Grinning, Beth couldn’t think of any more excuses. “All right. Let’s go.” She grabbed a baby blanket with her free hand and walked to the sliding glass door.
Parker led them out to a warm spring night and down what seemed like a thousand wooden steps. “I used to walk out here to clear my head after a tough day.” At the bottom, he slipped off his shoes and rolled up the bottoms of his pants.
“Will you take the baby for a second?” She handed the lightweight over to Parker’s muscular arms. Sitting on the stairs, she removed her shoes and left them in the sand beside his. “OK. I’ll take him back.”
Parker stared into the infant’s sweet face. “I don’t mind carrying him.”
Stepping onto the sand, Beth smiled. Parker would’ve been a great father. They walked side-by-side along the lapping waves watching the sun disappear. The breeze whipped a piece of her dishwater blonde hair into her eyes and she pushed it away. “He’s precious, isn’t he?”
“Who me?” Parker joked. “Oh, you mean my namesake.”
“You’re so lucky.”
“What? I think you’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to.”
She playfully pushed his shoulder. “I haven’t forgotten. But this baby is yours if you want him. You’re lucky.”
“I would’ve liked to have been a dad, but it didn’t work out that way. Once I imagined teaching my kids to sail out here. What I want now is to make a difference in the world.”
“And being a parent doesn’t matter?”
“Of course it does. It’s one of the most important jobs.”
Beth stepped over a piece of driftwood. “I think you’ve forgotten that you’re a millionaire. You can do just about anything in the world you want. If you want to go help villagers in Africa, you don’t need the Peace Corps’ permission. Just go to Africa. Then, come back here and be this kid’s father.”
“Ivy and I are divorced. We’re never going to be one big, happy family.”
“Good. Because I would hate that. But you’re an idiot if you don’t share yourself with this little guy. He needs you. And I think you like him.” Her voice took on a sing-song quality.
He looked at Junior and a smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “He is cute.” He carried the baby to the lake’s edge and dipped his tiny toes in the water. “Wooo!” The baby giggled and Parker dipped his feet in again. “Woo!” He did it over and over again.
Beth laughed as Parker seemed to reverse his own aging. Was there anything more entertaining than a grown man trying to make a baby happy?
Darkness overtook them and a nearly-full moon reflected off of the water. After a while, Parker put the infant in the crook of his elbow. He reached his other hand toward her.
Her spine stiffened. What did this mean? Did he still want to break-up?
A moment later, she caved and let him hold her hand. They continued strolling down the beach and she wished this moment could last forever. This would be like a movie clip she would play in her memory over and over again. Why couldn’t it last?
He squeezed her hand. “What about you? If anyone should be a parent, it’s you.”
She shrugged.
“You want to be a mother so badly, I can see it in your eyes every time you talk about Kaylee.”
She froze. “Kaylee’s gone.”
“What?”
Her throat grew dry and she struggled to speak without her voice cracking. “Jim packed up all their stuff and moved.”
“Where to?”
“How should I know? That’s what he does, I guess. He lies to his daughter and he lies to everyone he meets. I thought he cared about Kaylee and me, but I was wrong.”
Parker’s jaw jerked to the side. “Were you two involved?”
“Not really. I think he sent me flowers, but he denied it. Sometimes he had me over for dinner, but Kaylee would be there, too. I don’t know what was going on between us. I just miss Kaylee.” She swiped at the tear forming against her will. “Now I’ll never see her again.”
“That’s horrible.” He took the blanket from her and placed it in the sand. He straightened the corners as best he could one-handed, then put the baby in the middle. Facing Beth, he pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “I know you cared about Kaylee and I bet this really hurts. But I think you should seriously consider adopting or something.”
Feeling vulnerable, she crossed her arms. “Hannah’s right. No one is going to choose me to be their child’s adoptive mother. I’m single, I’m old, and there are better choices out there.”
“You’re not old.” He smiled at her.
“I’m getting there.”
“Well, there have to be kids out there who need a mother. Didn’t you say Kaylee had been in foster care? What about becoming a foster parent or something?”
Mrs. Wilson’s laugh-lined face popped into her head. She said being a foster mother gave her a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Lately Beth had been struggling with that. “I’m worried it would break my heart when their real parents took them back.”
“There have to be kids in foster care whose parents are never going to come for them. What about an orphan or something?”
“I couldn’t get a baby. Everyone wants the babies.”
“So? You seemed to have no trouble bonding with Kaylee and she wasn’t a baby. And your ex’s niece wasn’t a baby, either.”
“I don’t know. I’m kind of tired of being rejected.”
His hand cupped her cheek. “Only an idiot would reject you.”
She nodded and uncrossed her arms. “I know.” A smirk turned up her lips. “And I’m looking at one right now.” Something fluttered in her stomach. He was standing awfully close to her. Close enough that she could smell his woodsy cologne. Close enough that she physically longed for him.
“Can you ever forgive me?” He leaned down and kissed her nose. He studied her expression and ran his thumb along her bottom lip.
It tickled a little, making her want something more. She kissed his finger.
As if he couldn’t resist a second longer, he brushed his lips against hers.
