Open Arms

by Traci DePree

  She laughed. Kate glanced at Kim, who seemed mesmerized by the story. The tears on her cheeks had dried, replaced by a growing smile.

  The same could not be said of her husband.

  Chad leaned his forearms on his thighs. His lips were pursed in thought, his expression troubled.

  “Chad?” Paul beat Kate to the punch. “Was there something you wanted to ask?”

  “Yeah,” the young accountant said. “I don’t know how this will sound...”

  “Feel free to express your honest feelings,” Kate said.

  “And not everyone is meant to adopt,” Betty added.

  Chad nodded, then finally found the courage to say, “Not all adoptions end so well...”

  He paused, and a troubled expression passed over his face. “Some children really struggle with the whole idea of not knowing who they are. Some birth mothers decide to take their babies back. Adoption isn’t always a bed of roses.”

  “That’s true,” Betty said. “Sometimes those things do happen. Sometimes bad things happen to families with biological children too. I think my John struggled more with identity issues than George ever did.”

  “What if I don’t...bond with a child? Does everyone just automatically love their adopted child?”

  Paul said, “Bob, do you want to answer?”

  Bob dipped his bald head and pursed his lips in thought, then he said, “Let me say that even biological parents don’t automatically feel love for or attachment to their children. Sometimes it grows with time, just like falling in love with your spouse. But once you invest yourself and start to take care of that little person, the feelings just come.”

  Chad seemed to think on that for a while. Kate wished she knew what was going on inside Chad’s head.

  AFTER THE LEWISES and the Andersons had gone, Kate and Paul sat together at the kitchen table. Their coffee had grown cold.

  “What do you think?” Kate asked.

  Paul shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Chad seemed...closed.”

  “It seems like Kim’s on board. I fear it’ll break her heart if Chad can’t agree.”

  “I know.” He met Kate’s eyes. “All we can do at this point is pray.” He grasped her hand in his, and they bowed their heads.

  “Lord,” he began, “we want your will for the Lewises, and we know how you feel about adoption. You’ve adopted us as your children. But whatever plan you have for them, please work it out for their good and also for the good of this unborn baby. Please relieve Chad of whatever is holding him back, whether or not it leads to adoption. Because we know that fear is never part of your plan. We ask you to keep their marriage strong. Teach them to rely on each other, to be each other’s best friend. Like you’ve made Katie and me.”

  Kate glanced at Paul and realized she still felt a stab of disappointment that he’d seemingly forgotten the anniversary of their first date. It surprised her because she’d thought the matter was settled in her heart. Paul lifted his gaze and smiled at her.

  Then she realized that she knew Paul better than that. He loved her, and even if he had forgotten one small anniversary, she didn’t have the right to hold it over his head.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The finale party for Fashionista was Friday, as was Paul’s overnight fishing trip with Sam and Danny. Danny’s boys, James and Justin, had talked their dad into letting them come along too, so Kate invited Livvy to join the girls for the sleepover.

  Several girls had e-mailed that they would be able to come, including Ronda, who agreed to show the girls how to do their hair, as well as Ashley, who insisted she was as good as new despite her hospital stay earlier in the week. Brenna Phillips, Marlee Jones, Anne Jackson, and Angie Petzel had also accepted Kate’s invitation.

  After the events of the week, including Ashley’s hospital trip and the package that arrived from Mouse, Kate felt more confident than ever that she finally knew who the girl was. And hopefully the sleepover would allow Kate to get her alone so she could once and for all know the truth.

  THE FASHIONISTA MODELS moved along the runway like cats slinking, each stopping at the end to strike a pose and set their faces in stonelike expressions. Not one of them wore a smile. Kate was amused at the spectacle, while the girls seemed mesmerized, especially Angie. Anne Jackson had yet to arrive.

  The three designers stood at the ready—one in Jackie-O perfection, another in a 1980s Madonna-Michael Jackson-type getup, and the third in a basic pencil skirt and silk blouse.

