Mother Load (25 page)

“Don’t be jealous. I’ll tear myself away from here eventually and trade places with you. In the meantime, how about giving Trina a call and telling her to cancel everything on my schedule? I don’t see how I could go into work today.”

Eleanor sat wide-awake in her carrier watching Lily sort through the pile of clothes on her bed.

“Which one do you like? Blue…or red?” She held two tops for Eleanor’s approval. “Take your time…no pressure. Here they are again. Blue…or red?” It was fun to watch her delayed response as she shifted her eyes from one top to the other. “You like the red, don’t you?”

Lily had amassed a closet full of clothes, but hardly anything she owned worked well for breast-feeding. It was easy enough to lift a pullover shirt, but she couldn’t see Eleanor as well, and she missed the luxurious feeling of having their bare skin in contact. She preferred shirts she could open all the way in the front, like the red and blue ones.

“’Bye, Mama,” Andy called from downstairs.

She walked onto the landing and looked down to where he waited with Jonah and Hal. “What are you fellows doing today?”

Hal broke into a grin. “We’re headed to the boat show.”

“Sounds like trouble to me. Does Kim know you’re out looking for boats again?”

“We thought it would make a nice surprise.”

Lily chuckled. “Good luck with that. Andy, don’t come home with anything that won’t fit in the bathtub, and you know the rules. Listen to Uncle Hal, not to Jonah.”

Anna trudged up the stairs carrying a basket of cloth diapers. “What time do you want to go see George?”

“Let’s go together after lunch.” They had spent last weekend at the hospital celebrating Mother’s Day, but Sylvie said they had only one more week of running back and forth to the hospital. George was finally gaining weight and would probably be discharged next Saturday.

The doorbell rang as Anna deposited the basket on the landing. “Wonder what they forgot.” She took off downstairs to answer the door.

“What about you, little girl? You ready for lunch?” She scooped Eleanor out of her carrier and jostled her across the landing into their nursery. Their cribs were set up in the master suite, but this room had two rocking recliners like the ones in the neonatal unit, a changing table and bassinet, and a large bureau to hold baby clothes…if they ever got any. Kim had brought over a few things that had belonged to Jonah and Alice, but the premature arrivals had put all their shopping plans on the back burner. Pretty soon she would have to bite the bullet and leave Anna at home with Eleanor so she could go pick up a few things. It wouldn’t do to take her baby out without clothes.

They were still tweaking the new routine. Anna liked doing the first feeding, usually around midnight. Then she managed a solid six hours of uninterrupted sleep. Without that she was a zombie. Lily went to sleep around ten but got up at four, napping again along with Eleanor after everyone else left for school and work. It was tiring but not unworkable. However, all bets were off once George came home.

No sooner had Eleanor started to nurse than the doorbell rang again. She couldn’t imagine why the boys were having so much trouble getting out the door. Probably one of them coming back to use the bathroom.

She looked at the empty rocker beside her and smiled, envisioning the day soon when Anna would be sitting there holding one of their babies. Having their whole flock under one roof, no matter how often the babies cried in the night, would bring both of them deeper and more restful sleep. Not having George at home stirred memories of those early days after Andy had come to stay with them, when she was uncertain of his long-term fate. The fear of losing him had been unbearable.

Eleanor’s sucking had slowed and her eyes were heavy with sleep, but they shot open when the doorbell rang yet a third time.

“What in the world are those boys doing, Eleanor? They just won’t let you sleep.”

Anna peered through her doorway, smiling and shaking her head. “You aren’t going to believe this.”

“Let me put her down,” she whispered. “I think she’s ready to go to sleep.”

“Let me have her.” She put her back in the carrier and buckled her into place.

Lily refastened her front-hook bra and buttoned her shirt. “I take it we’re going downstairs.”

“Oh, yes. We have company.”

Company didn’t quite describe the crowd that had gathered in their living room. Martine and Kim sat with Alice on the loveseat. Beside them on the sofa were her friends from work, Colleen, Lauren and Pauline. Virginia and Holly had pulled chairs from the kitchen.

Sandy and Suzanne appeared in the doorway that led to the dining room. “All the food is out. Everyone come help themselves.”