Her heart jerked and her knees melted. She reached around his broad shoulders and hung on for dear life. Every ounce of her being needed this. It had only been a few weeks, but she’d missed him.
With the sound of the gentle waves in the background, the moment felt perfect. “I love you.” As soon as she said it, she knew it was a mistake.
He pulled back and stared at her. The moon reflected in his eyes as he seemed to be searching for the right thing to say. “Beth. . . .”
Biting her lip, she pulled away from him. “Never mind. I take it back.”
He sighed. “I don’t know why it’s so difficult. . . I don’t want to hurt you. . . Beth, I . . .”
She picked up the baby and started heading to the house. The moment was ruined.
Parker chased after her and touched her shoulder. She kept marching. He stepped in front of her.
“Get out of my way.” She tried to step around him, but he kept moving to block her. He acted like this were a sport and her blood boiled. “Move!”
“What I’m trying to say is I love you.”
She shook her head. “Liar.”
“I’m serious. I’ve known it for a while, but I didn’t want to admit it. I don’t want to hold you back from your dream of having a family. But you know my situation. You know who I am. For some crazy reason, you love me. And I love you, too.” He kissed her again. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
A sigh escaped her lips as she gave in to him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Beth shuffled from one foot to the next as she stood in the living room of the Fox Hills Group Home. She chewed on her thumb nail, then stuck her hands in her pockets. She wasn’t sure what she was doing there.
The mother who ran the home looked taller, thinner and younger than Beth. Probably in her late twenties, the woman had auburn hair that she wore loose to her shou
lders and a tattoo of a sword on her forearm. She walked toward Beth and handed her a glass. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Beth sat on a couch that had seen better days and took a sip of well water. “It was a long drive.”
The young woman nodded. “You’d like to meet Willow?”
Beth put down her drink. “I used to babysit her older sister and I’m sure she’d want me to check up on Willow. What can you tell me about her?”
Putting down her glass, the woman leaned forward and clasped her bony hands together. “Willow has potential, but has trouble trusting people. She sees a counselor once a week and has run away several times from her foster families in the past. That’s why she lives here now. We provide more structure and security.”
Out of nervousness, Beth tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ears. “Does she get into trouble?”
“Well, she’s only six years old, so if she got the proper love and attention, I’m sure she’d grow out of her issues.” She took a breath. “The poor girl gets teased a lot. You’ll see why. And because of that, she’s built up her defenses. One of the things she gets in trouble for the most is lying.”
Beth thought about Kaylee’s ability to stretch the truth. Her dad was not a baseball player or a policeman. And instead of an Indian princess, her mom had left her and Willow alone in a cockroach-infested house to starve. For these girls, make-believe had been better than reality. “I understand. Does she, by chance, hoard food?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
Not wanting to break Kaylee’s confidence, Beth just shrugged. “Is there anything else I should know about?”
“Are you thinking of adopting her?” The young woman’s face lit up. “She’s really precious down deep. When she ran away, her other families dumped her, but here we know that running away is really a test. It’s a child’s way of asking, ‘Do you care enough about me to come looking?’ We provide an environment where it’s more difficult to run away, but we also offer more emotional support.”
Not knowing the answer to her question about adoption, Beth didn’t answer. “How did you get into this line of work?”
“I grew up in the system, so I understand where these kids are coming from.” She rubbed the inked sword. “A lot of kids who don’t have families turn to gangs. I made some bad choices growing up that I hope I can prevent these guys from repeating.”
Beth nodded and drank some more of her water. “I just felt the need to see Willow. To make sure she’s OK. Her sister would’ve wanted it.”
“What happened to her sister? Is she in another foster home? I hate it when they split up siblings. They did that to me and my three sisters.”
“They’re half-sisters. Kaylee lives with her dad, but as you probably know, Willow’s father’s in prison.”
“And her mother, too. Foster kids whose parents are in prison struggle with even more issues than usual.”
Beth’s palms started to sweat. Did she dare reach out to another child who didn’t belong to her? She wouldn’t know how she felt until she met the girl. “May I see Willow now?”
“Sure. I’ll go get her.” The young woman rose and walked down the hall to the left. Male voices came from the hall on the right. It had been explained to Beth that the genders were not allowed to cross sides of the house. They could only meet in common rooms like this one and the kitchen.
Taking another drink, Beth noticed her hands were shaking. A moment later, a little girl with her brunette head down, limped from the shadows. Her left foot appeared to be twisted awkwardly, so she didn’t put her full weight on it. As she came closer, a scar on her left cheek became visible. Beth figured these were reminders of the terrible car accident that had dismantled her family.
Beth stood as if to show Willow respect. “Hi! My name is Bethany and I knew your sister.”
The child’s chin lifted to reveal eyes so blue, the breath caught in Beth’s throat. “You know Skye?”
Nodding, Beth pressed her palm to her pounding chest. “You have beautiful eyes, just like she does.”
At that, Willow dropped her head and hid her expression. She stood at the end of the hallway and twirled the ends of her hair. This, too, reminded Beth of her sister.
The foster mother stood behind Willow and gently touched her back. “Remember your manners.”
