Walking out of her bedroom, she was startled to see Caleb standing in the entry hall with Will. “Caleb? What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I needed to get away,” he replied, letting his backpack drop off of his shoulder. “Sorry about not calling first.”
“Hey, man. You’re welcome here anytime,” Will said, patting Caleb on the back.
“How did you get here?” Amber asked.
“I took a bus.”
Amber could tell something was wrong. She flashed back to the many times she’d tried to escape her foster homes growing up. “You took a bus? Do your parents know you’re here?”
“Well…no…but, don’t worry. They’ll be fine. I just need some space,” he replied.
Amber glanced at Will, who lifted his eyebrows and shrugged. “You should probably call home and let them know where you are, bud,” he said to Caleb.
“I’ll call later,” Caleb answered. “Do you mind if I have something to eat? I’m really hungry.”
“Caleb,” Amber said, “you need to call your mom and dad right now, or I’m going to,” adding in the next breath, “and then you can eat.”
“Okay, okay,” Caleb replied, throwing his hands up in surrender. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
Amber knew she needed to get going to school, but she was determined to talk to Michelle after Caleb did. As he punched the button on his phone to call home, she let him know that.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m fine. I’m at Amber’s,” Caleb said into the phone. He glanced over at Amber and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. Sorry. I know. Okay. Yeah, hold on.” Extending his phone to Amber, he handed it to her and then walked into the kitchen.
By the time Amber had explained to Michelle that she had no idea he was coming out, and Michelle had filled her in about Adam, Caleb had helped himself to a sweet roll and some milk and had crashed on the couch.
“I’ve gotta run, Michelle. I have a class this morning. Can we talk later?” Amber asked as she looked at the clock and then at Will. After promising to call her back that afternoon, Amber pushed the red button on the phone and placed it on the coffee table next to where Caleb was sleeping.
She scrawled a quick note to Caleb to stay in the apartment until she got home, and then she quickly took off for school.
After Michelle had filled him in on what she’d ascertained from Amber and then hurried off to school, Steve grabbed his briefcase and got in his car. He had a meeting that morning with one of his clients, and he needed to get to the office to go over his notes.
As he drove, he thought about their son. It seemed like Caleb’s life was spinning out of control ever since he’d gotten the notion to find his biological father. Their usually happy and well-rounded teenager had become belligerent, disrespectful, and unpredictable.
“What am I going to do, Lord?” he asked aloud as he headed for work. It seemed like nothing worked with Caleb these days. He rejected compassion and argued that no one could understand how he felt. Maybe that was true to some extent, but Steve was about out of ideas of how to reach the boy.
Maybe I’d better talk to this Adam fellow. If I can get through to him, maybe he can settle this whole mess with Caleb.
By the time Michelle got home from school, she was completely exhausted. Steve would be home in about an hour, and she needed to think through the situation with Caleb. But first she’d just stretch out on the couch and close her eyes for a few minutes.
Michelle was just drifting off to sleep when the phone rang. Forcing herself up, she reached for her purse and dug through it until she found her cell. “Hello?” she answered groggily.
“Mom?” her daughter’s voice came from a distant land.
Michelle jolted out of her stupor. “Madison! It’s so great to hear your voice. How are you? Is everything okay?”
There was a pause on the other end, and then she thought she heard crying. “Maddie? Are you there? What’s going on?”
“Oh, Mom,” Maddie began, and Michelle knew for certain something was really wrong. “It’s Lily.”
“Lily? The little baby?”
“She’s…she’s gone. She died this morning.” Madison sniffed, sounding very congested.
Michelle wished she could take her daughter in her arms and tell her everything would be all right. How do I reach her through the air? Oh, God, please help sweet Maddie. Taking a deep breath, she replied, “I’m so very sorry, honey. I know how you’d come to love her like your own.”
“We had the money, Mom. It came a couple of days ago. But, with the entire earthquake clean up, we’ve been swamped here,” she said. “Lily would still be alive if only I’d moved quicker on her surgery. I could have had it all scheduled before the funds even came through.” She paused to catch her breath and sniffle again. “It’s my fault she didn’t make it.”
“Oh, Maddie. Sweetheart, please don’t think that. You and Luke have been so overloaded the past few weeks.” Michelle hesitated as she searched for more words. “You know, Madison, you gave Lily something she needed. You gave her your love.”
“It wasn’t enough, Mom.”
“You don’t know that, honey. And there were no guarantees she would have survived the surgery anyway, right?”
Silence filled the airwaves broken only by a sigh. “Yeah. I guess,” her daughter finally admitted. “It’s just so…so hard. And you’re right—I did love her like my own. I seriously would have adopted her in a heartbeat. I would have.”
Michelle could picture her daughter’s earnest expression in her mind. She’d actually thought the same thing herself—that Maddie and Luke would likely bring Lily home with them someday. “I believe you, honey.”
