The Friends We Keep

She knew Candace well enough to fill in the details. There had been no “we” in the conversation. Candace would have put the blame squarely on Gabby’s shoulders. There would have been talk about irresponsible and inadequate supervision and how Makayla needed a better role model.

Candace hadn’t liked her from the start and Gabby had never been sure as to why. She and Andrew hadn’t met until after his divorce was final. Even if she had known him before, Candace had been the one to end the marriage, not him. While Gabby was a few years younger, Candace was by far more glamorous and beautiful. She had a fantastic career, lots of friends, plenty of travel. Yet Candace had always been condescending and difficult.

“I’m sorry she was a pain.”

“Me, too.” He handed her the glass of wine. They went out onto the patio. “What a week.”

They sat next to each other on the love seat. Andrew toasted her, then sipped his drink.

“I don’t know how much Makayla heard,” he continued.

“Even if she didn’t, she can guess all the things her mother would say. I wish Candace could be more supportive.”

“You and me, both. I’m glad Makayla is living with us and not her. We’ll make sure things go smoothly through the pregnancy and after.”

Gabby nodded. The adoption was going to take a lot of planning. She’d done some online research and it seemed that they could pull it all together in a few months. With the teen still convinced she and Boyd were in love, this wasn’t the time to bring up the various options, but they would have to have that conversation soon.

“Once the baby is born,” she said, “life can return to relative normal.”

“There will have to be some changes.” Andrew looked at her. “More rules. I need to listen to you more.”

She smiled. “Yes, you do. Makayla’s a great kid, but she still needs to have boundaries. No more sex with boys.”

He chuckled. “Is this where I say something about too little too late?”

“Maybe, but I still think it’s a good rule.” An unrealistic one, but for that moment it was nice to think they could actually have that much control.

There were going to be lots of discussions and decisions, she thought. Did they put Makayla on birth control? She wouldn’t even be sixteen when the baby was born. What a nightmare. She wanted to ask how this had happened, but they all knew the answer to that.

“Have you heard from Boyd’s parents?” she asked.

“No.”

“Me, either. I can’t help thinking that’s not a good thing.”

“Yeah.” He leaned back against the cushions. “We should look into counseling. This is going to be stressful for all of us. I don’t want to screw up and I don’t want you getting too stressed out.”

Which was one of the reasons she loved him so much, she thought. “Counseling is a very good idea. I’ll ask around and get some recommendations.”

He grinned at her. “Are you saying some of your friends are crazy?” He held up a hand. “That’s humor, Gabby. I know going to counseling is a good thing.”

“I accept the comment in the spirit in which it was delivered. As for being crazy, I think we all have a little bit of that in us.”





Chapter Fifteen

Hayley stood in the small, empty bedroom. The walls were painted a pale yellow, with white trim. They’d replaced the carpeting with hardwood because it was easier to keep clean without harsh chemicals. She’d been four months along when she’d miscarried the first time so they hadn’t had time to get serious about buying furniture. There was only the empty room and the painted walls.

She crossed to the closet and opened the door. There weren’t any baby clothes, no stacks of impossibly small linens. No miniature blankets or sheets. Just an old scrapbook—the one her mother had put together for her.

Now she got it down and walked to the patch of sunlight in the corner and sank to the floor. She sat cross-legged, the book resting on her legs.

She and Rob had talked endlessly about their baby those first few months. They’d debated names and talked about the merits of different types of cribs. They’d touched tiny bootees and had tried to imagine the glory of holding a child of their own.

All that had ended with the first unexpected cramps.

She’d been at work when the miscarriage had started. At first she’d thought she was having some kind of stomach flu. But when she’d gone to the bathroom, there had been spotting. The spotting had turned into a flood of blood and by the time she’d gotten to her gynecologist’s office, the baby was already gone.

She remembered the devastation. How Rob had held her and they’d cried together. It had taken weeks for the emptiness to go away. Her parents had still been alive then and her mom had come to stay with her. She’d miscarried before, so she understood how horrible it was. How people said foolish things like “Oh, it happens to everyone,” or “It’s nature’s way of taking care of a problem.”