15. Evie

Chapter 15

Evie

Jenner and I got lost in each other for a few weeks, settling back into a real relationship.

He went to the rink on the days the team was home, and I kept busy preparing for our upcoming arrival. At night, we either ate dinner together—reconnecting on a deeper level—or I was in the family box cheering him and the Speed on as they competed on the ice.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I got a text message from Paige, letting me know she was going to the doctor for an ultrasound before she went home for the winter break. She asked if Jenner and I would like to join her, and I jumped at the opportunity. After letting her know that Jenner would be out of town with the team, I offered to pick her up at her dorm and even suggested taking her out to lunch afterward.

When she accepted, I did a little happy dance before calling Jenner with the news. The Speed were out in California, and I'd thankfully caught him before his pre-game nap. He shared in my excitement while also lamenting that he wouldn't be there to see our little one for the first time.

I kept to myself that Paige would probably be more comfortable if he weren't there. He'd seen just about everything in a gynecological capacity short of witnessing birth through all my treatments over the years, but she was a teenage girl, and he was technically a stranger. Truthfully, I hoped to bond with her a little, to make her feel even more confident in her decision to choose us as her baby's permanent parents.

Pulling up to the address she'd sent, I eyed the building on the campus of Indianapolis Tech, where Paige said she lived. It appeared to be an older dorm-style structure, and I worried it might not have an elevator. Then, my gaze shifted to the sidewalk, covered in a thin layer of snow that hadn't been salted yet. Images of her slipping and falling on concrete filtered through my mind, and my anxiety shot through the roof.

I held my breath as Paige appeared at the entrance, and she crossed the distance to hop into the passenger seat of Jenner's SUV. I'd taken it today because it had all-wheel drive, and I wasn't taking any chances with my precious cargo.

Paige gave me a bright smile as she buckled her seatbelt. "I'm going to enjoy a month at home in the Florida sun. Growing up, I always wanted to see snow. Now that I have, I'm curious: can I get my T-shirt to say I conquered a northern winter, and I never have to do it again?"

I burst out laughing as I pulled away from the curb, driving toward her doctor's office. Even though life had thrown her a curveball in the form of an unexpected pregnancy at eighteen, she still had a sense of humor. I admired that about her.

"Florida sounds nice," I mused. "I will say, I miss Arizonian winters myself."

Her blue eyes brightened in my peripheral vision. "Ooh! I've never been, but all the pictures I've seen of the desert landscapes are stunning. And I'm willing to bet they don't capture its true beauty."

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road. "There's nothing quite like a desert sunset."

"Did you used to live there?" Paige asked eagerly, and her friendliness set me at ease.

"Actually, that's where I met Jenner."

"Really?"

"You bet. I was just about your age, a freshman in college. Jenner was a year ahead of me, playing hockey on scholarship."

Her snap sounded loudly inside the cabin of the car. "That's right. I remember reading that you two met in college. But I must've skipped over the part where you mentioned where you attended." Paige let out a dreamy sigh. "Was he as handsome back then as he is now?"

I bit back a giggle at the teenage girl crushing on my husband. Couldn't say I blamed her. He was so freaking hot that, most days, I couldn't believe he was mine.

"Maybe not so much handsome as adorable," I replied. "He's definitely matured a lot since then, but you've seen our wedding portrait, and that's not too far off from what he looked like at nineteen since we married young."

"No beard, though," she noted.

"No. That's new," I remarked.

The beard was something he'd grown during my time away. It added to the sex appeal that man had going on, and I'd be lying if I said I hated the red marks it left behind on my skin.

When we arrived at the medical clinic where Paige's OB had an office, I dropped her off at the front, grateful to see they'd taken the care to salt. Parking, I met her inside the waiting area, sitting beside her and chatting until they called her back for her appointment.

We were ushered inside a room with a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the gurney, where Paige took a seat, reclining as she pulled up her T-shirt in preparation.

It had been over a month since our initial meeting at the adoption agency, and I hadn't noticed how large her belly had grown, hidden by her bulky coat in the car. I couldn't stop staring at the round swell; skin pulled taught over where the baby—my baby— was growing.

Even though all my dreams of motherhood were about to come true, there was still that tiny pang of longing in my heart that I'd never get to experience carrying a baby of my own. It had taken years to come to terms with that truth, but the ache never fully went away.

Paige must have noticed that I was staring because she said softly, "You want to feel?"

I jolted in my seat at her bedside, eyes going wide. "Oh, it's okay. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just . . . I always imagined."

Her warm hand gripped mine and placed it on the bare skin of her belly.

"Let's see." Paige moved my hand around, pressing firmly until—

My gasp rang out loud and clear in the tiny room at the press of something against my palm. "Oh my God," I breathed. "Was that—?"

Her wide smile reached the corners of her eyes as she nodded. "That was an elbow or a knee, I'm sure of it. Kicks are a little sharper."