They talked for a while as Madison described the events of the morning and the scene at the hospital. As Michelle listened, she could hear Maddie transition from a broken-hearted girl to a young and caring professional nurse.
Eventually, Madison asked, “How is everyone there, Mom? How’s Caleb doing? I’ve been thinking about him and wondering how he’s handling this whole Adam thing.”
Michelle took a deep breath. “He’s having a tough time. In fact, he ran away last night and caught a bus to Arizona to see Amber.”
“What? Without telling you guys where he was going?”
“Yep.”
“That’s crazy! And it’s not like Caleb. Oh, man, we’ll be praying for all of you guys. What are you going to do?” Madison asked.
“I don’t know yet. Your father and I are going to discuss it when he gets home from work.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s not easy being a parent, is it?” she asked.
Michelle sighed and smiled a little. “No. It’s not.”
“Maybe Luke and I won’t have any kids,” Maddie said. “We can just work here and love the ones at the Children’s Garden.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I think you’ll want your own children someday,” Michelle replied.
“I don’t know, Mom. I used to think so. But now I’m not so sure.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Michelle had just finished her conversation with Madison when she heard Steve’s car pull into the driveway. She fluffed her hair with her fingers, folded the throw blanket she’d opened to use for her nap, and then greeted him at the door.
After kissing him hello, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. They stood there pressed close together for a minute as if to draw strength from one another.
“What a day, huh?” Steve commented.
“Yeah, and you don’t know half of it,” she replied. “I just got off the phone with Madison right before you pulled in.”
“Is she okay?”
“Not really. Lily passed away. Maddie’s pretty broken up about it,” Michelle said.
Steve ran his hand down her arm and took her hand. “Let’s sit down,” he suggested, leading her over to the couch. As they settled
next to each other, he tugged on the knot of his tie and pulled until it slipped out from under his collar. Then he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt before saying, “Tell me everything. What did she say?”
Michelle turned sideways on the cushion and bent her knee so she could face him. Retelling the events Madison had relayed to her, she felt her own heart breaking for their daughter and the little infant that she and Steve had never even met. Reaching for a tissue on the end table, she dabbed her eyes and finished sharing the details Madison had given her.
“Come here, you,” he said, pulling her into his arms. As Michelle rested against him, he asked, “So, were you able to comfort and reassure Maddie a little before you hung up?”
“I think so,” she replied. “We ended up talking about Caleb, too. She asked how he was doing, and one thing led to another.”
“So she knows he’s at Amber’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing. Hopefully those two are still communicating through emails. Even though Caleb argues with her, I think at some level he really respects and listens to Madison. And to Luke,” he added.
Michelle nodded. “I don’t know if either of them will have time to email Caleb right now, but at least Maddie knows what’s happening with him.”
“And speaking of that,” Steve said, “what are we going to do about this? Do you think I should fly out there and get him?”
“I don’t think that’s really necessary. But I do think we should get him a flight home and have Amber and Will make sure he gets on it,” she replied. “His attendance is already sketchy this year without missing more days.”
“Okay, I’ll get on the computer and secure a ticket for tomorrow.”
“Sounds good, honey. And I’ll heat up some dinner for us,” she added, pushing up to her feet. “And Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For everything,” she replied with a weary smile.
By the time they crawled into bed together that night, both of them were dead tired. Caleb’s ticket was secured for the following afternoon. He’d arrive home in time for a late dinner.
As Michelle nestled into his arms, Steve thought about their son and Adam. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it would not be a good idea to go talk to Adam himself. Hopefully Caleb was ready to let go of the idea of having a relationship with the man. And, even though Steve would like to give the guy a piece of his mind, he knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything.
After Caleb told Amber everything about Adam—the karate lessons, confronting him about being his dad, and the things Adam had said in response, Amber was livid. It was bad enough that Adam had abandoned her when she was pregnant with Caleb. Now for him to slander her and blatantly reject their son was more than she could forgive. Making a mental note of the name of the karate studio, she decided she’d call it the following day.
Will took Caleb to work with him in the morning, and Amber didn’t have any classes, so the timing was perfect for her call.
“Martial Arts Studio,” a cheerful young female’s voice chirped into the phone.
“Yes, I’m looking for someone who works there. His name is Adam,” Amber said.
“Hold on. He just finished a class,” the girl replied.
A moment later a voice from Amber’s past said, “This is Adam.”
She felt her stomach leap into her throat and she was unable to speak for a second.
“Hello?” Adam said.
“Uh hello,” she stammered. “I’m glad I caught you there.”
“Who is this?” he asked, an edge to his voice.
She took a deep breath. Help me, Lord. “It’s Amber. Amber Gamble.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then Adam said, “What do you want?”
“I need to talk to you,” she replied.
“If it’s about that kid, you can forget about getting me involved. I don’t want to have anything to do with your baggage from the past. Understand?”
“Caleb isn’t ‘baggage’, Adam. He’s a great kid, and you really hurt him. And what’s this about you telling him that I was with a bunch of guys? You know that wasn’t true. Why would you say something like that?”
