“I’ll get it,” he said as he turned away.
He strode away confidently. Good, he could explain why he wasn’t available today, though it should be obvious.
There was something about Alex that commanded respect. Maybe it was the years he spent as a salesman. On the other hand, maybe his personality was what made him an accomplished salesman. He had given up being a salesman to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a veterinarian. He mastered that with no problem. Maybe it was simply his confidence that impressed people.
Carmen forced her mind from dreamland again and stood Destiny on the floor. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, Carmen straightened her dress. The smooth lines of the dress flattered her petite figure, but more important was the fact that Alex liked it. She gave blond curls a quick lift with her fingers. She had decided to let it grow long, even though she feared the weight of it would remove the curls. Fortunately, the curls were now loose waves. She sighed and turned to the door.
Alex was talking to someone in the living room as she led Destiny down the hallway. It was hard to tell if the visitor was unwelcome, as he always maintained a professional tone when talking to customers or strangers.
She stopped at Jonathan’s door to make sure he was ready. He was dressed in a suit identical to the one Alex wore. No surprise there. Whatever Alex was wearing, Jonathan was usually dressed the same. Alex took pride in that fact. In jest, he stated that Jonathan was merely seeking the best fashion example he could find. In truth, Alex felt the full responsibility of being a role model. He appreciated the adoration Jonathan bestowed on him.
The suit jacket had not been altered to accommodate Jonathan’s short arm. Around the farm and at school, he rolled his left sleeve up to make all available use of the deformed appendage, but when he dressed for church he always wanted it covered. His reasoning was that God already knew what it looked like and it shouldn’t be a distraction for others. His logic and acceptance of the deformity was amazingly positive and mature for a 9-year-old.
Carmen smiled at him. “My, don’t you look nice.”
He beamed, the blue eyes twinkling with pride. Jonathan wasn’t much of a talker. Even so, he managed to communicate better than the average person, and when he did say something, it was generally well thought out.
Alex stepped into the hallway. “Carmen?” His tone was pensive.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as Destiny abandoned her hand and flung herself at him.
“Daddy!”
Alex lifted her and sat her on his arm. “It’s Lori.”
Carmen’s first impulse was to snatch Destiny back, but the six months waiting period had long passed. Any claim Lori might have on Destiny was lost. The only thing she might be able to contest was the will. She could have all the rest. Carmen sucked her breath in and let it out slowly. It was an open adoption and Lori had every right to see Destiny.
When they entered the living room, Lori’s full attention riveted on Destiny. She put a hand to her mouth and gasped.
“Oh my! She looks just like Josh!”
After a moment, she stepped forward and held out her hands to Destiny.
“May I hold you?”
Destiny drew back, clutching Alex around the neck possessively as she stared at Lori. The thumb went to her mouth and she started sucking it vigorously as she eyed the newcomer suspiciously.
Warm fingers clutched Carmen’s hand and she looked down to find Jonathan watching her anxiously. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him with feigned confidence.
Lori’s voice brought Carmen’s attention back to the visitor.
“She doesn’t recognize me.”
Lori’s disappointed statement left the impression that she expected Destiny to know her. Lori glanced at Alex.
“What’s her name?”
“Destiny,” Alex said, watching Lori expectantly.
“Destiny . . .” Lori tested the name and glanced from Carmen to Alex. “Who named her?”
“Jonathan,” Alex said with a smile.
For the first time Lori acknowledged the presence of Jonathan. Her expression was doubtful.
“You let someone . . . else name her?”
The implication was as obvious as it was annoying. Jonathan was no more blood relation to them than Destiny, but neither child could have been loved more deeply nor considered more a family member.
“We all thought the name was perfect,” Alex said, refusing to give her concern credence.
“Would you let me hold her?” Lori’s voice held an edge.
Alex tried to disentangle Destiny, but she held on tight and started to whine. He shrugged.
“Not now. Let her get used to you first.”
“I’m not going to be here that long,” Lori said defensively. “I just want to hold her for a minute. Then I promise I’ll give her back.”
Alex nodded. “She’s been taught to avoid strangers. I won’t push her into it when she’s afraid.”
Lori’s brows furrowed. “But I’m not a stranger. I’m her mother. Why should she be afraid of me?”
Carmen stared at her. Could she actually be that ignorant? She glanced at Alex, but his full attention was on Lori. More than likely he was concerned that she would start a scene. He tried to shift Destiny so that he had an unobstructed view of Lori. It had to be difficult to maintain any semblance of authority with a toddler clinging to his face, but he managed to do it.
“It’s been 14 months, Lori. Carmen is the only mother she knows. We talked about this the day you signed the adoption papers.”
Lori’s gaze implored Carmen. “You told me I could have her back when I . . .”
“That’s enough, Lori,” Alex interrupted sternly.
He pealed Destiny from his neck and handed her to Carmen, his voice softening as he spoke to Destiny.
“Go to Mommy, honey.”
Destiny let go of him and reluctantly transferred to Carmen. Carmen cuddled Destiny close while keeping her attention on Alex and Lori.
Alex straightened his coat and tucked the tie back into his vest. Running a hand through his hair in a way that Carmen had grown to recognize as a nervous habit, he addressed Lori in a tone that was both stern and conversational.
“We can discuss this later.” When Lori opened her mouth to protest, he continued. “If you’re not going to be around more than a few hours, it couldn’t be that important to you. It’s Easter morning and we’re on our way to church. I’ll be glad to talk to you afterward. You did get to see her.”
Lori eyed him doubtfully. “I’ll have to talk to my lawyer about this.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Alex said, his voice calm and even.
Lori marched out of the house stiffly without saying goodbye.
