Against All Odds

by Danielle Steel

  Kate served them all champagne and smiled as she admired her handsome family. They were a good-looking group. They all loved Christmas, and there was a tall Christmas tree in the corner of the room, covered with lights and ornaments, with all their presents under it. The apartment was decorated with lights her assistants had helped her put up, and the table looked festive. It looked like a magazine spread, and reminded them all of how wonderful their Christmases had been while they were growing up. And Grandma Lou was excited about her trip to Buenos Aires. She was leaving in two days, on the day after Christmas. Her friend Frances was going with her, and Grandma Lou had talked her into taking tango lessons, which didn’t surprise anyone.

  They made it through the first course of dinner with lively conversation, and by then Justin couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to share their news. He rapped his wineglass with a fork as soon as Willie had carved and carried the turkey in for their mother, and the rest of the meal was on the table waiting to be served. Justin was beaming as he looked at his partner and then his family.

  “Richard and I have something to tell you,” he said in a choked voice as they watched him raptly. “Our surrogate is pregnant. Our baby is due on August twenty-fifth,” he said with tears in his eyes that he couldn’t hold back, and his twin put her arms around him and was crying too.

  “I’m so happy for you! Congratulations.” And then Julie got up to hug Richard, and the whole family burst into animated conversation. Willie laughed and told them he still thought they were nuts to want a kid, but he was good-natured about it and loved teasing them. Grandma Lou was beaming. And Izzie and Kate were more subdued. The best Izzie could do was say that she hoped everything turned out all right and there weren’t any problems. And Kate hesitated for a long moment and then went and put her arms around her son, with all the love she felt for him in her embrace, and all her worry for him in her eyes. Justin saw it too.

  “I just want you to be happy, and for life to be easy for you. Having children is a huge step, but if you both feel ready for it, then you have my blessing.” It was too late to say anything else with the surrogate already pregnant. Kate still thought it was a foolhardy, risky thing to do, and a burden they didn’t need, but it wasn’t her decision to make, and all she could do was be supportive and worry about them now. The baby didn’t seem real to her yet.

  There were tears rolling down Justin’s cheeks when he hugged his mother as she gave him her blessing, and his younger brother teased him about it immediately.

  “You’re such a girl!” Willie loved razzing him about being gay, but he didn’t mean it, and Justin laughed as he wiped the tears away.

  “I’m man enough to kick your ass,” Justin warned him and gave him a brotherly shove.

  “No, you’re not. You’re pregnant. Sit down and don’t hurt yourself,” Willie said and they all laughed. “I hope the baby’s a boy, we need more men in this family.” He rolled his eyes as he said it, and the food was passed around with lots of friendly chatter, while Grandma Lou talked about her trip to Argentina.

  “I hope I’ll still be able to take my great-grandchild on his or her first adventure trip when they turn twenty-one. Let’s see, I’ll be ninety-nine then, that should work.” They all laughed and Justin assured her that he was counting on it.

  They were all in good spirits, and only Kate seemed quiet. It always made her nostalgic to share holidays with them. They were so grown up now, and it made her think of Tom and how proud he would have been of them. She couldn’t help wondering what he would have said about his grandchild, but after twenty-four years, he was a gentle memory now. The responsibility for the family had rested on her for a long time.

  They played charades as they always did after dinner, and Julie had brought a new game for them that had everyone laughing hysterically, and midnight came quickly, for those who wanted to go to midnight mass. Kate always went. Grandma Lou never did and wasn’t religious. Justin and Richard wanted to go and the two girls joined as well. Willie was meeting friends at a nearby club where someone he knew was giving a party.

  “What about your guy?” Justin asked Izzie. He’d been mildly surprised that he wasn’t there, but grateful too since he could make his announcement about the baby without strangers present. It was a very emotional moment for him.

  “He’s coming to lunch tomorrow,” Izzie said, sounding slightly tense about it. She was defensive about Zach, and wasn’t looking forward to hearing everyone’s opinions, but she didn’t want to wait much longer to introduce him.