“Hey, I don’t know what you were doing when we weren’t together,” he replied.
“What do you mean ‘when we weren’t together’? You make it sound like we hardly ever saw each other.”
“Whatever. Listen, Amber, I can’t do this right now.”
“Fine. I’m really glad I put Caleb up for adoption. To think that I actually thought you and I might make a go of it—what a joke. Well, for your information, Caleb is your biological son, but he’s got parents that are much better people than you’ll ever be.”
“Is that so?” he asked sarcastically.
“Yeah. His dad’s a very successful attorney and his mom’s a teacher.”
“Well, good for him,” he replied, and then added, “Are we done here?”
“You’re such a jerk, Adam. I hope Caleb stays far away from you,” she said, her heart aching with regret about ever having loved this guy.
“Nothing would make me happier,” he replied before hanging up on her.
Amber’s call stuck with Adam as he prepared for his next class. She sure was a feisty thing—just like when they were dating. He could still remember that sweet body of hers. Allowing himself to replay some of their physical encounters in his mind, he felt a familiar arousal. Yeah, Amber had been good in the sack. And, he had to admit, he’d kind of fallen for her.
But that was before she threw a kink in their relationship. Flashing back to the day she’d told him she was pregnant, his stomach clenched. She’d had some pipe dream about them getting married and raising the baby together. What a crazy idea! He was still in high school and she was only fourteen. Like they could really be parents!
He’d tried to talk to her into an abortion. And she almost went along with him, too. But that stupid social worker and Amber’s teacher had interfered and told her she had ‘choices.’ Really? What a crock.
Thinking about the phone conversation, he replayed what Amber had said about Caleb’s adoptive parents. Sounded like they were probably loaded with dough. Well, good for Caleb. The kid ended up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Hey, wait a minute. Maybe this could be the answer to my financial problems. What if I could become friends with the kid? Maybe he’d be able to channel some of that wealth toward his old man. I mean, hey, why not? It would be worth whatever time I had to spend with him.
A plan began to take shape in Adam’s mind—one that he’d try to implement as soon as he could. Maybe even this week.
Caleb leaned back against the workbench as Will slid out on a dolly from underneath the car he was working on. “I don’t see why I can’t stay out here with you and Amber for a while,” Caleb said.
Will looked up at him. “Well, for one thing, you’ve got school.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “I could probably pass the GED right now and be done with high school.”
“Come on, Caleb, you don’t want to do that. Senior year is the best year of all. You’ll have senior prom, grad night, graduation parties—all kinds of fun stuff.”
“Well, what if I transfer and finish out here?”
“Without your friends? Really? Think about it, man. You wouldn’t know anyone at the high school here,” Will said. “It wouldn’t be the same. You gotta finish school there in Sandy Cove. You can come back here next summer if you want. You know you’re always welcome at our place.”
Caleb thought about it and nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
“Have you thought about college and what you want to do?” Will asked.
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m not even sure I want to go to college.” Caleb paused and then added, “Hey, maybe I could move out here and work with you at the shop after I graduate.”
Will sat up on the dolly. He gave Caleb a look that said he was crazy. “You’re too smart for this kind of work, Caleb. You should get a degree and make something of yourself.” He studied Caleb’s face and added, “I’m not a book guy myself, but from what I’ve heard about you and school, you’re a great student.”
Caleb shrugged.
“Hear me out, Caleb. Take advantage of all the opportunities your parents give you to get a good education now, while you can. Look at Amber. She’s just now getting back into her studies. She’d already be a teacher if she’d been able to finish high school and go straight to college.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Caleb agreed.
“Amber’s smart, too. She just had some hard knocks growing up. You’ve got her brains, Caleb. Don’t waste them.”
Caleb sighed and then nodded.
“Now hand me that five-eighths wrench, okay?” he asked as he gestured to a tool on the bench.
Handing it to him, Caleb asked, “So do you think I was crazy to want to find Adam?”
“Crazy? No, not at all.”
“Really? Everyone else seems to think so,” Caleb said. “I mean, he did turn out to be a jerk.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Will agreed. “But I kinda see both sides of this thing.”
“You do?”
“Well, yeah. I mean…I think about what I would do if some kid suddenly showed up and told me he was my love child from some former relationship. I’m not sure how I’d respond myself.”
“You wouldn’t act like Adam did,” Caleb said. “You’re a good guy. I’m glad you and Amber got together.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty glad, too,” he added with a smile and a wink. “And I hope you’re right about how I’d respond in that situation.” He paused and then added, “I guess the main thing is, Caleb, I wouldn’t take it too personally how Adam reacted to you telling him. It had to be a big shock for him.”
Caleb nodded. “Yeah.”
Will rolled back under the car, and as Caleb listened to him tinkering around under there, he thought about Adam again. Maybe he should give him another chance.
Above All Else (Sandy Cove Series Book 7) Page 20
