“That would be nice, Jeff,” Rebecca agreed with a sweet smile. “I appreciate that.”
Jeff went back into his office, glad things had worked out as they had. He called Vivian Greenfield. “Viv, this is Jeff Jacobs. We were trying to determine a date to take Joey to see Sesame Street on Ice. Rebecca was afraid this Friday might be your celebration for your baby.”
“Oh, Jeff, thanks for checking with me. Yes, we were thinking about this Friday. Would that be a problem?”
“No, we can try to get tickets for Saturday night.”
“Oh, good. And can you and your fiancée join us Friday night? We’d love to have you. It would be nice if someone were here that Rebecca knows.”
“We’d be delighted. Do you mind if I bring my new partner? He doesn’t know anyone in town and—”
“Oh, yes, that would be delightful. I’d love to meet him.”
“Thanks, Vivian. His name is Bill Wallace. I think you’ll like him.”
“I’m sure I will. I’ll look forward to introducing him to Will, too.”
Jeff came out of his office to find Chelsea still there, talking with Harriet and Bill. Rebecca appeared to be working. “Well, I talked to Vivian and they are having their celebration on Friday night, but we’re all invited. So I think we should move Sesame Street to Saturday night.”
“We’re all invited?” Bill asked.
“Yeah. Vivian is looking forward to meeting you and introducing you to Will. You’ll like him. He’s a P.I.”
“I don’t want to intrude on a family event,” Bill said, still hesitant.
“You won’t be. You’ll need to meet them, anyway, since they’re our clients. They’re genuinely nice people and it will be a good time. Right, Rebecca?”
She looked up, but it was obvious she’d been following what he’d said. “They really are, Bill. They took me and Joey in and they treat us like family.”
“But I thought you were family,” Chelsea said, frowning.
“We are, sort of. Vanessa and I are blood sisters, but they didn’t have to be so generous.”
“I bet they fell in love with Joey right away,” Bill said.
“Yes, they did. And they spoil him rotten. But we were so alone until we moved down here, it’s very good for Joey.”
“And you,” Jeff added softly.
Rebecca gave him a sharp look. “Well, yes, of course.”
“Has Will found any of your other brothers or sisters?” Chelsea asked. “Are there others?”
“They’ve found our brother Jim. He’s serving in the Middle East right now. We’re hoping he’ll get home on leave soon. Our brother Wally died over there. They haven’t found David or my twin sister, Rachel.”
“How strange to have a twin and not know where she is,” Chelsea said. “Why did your parents give you all up for adoption?”
“They didn’t,” Jeff hurriedly said. “They were killed in a car crash and there were no other family members available, so the children all got split up and lost contact with one another.”
“Oh, how sad.” Chelsea looked appropriately subdued. “I just never thought about something like that happening.”
“Life takes funny turns, Chelsea. You have to be strong to deal with what happens—look how Rebecca has managed.” Jeff smiled at Rebecca even as he spoke.
“Well, if I’d been Rebecca, I would have given up. I certainly couldn’t have managed on my own. That would have been too hard.”
It was Bill who stepped forward to say, “You would have found a way to manage, Chelsea. I suspect you would have found a lot more strength in you than you’d imagined.”
Chelsea gave him a solemn look. “I hope so.”
FRIDAY NIGHT, REBECCA fixed Joey’s collar and smoothed down his hair one more time. “Please be polite this evening. After a while, you can come upstairs and watch television, but we want to celebrate the new baby first.”
“Why do we celebrate the new baby when he’s not even here yet?” Joey asked. “He can’t even have any cake.”
“No, he can’t. But we celebrate him because he’s a miracle.”
“What’s a miracle?”
“It’s something that happens in spite of everything.”
“Was I a miracle?” Joey asked, staring at his mother.
“Yes, sweetie, you were. You’re my special miracle.”
“And mine, too,” a deep voice said over her shoulder.
“Oh, Jeff. I didn’t know you were here. Is Chelsea with you?” Rebecca hurriedly asked, hoping to hide her embarrassment.
