For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “Well, I hope you like the color pink because it looks like you’re having a girl.”

  Once again, without thinking, Bennett reached for Grace’s hand. He meant to just give her a quick squeeze, but her fingers tightened around his and held on. And in that moment, Bennett realized that a connection had been made within him to the child that Grace carried. He might not have been the one to contribute to the baby’s DNA, but he had been there when they’d found out she was a little girl.

  And while she might not be his biological child, she was always going to hold a special place in his heart. He just hoped that Grace would allow him to have an active part in her life.

  “I’ll just print off a few of these pictures for you,” the technician said with a smile.

  “Thank you,” Grace said, her hand still clutching his.

  Bennett wondered if she was aware that she still held it. He was in no rush to end the contact between them. He found that—right or wrong—he wanted a connection with Grace just as much as he did with her daughter.

  The technician stood and began to wipe the gel from Grace’s stomach. After she was done, Grace let go of Bennett’s hand and worked her top down to cover her stomach. When she struggled to sit up, Bennett reached out and helped her into a sitting position.

  “Here you go.” The technician held out a strip of paper. “Congratulations on your little one.”

  “Will I need to have another ultrasound?” Grace asked as she slid off the examination table to stand next to Bennett. She took her purse back and tucked the ultrasound into it.

  “That will be up to your doctor,” the technician replied. “But normally if a pregnancy is going well, there’s no need for any further scans.”

  Bennett wasn’t sure if Grace wanted to have another ultrasound or not, but she nodded her head and thanked the technician before heading to the door. Bennett followed behind her, amazed at how much had changed for him in the past half hour.

  Grace was quiet once again as they walked the wide hallway and then exited the building. Bennett didn’t bother to say anything, knowing that if Grace wanted to talk to him, she would.

  Bennett paid for the parking, and then they took the elevator to the level where they had parked the truck. He opened the door for Grace once more and waited for her to get settled. She was still quiet when he slid behind the wheel and backed out of the parking space. So many questions were on the tip of his tongue as he guided the truck out of the parkade and onto the street to take them to their next stop.

  The drive to the garage didn’t take long and soon Bennett was parking in the small lot attached to it. He got out of the truck and walked around to open Grace’s door and help her out. Though he knew he didn’t need to hang around to help Grace since this was her car and she could handle it on her own, Bennett still followed her into the office.

  “Hello there, you two,” Finn Kinnaird said with a smile. “I guess you’re here for your car, Grace.”

  Bennett nodded his head at the man in greeting but didn’t say anything further.

  “So everything was okay? It just needed an oil change?” Grace asked.

  Finn nodded. ”Your car’s in fine shape. Just keep bringing her back for regular maintenance, and you’ll be fine.”

  “So are Makayla and Ethan back from their honeymoon?” Finn asked as he settled the bill with Grace.

  “Yep, and boy, am I glad,” Bennett said. “I hadn’t realized how much I rely on Ethan, and just how much he does for the company until I had to do it all while he was gone.”

  Finn chuckled. “I know how that is. I had my main mechanic off for a week at the beginning of June, and it felt like none of us could pick up the slack. It made me very grateful to have the man working here.”

  “That’s definitely how I feel about Ethan, too.” Bennett watched as Grace put her debit card back into her wallet then slid her wallet into her purse.

  Grace took the keys when Finn held them out to her. “Thank you again for your work on my car.”

  “Anytime,” the man replied with a broad smile.

  After asking him to pass on their greetings to his wife, Noella, and saying goodbye to Finn, Bennett and Grace left the office. Bennett was reluctant to say goodbye to Grace, but he figured that she wanted to get home.

  “I guess I’ll see you later,” Bennett said as they stood together in the middle of the lot.

  Grace nodded and looked like she was going to move toward her car, then paused. She turned to look at him, her brows drawn together. “Thank you for taking me to my appointment.”

  “I know I wasn’t your first choice,” Bennett said as he gave her a smile to take the edge off his words. “But I’m really glad that I was able to be there with you for this."

  “I appreciate your support. I didn’t realize how much I actually wanted someone to be there with me.”

  There was so much Bennett wanted to say to her, but he was pretty sure that she wasn’t in a place to be willing to hear it. So instead, he nodded and assured her that the news they’d heard about the baby’s gender wouldn’t be something he’d tell anyone else. That was her news to share, not his.

  As he drove back to the office, Bennett had to fight his natural tendencies to want to help Grace even more than he had been since Franklin’s death. It was so reminiscent of how he’d felt not long after they’d met when he’d found out that her parents had passed away and then again when her grandmother had died. But she hadn’t let him help her then, and Bennett was pretty sure that she wouldn’t let him help her now.

  Bennett had no sooner set foot in his office than Makayla appeared in his doorway.

  “Thank you so much for covering for me with Grace,” Makayla said as she dropped into the seat across from him. “My doctor is usually much more punctual than she was today. I thought I’d have the time for my appointment and then Grace’s.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Bennett said as he removed his suit coat and hung it on the back of the chair. He sank down into the chair and leaned back. “We didn’t have to wait too long once we got there and the ultrasound itself only took about half an hour.”