  “And the winner of the $100,000 prize and a chance to study with famed designer Libertine...,” the announcer of the show said as a drum rolled for a bated-breath moment. “Mariana Sciana from Philadelphia.”

  The woman in the pencil skirt threw her hands to her face in surprise as the other two gathered around.

  The girls applauded wildly as the announcer interviewed the winner. When the credits finally rolled, Kate turned off the television.

  “I can’t believe she won,” Marlee said, excitement glowing in her eyes.

  She seemed her old self again even though there were moments throughout the evening when Kate had seen the subdued reminders of fresh grief cloud her eyes. At least she was smiling.

  Ashley looked much better too. The color had returned to her cheeks, and she had a healthy glow. She and Ronda sat next to each other on the love seat, as if being each other’s moral support with the younger girls around.

  Kate glanced at Livvy, who was wearing her pj’s and furry zebra-print slippers.

  “Did you enjoy it, Liv?” Kate asked.

  The librarian shook her head. “I don’t get it,” she said. “What’s the big deal about clothes?”

  Brenna tossed a pillow at her, and they all burst out laughing. Kate was glad she’d invited her friend. Livvy seemed to enjoy being around the girls. No doubt living with a houseful of men had something to do with it.

  “I like Mariana,” Ashley said.

  The veterinarian’s receptionist often wore the same kinds of outfits at the office, so it was no wonder she preferred the conservative no-nonsense designer.

  “Who were you rooting for?” Livvy asked Angie, who blushed.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, I suppose B.J.,” she said of the woman in the 1980s outfit. “She wasn’t afraid to take chances.”

  Kate glanced at the piercing in Angie’s nose and thought much the same thing about her. She’d been watching Angie throughout the night. The clothes she wore were looser fitting than in the past, and she’d gone to the bathroom on several occasions. She was still thin, but Kate had only known her less than three weeks, so she could have gained a few pounds.

  Kate had purposely worn the scarf she’d received in the mail, hoping to get a reaction. Several of the girls had commented on it, but not Angie.

  The doorbell rang, and Kate went to answer it. When she reached the door, she discovered a teary-looking Anne.

  “Sorry I’m late, Mrs. Hanlon,” the pretty girl said.

  “Anne, what’s wrong?” Kate motioned for her to come inside. She helped the girl with her overnight and sleeping bags and led the way back to the others.

  “James broke up with me,” she sobbed. “With a text message.” Then she caught sight of Livvy and stiffened.

  “You poor thing,” Livvy said. “He didn’t say a word to me. Are you okay?”

  The girl seemed to relax then and gave a shrug.

  Kate pulled her into a hug, and Livvy came over to talk to her. They moved into Paul’s study so they could speak in private. Livvy mouthed to Kate that they would be okay, then she closed the door behind her.

  Wasn’t spring supposed to be the season of youthful love? Why then did it seem that every young couple Kate knew was breaking up?

  “That’s rough,” Marlee said as Kate returned to the group. “She and James seemed like a really nice couple.”

  “It happens,” Angie said under her breath.

  Kate looked at her and studied her serious express
ion.

  Ronda added, “She’ll get over him soon enough. We always do.”

  “So, Mrs. Hanlon,” Brenna said, “who did you want to win the show?”

  “I haven’t been watching the series, so I didn’t really have a favorite. Though I liked...what was the name of the girl in the pink wool suit?”

  The girls answered in unison. “Janine Delilah.”

  “Her clothes reminded me of when I was young and dating Pastor Hanlon.”

  “Tell us about it,” Ashley said, pulling a pillow onto her lap and sitting up on her sleeping bag, which was rolled out on the living-room floor alongside the other girls’ bags.

  “Oh, come on. You don’t want to hear about a couple of old fogies,” Kate said.

  “We do too!” the girls protested.

  It was clear they weren’t about to let Kate off that easily.

  Angie leaned in to listen. Kate caught her gaze, and the girl’s eyes flitted to the ground.

  Kate thought for a moment, then said, “Oh, all right. But don’t complain when you discover how boring we are.”