“Yeah, she and Bill are downstairs with Vanessa. I came up to see if you two were ready.”
“Did you see the cake, Daddy? It has little baby shoes on it. Grandma Vivian said that’s ’cause it’s for the baby, but he doesn’t get to eat any. Isn’t that funny?”
“That’s been fascinating him all afternoon,” Rebecca explained.
“And driving you crazy?” Jeff asked sympathetically.
“Yes. Joey, take your daddy’s hand and go downstairs. I need to brush my hair and then I’ll be down.”
“We could wait for you,” Jeff suggested.
“You’re as bad as Chelsea. You’ll be fine.” She hurried out the door to go to her room.
“I think Mommy’s tired.”
“You do? I guess I shouldn’t have made her work today. I didn’t think about that.”
“She made me take a shower and change clothes and everything.” There was a hint of a pout in those words that gave Jeff pause.
“You didn’t give your mom a hard time, did you?”
Joey immediately shook his head no. “But I wanted to wear my jeans. Mommy said no.”
“I figured you’d be in a suit, like me.” Jeff led him to the stairs and started down them.
“I don’t have a suit. Mommy said I should, but she said I grow too fast.”
“Hmm, I need to discuss that with Mommy.”
When they got downstairs, Jeff discovered the party had also become an opportunity for an announcement to all his clients and friends about Joey. Was that why Rebecca had lingered upstairs? Well, he guessed not. How could she have known that he was going to come upstairs to get them? When she finally did come down, Joey turned loose of his hand and immediately crossed the room to her side. Jeff followed.
“Are you feeling all right?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. Why?” she asked as she knelt down beside her son.
“Joey said you were tired.”
“It was a busy day.”
“I could’ve given you the afternoon off,” he offered.
“It’s all right,” she said, rising. “Come on, Joey, let’s go see if Betty and Peter need our help.”
Which effectively excluded Jeff, he realized, as he watched them walk away.
“Where’s Rebecca going?” Chelsea asked as she and Bill approached Jeff.
“I believe to the kitchen. Have you been introducing Bill around? I want him to meet any clients who are here.”
“Yes, I have. Vanessa offered to do so, but I told her I’d manage,” Chelsea assured him, looking proud of herself.
“I’m glad you met Vanessa,” Jeff said to Bill. “I thought maybe we could double-date, if the two of you get along.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Bill assured him.
“I think she’s seeing someone,” Chelsea said at once.
“Really, who?”
“I don’t know his name, but I’m sure they’re pretty serious.”
Rebecca came back into the room, crowded with people, without Joey. She joined her sister. Jeff immediately began moving in that direction and found Chelsea and Bill following him across the room.
“I just wanted to check on Joey.”
“We wondered what happened to him, too,” Chelsea assured him.
When the entourage arrived at Rebecca’s side, she introduced them to the group. As they were absorbed into the circle, new conversation forming, Jeff discovered Rebecca
was no longer with them. Before he could ask her anything about Joey, she’d left their group and moved on to another one.
With a careful look at Bill and Chelsea, Jeff slipped from the group and went after Rebecca. “Are you trying to avoid me?” he asked in a whisper.
“Yes,” she returned, much to his surprise.
“I was kidding,” he protested.
“I wasn’t. It’s a little awkward to be introduced as the mother of your child but not your wife. It’s easier if people connect the dots later, when I’m not around.”
“I hadn’t realized it would be embarrassing to you,” he said slowly, thinking about what she’d said. “I guess that is more, uh, difficult for the mother than it is for the father.”
“It’s the double standard in American life. If a man produces a child, he’s virile. If a woman produces a child without a man attached, she’s easy.” Rebecca had moved to the table and picked up a cup of punch.
“I’ll knock the block off anyone who says such a thing.” Jeff protested, horrified that he’d laid Rebecca open to such attitudes.
“It’s not something you can do anything about. I’m not ashamed of Joey. But I don’t want to encourage that opinion. When you and your fiancée are following me around, it arouses questions I don’t want to answer.”