  Makayla stared at him for a moment then asked, “Did you go into the ultrasound with her?”

  Bennett hesitated a moment before nodding. “It didn’t seem like she wanted to be alone, and she didn’t tell me no when I asked if she wanted me there.”

  Again, Makayla stared at him, her brows drawing together. “Is there something that I should know about?”

  Bennett knew that there were lots of things she probably wanted to know, but right then there was absolutely nothing that she should know. “Everything was fine as far as the technician could tell. You’ll need to talk to Grace if you want more details about it. All I know is that the technician said that everything looked good and that she probably wouldn’t need to have another ultrasound if her pregnancy continues to go well.”

  Makayla had a thoughtful look on her face as she regarded him. “I think I’ll give Grace a call just to make sure that she’s okay. I know this would’ve been something that Franklin would’ve done with her to.”

  “She seemed alright when I dropped her off to pick up her car, but I think we both know that she’s good at hiding her feelings,” Bennett said with a sigh. He sat forward and grabbed the pen that was sitting on his desk. He slid it through his fingers, the smooth surface gliding easily. “I’m sure she would appreciate a call from you.”

  “I’ll do that now.” Makayla got to her feet. “Thanks again for filling in for me on such short notice.”

  Though Bennett would’ve like to continue thinking about his time with Grace and the news she’d received, he decided that it would do more harm than good, so he set those thoughts aside and focused on the work he’d abandoned when he’d left earlier.

  Grace pulled her car into her parking spot and gathered up her things before getting out and heading into the apartment building. With a sigh of relief, she walked into her apart
ment and shut the door on the outside world. She went right into the bedroom and changed out of her work clothes into a pair of loose shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Then she went in search of food because she’d been too nervous to eat the lunch she’d brought to have before going to her appointment.

  She’d been dealing with a tremendous amount of fear in the days leading up to the ultrasound. There was a part of her that didn’t believe that the baby would be born safely and healthy. Until her conversation with Bennett earlier, she hadn’t shared those fears with anyone because she knew they’d all just try to reassure her. She had been pleasantly surprised—and thankful—when Bennett hadn’t. As she’d laid on the bed in the ultrasound room, all she could think about was what the ultrasound would find wrong with the baby she carried. So, to get through it without any bad news and, in fact, to hear some good news, had been unexpected.

  She pressed her hand to her stomach. A girl. She was going to have a daughter. Though she hadn’t felt a strong preference either way, she had wondered if she’d be able to be a good mother to a boy. After all, what did she know about boys? Pretty much nothing until they reached adulthood.

  As she let the thought that she was going to have a girl settle into her mind, Grace opened the fridge and begin to pull out what she needed to make a salad. Since moving into the apartment, she’d been trying to make a real effort to eat healthy for the sake of the baby. It was hard, at times, when her cravings were for things that weren’t exactly the most nutritious. But, hopefully, the salads and fresh fruits she’d been eating would offset the ice cream and chocolate bars.

  After she had made her salad, Grace sat down at the table next to the window that overlooked the park. If she continued to live there after the baby was born—and so far she planned to—that would be where she would take her daughter to play.

  Though she had told herself over and over again to not build up her hopes where the baby was concerned, Grace just couldn’t seem to help having those mental flashes of what was yet to come. Depending on her mood and the situation, those wonderings could either be good or bad. Today they happened to be good, but just as quickly they could be dragged down if she let herself dwell on the fact that there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong.

  Instead of focusing on that, Grace focused on what she was going to do with this newfound knowledge. Knowledge shared by only three people. Her, the technician, and Bennett. It was the last person that gave her pause. It felt strangely intimate to think that she shared that knowledge with Bennett. Out of everyone she knew, he was now the one that shared her most precious secret. She wondered if she would walk into work the next day to find a bouquet of pink roses on her desk.

  Grace laughed at the idea, though. Bennett had promised not to reveal her secret to anyone, and having a bouquet of pink roses at her desk the day after her ultrasound would be a sure giveaway. She still wasn't sure if she wanted everyone to know or not. In fact, she hadn’t been sure if she wanted to know until the moment she saw the baby on the screen and then the technician had asked her. Grace savored the knowledge now. Would Franklin have been disappointed? He had made no secret of the fact that once he decided he wanted children, that he’d really hoped for a son. Someone he could do things with.

  Grace knew from experience that girls could do things with their dads just as much as boys could. Steve Callaghan had proven that, but she wasn’t sure that Franklin had embraced that idea for himself.

  She had barely finished her salad when her phone rang. It didn’t surprise her to see Makayla’s name on the screen.

  She’d no sooner accepted the call and said hello when she heard Makayla’s voice, full of apology. “Oh Grace. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to go with you. My doctor was late seeing me, and I got tied up. I hope it’s okay that I asked Bennett to take you.”

  Grace still wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about Bennett’s presence at the ultrasound, but she wasn’t going to make her friend feel bad about something that was beyond her control. “It’s fine, Makayla. Everything went well.”

