“One of us needs to clip their fingernails.” Brian noted as he inspected Elyse’s scratches and the little fingers he splayed out over his palm.
“I’ll let you do the honors.” Faith laughed. “You’re the surgeon with nerves of steel.”
“Oh, no. Surgeons never work on their own families.”
“I bought special baby clippers. Supposedly there’s less chance of slipping and cutting fingers and toes. I guess I could do it. I’m a nurse after all.”
“I’ll do it. I was only teasing. Remind me when we get home. Are you ready to leave? I need a minute to check on Cynthia and give the nursing supervisor my cell number, and then we can take off. The car seats are still in the back of my car.”
“You’re needed here, Brian. I didn’t stop by to ask for a lift home. It was more that I needed a place to feed and change the twins—-and that I was mad about no one being aware of the court order except me.”
“Don’t remind me. When I calm down, I intend to phone Maxwell and find out what possessed him. He takes orders from me and no one else. I’ll set my housekeeper and security staff straight, too. I don’t want you ever to have to go through that again. There’s no excuse for what happened today.”
“Grrreat! Then I can be on everyone’s bad-guy list. It wasn’t my intention to cause trouble.”
“Well, I don’t mind at all. Mrs. Parker knows you’re family, and she’s well aware that I’m involved in a custody suit. I don’t understand her actions and I’ll be discussing this with her.”
“That’s between the two of you. I could have pressed harder, I suppose, but I remember how much she intimidated Chloe.”
“That’s news to me. Chloe never said a word. I hired Mrs. Parker so Chloe wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning and cooking so soon after her surgery. It worked out well, and I assumed Chloe wanted to keep Mrs. Parker on.”
“That woman would only ever take orders from you. And you were so rarely home. More often than not, she set the house rules, not Chloe.”
He shook his head in amazement. “As I said, Faith, things are going to change.” Digging in his pocket, Brian pulled out a set of keys. “I’m parked on level one in the fifth slot from the west exit. If you load the babies, I’ll be there in less than ten minutes and we can get underway.”
Faith had protested all she was going to. If Brian was determined to drive her back to Boston, she was grateful. The afternoon commuter trains were always full and they stopped at every station. The trip home would be so much more pleasant in the luxury of Brian’s car.
After he returned, they set off, only to be stuck in heavy traffic for some fifteen minutes. She again apologized for intruding on his day. “I feel guilty, Brian. You look exhausted. Are you sure you want to make the round trip to Boston?”
“I have to. Tonight will be critical for Cynthia. I wish I didn’t have to turn right around and come back. You do know, I hope, that I’d much rather stay with you and the kids.”
Faith didn’t know that. She wasn’t even thoroughly convinced after he’d said it. After all, who knows more about the pressures on a doctor than a nurse? If it’d been any doctor but Brian, she’d never have agreed to marry him. The man bewitched her. He always had and probably always would. Faith found it impossible to think rationally when he was around. She held no illusions about marriage to Brian; she knew it meant she’d carry the burden or raising the twins practically alone. She’d heard doctors’ wives complain about not receiving any emotional support. Now she would join the ranks.
On closer examination of her feelings, Faith admitted she’d settle for small snatches of shared time with Brian. After all, she understood the importance of his job. And she’d expected to be a single parent to Chloe’s babies, in any event. But could anyone blame her for wanting more from marriage?
“I almost forgot.” She said, a genuine smile chasing away her troubled thoughts. “Evan rolled over this morning! He did it more than once, so I know it wasn’t a fluke.”
“I haven’t been gone that long! I can’t believe I missed such an important milestone. Did you think to record it?”
“No. I don’t have a video camera. It would be a good idea to get one, though. The twins will be going through a lot of firsts in the months to come.”
“They’ve gone through a lot of stages just since you brought them home. What’s after rolling? Crawling?”
“Dr. Sampson’s nurse gave me a brochure with an approximate timetable. She said not to worry if they develop faster or slower than it says.”
“That means we shouldn’t worry because Evan smiled before Ellie and now he’s rolled over first?”
“Right. She may walk or speak before he does. Then again, because she was smaller at birth, she may always be developmentally slower than Evan."