“Maybe you should grab hold of Bill.”
“Why?”
“He’s a single guy. People would assume he was the new man in your life.”
“And that would be good how?” she asked impatiently.
“I don’t know. I just thought—I wasn’t thinking.”
“Hello, Rebecca, dear,” a large woman said, interrupting their quiet conversation. “It’s so good to see you again. And is this your young man?”
“No, Mrs. Bracken, this is the attorney I work for, Jeff Jacobs. Jeff, Mrs. Bracken is a longtime friend of Vivian’s.”
When Mrs. Bracken engaged him in conversation, calling over her husband to meet him, Rebecca slipped away.
This time Jeff didn’t follow.
THE PARTY WAS ALMOST OVER and Vanessa and Rebecca were standing partially hidden by the French doors.
“I’m glad Mom doesn’t have these kinds of parties very often. I feel like I’ve been at a family reunion,” Vanessa said in a whisper.
“And has every one of them asked you what you think about having a little baby in the family?” Rebecca asked with a smile.
“Yes, of course. Just as they’ve asked you about Joey’s daddy. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable that would make it for you tonight, either.”
“That’s okay. Joey’s up in bed and Chelsea has taken hold of Jeff, so there are no more lifted eyebrows for me this evening.”
“Bill looks a little lost, though.”
“Yes, he does. Did you like him?”
“He’s nice enough. Frankly, he seemed more interested in Chelsea than he did in anyone else.”
“Yes, I’ve been worried about that myself. We’re all going to an ice show tomorrow night. Bill’s buying us all dinner.”
“Why?” Vanessa asked in surprise.
“I promised Chelsea I’d teach her about little boys. She said it was too early for her to take Joey out without me.”
“That’s weird,” Vanessa said, raising her eyebrows.
“I know. But if I don’t teach her about little boys, she and Joey don’t have a chance. She doesn’t know much about being a kid, much less a boy. I think she must’ve been a miniature adult when she was Joey’s age.”
“But she seems nice enough.”
“I know. It’s not her fault. I haven’t met her mother yet, but I get the feeling the woman was not motherly.”
Vanessa grinned. “Not like Mom?”
“I don’t think there could ever be a mother like Vivian. She’s so loving.”
“Yes, she is. And that’s why this baby is such a special gift to both of them.”
“I agree.”
Will called everyone’s attention, lifting a punch cup in a toast. “Here’s to our baby, be it a boy or a girl. We feel blessed. And we thank you for sharing this evening with us.”
“It’s the baby who’s blessed,” Rebecca whispered.
“You’re right. Just like Joey was blessed to have a mommy like you.”
Rebecca hugged her sister, knowing how lucky she was to find this family.
The party began to break up. Chelsea looked around for Rebecca. “Oh, there you are. Tonight was fun. Vivian and Will really are nice people, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they’re the best,” Rebecca agreed.
“Well, thank you for inviting us. We enjoyed it,” she said, and leaned over and kissed Rebecca on the cheek, much to her surprise.
Bill was standing beside her and did the same thing, thanking her for the invitation. When Jeff stepped up after Bill, Rebecca immediately stuck out a hand. He took it in his and frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s no need to thank me for your invitation. You know Vivian wanted to invite you.”
“I know. And I enjoyed myself. I was glad I had a chance to introduce Joey to my friends. I hope it didn’t cause you too much embarrassment.”
“No. No, it didn’t. And Joey liked it.”
“He did? Did he say anything?”
“When I took him up to bed, he told me about you telling everyone he was your boy. He was very proud of that.”
“Thank you, Rebecca, for telling me that. I appreciate it.”
“Yes, well, good night.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“Yes, of course.”
Rebecca stood there, watching the threesome cross the room to tell Vivian and Will good-night. Then with a sigh, she slipped up the stairs. She’d had enough of polite society for one night.
