Baby, Come Back (8 page)

Alice sucked in a deep breath and stood. Crossing to the trash, she dropped the crumpled letter in. Her past was dead and buried.

From out front she heard the slam of a car door and voices raised in anger. She recognized Sheri's. Worried, she hurried toward the front door. Before she reached it, Sheri burst through. Jeff stood at the base of the porch steps, his expression stricken.

“I can't believe you said that!” Sheri cried, spinning to face the boy. “You don't love me. If you did you never could have suggested...that!”

“Sheri, wait!” Jeff bounded up the porch steps. “I do love you. You have to believe me. It's just— ”

“Just what?” Her eyes flooded with tears. “Explain to me how giving our baby away shows how much you care about me!”

“If you'd just listen.” He held his hand out. “Just let me try to explain.”

“No! If you loved me you would...” She shook her head. “I shouldn't have to tell you what you would do if you loved me. Just go away! I never want to see you again. Never!”

Bursting into tears, the girl wheeled around and raced through the house. A moment later, Alice heard her bedroom door slam shut.

Alice turned back to Jeff, and her heart went out to him. He stood as if frozen by Sheri's words, his expression lost.

He turned his bleak gaze to her. “Can I go after her, Miss A.? Please? If I could just talk to her, I'm sure I could make her understand.”

Alice hesitated, then shook her head. “I don't think so, Jeff. Not now, anyway. She seemed awfully upset already, and Dr. Bennett wanted her to take it easy.” She sent him a reassuring smile. “But I'll talk to her, okay? Give her a couple of hours to calm down, then call.”

He shifted his gaze from hers to the house beyond. His shoulders slumped. “I'm only trying to do the right thing.” He dragged a hand through his hair, and Alice saw that it trembled. “How can she think I don't love her? I want what's best for us. All of us. And to be with her.”

“I know, Jeff. And she does, too. This is a...hard time for her. Be patient, okay?”

He straightened his shoulders, visibly struggling to hide his feelings, to present a strong, manly front. In that instant he reminded her so much of Hayes that she ached.

“Sure.” He shrugged and took a step back. “No problem.”

“Thanks.” Alice smiled. “You want me to tell her anything?”

“Tell her...” The words sounded choked, and he cleared his throat. “Tell her I love her. Okay?”

Tears stung Alice's eyes, and she nodded. “I will.”

He turned, ran down the stairs and to his car. He slid behind the wheel, started and gunned the engine, then tore off.

Chest heavy and aching, Alice watched until he had disappeared from sight, then turned and went inside to comfort Alice. What was she going to say to the girl? From what she'd heard of their argument, she'd gleaned that Jeff had brought up the idea of adoption. Alice sighed. She had suspected Sheri would react to the idea this way. Twelve years ago she probably would have, too.

She stopped outside Sheri's bedroom door. From inside, she heard the girl's muffled sobs. Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly.

“Sheri, sweetie, it's me. May I come in?”

“Is he gone?”

Alice opened the door and stepped inside. Sheri lay across the bed on her stomach, her face buried in the pillows. “Yes. He was really upset, Sheri.”

“Right.” Sheri lifted her head. “He was upset.”

Alice crossed to the old four-poster bed and sat on its edge. “Want to tell me what happened?”

“Sure you don't know already?”

Alice frowned, taken aback by the girl's sarcastic tone. “Other than what I assumed from your and Jeff's argument, yes, I'm sure I don't know.”

Sheri pulled herself into a sitting position, scrunching a pillow to her middle. “Jeff thinks we...should— ” Her eyes began to swim with tears. “He thinks we should...give our— ” Her throat closed over the words, and she shook her head.

“Give your baby up for adoption,” Alice said gently.

Sheri nodded, the tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. “How could he even...suggest that? If he really loved me, he couldn't. If he really loved me he would marry me.”

Alice paused a moment to gather her thoughts. She couldn't avoid the truth just because Sheri wouldn't like it. She had a responsibility to both the teenagers. And she cared about them.