“Do you think she’ll try to take her back?” Carmen asked anxiously. “She can’t, can she? I mean, if she was going to try, she should have come back before the six months was up . . . right?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said. “Technically that’s true, but maybe she has an angle. She must at least think she has or surely she wouldn’t have shown up after all this time and started a fuss about something that we all settled long time ago. I’ll contact a lawyer tomorrow.” He hesitated, watching as Lori’s car head back down the drive. “Being wrong won’t stop her from taking Destiny if she’s determined, though.”
Carmen’s mouth went dry. “Do you think she might kidnap her?”
“It’s hard to say. She wouldn’t be the first. I think I read someplace that most kidnapped children are taken by a parent.”
“I shouldn’t have told her she could have her back when she . . .”
“It doesn’t matter, Carmen,” he interrupted gently. “When she signed the adoption papers she was told that it was permanent. I know she was because I told her so. I also told her that I wasn’t in agreement with your terms. She agreed because she didn’t want Destiny then.”
“She was grieving. She didn’t know what she wanted.”
He nodded. “I know. I wonder if that’s what she’ll work on, and if she actually has a lawyer.”
“She wants you too. She always did.”
Alex glanced at Jonathan pointedly before his attention returned to Carmen.
“How terrible it must be to hunger for things that belong to someone else – especially when one of those things is your own daughter. I never could understand why she would want to give up her own child.” He sighed. “We’re so fortunate, Carmen.”
Life hadn’t always been so generous with either of them. Alex had lost his parents and had to quit college to raise his little sister. Carmen had lost her parents before she met Alex. And then there was the baby she and Alex had lost before it reached full term. It was the only baby they would ever have. While Destiny could never take her place, she had filled the void. Lori and Josh had everything going for them, but they were unhappy with each other. Lori could have kept the baby, the farm and the money, but she chose to “escape” instead. Yet Alex was right. They were fortunate - fortunate to have each other and fortunate to have adopted two wonderful children. What they all had together, no amount of money could buy. For her, the last fourteen months had been nothing short of heaven on earth. Alex was the biggest source of her contentment.
She met his expectant gaze. “Yes, we’re fortunate and I’m grateful for what we have.”
Deep inside, all she could think about was that Lori might want revenge more than she wanted Destiny. One person had taken everything from Lori. The man she wanted (twice), the farm, the money and then her daughter. The money and the farm meant nothing to Carmen. Her life revolved around Alex, Jonathan and Destiny. They would be Lori’s tools of manipulation. It was something to keep in mind.
After church, they talked to Katie and Bill about the situation with Lori. Alex and Bill had wandered off with Jonathan and the twins, as usual, which left Carmen with Katie and Destiny. Alex’s sister generally had an opinion about everything, so it was no surprise that Katie had one about Lori.
“I doubt she came back to get Destiny,” Katie said. “She never wanted children. I imagine she figures if she gets Destiny, she’ll get the farm and the insurance money. Of course, she doesn’t want the farm either, so she’ll sell that. Poor Destiny will be left with nothing.”
“Nothing?” Carmen said with mock indignation. “I beg your pardon. She has Alex and me.” She sighed heavily and sobered. “I can’t forget that she said she loved Alex and hoped we would split up.”
“That would have been a mistake for her. But then, she probably knew that. We used to talk a lot, you know. Alex wouldn’t have been interested in her. He could search years and never find a woman like you. He likes having a wife who wants him to boss her around. He knows how good he’s got it. He likes to be in control.” Katie raised a hand when Carmen opened her mouth to protest. “I know, you think he had his hands full raising me, and I’m sure he did, but if I had let him, he would have told me which side to chew my breakfast on.”
“He’s not controlling me,” Carmen finally inserted. “And he’s not bossy. Someone needs to have the final say or some decisions could go on and on. I think he’s better equipped than I am. He is well educated, understanding and intelligent. He always has our best interest in mind. He’s a wonderful provider.”
Katie lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “Well, I have to admit he’s all of those.” Her gaze sharpened. “Still, you know how stubborn he can be. What you two need is to learn the art of compromise, not designate a final decision maker.” She sighed. “Anyway, I don’t want anyone taking over the decision making for me. Maybe I’ll make mistakes, but at least they’ll be my own.”
Maybe she had a point. Lori was certainly independent – and ambitious. Surely Katie realized Alex remained head of the household because he liked the position – and because he was married to a person who liked him in that position. Katie was wrong, though. Alex didn’t dominate her. Maybe it was a relationship that was difficult for the modern wife to understand.
Pushing that part of the issue aside, she focused on the real problem. It was hard to believe Josh left Lori out of his will completely. They grew up together, and Lori had a crush on him since they were teens. It was possible that he never had the will changed from the time that he considered Carmen his only choice as a partner. If she had realized he put her in his will, Carmen would have said something then. Lori was his wife and the mother of his child. If he had lived, maybe Lori would have kept Destiny. In any case, Lori deserved to have something – and probably would have if she had contested the will instead of running away. Carmen had worked with Josh’s parents to reserve both the money and the farm for Destiny. Until she was of age, Josh’s sister, Alice, and her husband would live on the farm and maintain it. Josh had purchased an insurance policy on the loan and it had paid off the farm after his death, so they would live there rent free. Josh would have wanted it that way – but what about Lori?
Alex had already set aside a trust fund for both Jonathan and Destiny, and Carmen was listed as an equal partner in everything. She had protested, but he said something could happen to him and he would want her to have it. The death of Josh had underlined that thought. If they broke up, she still had the farm she had inherited. Alex refused to let her attach his name to that, so she had made provisions for it to be left to Jonathan and Destiny. Property ownership certainly had its problems. There were only three things that mattered to her – Alex, Jonathan and Destiny. Of course, that was easy to say when she had everything she needed now. Poor Lori.