The Friends We Keep

Makayla’s eyes filled with tears. “I know. It’s just everything is so awful. Gabby, please don’t make me have this baby.”


Gabby drew her close and hugged her. “I’m sorry. You have to. You won’t be alone, but you’re carrying the baby to term.”

Makayla began to cry harder. “I don’t want to.”

“I know. We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Makayla straightened and wiped her tears. “This is really hard.”

“I know.” She hesitated. “Are you serious about not keeping the baby?”

Makayla nodded. “I want to give it up for adoption.”

“You have to be sure. You can’t go through the process, allow another couple to hope, then keep the baby at the last minute.”

“I’m fifteen. I want to be normal again. I want to go to classes and hang out with my friends and do my homework. I can’t do that with a baby. I can’t do that now.”

“Have you told your dad?”

Makayla ducked her head. “I thought maybe you could talk to him.”

“I will. About all of this. Then we’ll go meet with a lawyer. You can pick the family, if you want. The baby’s parents.”

“I don’t want to know anything. I just want this never to have happened.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to your dad when he gets home.”

Makayla nodded, grabbed a doughnut and went back upstairs. Gabby watched her go. She understood that the teen was hoping that after the birth, it would be like it was before. Only life wasn’t that simple. There would be complications. She would talk to Andrew about that, too. How they were going to have to trade parenting classes for emotional counseling. Maybe for all of them.

Later, when Makayla was outside playing with the twins, Gabby walked into Andrew’s study.

He got up and joined her on the sofa.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I was tired. I’m better now.”

He didn’t look convinced. “I’m scared, Gabby. Whatever happens, I don’t want to lose you.”

“Let that go. Please. I’m staying. We’re going to work this through.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve been such an asshole. I was trying to make up for Candace’s rejection by giving in to Makayla. That didn’t help anyone. I taught her the wrong lesson and frustrated you. I was totally unreasonable on the pregnancy thing. You can’t give up your life.”

“Funny how you’re saying that now.” Talk about irony.

“Because she wants to give up the baby?”

Gabby stared at him. “How did you figure that out? She asked me to talk to you, but there hasn’t been time yet.”

“She wants you to talk to me rather than talk to me herself?” He swore. “Okay. Sure. She’s scared I’ll be disappointed in her. As for the adoption, it hasn’t been hard to guess where this is all going. She’s miserable at school, she has no friends anymore. Do you think we should send her to one of those unwed mother places? At least there no one would judge.”

“Boarding school is the last thing Makayla needs,” Gabby said firmly. “She would only feel more rejected. I think we can make things work here.”

“How?”

“Give me a few days to figure it all out.” She looked at the man she loved and knew he wasn’t the only one who had screwed up. “I was wrong, too. I should have stood up to you more. I should have talked to you more, pushed back harder instead of letting you win by default.”

“Like with the booster seats. I thought I was being nice, but instead I undermined you. I’m sorry, Gabby. I never meant for it to be like this.”

She moved closer and he wrapped his arms around her. The feel of his warm, familiar body comforted her. Andrew had his faults, but they were the kind she could live with. He was, at heart, a good man and a father who loved his girls.

“We’ll talk more,” he promised. “I’m going to work on not assuming I’m right all the time.”

She laughed. “Now won’t that be nice.”

He kissed her, his mouth lingering.

“Tonight?” he asked.

She smiled. “Always.”





Chapter Twenty-Nine

“That is amazing,” Hayley said, her voice laced with awe. “I know you’re not a fan, but wow.”

Nicole wrinkled her nose. “I hate Brad less these days. Although Jairus confuses the heck out of me.”

They stood together in Tyler’s room. It was Saturday afternoon and her son was at a friend’s birthday party. Nicole had invited Hayley over for some girl time and they’d ended up here—looking at the nearly finished mural.

“Tyler has got to love this.” Hayley walked to the wall and lightly traced Brad’s head. “It’s huge and colorful and his favorite character ever. So why are you freaked?” Hayley studied the painting. “Hmm, let me guess. Eric lived here all those years and was able to walk away with little more than a few boxes. You’ve known Jairus only four or five months and look how he’s left his mark on your house.”

“Ouch,” Nicole murmured. “Can we at least pretend my problem is subtle and deserving of an elegant metaphor?”