  “I can’t wait to meet him,” Justin said sincerely, and Izzie turned and snapped at him.

  “Are you being sarcastic?”

  “Of course not. Why would you say that?” She didn’t answer, but he sensed that she was annoyed that he hadn’t heeded her advice about the surrogate. Izzie liked playing the role of older sister, and on legal issues thought everyone should listen to her, but her brother and Richard had their own ideas.

  They walked to the church they always went to on Christmas Eve, and then disbanded to their own homes after the service. Justin and Richard dropped Kate off in a cab. And Julie and Izzie shared one to go to their respective homes, and talked about Justin’s baby.

  “I think they’re crazy,” Izzie reiterated to her sister. “Can you imagine what a mess that’s going to be if she refuses to give the baby up?” Izzie said angrily. “They’re fools to trust her,” she said glumly. It was her mantra now.

  “Maybe it’ll be fine,” Julie said gently. She always thought her twin could do no wrong, and she loved Richard too. She wanted everything to go smoothly for them.

  They were all back at Kate’s apartment at noon the next day, for turkey leftovers, stuffing, cranberry sauce, smoked salmon, quiche, prosciutto, cheese, and sliced roast beef. It was a casual feast served as a buffet, and they sat at the dining table. They arrived dressed nicely, but less formally than on Christmas Eve. Izzie had told Zach that he didn’t have to wear a suit since he was coming Christmas Day, but she was slightly unnerved when he emerged from their bedroom after he dressed, wearing a black cashmere sweater, leather pants, and his biker boots, with the leather jacket he always wore. She seemed uncomfortable but didn’t want to say so. The suit might have been better after all.

  “Am I okay? You look worried.” He had seen her expression immediately. “You said casual, so I took you at your word.” And he had shaved. But his hair was even longer than it had been a few months before and he was wearing it in a ponytail, like her mother’s. He looked handsome and sexy as he always did, but not quite the way she knew her family would look on Christmas Day.

  “They’re not as jazzy as you are,” she said discreetly. But he had a right to be his own person, and she didn’t want to cramp his style.

  “Too much leather?” he asked as he kissed her.

  “I love you, you’re fine,” she answered and kissed him back. With the long hair and the tattoos, the leather wouldn’t make much difference and she didn’t want to be critical of him. It was Christmas, after all, and she wanted to share the blessing of her family with him, since he practically had none of his own. He had called his father in Aspen and hadn’t reached him, and said his mother was probably skiing in St. Moritz or Gstaad, but he never heard from her and didn’t know how to find her. So at least, Izzie thought, she could share her own family with him.

  Justin and Richard saw Zach first as he walked through the door. Justin’s eyebrows shot up, and Richard smiled, thinking that Zach was the best-looking man he’d seen in years, and was in fantastic shape. His muscles rippled under the tight cashmere sweater, and his legs looked powerful in the tight leather pants.

  “Calm down,” Justin whispered to him, and Richard laughed.

  “Too bad he’s not one of us,” Richard whispered back, and Justin laughed as Zach and Izzie walked into the living room. She was wearing slacks and a sweater, a red coat, and high heels, and looked very pretty. And Julie’s eyes grew wide as Izzie int
roduced her to Zach. She couldn’t imagine Izzie going out with someone like him in a million years. All her boyfriends had been doctors or lawyers or corporate executives. Zach seemed like a rock star in their midst. Izzie introduced him to her brothers and Richard, and Grandma Lou, who seemed fascinated by him. Kate was in the kitchen getting another platter of food and nearly dropped it when she walked into the room and saw him. She had the same reaction as Julie. She couldn’t even remotely imagine her oldest daughter with him, although he was polite when he greeted her, and obviously well brought up. He just seemed totally different from the rest of them.

  “I think he’s cool,” Willie whispered as they went to sit down at the table.

  “More like hot,” Richard added, and Justin shoved him playfully.

