Alex was finishing supper with his family when the telephone rang in his office. He glanced at Carmen, silently questioning if his absence would be a bother.
She smiled sweetly. “You’d better get that. It rang earlier when you were doing the chores and I missed it.
He stood and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “If it couldn’t wait, they would have called me on my cell phone.”
He strode to his office and picked up the telephone receiver of the land line.
“Alex speaking.”
“Alex, this is Gerald. What’s going on up there? I heard you were in the hospital . . . in a coma?”
“Yeah, for a little while,” Alex said, his throat constricting. It wasn’t a subject he felt comfortable about pursuing yet. “I’m fine now.”
“I heard someone stabbed you. What was that all about?”
“It’s a long story,” he said brusquely. How are things going down there? Is there a Mrs. yet?”
“No,” Gerald answered with a short laugh. “I’ve got time. Talk to me, buddy.”
Alex sat down in his chair. “Some guy caught Carmen in her house and tried to . . . do her harm. When I came through the door, he knifed me.”
An uncomfortable silence prompted Gerald to speak again.
“That’s it, huh? That’s the long story?”
Alex twisted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to push back the emotions that memory invoked. He squeezed the upper part of his nose between thumb and index fingers, blinking his eyes to stop the burning. It was over now. There was no reason to feel so overwhelmed with emotion – specifically fear.
He took a deep breath and let it out. “I thought he had killed me,” he finally confessed in a controlled voice. “I couldn’t do anything to protect Carmen and the kids.”
“Hey buddy. It’s alright. I didn’t mean to pry. Tell me about it when your ready.” His tone became light. “So how are you feeling now?”
“I’m fine.” Alex hesitated. “My father came up . . . Carmen met him.”
“That’s interesting. What did she think about him?”
Alex made a face. “After she got over the shock, she was delighted at the idea of having a living father-in-law, for some reason. Now she wants to go down there.”
“Shock? She didn’t know about him?” Gerald whistled. “How did you manage to keep all that a secret . . . and why?”
“I didn’t intentionally keep it a secret. I just didn’t mention it. She knew Mom and Dad died in the plane crash. I figured she was better off not being exposed to that situation.”
Gerald laughed without humor. “I guess ‘situation’ is one way of describing it. So, are you going to bring her down here?”
Alex groaned. “Do I have a choice?”
Gerald chuckled. “Henpecked, are you? You’re the one who was spouting all the virtues of marriage. Does it still look as good?”
Alex glanced out the office door cautiously. “Do you want to know the truth?”
“I wouldn’t want you to lie about it,” Gerald said.
“It gets better all the time.”
After a pause, Gerald spoke again in a sarcastic tone. “I said I did not want you to lie about it.”
Alex laughed. “Seriously; I haven’t seen many down sides to it. I’ve got an awesome wife.”
“It sounds like it. If you get down this way, look me up and introduce me, will you?”
They talked a few more minutes and then ended the call without discussing the stabbing or Lori. Lori was a topic he didn’t want to discuss with anyone. Any gratitude he felt for the fact that she had given them a daughter was overshadowed by the danger she had put them all in. Worst of all, it had all been to gain access to money she could have had without protest. He never would have thought Lori could be so selfish and greedy. If the man who stabbed him hadn’t admitted that she hired him for the purpose of being friendly toward Carmen only, Lori would be behind bars now. No doubt the two had cut a deal so she wouldn’t prosecute him. Lori didn’t deserve what he did to her, but she hadn’t exactly given him a reason to respect her, either. Lori had asked Alex to forgive her. He could forgive her for what the man did – that was his doing, but not for what Lori intended to do to Carmen. Lori didn’t deserve to see her daughter again, and he was explicit about the fact that he didn’t want her around Destiny in the future. Carmen felt sorry for Lori because of the way Josh had treated her. Maybe Josh realized what she was like. There was no point in talking about it to Carmen, though.
He stood and walked into the living room. Carmen was in the kitchen decorating a cake for Church tomorrow and Jonathan was sprawled out on the window seat, reading a book. Destiny was watching a children’s show on television. It was such a domestic scene. Something had been missing in his life when he lived in Texas, and this was it. He would take them to see his father if they wished, but his father’s life was nothing like theirs. Maybe they needed to see that.
