in through the gates and tried to find a seat on the bleachers. The sun was out and everybody seemed in high spirits. It was a perfect day for a high school graduation.
While Kari, Breanne, Jill, and Fred made ridiculous cooing sounds at Max’s one-month-old daughter, Madison, Dan ran after Molly’s three-year-old sister, Kylie, who had just followed Breanne’s son, Conrad, beneath the bleachers.
Dan finally had no choice but to get down on all fours and crawl in after them.
Sally laughed as they watched Dan disappear under the bleachers. Max’s mom sat at the end of the bleachers, leaning close to Hank and whispering into his ear.
“Mom looks happy,” Max said to Sally.
“She finally told Hank she would marry him.”
“It’s about time.”
Kari sat to his left, holding Madison in her arms. “They do make a cute couple.”
“Ever since Dr. Stone located Dad and Grandpa’s old medical records, proving they died of real ailments and not some ridiculous family curse, I think Mom finally decided she could move on. At least she’s only in her sixties. Some people don’t ever ‘get it’ until they’re lying on their deathbed wondering where all the time went.”
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