Keeping her eyes averted, Willow limped closer and mumbled a hello.
Beth remembered the first day she’d met Kaylee crying on her stoop and felt that same overwhelming urge to hug this girl. But she knew she’d have to earn her trust and that would take time. Lots of time.
Since she’d given a great deal of thought to this meeting, she reached for her purse. “Would you like to see a picture of your sister?”
Willow’s eyes locked onto hers and grew wide. The scar traveled from the corner of one eye and zig zagged all the way down her cheek. If it weren’t for that, she’d be striking. Gola Moon could rot in jail as far as Beth was concerned for the curse she’d left on her girls.
Beth pulled her phone out and found the video. She pressed play to reveal Kaylee demonstrating her Walk the Dog yo-yo trick and talking about her birthday.
Willow’s eyes grew damp and she grabbed the phone out of Beth’s hand. Beth felt her own eyes start to mist.
The foster mother stepped forward. “Now, Willow, give that back.”
Beth held up her palm. “It’s all right. She probably hasn’t seen her sister in what—two years?”
Willow blinked rapidly and bit her lower lip. While she watched the short clip over and over again, her fingers touched the screen as if she could touch her sister. “Skye,” she whispered. “My Skye.”
# # #
Bethany returned to the group home several times over the next few months, talking about Kaylee/Skye and teaching Willow yo-yo tricks.
During the week, Beth worked, babysat with Parker, and attended training classes on how to be a foster parent. They kept telling her, “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent” and she was learning to embrace her imperfect life.
She and Parker would never get married and that was OK. He traveled to Africa on his own to share his business expertise and contributed Mall Land funds to help build schools in several villages. He and Beth were busy crossing things off of their Bucket Lists.
On the way to the Fox Hills Group Home one morning, Beth’s forehead throbbed. The four-hour drive was starting to wear her down. She rubbed her temples with one hand just as her cell phone rang. She answered it and released a breath as she heard her daughter’s voice. “Hi, Hannah.”
“Sorry I haven’t called in a while.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind.” She drove by a pasture dotted with black and white cows on her right. “How are you?”
“Not so good.”
Did she have morning sickness? Had she and Connie reached an impasse? “What’s wrong?” Besides the obvious.
“I’ve decided on adoption, but I don’t know how to choose. All of the families seem so nice.”
Beth nodded her head to herself. It was an overwhelming responsibility that came down to a gut feeling. She’d sensed that Dr. and Mrs. Taylor would devote themselves to Hannah and fortunately, she’d been right. “Make a list of must-haves and then meet a few of the couples in person. Trust your instincts and trust Connie’s.”
“If I sent you some of the profiles I’m considering, would you take a look?”
Her heartbeat accelerated. “Sure.”
“I figure if you, Mom and I all agree, that’s like winning a trifecta.”
They chatted a bit about pregnancy symptoms and how Hannah still hoped to get into Notre Dame or Yale.
After the line disconnected, Beth cranked up the radio and tapped the steering wheel to the beat. Today was going to be a good day.
Once she arrived at the home, she and Willow went into the backyard and picked up where they’d left off. Beth taught her how to play the Favorites Game that Kaylee had
invented. She learned that Willow preferred chocolate chip cookies, kittens, dandelions and the color purple. Beth told of Kaylee’s poetic take on the yellow plant: “You say it’s a weed, but I see a flower.”
Willow smiled, which helped obscure the scar down her cheek.
Beth’s chest filled with hope. “I don’t know about you, but I think the world would be a better place if more people chose to see the flower.”
“Yeah.”
Feeling the burn of tears, Beth looked into Willow’s blue eyes. She inhaled a quick breath. “How would you feel about. . . would you like to come home with me?” She bit her lip, waiting. Her pulse pounded in her neck and time slowed. The silence tortured her. “You could help me pick out a house.” Because they both deserved a place to call their own. Maybe they’d even get a cat.
Without speaking, Willow wrapped her arms around Beth and squeezed tight. It was the perfect answer.
THE END
Other Books by Karen Lenfestey:
A SISTER’S PROMISE
WHAT HAPPINESS LOOKS LIKE
ON THE VERGE
MADE FOR TWO: A Romance Novella
A MOM’S LIFE: WARM FUZZIES, FOOD & FUN
FRIDAY A LA MODE: A Prequel to A Weekend Getaway
A WEEKEND GETAWAY
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If you enjoyed NEXT DOOR SECRETS, one of the nicest things you can do is write a short review on Amazon or GoodReads.
To find out what happens with Bethany and Willow, buy A MOTHER’S CONVICTION. Here’s the opening chapter:
CHAPTER ONE
Standing at the mailbox, Bethany squinted at the envelope from the Tennessee Prison for Women and wondered if it was against the law to open her daughter’s mail. Technically, Willow was her foster daughter, but Bethany couldn’t love her more if she were blood. And that meant her instinct to protect the six-year-old was strong.
One of her neighbors was burning leaves and she could smell the earthy smoke as the school bus squeaked to a stop nearby. Quickly she folded the envelope and stuck it in her back pocket while Willow climbed off the bus.
Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) Page 22