Lily’s jaw dropped to see the mountain of gifts on the coffee table. “What is all this? I have the sneakiest friends.”

“You can thank Sandy,” Kim said. “She arranged all of this back in February, but of course you were supposed to wait until June to have your babies.”

Colleen and Virginia shot up from their seats to peek at Eleanor, who never stirred. “Except this way is better because we get to see the baby.”

“If you had timed it for next weekend you could have seen George too,” Anna said.

“He’s coming home?” Martine asked.

“A week from today,” Lily answered, still stunned at the room full of women. She greeted everyone with a hug, finally reaching Sandy, who was grinning triumphantly. “You are absolutely the best friend a person could possibly have.”

“Surely you didn’t think I was going to let you off without a baby shower. What kind of friend would I be?”

For more than an hour they snacked and chatted, shifting seats periodically so everyone had a chance to watch Eleanor sleep. Even Suzanne, who professed no affinity for children whatsoever, found herself mesmerized when Eleanor awoke and gripped her finger. “It’s a good thing I didn’t know about this ten years ago.”

Sandy hugged her from behind as she peered over her shoulder. “Does this mean I can get a cat?”

“If kittens are half this much fun, you can get two.”

They all laughed as Sandy mouthed a silent thank you upward, her years-long crusade for a pet finally answered.

Lily followed Lauren into the dining room and fixed herself a plate of appetizing snacks—brie and crackers, cocktail olives and for dessert, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. “I haven’t eaten anything this rich since our spa day in Palm Springs. I plan to enjoy every decadent bite.”

“You’ve earned it. Did your doctor put you on any restrictions?”

She chuckled. “No alcohol…like that was even an option. Don’t tell Virginia this—I wouldn’t want her to feel obsolete—but alcohol couldn’t possibly be the drug motherhood is. I feel euphoric all the time.”

Lauren nodded along. “I know. Babies are like little endorphin machines. You can look at them, smell them or even think about them and get this happy rosy glow. It wears off on their second birthday though.”

Lily laughed. “What do they produce then?”

“Let’s just say you’ll want to keep your AA sponsor’s number handy.” She edged a brownie onto Lily’s plate. “You won’t be coming back to work, you know.”

“I…I haven’t even had time to think about it.”

“It wasn’t a question, Lily. This is your life now and you’re in love with it. I can see it in your face and in Anna’s too. You both look like you’ve won the lottery, and there’s no way you’re going to walk out of here and leave your precious children for a job you don’t absolutely need. Believe me, if Will and I didn’t have such a big house payment, wild horses couldn’t have dragged me back to work after Peter was born.”

Lily’s resistance to being a stay-at-home mother had never been rooted in financial need or independence, or even Kim’s lament of not having adult interaction, but in a desire not to let her identity be subsumed by motherhood. The irony was that she now embraced it as the most important thing about her, and she couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her babies for a selfish pursuit. “I might take a few years off…maybe until they start school. I can keep my law license up.”

“Sure, you could come back to Braxton Street one of these days, but who knows? This is life-changing. You might find yourself on a different path in a few years, and you can come back to the work world on your own terms when you’re ready.”

She already had support from Anna to stay home with their children. Now she was getting it from another mom, one who walked in her shoes at work. It was what she wanted most in the world, and she needed only permission from herself. “I won’t ever regret it, will I?”

Lauren shook her head. “Not for a second.”

Anna congratulated the young couple on their choice of the 330i and signed off on their finance package. She hated working Saturdays, but with Holly off to visit her family in San Diego for Memorial Weekend she had no choice. At least work was fun again. Their sales hadn’t fully recovered from the dive last year, but with a smaller crew they were processing sales all day long. Everyone at the dealership was buoyed by the steady work.

Only twenty more minutes to closing. Then it was home to add the final piece to their family puzzle. Tonight they would go as family to pick up George and bring him home. At four pounds, four ounces, he had finally started to thrive. No more setbacks, Sylvie assured them. And not only that—he was sleeping up to five hours at a time without crying for food.

As she walked back into the showroom, Trina grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside. “There’s a detective waiting upstairs in your office.”

“What? Did he say what he wanted?”