Chapter Seven
Late Saturday afternoon, Rebecca came down the stairs with Joey, dressed in his jeans, much to his pleasure. “Now, Joey, your daddy will be here soon, so don’t get dirty.”
“I won’t, Mommy, but I promised Peter I’d come say hi before I left.”
“All right,” Rebecca agreed, sighing as he ran down the hall. It was so hard to keep her son clean for any length of time.
“Rebecca, is that you?” Vivian called from the library.
“Yes, it is,” Rebecca returned as she walked to the door of the library.
“Oh, don’t you look nice. That rose color goes so well with your dark coloring. Just like Vanessa’s.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Come sit down. Are you waiting for Jeff?”
“And Chelsea and Bill.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you were dating Bill. He seems so nice.”
Rebecca hurried to make things clear before the others arrived. “I’m not dating Bill, Vivian. He’s just lonely and wants to be included. He said he hates to eat alone. And Chelsea feels better when the numbers are even. I—I think she gets a little jealous when Jeff spends a lot of his time with Joey.”
“Oh, I see.” Vivian looked at her husband, working at the desk. “Don’t you, Will?”
“Yes, dear, I do.” He grinned at Rebecca. “I thought maybe it took that many of you to keep Joey in line.”
“Will Greenfield, you know very well that Joey’s perfectly well behaved,” Vivian protested.
“I think Will was teasing, Vivian,” Rebecca said with a grin.
“He’s always teasing me. But I kind of like it.” Vivian looked fondly at her husband.
“It makes life a lot more fun,” Rebecca said wistfully, “to share some laughter, you know. Jeff used to—” Much to Rebecca’s relief, the doorbell rang before she could go too far down memory lane.
“That must be them. I’d better get Joey.” She hurried into the kitchen and out the patio door where Peter could be found.
Betty showed Jeff, Chelsea and Bill into the library.
“Rebecca isn’t here?” Jeff asked after looking around the room.
“Yes
, she is,” Will said. “She just went outside to get Joey.”
“Won’t he get dirty?” Chelsea asked, looking a little doubtful.
“No, I’m sure—” Vivian began only to be interrupted by Rebecca and Joey’s entrance.
“Oh, there you are,” Jeff said, walking forward and swinging Joey up into his arms for a hug. “How are you, son?”
“I’m fine, Daddy. I went to tell Peter hi.”
“Good for you. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Mommy’s ready, too.”
“We wouldn’t go without her,” Jeff assured his son, looking across the room at Rebecca. “Ready?”
She nodded and led the way to the front door, telling Vivian and Will goodbye as she did so.
When they got to the car, Rebecca reached for the back door. So did Chelsea. “Don’t you want to ride in front with Jeff?” Rebecca asked, surprised.
“I thought we’d do women and children in the back and men in the front,” Chelsea said with a smile.
Rebecca said nothing else. The two men didn’t seem to mind. Once they were in the car, it wasn’t far to drive downtown to the American Airlines Center.
“I’ve never been here before,” Rebecca said as they parked the car.
“You haven’t?” Jeff asked. “This is where the pro basketball team plays their games. We’ll have to come to a game sometime.”
Rebecca didn’t say anything.
Chelsea immediately chimed in. “Oh, yes, I’m sure Joey would like to see a basketball game, wouldn’t you, Joey?”
“Sure,” the young boy said. “What’s a basketball game?”
Both men burst out laughing and Rebecca, too, couldn’t resist a chuckle. Chelsea seemed a little flustered.
“You’ll like it, Joey. It’s a bunch of men playing with a round ball,” Chelsea explained.
“Will they let me play?” Joey asked.
“No, you just watch them play.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sure he’d enjoy the game, Chelsea. He just hasn’t seen the game before.” Rebecca smiled at her son to reassure him.
“I thought everyone had heard of basketball games.”
“We didn’t have much time to spend watching sports, I’m afraid. After working all day, I’d pick up Joey from day care and we’d have time to fix dinner and clean up afterward, play a little, do some laundry and plan our next day before Joey had to go to bed. There just wasn’t much spare time.”
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