  “So, there was nothing wrong with the baby?”

  “No. The technician said that everything looked good. Although I do realize from having read other people’s experiences that ultrasounds don’t catch everything.”

  “Don’t think that way,” Makayla said. “I’m sure everything is just fine with your little one.” She paused then said, “Did you find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

  Grace contemplated keeping the information to herself, but in the end, she just couldn’t. “I’m having a girl.”

  There was an excited squeal from Makayla, and Grace couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s excitement.

  “Are you planning to tell people?” Makayla asked. “Because I’m not sure that I can keep this secret until your due date.”

  “You managed to keep the fact that I was pregnant a secret,” Grace reminded her. “But no, I don’t think I’ll keep this a secret.”

  “How are you planning to let everyone know?”

  Grace felt a twinge of sadness as she thought of all the reveal videos she’d seen on Facebook. The ones where the couple had opened a box of balloons or cut into a cake to see what color was revealed. There wouldn’t be anything like that for her. “I think I’ll announce it to your family the next time we’re all together but just tell other people as they ask me.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I know Mom is going to go nuts buying everything pink.”

  Grace once again stared out at the park across the street. She was thankful for the people in her life who were willing to fill the roles left empty by the deaths of her loved ones. Their excitement over the upcoming birth also helped to buoy her up when grief pulled her down.

  “I can’t believe that I’m the first one besides you to know that you’re having a girl.” Makayla paused. “Oh, right. I guess I’m not. Bennett knows, right?”

  Grace wondered if Makayla knew that Bennett had been in the ultrasound room with her. Or did she just assume that Grace had told him afterward? “Yes. Bennett knows.”

  “Well, I think we should have a dinner to celebrate. I’m sure Mom would love to have something out at the house. Do you think you’d be up for that?”

  With her phone in one hand, Grace picked up the empty salad bowl in the other and headed for the kitchen. “That sounds fine. When were you thinking of?”

  “Let me check with Mom, but maybe we could do it on Friday.”

  “Do you think you can keep it a secret for three more days?” Grace asked as she put her plate in the sink.

  “Oh I can, but I’m not sure if Bennett can.”

  Grace smiled at Makayla’s dig at her brother. “He managed not to tell you, didn’t he?”

  “Not fair. I can’t believe that my doctor's appointment screwed all that up. I could’ve been the first one to know instead of Bennett.”

  As she filled a glass with milk from the fridge, Grace realized that she was kind of happy that Bennett had been with her instead of Makayla. She really didn’t want to think too much about why she felt that way, so she happily engaged in conversation with Makayla over the best way to let the rest of the family know the sex of the baby.

  Maybe she’d get her reveal after all.

  19

  Grace walked into the kitchen of the Callaghan home a week later, surprised that she, Makayla, and Bennett had managed to keep from spilling the beans on the baby’s gender. She found that she was excited for the evening and couldn’t wait to share the news with the people gathered there.

  In addition to the Callaghans and McFaddens, Makayla had also invited James, Erin, and a couple other friends who had known both her and Franklin.

  The one question she figured that she would be asked the most that night once it was revealed that the baby was a girl, was what she planned to name her. Grace had spent some time thinking about that since the ultrasound, but she hadn’t been able to settle on anything. It felt wrong to not
have someone else’s opinion to consider. She and Franklin had never gotten around to discussing what names they’d like if they ever got pregnant.

  “So, are you still having problems with morning sickness?” Erin asked as they stood at the island counter in the huge kitchen at the Callaghan home, two cake boxes in front of them.

  “Not as much as I was having in my first trimester,” Grace told her. “It wasn’t much fun for the first three months. I still get occasional bouts, but nothing like what I was having at the beginning. Thankfully.” Grace rested her hand on her stomach which was barely showing a bump. “The biggest thing I’ve struggled with has been the weird changes in what I want to eat. One week I’m all about the sweets, then the next week the very thought of them makes me feel sick.”

  As others arrived, they congregated in the kitchen, no doubt drawn there by the delicious aromas in the air. Grace knew Makayla had hoped that they could have a barbecue dinner outside, but the day had decided to be very fall-ish. All day there had been a light drizzle falling from dark gray clouds. So now they were eating indoors with fires crackling in the various fireplaces on the main floor of the sprawling home.

  They had decided to do a cake reveal and had asked Erin to help them out. But in order to keep it a surprise from even her, they had asked Erin to bake two cakes—one pink and one blue—and then label their boxes so Grace would know which cake to cut open.

  She was thankful that the rich aromas in the air didn’t upset her stomach. There had been a quick menu change from barbecue to lasagna once the forecast for the day had been for rain. Thankfully, the baby hadn’t objected to the change.

  “Is everyone here?” Steve Callaghan asked as people began to gather at the large table in their expansive dining room a short time later.

  The fire in the large fireplace that was shared with the living room wall created welcoming warmth on this damp evening. The other wall had large windows that looked out on the trees surrounding the home, but at the moment, they were streaked with rain.