Chapter 42

“Mind if I step inside? I’d rather not chat out here on the porch,” Kara murmured.

Michael stepped aside, allowing her to enter. She trailed behind him into the kitchen, pausing to take in her surroundings. “You’ve got a lovely home, Michael.”

“Thanks. What brings you here, Kara? How’d you find out where I live?” he asked, eager to get to the point. He wanted her gone before Anelise and Ollie returned; he didn’t need the drama.

“I, uh, I asked Jenna Rouse for your address. She mentioned in an email that you’d moved here and gotten married,” Kara explained. “I guess I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“You want the truth?” Michael asked.

She nodded. “I do.”

“Alright. I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. I’m in love with an ~amazing~ woman; my son is happy and loved, and I have a job and extended family that are more than I could ask for,” Michael replied.

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m happy for you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Kara. Why are you here?” He asked again, more forcefully.

“I just thought maybe I could see you and check in…,” she admitted.

“Well, I’m fine, and not that you asked, but Ollie is great too,” Michael snapped.

“I miss you, Michael... I miss the good times we had…,” she admitted.

Michael was taken aback. “Which part do you miss? The late nights out at clubs, drinking? Sleeping in on the weekends? Getting in the car and just driving aimlessly and stopping at a hotel?”

“Yes, I miss all that! I miss the sex and the fun and closeness we had,” Kara cried.

“That was all before Ollie! That’s not who I was the minute he was born! My priorities shifted, yours never did! You wanted to go back to the club and drink and sleep in, but we had a child to think about!”

“That’s what you don’t get! I will never go back to that! I have a family!” Michael yelled.

“I thought maybe I could try that! To see what it’s like to be around a child. Ollie is older now, so he doesn’t need as much attention. I thought maybe I could get to know him…,” Kara said, tearing up.

Michael laughed. “You are clueless! You really have no idea what it’s like raising a child! He may not be in diapers, but he still needs parents in a different way. I just can’t throw a granola bar at him and he’s good for the day!”

“Shit, Kara! You still have the same mentality! Newsflash: It’s not about you!”

Before she could respond, Michael heard the garage door slam shut and a little voice shout, “~Daddy!~ Look at what I made for the baby! Mommy said I could hang it in the baby’s room!”

Ollie ran into the kitchen and jumped into his father’s arms, and Michael asked, “Let me see! Another snowman?”

“Yes, It’s winter so that’s when snowmen are here, silly! But this snowman has a heart on it for Valentine’s Day!” Ollie explained.

Michael chuckled. “You’re right. Now go on up and hang your picture up. The tape is still in the baby’s room from the last picture you made.”

Ollie paused, noticing the woman in the kitchen. “Who is she?”

Kara tried to speak, but Michael cut her off. “An old friend from my old job. Now go hang up your picture and then change your clothes so we can go to Grace’s farm!”

Ollie squealed in delight, wriggled out of his father’s arms, and ran upstairs, singing some song he learned in school.

Anelise entered the kitchen. “That boy is going to be an Olympic sprinter, I swear! I think—oh. I didn’t realize we had company.”

Michael smiled at her, kissed her softly, and rubbed her belly. “I’m almost done. Why don’t you change and check on Ollie and then we can leave to meet Grace and JJ, ok?”

Anelise nodded, feeling uneasy, and walked up the stairs, debating whether to eavesdrop or go upstairs. She went upstairs and sat on the bed, nervously wondering what was happening.

She dug her phone out of her purse and dialed the number she needed and waited.

“Hey Anelise! What’s up, little momma?” Craig asked.

“I think Kara is in my kitchen!” Anelise whispered.

“What? Kara? Why do you think that?” Craig asked, shocked.

“She had Ollie’s eyes…,” Anelise said nervously.

“Does she have blonde hair? About your height?” Craig asked again.

“Yes…”

“Well shit. What is Michael saying?”

“Nothing. He asked me to get changed and sent Ollie upstairs too. He looks upset,” Anelise said.