"Wow." I stared at her belly in amazement.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Absolutely incredible. Is she active often?"

Paige tilted her head from side to side. "Active enough that I've never worried there was something wrong. She gets a little feistier after I've eaten something sweet. And she loves to party all night and sleep during the day."

"Ah, so we've got a troublemaker on our hands," I teased.

"Most redheads are."

Her reply made me laugh. " It's a good thing I've got experience handling them." I winked at Paige.

The baby tucked safely inside her belly gave another roll, and I asked, "Is it strange? Feeling her move around in there?"

Paige's gaze dipped to the rounded swell beneath our hands, and a corner of her lips turned up. "A little. Seems surreal to think there's a tiny person in there."

"Yeah," I breathed out in wonder.

For a while, we sat in silence. I wasn't sure what Paige was reflecting on, but I couldn't stop marveling at the movement beneath my palm.

There was a knock at the door, and a woman in scrubs entered. She introduced herself as the ultrasound technician and sat on the stool in front of the piece of equipment that would allow us to take a peek at my baby.

I still couldn't believe this was really happening. After all this time and countless failures, my dream was months away from becoming a reality.

The tech smiled at Paige. "Did you bring your mom with you today?"

"Um." I blinked at the woman in shock. With only a thirteen-year age gap between us, it would be a stretch for me to be old enough to be Paige's mother.

Paige rubbed a hand over her exposed bump. "No, she's her mother."

The woman's eyes widened, bouncing between the two of us. "Oh." She covered her surprise quickly, exclaiming, "Well, isn't that wonderful! Let's take a peek at the little one and see how she's doing."

Squirting some gel on Paige's skin, the tech moved the wand attached to the bedside machine over her protruding stomach. The wall-mounted TV came to life, and a moving black-and-white image appeared on the screen.

My breath caught in my throat. Squirming around in high-definition was a baby. Visible was their perfectly shaped head, the tiny flicker of their heart beating, and long limbs moving about.

In an instant, I fell in love.

"There she is," the technician remarked. "And as far as I can tell, still a girl."

Paige laughed, but I sat there stunned, unable to take my eyes off the beautiful baby I would soon meet and call my own.

Fingers gripped my hand and squeezed. "You okay?"

I barely managed a nod as my vision blurred. "Sorry." I frantically wiped away the tears streaking down my face.

"Don't be," Paige said softly. "It sets my mind at ease knowing she's going to have a mom who loves her this much before she's even born."

Blowing out a shaky breath, I asked, "Are you sure this is what you want? She's so perfect."

Paige didn't falter. "I can't take care of her the way that you can. She belongs with you and Jenner."

I couldn't imagine the strength it took to come to the decision to give away a baby at such a young age. I wasn't sure I would have been able to do it.

Paige had my utmost respect because she was mature enough to see that she was giving them both a fighting chance at a bright future. In doing so, she was making me whole, giving me a second chance with my husband, and gifting us with a family we never thought we would have.

The tech was professional and kept quiet while Paige and I had a private moment. When we grew silent and our attention returned to the screen, she remarked, "Everything looks right on track. It's exactly what we'd want to see for twenty-six weeks."

She handed Paige a towel to clean up as the machine spit out a strip of pictures.

Uncertain, she glanced between us, the black and white prints held in her hand. "Who wants these?"

"Give them to Evie." Paige pulled her shirt down, covering her belly.

My fingers traced over the image of the baby in black and white. "You don't want even one?"

She shook her head and replied, "She's not my baby."

Nodding, I swallowed around the lump in my throat. "Okay. You hungry?"

A bright smile lit up the teenager's face. "Starved."

I offered my hand to help her sit up, and she took it. "Wherever you want. I'm buying."

Paige's blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ooh. That's a dangerous offer. I could have some fun with this."

There wasn't any amount of money I could spend that would repay this girl for how she was about to change my life. Hell, I'd give her every last cent we had, and it wouldn't feel like enough.

Paige dipped a french fry into her chocolate milkshake before tossing the whole thing in her mouth and moaning in pleasure.

Even though she'd teased about going somewhere expensive for lunch, we'd found ourselves in a quiet diner on the edge of campus.

I picked at my food. I couldn't stop thinking about that damn unsalted walkway outside her dorm, and my brain went down a dark path picturing doomsday scenarios.

Finally, I worked up the courage to ask, "Do you have a way to get around campus for the spring semester? I know you're not used to snow, and people drive like idiots when the weather gets bad."

Paige shrugged. "I usually take the bus."

"We could lend you a car—one that's all-wheel drive and top-rated for safety."

Her lips twisted in thought. "That's a nice offer, but I don't think it's necessary."

"Are you sure?" I pressed. "It really wouldn't be a problem."

"Just seems kinda pointless. I'll be taking my courses online next semester."

"Oh?" My eyebrows rose.