“Another reason I’d really hate for the Carters to end up with the twins. Maybe I’m wrong about them, but I can see them pressuring Elyse to do better than her brother. I mean, she does have that superior Carter blood running through her veins.” Brian drawled sarcastically.
His words brought Faith a whole new set of worries. David had said if the Carters managed to get the hearings transferred to New York, they’d be able to influence the outcome. Because of Brian’s clinic and his legal residence in NYC, he fit into their schemes. If Brian loved her, if he hadn’t offered to marry her just to try and win custody, she’d suggest he relocate his practice to Boston. But why would he? He had name recognition where he was, and a partner who was probably more important to his life than a wife of convenience would ever be.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.” Brian muttered, darting sidelong glances at Faith. “Now you’re worried about the Carters placing unrealistic demands on Elyse. It won’t happen, I swear. They’d have to get her first. And the babies hardly know Nick or Shelby. Just because old man Carter tops the list of rich and famous geezers, that doesn’t automatically give them an edge.”
“Is there any chance he didn’t earn his millions legally?”
“Admirable thought, but Nick-the-first made a killing in real estate. He married into an old banking family. Our Nick’s father increased their wealth on Wall Street. He chose a wealthy socialite wife, too. Nick has trust funds from both sides of the family. Shelby’s parents had a pedigree, too, but I understand they left her cash-poor when they died. She was at home when their yacht went down in a storm. Nick was at Yale. He may have married Shelby for her contacts in the boating world, but that’s not a crime.”
“Schlegel, Schlegel and Matz can make her sound tragic then, can’t they? At least if it were me, I’d play up that angle. Young woman loses her parents, wants desperately to have a family of her own. According to David she’s had every fertility treatment known to man. That’s where she was going today in such a rush. To a fertility clinic. She was quite obsessed with making the appointment. That’s why she threw me out on the curb by your apartment and tore off like a madwoman.”
“The story fits Chloe’s explanation. I recall hearing you say that Nick broke off their affair because he felt he owed it to his wife to let her try a new fertility method she’d discovered.”
“Yes. It was the final blow, so to speak. The reason Chloe left without telling Nick she was pregnant.”
“And yet,” Brian said thoughtfully, “it showed character that the man would be concerned enough for his wife to stick by her through another process. Fertility tests and treatments aren’t any fun for either the man or the woman. Some are quite painful.”
“I wasn’t under the impression that Chloe thought Nick stayed out of a sense of love or concern for Shelby. More likely it was because his father demanded an heir to carry on that exclusive Carter bloodline.”
“I know you want to believe Nick and Shelby will make horrible parents, Faith. He might be weak and she’s snooty, but basically they’re above average when it comes to looking at where to place kids. I really don’t think we have a prayer of discrediting them in the eyes of a judge. If we tried, our efforts might backfire. We’d be better served to concentrate on making ourselves look more desirable.”
“You’re right. I have nothing against the Carters except a gut feeling that Shelby would rather not be stuck with a reminder of Nick’s infidelity. In a way I feel sorry for her. All her friends and acquaintances must be talking behind her back. They must know every sordid detail, considering how the case had been dissected by the media.”
“Friends, strangers, everyone has an opinion. I still think that, in the end, the judge will weigh all the facts and do what’s right.”
Almost two hours later, Brian pulled into the parking lot behind Faith’s apartment. “I’ll carry the kids upstairs, then I need to leave again.”
Faith had toyed for over an hour with telling Brian there was no way the two of them would look better than Nick and Shelby. Nick might be off sailing in Antigua, but Shelby was home attending to duty. She didn’t say anything, however. She had no right to chastise Brian for dashing back to New York. His life and work were there.
“Hey, we weren’t harassed by reporters. Do you suppose that means you can keep your phone plugged in?” Brian asked as they slipped jackets off the still-sleeping twins.
“I did last night. You’d promised to call me, remember? When you didn’t, I disconnected it again.”
Brian looked contrite. “I meant to call. If Cynthia’s recovery continues, there’s no reason I couldn’t phone tonight.” He tried to pull Faith into his arms, but she ducked out and missed the kiss he aimed at her lips.
“You’ll be back when?” she asked, busying herself with hanging the jackets in the closet.