  Zach sat between Izzie and Grandma Lou, who engaged him in a lively conversation, and after a while Zach seemed at ease and talked to all of them. He definitely looked like the odd man out, but it didn’t appear to bother him. He was comfortable in his own skin. They had all been told about his not working on Thanksgiving, so no one asked him about his job. Richard asked him where he’d gone to school, and Zach listed all the boarding schools he’d been thrown out of, laughing, and added that he hadn’t gone to college.

  He was lively and funny and loved talking to Grandma Lou and it was obvious that he was crazy about Izzie, and she was equally so about him. But all of them were slightly shocked that they were together. They were a most unlikely pair. He was deep in conversation with Justin and Richard, when Grandma Lou commented to Izzie.

  “He’s a bright young man,” she said admiringly, “and he’s obviously well brought up, but how does he fit into your life?” she asked quietly. “You have important demands on you as an attorney in a very traditional firm. How does that work?”

  “Everybody likes him,” Izzie said with a look of determination.

  “I can understand why. But with no career of his own, will he be a problem in yours?”

  “I have a right to date who I want to,” she said stubbornly.

  “Of course you do,” her grandmother agreed. “But some people are harder to blend into one’s life than others. There’s a bit of the wild boy about him.” The leather pants and jacket, tattoos and biker boots were not lost on her. “That’s fun when you’re alone, but it could prove difficult over time. Where’s his family?” she asked with interest.

  “His mother is in Europe, and his father is all over the place. He doesn’t see them. He has a sister in Mexico, and a grandmother in Palm Beach.”

  “He’s a bit of a rolling stone,” Grandma Lou commented dryly.

  “He’s never had a family he could rely on. I thought he might enjoy being with us today. He hasn’t had a family Christmas since he was a kid,” Izzie said compassionately, and her grandmother nodded.

  “That could be hard for him to adjust to now. You may think that would be a blessing in his life. He might not agree, particularly if he’s used to doing whatever he wants. There’s a price to pay for being in a family like ours. To some extent, you have to play by the rules. He doesn’t look like he’s had many in his life.” She was surprisingly accurate in her assessment of him, but Izzie remained convinced that what he needed now was stability and a loving family. And a job, of course.

  “He’s wonderful, and very loving to me,” Izzie assured her. “That’s enough.”

  “Not always.” Her grandmother gazed at her pointedly. “It should be, but it isn’t always. It’s difficult when you come together from very different places in life. Your world might be hard for him to understand.” Izzie knew her grandmother wasn’t wrong, but she hoped that Zach would adjust to a more traditional life. It was a bit like hoping a wild horse would become a show horse. It was a nice dream, but the reality could be difficult to achieve. And Izzie hadn’t tried to break him in yet. A job for him was her first goal.

  Zach came to sit with them then, and talked about Grandma Lou’s tango lessons with her. He had spent time in Argentina himself, playing polo when he was younger. He admitted to being a proficient rider, and said his father played polo too.

  Izzie and Zach were the first to leave, and you could almost feel everyone exhale when they left.

  “Wow!” Justin said, a few minutes after they walked out. “I can’t even imagine Izzie going out with someone like him. He looks like a hot number, and he’s fun to talk to, but that bad-boy look is so not Izzie. What happened to her?”

  “She got dumped by her fiancé, and he married a society debutante,” his grandmother responded without hesitation. “Her ego took a hard hit as well as her heart. And Zach may be the first man to go after her seriously since then. She’s been miserable for two years until now,” she reminded him.

  “Do you suppose he has tons of money?” Willie asked, curious about him.

  “Possibly. It’s hard to say. From families like his, he could be set for life, or have to live off Izzie if he’s cut off for some reason. He would have that spoiled rich-boy style even if he were dead broke. Lovely manners, though.” She didn’t say it, but it was obvious that Grandma Lou was not impressed with Zach as a choice for her granddaughter, and Kate was thinking the same thing but didn’t want to criticize him to the others, in case Izzie heard about it from them later. They all talked to each other frequently, and expected it. There was no malice to what they said, but abundant interest in each other.