  The girls groaned and sat up, ready to hear her tale.

  “You know that Pastor Hanlon is a few years older than me,” she began. “I never thought I’d have a chance with him because he was this handsome bachelor pastor.”

  “Handsome?” Brenna said, twisting her face into a disgusted expression.

  Kate smiled. “You’ve never noticed his blue eyes?” She placed a dramatic hand on her chest. “They drew me to him like a magnet. Well...”—she glanced around at their watchful faces—“a friend of his had this motorcycle. He told Paul he could take it out for a spin after church. He was wearing this black leather jacket. I happened to be just leaving—”

  “He took you on a motorcycle ride for your first date?” Marlee said, her voice rising in stunned surprise.

  Kate nodded. “I thought we were just going for a spin around the block, but he whispered something to his friend and then took me to a restaurant and a movie. You should’ve seen my hair after half an hour on a motorcycle—it was a rat’s nest! But I didn’t care. I was with him. Never in my life would I have thought I’d have that chance. But Paul had planned it out all along. I was too naive to figure it out.”

  “That is so sweet,” Brenna said.

  Kate nodded. “Almost thirty years and three children later, we’re still here.” She shrugged, picturing Paul off on his fishing excursion with the Jenners and Sam.

  ONCE LIVVY AND ANNE emerged from the study, the girl seemed to be feeling better, though her eyes still bore the signs of a good cry. Kate pulled out some board games to play, all of which required writing. Kate knew that if she could see the girls’ handwriting, she could compare it to the Hello Kitty letters. She wanted to be completely sure before she made any attempts to confront the girl.

  “Ooh, Boggle,” Ashley said from the other side of the kitchen table, where she was looking through the games with Ronda. “I love Boggle.”

  Boggle was a word game where the participants searched crossword tiles to see who could find the most and the longest words within the three-minute timespan.

  “Who wants to play?” Ashley looked from face to face.

  “I’m in,” Kate said, then all the girls chimed their approval. “Let’s all do a few rounds.”

  She passed out paper and pens while everyone gathered to sit around the table. Livvy shook the plastic box that held the tiles. When the cubes settled into their slots, she set the box down, and everyone got their pens ready. Kate turned on the three-minute timer, and they all wrote frantically, searching the letters for hidden words. Kate glanced at each of the girls around the table.

  At one point or another, she’d been all but positive with several of them that they were Mouse. But when she saw Angie Petzel’s handwriting, with its loopy script, she knew.

  Angie was Mouse!

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kate wasn’t sure how to approach Angie. She certainly didn’t want to do it in front of all the others. So she waited, watching Angie and praying for the opportune moment when the two could steal away.

  After the group had finished playing Boggle, Ronda demonstrated the proper way to do an updo on Ashley. She tugged and twisted on Ashley’s dark hair, adding hair-spray and bobby pins until it was a molded coif of curls atop her head. The girls clapped in awe when Ronda finally finished.

  When it came time for the group’s own little fashion show, there was no contest. Each of the girls came out of Kate’s bedroom in the outfit of her choosing, modeling for the rest and turning to strike a pose where the entryway met the living room.

  Most wore store-bought outfits with cute tanks peeking out at the neckline and trim-fitting bodices. Angie modeled hers last, a stunning knee-length dress with gold beading along the neckline.

  “Where did you get that?” Marlee asked, reaching to touch the fabric from her spot on one of the overstuffed chairs.

  Angie shrugged and said in a small voice, “I made it.”

  “From a pattern?” Brenna Phillips asked, still wearing an orange outfit that reminded Kate of a mechanic’s jumpsuit.

  “No, I designed it.”

  Mouths dropped open, and Kate stood up.

  “She wins all the prizes,” Ronda said with a smile on her face.

  Everyone laughed, and Angie blushed.

  Kate went into her stained-glass studio to retrieve the prizes she’d made especially for the event.

  “I don’t know about all of you,” she said, standing alongside Angie, “but I’m very impressed with everyone’s efforts. So, the prize for the most wearable”—she turned to Ashley—“goes to Ashley Williams for the beautiful shawl she knit.”