“In time for the hearing. A few days before that, if I can manage. I have a list of things to do and a short period of time in which to do them.” Walking up behind Faith, Brian curved his hands over her upper arms and tilted her back flat to his chest. He laid a cheek against hers. “I wish I didn’t have to go at all,” he murmured. “I’m ready to get on with the wedding.”
Faith allowed herself the pleasure of snuggling into his arms. His solid strength and the steady beat of his heart offered a sense of safety. Turning slowly, she slid her arms around his neck and raised her lips to accept the kiss she’d shied away from earlier. Brian’s shirt still carried the faint aroma of the hospital. But Faith wasn’t put off. Some might find the antiseptic odor oppressive; Faith found it comforting. She briefly touched her tongue to his lips and then when he pulled her tight to him, she kissed him as if there was no tomorrow.
Brian was the one to call a halt this time. Heart beating fast, he exhaled a stream of air and permitted only their foreheads to touch. “It wouldn’t take much of this to tempt me to stay. But I can’t.”
Brian took a giant step backward. His gaze lingered on her hungrily, before sliding to the cribs where the babies curled together. “I don’t ever remember wanting to ignore responsibility so badly,” he sighed. “But I can’t. We both know that wouldn’t play well with the judge, either. Bye, sweetie, I’m counting on you to keep the home fires burning.” Hurrying into the outer hall, he walked quickly to the elevators.
Faith stood with one hand pressed to her quivering lips, the other to her knotted stomach long after Brian left. By initiating that kiss, she’d bared her soul. Hadn’t he seen that, or didn’t he care? He hadn’t said he loved her. Foolishly, she had clung to hope that he’d at least acknowledge the possibility of love in their proposed union. She could only conclude that he wouldn’t be offering marriage if he thought he could win custody of the twins without it.
So, what did it say about her that she’d marry him on any terms? Faith weighed the matter in her mind for the remainder of the evening. She finally admitted that she’d loved him for so long, she would accept a one-sided match in order to spend even tidbits of time with him.
If that made her pathetic, so be it. If that made her a traitor to Chloe, so be it.
She was prepared to hear nothing from Brian until whatever day he managed to return to Boston. True to his word this time, Brian called that night to let her know he’d arrived safely, and Cynthia had continued to improve. “I can’t tell you how many times I almost turned back,” he confided in a low and throaty, though exceptionally sweet voice that practically unstrung Faith.
“I’ll bet the hospital staff is happy you didn’t. It probably makes them nervous to have their star surgeon out of reach.” Faith had begun to distance herself from him. It was possibly the only way she’d survive a marriage without love.
If Brian had noticed a change in her attitude, he didn’t remark on it, “You know how hospital administrators are when someone on staff breaks new ground, Faith. After the surgery, the PR department sent out a press release. I could do without the added publicity. I prefer not being in the limelight.”
“Boy, can I relate.” Faith fell back on the couch and wound and overlong curl around one finger. “I’ve hung up on five reporters who called since you left. Apparently they found out you’d driven me home. Two of them knew about the mix-up in today’s visitation. What do they have, a pipeline to our lawyers?”
“That reminds me. I phoned James. Our lawyers are out of control. He tried giving me orders, until I reminded him I was the guy paying his bill.”
“They all want to win this case, Brian. David told me it’ll be a huge legal coup for the law firm whose client ends up with a favorable ruling.”
“Yeah. Well, the one working for me had better not go behind my back and cut deals with the other team. James blew up when I told him to get me out of the new visitation agreement. I have my doubts that he’s attuned to the best interest of the babies. If I didn’t think firing him would create total confusion at the next hearing, I’d have done it. I hung up without telling him we’d decided to get married, Faith. I hope you haven’t mentioned it to David.”
“No.” Faith’s stomach rolled. A woman on the brink of marriage should be shouting it from the rooftops. And Brian wanted her to keep quiet...no doubt as part of his strategy.
His next words proved her right. “Good, it’ll have greater impact if you show up at the hearing wearing an engagement ring. Do you have a preference in cut? Emerald? Marquise? Standard?”
“Not emerald.” Faith said quickly. That would remind her too much of the ring he’d given Chloe. “Nothing showy. A ring isn’t important, Brian.”
“It is to me. I’m also in favor of our wedding being as soon as possible. Most people involved in the case probably think we’re sleeping together as it is, so the sooner we make it legal, the better.”