  “He’s certainly good-looking and very personable,” Justin added, “and easy to talk to. But I can’t see Izzie with him. He’s a total departure from the kind of men she goes out with.”

  “Maybe that’s the whole point,” Grandma Lou said thoughtfully. “It didn’t work with her Harvard Law School boyfriend, so she’s gone the other direction. He said he never went to college, but he’s very bright. Unfortunately, I think your sister thinks she’s going to tame him. That may not be what he has in mind.”

  “What difference does it make?” Julie said blithely. “She’s not marrying him. Why can’t she have fun with someone different?”

  “Don’t be so sure about her not marrying him,” Kate chimed in finally. “People do crazy things sometimes. They date someone they shouldn’t, then they fall in love and want to get married, and think they’re going to change. And most of the time they don’t.”

  “Izzie always says she’s not the marrying kind,” Justin reminded them reasonably.

  “That’s only since Andrew dumped her,” Kate said bluntly. “She never used to say that.”

  “I don’t know why you’re all getting so worked up. He’s a nice guy. And he’s just a date. Izzie’s not stupid,” Willie said casually and then stood up, ready to leave too. He kissed his mother and siblings, and hugged his grandmother and wished her a wonderful time in Argentina. “You can teach me the tango when you come back.” He grinned at her and she laughed.

  “I would love that.”

  One by one they left. It had been a lovely Christmas, and a momentous one after Justin and Richard’s announcement about the baby. Kate was exhausted when she sat down next to her mother on the couch, after her children were gone.

  “So what do you think about Izzie’s new beau, Mother? Should we be concerned about it?”

  “That won’t change anything,” Louise said with her usual practical perspective. “I assume it’s more serious than she’s telling us, or she wouldn’t have brought him here today. I think it bears watching. I think she has illusions that she can turn him into someone like us, and that’s never going to happen. He’s a wild thing, and he loves it. And I think she does too, for now. She’ll never tame him. That’s not what he wants or who he is.”

  “It would never work,” Kate agreed with her, but she thought her daughter was more sensible than that. “I think she’s just having fun with him, and infatuated,” Kate said sensibly. She was far more concerned about Justin’s big decision. A child was something you couldn’t undo, unlike a romance. It was forever.

  “Let’s hope you�
�re right about Izzie,” Kate’s mother said and then stood up. “I have to pack. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  “Can I do anything to help?” Kate offered and her mother smiled and hugged her.

  “Just take care of yourself while I’m gone. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too. And you be careful gallivanting all over Buenos Aires.” She felt sorry for Frances. She knew how exhausting her mother was to travel with. She was relentless about wanting to see and do everything. She never stopped.

  They hugged again in the doorway and Louise thanked her for a wonderful Christmas, as always. Kate had given her some sweater sets, and a lightweight jacket to travel with, since it would be summer in Argentina, and a cashmere shawl for the plane, which would be useful.

  “Don’t run off with any tall handsome strangers,” Kate admonished her with a smile.

  “If I find one, I’ll bring him home to you,” she said to her daughter.

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with him or have the time, but thank you anyway.”

  “Keep an eye on Izzie,” were her mother’s parting words.

  “I’ll try,” Kate promised, but she knew how difficult it was to influence any of them, or keep them safe from dangers of their own making, or ones they were still too naïve to see lurking. Her children never believed her when she warned them of trouble ahead, or saw the signs. Justin and Richard were having a baby now, with no idea what that entailed or all the things that could go wrong. And Izzie was involved with a self-indulgent man who appeared to be totally irresponsible, and she was sure that her daughter would be furious if she said that to her. She decided not to for a while, and to see where it went. Hopefully nowhere, and for once she agreed with her usually casual, unflappable mother, who worried far less than she did. If Izzie tried to turn her romance with Zach into something permanent, there was no question in Kate’s mind it would never work. But, fortunately, Izzie didn’t seem to have any long-term plans at the moment. In Kate’s opinion, that was the best news of all.