“She, and just that she had to speak to you.”

Anna bounded up the stairs and into her office, where a stocky redhead in slacks and a sport jacket was bent over her desk peering at the family photos. “Can I help you?”

The woman spun around and flashed a smile that showed deep dimples on both cheeks. She was tall—even taller than Anna—with the muscular physique of an athlete. “Ms. Kaklis, I was just admiring your beautiful family. You must be very proud.”

“Thank you, I am.”

The woman held out her hand. “Detective Shawna Butler, LAPD. Pleased to meet you.”

“Same here. What can I do for you?”

“Not a thing. I’m here with good news. We found your car.”

“My Z8? They told me it was probably trucked across the border the day after it was stolen.”

“That’s what we thought, since we were assuming it was the work of one of the car rings we’d been watching for a while. But then we stumbled on another gang, and last night our guys raided a warehouse down by the port. Your car was one of a couple dozen we found ready to load onto a Shanghai-bound freighter. The officers nearly came to blows over which one would get to drive it out of there. I settled it and drove it myself. Very sweet.”

Anna was stunned. “Wow, I feel like you’ve found my first wife after I remarried.”

Detective Butler laughed. “No, one wife is enough for anyone. Especially a wife like mine.” She nodded in the direction of the photos. “And from the looks of things, that goes for you too. We’ve got two little ones, hers from when she was married. Gave me a whole new respect for my mother.”

It was amazing how quickly her feelings of kinship with the detective materialized at the revelation of their similarities. “It’s all trial and error if you ask me.”

She handed Anna a business card. “If you learn any mommy tricks, don’t hesitate to pass them on. I could use all the help I can get.”

Anna lifted a card from the holder on her desk. “I will if you will.”

“It’s a deal.” Detective Butler explained the procedures for reclaiming the car and promised to follow up with any developments in the case.

Anna’s ambivalence about the Z8 surprised her. Not only had she gotten used to driving the 550, she enjoyed the fact that Andy had picked it out, and she could say without any shred of embarrassment that she now drove a family car. The Z8 would bring a pretty penny through a broker and would no doubt make someone very happy to have found such a rare prize. She would see it into the proper hands, like finding a new home for a pet.

The low lights came on in the showroom to announce closing and she hurried out to her car and eagerly left her workday behind. Her father was pulling out of the driveway at her home as she was pulling in, and he waved and went on his way. It was unusual for him just to drop by, and Lily had probably shuffled him off so they could go get George.

“Hey, baby. I just saw—” She stopped abruptly in the doorway, confused about why the aroma of dinner was wafting from the kitchen. “I just saw Dad pulling out. Did you tell him we were—”

“Surprise!” Andy yelled. He was standing at the end of the kitchen table, which held not one but two infant carriers.

“What’s this?”

“We couldn’t wait,” Lily said, sporting a proud grin. “I knew you’d be tired tonight so I called your dad and asked him to drive us to the hospital.”

Her mouth agape, Anna brushed past to see George fast asleep in his carrier. “He’s here already.”

“We’re all here. No more running out the door to deliver milk in the morning, no more fighting rush hour traffic to see him at night.”

“And best of all,” Anna said, nuzzling first George then Eleanor, “no more telling him goodbye.”

“You know what Andy said?” Lily wrapped one arm around Anna’s waist and the other over Andy’s shoulder. “We have everyone here…”

“So we can start now,” he said.

Anna nodded pensively. “I like that, pal.” In fact, it summed up her feelings almost perfectly. Each day since the twins were born had begun and ended with the stress of uncertainty and the feeling their lives were on hold. No more. They were free now to get on with living, to have friends over or to go out, and to celebrate their new family without holding back out of fear that something bad might yet happen. Life was ready. They could start now.

Anna loved the sight in the rearview mirror of the minivan. Lily had the whole backseat to herself and looked as if she relished the momentary solitude. In the middle seats were George, who seemed to fall asleep each time the car started, and Eleanor, who was wide awake and alert to take in all her surroundings. Andy rode beside her in the front passenger seat for the first time on this, his sixth birthday. And despite all her previous vows to never drive this “box on wheels,” here she was doing just that.