Better for whom? Faith wondered. Oh, he meant it would look better to the judge, of course. “Will you arrange a marriage service with a justice of the peace in New York, or shall I arrange one here?”
“Do you mind if we have a church wedding? I never felt right marrying Chloe in a hospital room.”
“Is it really necessary?” Faith's throat was tight.
“Humor me. I want to see my bride walk down the aisle. Besides, someday the kids will expect to see pictures of our wedding.”
“Weddings are costly, Bri.” Faith bit her lip as a sharp reminder not to let the excitement that had begun to build get out of hand. His wanting a church wedding meant nothing. Another show for his custody quest.
“Faith, I have money. I’ve been too busy to spend much of what I made. I told you things were going to change. I’ll send you my charge card. Use it for whatever you need. I’m sure Thanksgiving is too soon for a wedding. Should we shoot for Christmas Eve? Morning, with a brunch afterward for guests? That way we can spend Christmas as a family.”
“All right, Brian.” The old dream called for a honeymoon in some exotic location. She guessed honeymoons weren’t part of Brian’s plan. Not with less than two months to get everything ready. This wasn’t a love match, she reminded herself, but a marriage to establish a home for the twins. Fine. She loved the babies. She'd make their first Christmas a special event.
“I have to go, Faith. I’m being paged. I’ll overnight you my card. We’ll finalize any other details after the hearing.”
Faith’s heart tripped faster as they said their goodbyes. Somehow, knowing that she’d be planning their wedding made marriage to Brian seem even more real. She longed to tell someone; even though she’d said they shouldn’t bring it up until after the hearing. She sat down and wrote a letter to her aunt Lorraine who lived in California. Tomorrow, she’d visit her dad and tell him. He liked Brian. At one time, Dwight Hyatt had been aware that she carried a torch for Chloe’s husband.
Sporadically aware, anyway. Her dad had offered his sympathy and his shoulder for her to cry on after Chloe’s wedding. If he was having a good day tomorrow, he might share the joy that filled her heart. No one else would, as she’d kept her feelings for Brian well hidden. Maybe her father would even be able to walk her down the aisle.
But the next day, when Faith and the twins visited Dwight, he referred to her by her mother’s name. And he thought the twins were Faith and Chloe as babies. The fact that one was a girl and the other a boy meant nothing to the old man, who lived more and more in his own world.
Faith didn’t linger at the rest home. Seeing her father’s condition deteriorating cast a pall over her already fragile joy. From there, she did go to book a small chapel at the church, but spent more time lighting candles for her father and Brian than arranging her special day.
During what remained of the week, Faith tried to recapture her earlier delight in planning for her future with Brian. She just couldn’t seem to shake the sense of anxiety that surrounded her every move. She lived with the cloying fear that Brain wouldn’t show up in time for the hearing and that she’d never see him again.
The fear stuck with her in spite of the fact that he called every night.
“If we didn’t have these conversations, I’d go crazy in New York with you and the twins in Boston.” He said one evening when she mentioned how long they’d been talking on the phone. “I can’t be there to help you start feeding Ellie and Evan cereal. Listening to you scrape the spoon on the bowl puts me closer to the experience.”
At that very moment, Evan spewed rice cereal and formula all over Faith. “Oh, yuck! I hope you felt that shower, Brian.” Laughing, she juggled the phone to her other ear as she wiped the little boy’s face and her own shirt and chin.
“If you need to clean up, I’ll call back later.”
“That’s not necessary, Brian.” The few times he’d phoned after she’d gone to bed, he’d said things that made it impossible for her to sleep afterward. He’d asked what kind of nightgown she was wearing and how he’d like to remove it. Slowly...
“It is necessary, Faith. I won’t risk losing you from inattention.”
Faith closed her eyes. Although Brian hadn’t spoken Chloe’s name, he might as well have. But she guessed her sister would always be between them.
“Faith, dammit, I can feel you pulling away from me. You do it every time I touch on anything personal. Talk to me. If you’re having second thoughts, we need to figure out why.”
Second thoughts. And third. But not for any reason that must be running through his mind. She tossed the empty plastic cereal bowl into the sink. Bustling around the kitchen, she ran water over washcloths and wiped the babies’ faces and hands. “I don’t know what you expect, Brian. You call when I’m in the middle of caring for the babies so you can feel involved. But I only have two hands, and between the kids, they have four—-all of them trying to push the spoon away. And yesterday, Dr. Sampson agreed that Evan's cutting three teeth at one time. I spent the night walking the floor.”