  Ashley’s face turned red, though she was grinning from ear to ear. Kate handed her a small sun catcher she’d made in the shape of a dragonfly. After Ashley oohed and aahed over it for a few minutes, Kate handed Anne Jackson the prize for the trendiest outfit. She’d modeled a colorful multilayered outfit. That prize was another sun catcher, a bit bigger than the first, of a sunflower surrounded by blue sky.

  “And finally for the most creative outfit: Angie,” Kate said, lifting the grand prize for all to see. It was a Celtic cross in shades of gray and blue. The design had been intricate, the cutwork meticulous, but it had turned out perfectly.

  Kate looked at Angie as she spoke. The eighteen-year-old’s eyes brimmed with tears. She took the cross in her hands and lightly touched its surface.

  “It’s stunning,” she breathed. She lifted her eyes to Kate’s. “I adore Celtic crosses.”

  “I know you do,” Kate said, offering a smile of understanding.

  IT HAD BEEN THE WRONG PLACE to show Angie that she knew. She could see that the moment the words came out of her mouth. Angie’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. Thankfully none of the other girls seemed to catch on that something else was going on. They chatted to one another about the contest and played with each other’s hair long into the night.

  As soon as the teens seemed distracted enough, Kate told Livvy she was going to talk to Angie.

  “I’ll be praying,” Livvy whispered.

  Then Kate motioned to the girl, and they slipped into Paul’s office, shutting the door behind them for privacy.

  “How did you know?” Angie said, her voice cracking with sudden emotion.

  “Angie, you wouldn’t have kept contacting me if you didn’t want me to figure it out. As long as your identity was secret, there was only so much support I could offer you. I’m here for you.”

  Angie lowered her head. Kate waited for her, patiently, until she finally lifted her face.

  “I’ve been so alone,” she said.

  Kate reached for her hand.

  “And so stupid.”

  “You’re not stupid,” Kate said. “Does anyone else know about the baby?”

  Angie shook her head. “Just my boyfriend...ex-boyfriend I mean. I don’t know how many people he’s told
. He said that he loved me. That lie hurt almost as much as being pregnant.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Almost three months. I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit into my prom dress.” She shook her head. “I’ve been sick and still trying to act normal.”

  “Have you been to the doctor for any physicals since your scare?”

  “No. My mom looks those bills over pretty carefully. I managed to grab the insurance claim for the first visit, but the other one...I’ll have to tell them before that bill arrives.” She blew out a heavy breath. “How am I going to tell them?” Angie managed to get out.

  Kate remembered how emotional she was with each of her pregnancies, and she hadn’t had near the stress that Angie was experiencing.

  “I’ll help you tell them,” Kate assured her. “But you need to tell them soon. You need prenatal care.”

  “I haven’t done anything about contacting that adoption agency you sent me, if that’s even the right choice for me. I have no idea what I’m doing,” Angie said. “I’ve been accepted at Parsons New School for Design in New York City next spring. I even have a scholarship. I can’t tote a baby along! My mom has enough on her hands with my little sisters. I don’t know if she’d be willing to raise my baby, or if that’s even a fair question for me to ask her.” Her voice rose, and she took a stuttering breath.

  Angie closed her eyes and sat back down.

  “Let’s manage one day at a time, okay?” Kate suggested. “First, we’ll tell your folks.”

  Angie chewed her lower lip. They sat in the quiet for a while, then the teen lifted her face to the simple cross on the wall near the door of Paul’s office. “Do you really think God can forgive me?”

  “I know so. Angie, your sins are no greater than anyone else’s. It’s the reason Jesus came. He’s in the business of taking awful situations and turning them around. That’s what redemption means. He brings beauty from ashes.”

  “I feel so horrible.”

  “You’re going to have to forgive yourself too.”

  Angie met her eyes. She swiped the tears from her cheeks, then she smiled. “That’s not going to be so easy.”