“You're not being fair to Jeff,” she began. “Marriage, starting a family— those decisions are about more than love. They're about maturity and responsibility and— ”

“I knew you'd say that!” Sheri clutched at the pillow, fury flashing in her eyes. “You can stop pretending to be my friend. I know whose side you're really on.”

Alice sat back, stunned by Sheri's anger. She drew in a deep, careful breath. “I am your friend, Sheri. I'm on your side, and I care about you. I'm concerned for your future. I'll help you in any way I can, and if that includes a frank discussion— ”

“Spare me the speech! I hear that you and Bradford-the-cold-heart talked all about it. I hear that you both think giving my baby away is a good idea.”

Anger at Hayes barreled through her, stealing her breath. How dare he speak for her! How dare he use and twist her words for his own benefit! She harnessed her anger, resolving to deal with it— and him— later.

“Hayes and I did talk about the possibility of you and Jeff giving the baby up for adoption. I happen to think adoption is a wonderful alternative. But we talked in general terms. I would never pressure you to do something you didn't want to do. And I would never make plans
for
you. You should know me well enough to understand that.”

Knowing that badgering the girl wouldn't get her anywhere, she stood. Sheri refused to meet her eyes, going so far as to turn her head away to avoid looking at Alice. “Let me tell you something else, whether you want to hear it or not. You can't emotionally blackmail Jeff into agreeing to marry you. That's not fair, and in the end it's going to hurt all three of you. It's going to hurt your relationship. Getting married, having and keeping this baby have to be right for both of you.” She started for the door. “I suggest you think about it.”

The teenager bent over the pillow for a moment, her shoulders shaking with the force of her feelings. After a moment, she looked up at Alice. “I don't care what you or anybody else says, I'm not going to give my baby away. I love it and I'm going to keep it no matter what.”

Alice nodded. “If that's your decision, I'll support you in it. But I won't allow you to make that decision uninformed. I care about you too much.”

Sheri began to cry again, great racking sobs of despair. Alice hesitated, then crossed to the door. As much as she longed to, now wasn't the time to try to talk to or reason with the girl. She was too upset. But Alice knew Sheri well enough to believe that when Sheri calmed down, she would consider what they'd talked about.

Alice stopped at the door. “If you need anything, just call.”

The girl didn't respond, and Alice closed the door to the sound of Sheri's tears.

The evening passed, and Sheri didn't emerge from her room, although she accepted a dinner tray and made an attempt to eat. Alice hurt for the teenager and wished she could do something for her besides worry and pace.

She might have been able to help if Hayes hadn't planted in Sheri the seed of doubt about her motives. She paused in her pacing and frowned. Now the fragile bond of trust she'd formed with the teenager would have to be rebuilt. Until then, in the girl's eyes everything she said or did would be suspect.

Alice swore. She glared at the phone, willing Hayes to call so she could tell him off.

She whirled away from the phone and crossed to the window. Evening had long ago become night, and stars dotted the almost moonless sky. Had his visit the other night been about leveraging her? Had his kisses, his expression of need, been an attempt to buy her?

Ridiculous, she told herself, cheeks on fire. Hayes was a mature, intelligent man. Certainly he wouldn't resort to such a cheap, tasteless scheme.

But still... She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He was desperate to find a way to separate Jeff and Sheri. He'd been trying for months before Sheri had even become pregnant. He was almost obsessed with the belief that Jeff's life would be ruined if he married now.

Would he go to such extreme lengths?

Alice turned and glared at the phone again, then strode to it. Without pausing for second thoughts she picked it up and dialed information, then Hayes's home number.

He answered on the second ring.

The sound of his deep, sleepy voice took her breath away. It reminded her of the long, hot afternoons they'd spent in bed, curtains drawn against the light, ceiling fan whirling, the cool breeze tickling their damp flesh. She muttered an oath and gripped the receiver so tightly her fingers went numb. “How dare you use me that way, Hayes?”

“Alice?”

“Yes, dammit, it's Alice. Don't give me any of your infernal lawyer double-talk.”

He laughed. “I'm afraid you'll have to fill me in before I can say a thing. What are you talking about?”