“Look, I’m doing my best to wind things up here so I can get back to Boston. Barring unforeseen complications, Cynthia ought to go home next week.”
Faith rubbed two fingers across the furrows forming between her eyebrows. “Are we fighting, Brian? I don’t want to make your life miserable.” She burst into tears.
“Stop. I ought to be shot for leaving you to deal with so much. You need a mother’s helper, Faith. Why don’t you call an agency tomorrow?”
“It’s not that, Brian. I can take care of the twins. But...but David phoned today. He’s positive you and Nick are in cahoots. Nancy Matz told him I don’t have a prayer of winning. She suggested I’d be smart to let Shelby have the babies before the hearing. According to Nancy, if I show that much good sense, the rest of you will be more inclined to allow me future visits with the kids.”
“Bullshit. Where the hell does that woman come up with her half-baked ideas? More likely she’s trying to rattle my cage. Nick’s team doesn’t like it that I stopped James from negotiating with them. You hang in there, honey. Everything’s going to work out fine, you’ll see.”
“I hope.” Faith scrubbed at unwanted tears. “Sorry, Brian. I think we’re all walking a fine line, and it’s difficult.” She sighed. “I feel I’m being unfair to David in excluding him from our plans. Frankly, I just wanted a final decision. If Nick’s team does anything to prevent the judge from deciding on a permanent placement at the November hearing, I’m not sure I can continue on as we are. I’m getting too attached to the babies...even though I promised I’d consider myself a temporary foster parent. How do real foster moms let go? Losing the twins will break my heart.”
“You have to keep a positive attitude, Faith.”
“I can’t. There was a sidebar in this morning’s paper that listed twenty reasons why family court will favor Nick and Shelby over either you or me.”
“Stop reading that stuff. The reporters have nothing concrete, so they sit around and speculate. They like to sprinkle sand in an oyster. It provides a constant irritation, if you know what I mean.”
“Right. And who gets the pearl in the end? Brian, these babies are more precious than pearls. I keep thinking maybe none of us should be playing God with their lives.”
“You’re tired. Hang in a while longer. I believe our getting married will impress the judge. Social Services reported that we work well as a team."
“I’ll try to be more optimistic. Maybe we should talk about something other than the case for a change.”
They did just that. They talked for two hours, covering subjects of interest to both of them, everything from books to movies, to politics to art. “Wow, it’s midnight!” Brian exclaimed with a yawn. “I haven’t talked on the phone this long since high school.”
“I never have. Not even to Chloe, and sometimes we used to spend an hour on the phone. I don’t remember her ever saying you liked paintings of landscapes. But then she did her best to talk me out of buying the ones I have.”
“Wait until you see what I have stored. During one of Chloe’s interior renovations, she took down three of my favorite watercolors that I had in the den.”
“Why didn’t you tell her hands off?”
“Because decorating was something she loved to do. I gave her so little else,” he said quietly. “I’m glad now that I let her have free rein with the apartment.”
Silence fell between them. Then Brian cleared his throat and Faith thought he was going to say goodbye. She hated parting on a sad note. “It’s okay if you still love her, Brian.”
“Looking back, I’m not sure I ever loved her as I should have. I know that now. Apparently she recognized it much sooner.”
“It’s a closed chapter in your life.”
“It is that, and thanks to you and the twins, I’ve been given a chance to correct my faults in part two of the saga of Brian Littrell.”
Faith didn’t know what to say. It was only after they’d each yawned in the other’s ear that they agreed it was time to hang up.
Tuesday, a week before the hearing, an ice storm hit, greatly curtailing Faith’s ability to complete the final tasks in arranging the wedding. On her list had been choosing flowers for the chapel and a bridal bouquet. Brian had suggested they serve brunch rather than cake and coffee. She had planned to check out the menus of three restaurants near the chapel. Instead of going out in the wind-driven sleet, she phoned and asked to have copies of the menus mailed to her.