“I’m sure he is. Listen, don’t panic and just wait until Michael talks to you. Don’t let your imagination run wild, ok?” Craig urged.

“But what if she wants to take Ollie away from me?! What if—” Anelise started, trying not to hyperventilate.

“Hey, stop! She has no legal standing. She signed over all parental rights to Michael years ago, and you are now his mother. You got his birth certificate in the mail. Your name is on it, not hers! He is your son!” Craig assured her.

“Now, go change and do whatever pregnant women do and relax. Ok?”

Anelise sighed. “I’m freaking out over nothing, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are! I gotta go finish Leslie’s Valentine’s Day present. Call if you need anything, ok?” Craig said.

“I promise, thanks Craig!” She hung up and went to change after taking a few deep breaths.

—

Michael watched her ascend the stairs, then turned back to Kara. “She’s pretty young, isn’t she? And pregnant?”

“Why do you care about her age?” Michael shot back. “It’s none of your business. And yes, she’s pregnant.”

“I care because she’s around my son!” Kara retorted.

“Your son? Your son?!” Michael’s voice was incredulous. “Since when did you give a damn about your son? It’s been three years since you left!”

“Did you ever call to check on him? Send a single birthday card? Ask for a picture?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care, Michael!” Kara argued.

“That’s exactly what it means, Kara! You signed away your parental rights and left without a backward glance! Have you been enjoying California? Sunbathing, clubbing, sleeping around while I’ve been raising ~my~ son?” Michael’s voice was a roar.

“Michael, I—” Kara began, but Michael cut her off. “Anelise has adopted Ollie. She’s his mother in every sense of the word. The only thing she didn’t do was give birth to him. She’s loved him and cared for him every day since they met.”

“~And~ Ollie loves her. Adores her. They have an amazing bond. So ~please~, don’t come here and pretend you care. Because the woman I married is my son’s mother!”

Tears streamed down Kara’s face. “I didn’t know she adopted him. You’ve moved on. You’re having another baby. You, the man who never wanted kids, are having another.”

“I never really discussed it because you were so against having kids. But I changed, Kara. I changed the moment I cut his umbilical cord. The moment I held him in my arms, and knew there was ~nothing~ I wouldn’t do for my little boy!”

“He became my world, and when the woman who gave birth to him left, he became my universe. Everything I did was for him. And when I met Ani, my world—and Ollie’s—changed again.”

“She’s everything I could ever want. And the way she loves us is beyond anything I could have imagined. But now that I have it, I can’t live without it.

“I’m nothing without her. She makes my heart beat every day. And when we have our baby, I know she’ll be an amazing mother,” Michael finished, his voice filled with passion.

“Can I see him before I leave?” Kara asked, wiping the last of her tears away.

Michael shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We have somewhere to be. I’ll walk you out.”

Realizing she’d been dismissed, she let him lead her to the front door. He opened it and watched as she paused and turned to him.

“I never meant to hurt you, Michael, or Ollie. I just couldn’t handle being a mother then,” she tried to explain.

“I don’t understand what you couldn’t handle. I was the one who did everything,” he replied.

She nodded. “I know I messed up, Michael. I get it. If he ever wants to, he can contact me…”

Michael scoffed. “I doubt he ever will, but if he does, I’ll tell him that the woman who gave birth to him abandoned him, but his mother loved him from the moment she laid eyes on him.”

Kara nodded, turned, and walked to her rental car. Michael watched as she drove away. He went back inside, took a few deep breaths, then called up the stairs, “Come on, you two! The animals are waiting!”

Ollie came bounding down the stairs, asking Michael to tie his little hiking boots. Anelise followed, her face filled with uncertainty. Michael saw her apprehension and pulled her close, kissing her deeply.

He whispered as he pulled away, “You have nothing to worry about. We’ll talk later, but I promise ~your~ son is safe right here with us!”

She relaxed and hugged him tightly. “Okay. I trust you.”

He kissed her hand, then ushered them toward her SUV.