"Yeah. I figured with the baby due in March, it would be easier. I won't have to worry about running around, trying to get to class when I'm about to pop, and I can keep up with assignments and video lectures while I recover from the birth."

Damn. Paige continued to blow me away. She was handling this situation like an adult—which I suppose she was, but a very new one. I could only imagine the mess I would have been had I discovered I was pregnant at her age.

"Are you scared about that part?"

Paige drew a path through the ketchup on her plate with a fry. "I know it's gonna hurt, but it's what my body was made for, right?"

I fought the urge to flinch at her statement. My body apparently wasn't made to carry and deliver a baby.

She continued, "I've heard that if you get the drugs, it hurts a lot less."

"Part of our contract with the agency has us covering all your medical bills, so if you want an epidural, a doula, whatever, you can have it."

Her forehead wrinkled. "I'm not sure what a doula is, but thanks?"

"It's a professional trained to support you during labor," I explained.

"Oh." Paige chewed on her lower lip. "I was kind of hoping you might want to be there."

My heart hammered against my ribcage, and I placed a hand over my chest. "Me?"

"Yeah, I thought maybe you'd like to be in the room when your daughter is born. Not sure I'd feel comfortable with Jenner being there, though."

A wry laugh fell from my lips. "Yeah, I think you two might be on the same page with that one. That poor man has seen enough to last a lifetime."

She peeked at me shyly from beneath her lashes. "So, you'll be there?"

I reached for her hand across the table. "Of course. But are you sure you don't want your mom?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "It doesn't make any sense for her to fly out here and hang around when we don't know exactly when the baby will be born. Since I'm in the dorms, she'd have to camp out in a hotel, which would be really expensive."

"Paige. Jenner and I will gladly pay to fly your mom out here and put her up somewhere nice if that's what you want."

"It's not just that." She sighed. "I kinda figured I'd save her being there for when I do this for real someday, you know?"

God, she'd thought this through end to end.

"That makes sense," I agreed.

Today had been heavy, and I wanted to lighten the mood. Signaling for the waitress to bring the check, I asked Paige, "Do you have any more classes today? Or is your afternoon open?"

The girl across the table perked up. "Free as a bird. Why?"

Flashing her with a conspiratorial grin, I teased, "Oh, I don't know. Was thinking of doing a little shopping. Wondered if you might want to join me?"

Crossing her arms on the edge of the table, she leaned forward. "What kind of shopping?"

For a second, I feared that I was about to upend the balance we'd struck, but I shook it off. Paige had already proven she was stronger than any of us could have ever imagined.

"What would you say to some new clothes? I couldn't help but notice your poor jeans were hanging on for dear life with a hair tie holding them closed at the button. I'd love to buy you something more comfortable."

She waved me off. "Oh, that's okay. If I'm going to be hanging around in my dorm, I can just lounge in my pajamas. They're oversized enough."

Other than taking her out to lunch, she'd declined every offer I'd made this afternoon, and I wanted—no, I needed —to do something for her. She was giving me the ultimate gift, and that deserved my gratitude.

Jenner and I were more fortunate than most and made sure to give back to the community because we'd been so blessed. I knew firsthand how money could change a life, and since we had plenty of it, I was determined to use it for good.

Today, I wanted to spoil the selfless teenager sitting opposite me.

But today's lunch location showed she was actively trying not to take advantage of the situation. Most likely, she didn't want us to think that she'd only chosen us because we were well-off and only did so because there was something to be gained from that selection.

If Paige had done her research into adoption—which, as a smart girl, I would lay odds that she had—I could imagine she'd read the stories about people "buying" babies. As someone whose focus had narrowed to nothing outside starting a family, I could see how that highly illegal market came into existence. When you hit so many dead ends, the desperation gnawed at you incessantly. Hell, it's how I'd ended up back in Indianapolis. If a couple had the means, they would be willing to pay any price to obtain a child. Young girls in trouble would make an easy target for vultures facilitating these deals—they needed someone to take their baby, and the money offered would be too attractive to pass up.

The whole idea was disgusting to me. I might have done some shady things to get to this point, but I would never exploit the situation of a scared, pregnant teen for my benefit.

There were two innocent lives involved, and anyone with a conscience would condemn such a practice.

"Paige," I said softly. "I want to do something nice for you. It would make me happy to take you shopping."

She stared at me silently, chewing her lower lip, but finally, she replied, "If you really want to."

Making sure to leave cash on the table to cover our bill, I extended my hand to help her stand from the booth.

Bumping shoulders with her, I said, "Shopping, then nails. How does that sound?"

A tiny smile crept onto her pretty, young face. "Amazing. Let's do it."

Bonding with my baby's birth mother would be good for both of us. I could gain more insight into the girl who would share DNA with my daughter, and she could get a feel for the type of nurturing mom I would be to the baby she was giving away.

I still couldn't believe I was going to be a mom.