The storm raged for three days, fortunately, it let up on the fourth, and a south wind blew in and melted the ice on the streets, or Faith’s cupboards would have been bare. At least, preoccupation with the weather had taken her mind off the hearing, which was now only a weekend away. As she pushed the babies through the corner grocery store and people stopped to exclaim over them, Faith underwent a sudden, strange longing to have Brian at her side.
And where was he? She’d grown used to their nightly phone visits. The three days she needed most to connect with him; he’d seemed to drop off the face of the earth. No calls, and no answer at home or on his cell phone.
It wasn’t until Faith stood at the cash register to pay for her groceries that the morning’s headlines caught her eye—-and sent her stomach plummeting. Taking Brian’s advice, she’d avoided reading articles having to do with the case. What she read now made her physically ill. Bold typeface stretching across six newspaper columns read “Attorneys for Nick Carter II Expect A Private Settlement Between Their Client and Dr. Brian Littrell in Custody Case Involving Twins with Separate Fathers”.
Rooted to the floor, Faith barely managed to produce the cash to pay her bill. Her fingers shook so badly that the clerk asked if she was ill.
She didn’t trust herself to respond. She bought the paper and hurriedly loaded the sacks into the stroller, then raced blindly from the store. On the trek home, her knees felt as limp as one of Ellie’s rag dolls. Her mind refused to comprehend what those headlines might mean.
When Faith reached the safe haven of her apartment, she methodically stored her groceries and changed and fed the babies before she felt calm enough to more closely inspect the article beneath those shocking headlines.
She’d no more than spread the paper out on the kitchen table when her telephone rang. It was a reporter for an opposing paper, asking if she intended to press on with her lawsuit. Faith hung up without giving her standard “no comment”. She quickly dialed David before another call could come in.
He claimed ignorance. “I have calls in to Bob Schlegel and James Maxwell. So far, no one’s contacted me. Last I spoke to Maxwell, he was adamant that Littrell wasn’t interested in working with the Carters. The article is devoid of pertinent facts, Faith. This could be some reporter’s stab at turning up the heat before Monday’s hearing.”
“Doesn’t that open his paper up for a possible slander suit?”
“Not really. Since those guys don’t have to disclose the name of their source, they could later print a retraction and say their source was mistaken.”
“All the same,” Faith said, having difficulty swallowing, “I’d feel better if you’d heard from the other camps. I’m leaving my phone off the hook. If you find out anything, will you send your clerk by to bring me up-to-date?”
“Sure. But Chloe’s custody papers have stood up under scrutiny by the Superior Court commissioner. I received his ruling yesterday. Since then, my assistant and I have been working around the clock to build your case. Relax, Faith. I can’t believe that any split agreement Carter and Littrell could dream up would look good to the judge. Public sentiment is all for keeping the kids together.”
Faith hung up and then took the receiver off the hook, wishing she shared David’s confidence. Of course, David didn’t know she and Brian had been plotting together in order to increase their odds. That was precisely what made her so uneasy. If Brian dickered behind the scenes with her, what stopped him from doing the same with Nick and Shelby? Over the last couple of weeks, she’d let her late-night chats with Brian, and all the wedding talk, lull her into complacency.
Her stomach and legs still felt as if they belonged to someone who’d just climbed off an amusement park ride. Faith grabbed a couple of the babies’ favorite toys and went to sit beside the playpen. Playing with them lifted her spirits. She was actually laughing at Elyse'’s attempts to roll over when she heard voices in the hall. Someone rapped soundly on her door.
“I’m coming.” Faith called. She climbed to her feet and straightened her shirt before releasing the locks. David must have heard back from one of the other lawyers. That was fast. Faith yanked open the door, and it was Brian and not David’s clerk, standing there. Nick Carter and his father hovered in the space behind Brian.
“Look who I found wandering through our parking lot, Faith.” Brian said with a grin.
He carried his medical bag and a black suitcase, Faith realized as he stepped past her. Nick’s hands were shoved into his pants pockets. His father gripped a brown leather briefcase. Neither man cracked a smile.
Brian piled his things in a corner and turned to look at Faith, who’d gone white and still gripped the doorknob. He returned to tug it gently from her hands. After closing the door, he slipped an arm around her waist, “Are you sick?”