He walked into the kitchen and stood a moment watching Carmen. She finished one color and set the icing aside, glancing up at him.
“That’s really nice, Carmen,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
He sat down, watching her absently as she worked. The events of the last few months had made him acutely aware of mortality – specifically his and hers. At first it had squelched his desire to have more children. When the fear finally subsided, in its wake was a fierce determination. Maybe it was a primal need to replicate. Whatever the case, research and contemplation had not dampened the desire for more children – their children.
Carmen finished decorating the cake and set the icing aside. She stepped back, giving her work a critical survey.
“I like it,” she finally said.
He stood and joined her. “It’s perfect.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
He stepped behind her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. When her fingers caressed his arms, he leaned down and kissed her neck, below her earlobe. Her skin was soft there, and she smelled of vanilla.
“Mmmm, you smell good,” he said.
She turned around and put her arms around his neck. “So do you.”
For a moment they held each other and kissed. Finally he hugged her and spoke softly into her ear.
“Let’s have another baby.”
She caught her breath and drew back gazing up at him. “You mean our baby?”
He nodded, studying her face for a reaction.
She touched his lips lightly with her fingertips. “I’ve been reading up on it . . . I don’t know. It’s so . . . unnatural. There are some things that I simply couldn’t go along with.”
At least her answer wasn’t no, and she had been thinking about it – researching. He caressed her arms and gazed into her eyes.
“Such as?”
She took a breath. “Selective reduction, for starters . . . I couldn’t choose.”
He nodded again. “What else?”
She made a face. “I don’t know, Alex. A gestational carrier? That’s kind of like buying a baby.”
He shrugged. “More like paying for a service – you know, like babysitting. In this case, we pay for the use of a womb.”
“Gestational carrier - it sounds so . . . clinical.”
“Yes, it does,” he said. “I suppose it helps keep the carrier from getting attached to the baby.”
“How could she give it up?”
He pulled her close and held her. “I don’t know, Carmen. Maybe the money would give her children opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
She snuggled close to him. “Our baby - it sounds good.”
It wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes either. Like adoption, maybe she would warm to the idea. It was a big jump for someone so committed to being morally correct. She needed time to think about it – someplace away from where she was brought up and taught such strict moral codes.
“Why don’t we take a vacation?” he asked.
She lifted her head, her eyes questioning his motive.
“We’ve never taken a vacation away from home. Now is a good time. How about it? Anywhere you want.”
She smiled up at him. “Texas?”
He gazed down at her. “Galveston?”
“Is that where he lives?” She asked with a shy smile.
He frowned. “You want to go there for vacation?”
She nodded, her gaze searching his face for approval. “For Christmas?” she asked hopefully.
Carmen and the children were his family now – all the family he needed. Having his family together in their modest home during the holiday season had come to define Christmas for him. Still, Carmen wanted to go, and family made Christmas special, not location.
He sighed heavily. “Wherever you want to go.”
Her smile was like a ray of sunshine on a dreary day.
“It’ll be fun. You’ll see,” she promised.
Maybe so. Having her there would certainly increase his enjoyment. This encounter was inevitable. Putting it off wasn’t going to make it any easier.
He kissed her. “I know I’ll enjoy being with my family – no matter where we go. If it makes you happy, that’s good enough for me.”
She gazed up at him. “What’s it like? Is it warm during Christmas?”
He shrugged. “Compared to what? It might be warm.”
She leaned against him and he held her close. There was no point in telling her what she would find there. She wouldn’t believe him anyway. She believed only the best about people - and had no experience with people like that. Then again, maybe she would enjoy a more lavish lifestyle. She had indicated many times that she could live anywhere . . . any way. Considering how she was living when he met her, he could believe it . . . only she wasn’t happy when he first met her. She was with Josh then. Maybe things would have been different . . . but there was no point thinking about that. If she wanted to see his father or Texas, he owed her that much. It wasn’t going to change his relationship with his father, though. Carmen was right; he had forgiven his mother but not his biological father. Neither was more guilty than the other. Still, his mother had not pursued him relentlessly the way his father had.
He squeezed Carmen. She was the only person who had accepted him unconditionally. With her, money was neither an advantage nor a handicap. She encouraged him as a veterinarian or anything else he wanted to do. With her beside him, he felt empowered - capable of defeating a dynasty. He was going to need that support.