“Your telling Jeff about our adoption discussion. Your intimating that we were plotting— ”

“Plotting?” Hayes snorted in disbelief. “Where did you get that idea?”

“From Sheri. Who got it from Jeff.” She curled her fingers around the phone cord. “So, Attorney Bradford, who do you suppose Jeff got it from?”

“Sheri and Jeff were talking about adoption?”

Alice heard the edge of excitement in his voice and gritted her teeth. He cared about nothing but getting his way. “Jeff brought it up. Sheri is hysterical.”

Hayes let his breath out in a rush. “Do you know what this means, Alice? He listened to what I had to say. I can't believe it. He actually listened to me.”

Fury took her breath. “And in your caution-be-damned rush to influence your son, you damaged my relationship with Sheri. Our discussion was nothing more than that. A discussion. I told you I wouldn't pressure her. How dare you use my words to try to influence— ”

“Whoa! I mentioned to Jeff that we'd talked. That's all. I told him what your views were. Nothing more. Anything beyond that was either Jeff's or Sheri's interpretations.”

“Why do I find this so hard to believe?”

“You tell me, Alice. You're the one making yourself out to be a victim.”

Heat flew to her cheeks. “What do you expect me to think? You show up the other night, you're attentive, you're complimentary...”

Her throat closed over the words, choking them. She fought to clear it. “Is influencing Jeff what that was all about? If so, that was below even you, Hayes.”

For a long moment Hayes said nothing. His silence echoed through her, taunting her. More than anything she wanted him to vehemently deny her accusation. The truth of that made her feel like a fool.

Hayes cleared his throat. “Wanting to make love with you has nothing to do with anything but wanting you. And that hasn't changed. I still want you. I still want to be with you.”

She swallowed. Hard. “I see.”

“Do you? Then see this, Alice. I think you want the same thing.”

This time it was she who was silent. Her own silence taunted her as loudly as his had. Maybe louder. For as much as she wanted to deny the truth of his words, she couldn't.

“Alice? Nothing to say?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “No,” she whispered. “There is nothing to say. Except good night.”

* * *

Hayes stared at the dead receiver for long moments before setting it back in its cradle, frustration building inside him.
Dammit.
He'd always been a man of action. Of purpose. It was one of the things that made him a good lawyer.

Yet lately, he'd been unable to find his footing, his sense of direction, of purpose. He vacillated between being positive he'd made the right decision twelve years ago to being certain he hadn't. One moment he told himself there was no place for Alice in his life, that she was better off without him; the next he was ready to chuck everything to be with her.

Tonight, if he'd been able to crawl through the phone lines, he would have. He'd wanted to touch her so badly he'd ached. He still did.

He stood and strode to the window. The moonless sky stared back at him, mocking him, his foolishness. He dragged a hand through his hair. Nearly forty and more unsure than at twenty, he thought, disgusted. His life more out of control. What a laugh.

He shook his head. How could she even consider that he had used physical intimacy as a way to drive a wedge between her and Sheri? Dear Lord, he had only to look at her to become aroused. He could think of nothing but touching her, making love with her.

“I need to talk to you.”

At his son's quietly spoken words, Hayes turned. Jeff stood in his office doorway, ramrod straight, his expression determined.
His teenage son felt none of the uncertainties he did.
At least for now, father and son had traded places.

“Come in.” Hayes indicated the chair across from his desk. “Have a seat.”

“I don't think so. I'd rather stand.”

In that moment, his son sounded like a man, not a boy. Hayes frowned. He crossed to the desk and faced his son. Wearily he took off his glasses and tossed them on top of the deposition he'd been reading before Alice's call. “Go ahead, Son. You've got my attention.”

Jeff cocked his chin up. “The night of the storm, I went to the bridge. Where Mom died.”

Hayes stared at his son, stunned silent. If Jeff had informed him that he'd grown a tail, he wouldn't have been more shocked. Jeff talked about his mother so seldomly that Hayes couldn't remember the last time. “I...don't know what to say.”