She dragged a shaking hand through her hair, “Please,” she said tightly, “Sit, gentlemen. And so will I.” She pushed Brian’s hand roughly aside and stumbled into the chair nearest the playpen. Idly massaging her arms, Faith murmured. “I have a feeling that what you’re about to say is going to knock me off my feet, anyhow, so I may as well sit.”
Brian sank into the matching chair, leaving the couch to the Carters. “Maybe someone would be kind enough to clue me in. None of you seem surprised by this gathering. Am I the only one in the dark here?”
“Come off it, Brian,” Faith snapped. “I know you said I shouldn’t read the newspapers but I did. Sorry, but they let your little cat out of the bag.”
Folding his hands between his knees, Brian threw a puzzled glance at Faith and then at the men on the couch. Nick’s eyes shifted to the babies and stayed there. The elder Mr. Carter opened his briefcase and removed five or six pages of paper. He flicked a thumb across his lips a few times. “We’re sorry about the leak to the media.” He said at last. “Bob Schlegel has tried for two days to contact you, Littrell. My son and I finally drove over to your apartment today. Security said you’d sublet the place and were headed to Boston.”
“My business in New York took longer than I thought to tie up, or I’d have been here earlier. I assumed James told you.”
It was Faith’s turn to look startled. “So you three haven’t already met, the way the newspaper implied?”
They all shook their heads.
“Why would we meet?” Brian asked. “The hearing is Monday.”
The senior Carter divided the papers and handed Brian a set. “My son is prepared to sign over full and complete custody of the female twin to you, Doctor. It’s all here in black and white.”
A collective gasp exploded from Faith and Brian. Unthinking, she grabbed Elyse and cuddled her protectively, as if such a move would shield her from a father who was announcing he didn’t want anything to do with her.
“I don’t understand,” Brian flipped through the pages, then settled down to read the top one.
“Shelby’s pregnant.” Nick blurted. “She found out while I was in Antigua. And if she’s to carry the baby to term, she has to be off her feet.”
“You always planned to hire a nanny, I believe.” Brian pointed out.
Nick turned to his father, as if for help explaining. The older man had no trouble being blunt. “This agreement comes as a condition of Shelby staying with my son. You’ll notice on page two that Bob Schlegel has arranged a sizable trust for the girl. And a generous monthly maintenance fee.”
“Dad!” Nick glared at his father. “For goodness’ sake, she has a name. Call her Elyse.”
“All right. Elyse will be monetarily provided for until age eighteen.”
Brian interrupted. “This reads very much like you’re handing Elyse over to me with no strings attached.”
Faith began to feel faint. The Carters were offering Brian everything he wanted. He’d have clear rights to both babies. He no longer needed her to act as his wife. A trembling gripped her and wouldn’t let go as she saw all her dreams drift away, like so much smoke up a chimney. It was all Faith could do to listen to Nick’s explanation.
“At the risk of sounding like a jerk,” Nick mumbled, “I experienced the true excitement of being a real father when Shelby made her announcement. That forced me to take a good look at where I was in this custody fight. It struck me that I have no paternal feelings for the baby I made with Chloe.” He sucked in a breath, “Believe it or not, I want my marriage to survive. It’s what I’ve always wanted, even though I did stray at one time. But I’d like a solid assurance that Elyse will be raised by someone who loves her. It think that’s you, Littrell.”
Nick’s dad butted in again, “From the beginning Nick had grave concerns about splitting up the twins. What do you say, Doctor? Do we have a deal?” Extracting a gold pen from his suit jacket, Mr. Carter thumbed out the last page of both packets. His son had already signed.
Brian spared Faith a glance before he accepted the pen. As her face remained unreadable, he put the pen to the page. Hesitating, he asked, “God forbid it should happen, but what if Shelby loses the child she’s carrying? Can I expect to be dragged through court again?”
Nick stood and paced to the window. He jingled the change in his pockets. “Shelby will never love Elyse as she deserves to be loved. If you’ve got no objection, Littrell, I might call you from time to time to ask after her welfare. But you have my word that I’ll never make waves in her life. It’s up to you whether or not you choose to tell her about me before some comes into her trust.”
“Done.” Brian said.
As he pulled the papers toward him and scribbled his name, Faith fought back a sob. All the love she felt for the twins squeezed the breath from her lungs. But the love she bore for Brian withered as he uttered that one word.
